End of School Year Festivities

Our last field trip of the Bear Hollow school year was the Mother Goose Games.  We had a rough start but Sam thankfully snapped out of it.

Good thing he has Tuck there to reassure him.

Little cutie earned every single one of these medals.

After lunch we got to search for Ba Ba Black Sheep's Wool aka cotton candy.

The following week was the end of year program.

In keeping with the Mother Goose theme the kids got to dress up like various characters.  Sam was Jack, from Jack and Jill.

The little girl to the right of him was Jill.  Sam absolutely killed it!  He was the only kid you could understand.  He stood up there and belted out "Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water.  Jack fell down and broke his crown and Jill came tumbling after."

While the other kids were picking their noses and chewing on their shirts, Sam didn't miss an action or a word to any of the songs.  He definitely earned his award of Best Singer at Bear Hollow.

He had quite the cheering section.

What would we do without Miss Molly?  Man I love this lady and so do my kids.  

She's always so happy to see all her former students.

We couldn't be more proud of our sweet Sammy boy.  He gives everything he does 100%.  As hard as it is to see him growing up it's pretty awesome seeing him succeed at everything he tries.  I can't even imagine the emotional wreck I'm going to be next year.  Thank goodness I have another year of preschool.  I'm not ready for our time at Bear Hollow to be over.

I am ready to be done being room mom in Max's class though.  My party planning days are done now that this end of year shindig is over.

We played a bunch of games outside and ended the party with some delicious fruit kabobs made by yours truly.

The kids loved them!

Max and Ms. Gustafson

Instead of field day, the kids got to play in bubble balls.  Pretty sweet!  I can't believe another year is in the books.  This one cruised by lightning quick.  The kids did so well and really liked their teachers.  I'm proud of their amazing grades and desire to do their best.  Now bring on summer!!!

May Randoms

This particular Saturday we had 6 hours of games!  Not to mention it was cold, windy, and raining.  Yet there's nowhere I would've rather been.  Watching these boys play is the ultimate for me.

This darling lady was right by my side the entire day, freezing her butt of as well.

On a much warmer day Hank got a huge surprise when Rick showed up to his game.  That is one happy boy right there!

Hank is getting much more comfortable on the mound this year.  It takes a lot of guts to go out there inning after inning and pitch, knowing the game rests in your hands.  He handles it so well.  I wish I could control my nerves that well.

Max is loving really loving the opportunity to play goalie this season.  When Grandpa Griff asked him if he knew how to play goalie, Max responded "I know how to play goalie brah!" It's quickly become our family's catch phrase.

While we have yet to get a hit from Mr. Mino, he manages to get on base nearly every at bat.  He's learning the game so quickly and the older boys on the team have been so sweet to him.

This particular game, he slid into home for the tying run!  I almost peed my pants.

Costco owns us these days.  I don't see our grocery bill getting less any time soon.

Hank totally killed it at the 5th grade Wax Museum.  He captured Walt Disney perfectly.

Griffy celebrated his first birthday and the kids insisted we take him to Petsmart to pick out some presents.

He even smiled for the picture.  What a spoiled pooch.

You can see our Griffy love hasn't dwindled in the past year.  We are nuts over this dog!!!

JDRF News

It's officially JDRF walk season again!  At the kick off event, Randy and I were honored with the JDRF Hearts and Hands Award, recognizing our volunteer efforts over the past year.  While I don't volunteer on behalf of  JDRF for the recognition, it felt pretty awesome to be acknowledged.

The boys are sporting some new equipment these days.  They are both rocking the Dexcom G5 sensor which gives me 24 hour access to what their blood sugar is doing.  It is life changing.  An alarm sounds when they are high and also when they are low making it so I can sleep easier at night.  I can watch their blood sugar while they are playing sports, out with friends, or at a sleepover with their grandparents.  It's amazing how often their blood syncs up like this.  This particular technology was largely funded by JDRF.  Another reason I will always align myself with this organization.  

Riverside Country Club made JDRF the charitable foundation for this years Spring Classic Tournament.  These cuties sold $2,000 worth of raffle tickets.  An excellent start to our fundraising this year.

Team Blood Brothers is going to be a force to be reckoned with.  Cutest diabetic bros ever!

Best Mother's Day Ever

I'm pretty sure ditching our kids and heading to San Diego was the best Mother's Day Weekend we could've ever planned.  I really think this needs to become a tradition with my mom and sisters.

Everyone was jealous of my neck pillow.

Kate and I were pumped to find an arcade in the lobby of our hotel.

You can't beat the location of our hotel.

 We kicked off our vacation in Old Town with some delicious Mexican food.

These amigos had a crush on Kate.

After we hit up a few candy shops the shenanigans began.

Then we decided to visit a local Mission, because we're cultured like that...oh wait.

The Mission was actually really beautiful but our mood wasn't conducive to taking in all the history.  Why do we turn into kids when we're all together?

Am I giving my mom a breast exam?

After all our sight seeing, we decided to take advantage of our beach front hotel and soak up some vitamin D.

I mean how adorable is my mom.  After just a few short hours and realized how worth it this trip was.

We made reservations at a really cool restaurant downtown for dinner that night.

Beautiful ladies, beautiful night.

The next day we drove to Coronado to see the sights and get some shopping in.

My favorite purchase of the day...

Happy Mother's Day to me!  Kate and my mom both bought a pair as well.  I couldn't be happier that Birkenstocks have made a comeback.

Candy cigarette's anyone...or are they.

L.O.L.

Cutest little nappers.  I couldn't nap with a beach that close by.  I opted for a walk on the beach while this ladies rested up for our 2nd night on the town.

Real Housewives of Lehi!  Watch out San Diego.

Man we are photogenic, and so serious ha!

After dinner we headed to the comedy club for one of our most random nights on record.  I mean how often do you get the chance to see Kevin Nealon? Hahahaha! I love my root beer float ordering sisters.  We laughed so hard and it only continued on our drive back to the hotel.  Who knew I could recall every single Violent Femmes lyric?  My mom even did her famous Karen Carpenter impersonation.  Oh man I love these ladies.

The next morning we woke up to beautiful clear skies.  Happy Mother's Day to us!  Sarah and I enjoyed a run along the ocean and met up with mom and Kate for breakfast after.

Even though the water was freezing, I couldn't resist taking a little dip.  I'm so glad I talked Sarah into joining me for a few minutes.  The ocean pulls me in every time.  This Mother's Day is going to be hard to top!

Sadly it was time for us to check out of our hotel.  Luckily we didn't have to catch our plane for a few hours.  Back downtown we went.

We ate some good food on this trip.

As well as tons of candy...

After the Colon Blow comes..

I can't believe I waited until the end of our trip to buy a selfie stick! 

I was really trying to figure out how to use it, but notice Kate in this picture.  Best. Ever.

After about 35 tries we captured this gem.  

After a weekend in beautiful San Diego, I feel refreshed, rejuvenated, and ready to return home a better mom.  Moms need a time out every so often.  Time to reflect, think, and refocus.  I'm so grateful for a husband who was willing to hold down the fort so I could.  I will cherish this time with my mom and sisters forever.