Family Fun

One night, in early June, Brandon came home from work and decided that it was time for us to have some fun as a family. We picked up a pizza from Little Caesers and headed to this beautiful, magnificent park in Germantown. 

The kids had a fun time enjoying a fun dinner and playing on the playground equipment.   Hyrum even ran into some friends from school.

We even tried Lucy in the baby swing again. Don't let these pictures fool you, she wasn't a fan.  Hyrum enthusiastically picked out the clothes that Lucy was wearing for the day. 

  Poor Ben didn't feel the greatest, but he was still a great sport.  To end the night, we played a makeshift quick game of kickball as a family.

The weather was fantastic for Memphis in June and we had such a great time as a family.

Last Day of First Grade

Hyrum had his last day of first grade back in May. Excitement was in the air! He was anxious for summer to begin and to be able to stay home and be with his family, at least that is what he told me.  Below are pictures before he went off to his last day. Isn't he so handsome? I love that boy!

While he was at school, Ben, Emmy and I headed to the dollar store so we could cover him with silly string when we picked him up.

 Lexi, Hyrum, Rylee, Abby

After we picked up Hyrum from school, we headed to Shelby Farms with some friends to have lunch and had a grand time. 

Lucy tried out a baby swing while we were there, she didn't like it.

That day was the perfect way to start off our CRAZY summer vacation!

Ben and Emmy's Preschool Graduation

On May 23rd, Ben and Emmy had their graduation from preschool.  I loved every minute of their program. I loved how excited they were for Brandon, Hyrum, Lucy and I to come and watch them show off all the many fun things that they had learned through the year.

I loved watching them march in with their class at the beginning. You could tell by watching them that they were taking their part in the program very seriously.

Ben was bursting with pride to hold the flag while everyone said the pledge of allengce and the kids sang the song Your a Grand Ole' Flag.  It was so cute, but let's be honest, everything the kids did in the program was so dang cute.

 The kids each had a part to say in program to explain what the class would demonstrate next.

The kids sang their various songs that they do when they have calendar time. A song was sung about the days of the week (even in opera and silent mode), months of the year as well as a song about the weather.

The kids then went on to sing a cute ABC song that had the singing about the different sounds the letters make. Next, the kids sang an adorable colors of the rainbow song in sign language.

Then, the kids recited there favorite poems that they had learned during the year.  Emmy chose 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Once I Caught a Fish Alive.  Ben chose Hot Cross Buns.  I thought I would try to get a close shot of them doing their poems, but Lucy started crying, so I ended up filming their parts below at home.  

Next, the kids sang their two favorite songs from the year.  Tarzan and Tootie Ta.  I love how you can see Emmy laughing so hard in this picture.

To end the program, the kids sang the song  You Got a Friend in Me. It was so cute and perfect for these kids who are such good friends and have been over the years we have lived in Memphis.

To show our gratitiude for Miss Lisa. Each child gave her a flower and stated why they loved her as a teacher.  We, as parents, contributed towards a gift card as well to her favorite store.

The kids absolutely loved their teacher, Miss Lisa and so did I.

Miss Lisa helped Emmy thrive and succeed in school overcoming her shyness.

Miss Lisa helped Ben grow in leaps and bounds with his reading.

Miss Lisa made school fun and enjoyable and helped the kids desire for more knowledge.  Most of all, she made the kids feel loved, wanted and important. 

Aubrey, Elle, Emmy
Picture taken by Kara Jo Photography

Matt, Parker, Ben, Tucker

 We couldn't have asked for a better school year. I am broken hearted at the thought of my babies heading off to Kindergarten this year.  I will miss them so much.  I love having and hearing their fun personalities around the house.

I am so proud of Emmy and all the fears that she has overcame and everything that she has accomplished.

I am so proud of Ben and everything that he has accomplished during the school year. 

I am so blessed to have these amazing children in my life.

End of T-Ball/Coach Pitch- May 2012

The end of May brought the end of T-ball and Coach Pitch for the year. 

The kids had a great time playing and improved much on their baseball skills through out the season. The kids loved having some friends from church on their teams.

After their last game, the kids and I headed to Sonic on that humid day for a tasty treat.

It was the perfect way to celebrate the end of the season!

Brandon's Residency Graduation

Back in May, we attended Brandon's graduation for his residency program. It has been a long road for us, but we made it.  It was wonderful to be there and reminisce about last year, when Brandon was graduating as an official OD, as well as the many other years it took to get to that moment.   

The kids did really well during the commencement ( Hyrum was with a friend). 

Below is a picture of Brandon with the people that he did his residency with. L to R Johanna, Matt, Kaylee, Jessica, Scott, Brandon

Brandon with one of his best friends from school, Scott. We will miss him and his cute family. 

Lucy was done by the end of the program and pictures. 

I am very proud of Brandon and how hard he has worked.  We have moved yet again for Brandon to start a job with Rocky Mountain Eye Care in Colorado.  Brandon started work the end of July.  Brandon has loved working there.  We are living in a super small town and so far, things seem to be going well.  We are sad to leave our friends behind in Memphis, but are excited for our new adventure here in the beautiful state of Colorado!