Faith's Stepping Up Graduation

Faith walking down to graduation (she's the one with the bow in her hair)

Saying "goodbye" to Mrs. Karen Wrey She was such a great teacher and they both shed some tears! (so did I)

Faith and her Elementary School Diploma standing for the last time as an elementary school student at Springhurst! WELL DONE!!! Faith scored in the LEVEL 4 for the state academic testing that they took in 5th grade, a LEVEL 3 is what is expected so she met the grade with DISTINCTION in both Math and Language (both tests that they give).

So In New York they make a huge deal about "graduating" from Elementary School. So Faith is now officially a Middle School Student!!!! YIKES! They had a ceremony with diploma's and everything and then a 3 hour party that night at the middle school. She seemed to have a great time.

Faith's Birthday Party/BBQ

Faith had her 11th Birthday party in a combined BBQ for Mike (more pics to come later).

We used her waterslide from last summer and the kids had fun playing water games, sliding and enjoying their new "webkinz" party favors. It was a really great way to spend our Saturday!

Another long gap between posts..

Okay so I am really not a "pro" at this blog thing yet, but really I am trying. I started a family one for my siblings and parents to participate in, hopefully that works out and I am not the only one posting things (then that will be 2 that are not being updated very often instead of just this one).

Here we are THE LAST WEEK OF SCHOOL. Finally...the summer is half over and my kids are still in school. New York, higher academic standards and a much longer school year than any where else we have ever been. It's good don't get me wrong, I just look forward to summer break (well at least the first week or two of it). Faith will have her "Stepping up" graduation ceremony from Elementary School to Middle School on Friday morning, she is very excited. She also has her big "party/dance" that night at the MS, a boy in her class asked her to it and she had to tell him she "would be happy to hang out in a group" you know because she can't date until she's 16..... UGH, she's only 11. Innocent I'm sure but I'm not ready for this.

Hailey is loving that she won't have the "older sister" drama on the bus and at school, being the little sister isn't easy (as she pointed out to me one day). I wouldn't really know I was only a little sister to Russ and we were 4 years apart and so really I can't relate. So I just nod and smile and tell her that Faith loves her and to ignore her. Not so easy though.

Noah and I were invited to join a Pre-school in our ward with 5 other families, the mother's take turns teaching in our homes (like I did with Hailey in Provo). I am so excited for this, he really needs this type of setting to prepare him for Kindergarten in 2008, only 14 months until he starts school.......

Ammon is as busy as ever, busier really, I honestly cant' keep up with him. His new trick is to carry a large toy from his room, climb on top of it an then on top of the desk to unload all of our financial papers and computer wires, discs, electronic gadgets and anything else he can get his hands on. Last week, I found postage stamps stuck all over the side of the couch... money down the drain... Oh boy he is so active and much more adventurous than Noah, in fact at times, Noah just holds him down and says "he's driving me crazy mom". Cute but true.

Mike is in Florida for a Hedge fund conference this week, flies in Wednesday and out to Boston for a day trip Thursday. We have Faith's Birthday party and his BBQ this Saturday (big crowd of over 30 people expected in our little yard) and then Mike will be in Utah Tuesday and Wednesday next week and then he has his surgery on his sinus' on Thursday. NO rest for him. Good thing his parents are coming to visit in July to take us Palmyra and Niagara Falls, that will be our first real vacation in almost a year. We are also looking forward to our just put together trip to Utah in August. I can't wait. This summer is going to fly right by.

SAD to miss the Temple this weekend...

I'm so sad that I am not able to be in Utah this weekend with my sister Mindi and her husband Chris and their baby Michael as they are sealed together for Time and all eternity. I really wanted to be there and just wasn't able to make it out. I am so excited for them and proud of them for the choices that they have made to be worthy to go to the temple and enjoy the sacred blessings of the temple and the wonderful knowledge that they can be a Forever Family.

Although I am not there with them in body I will be thinking of them and look forward to one day being able to attend the temple with them in the future. I am going to challenge my 5 siblings (now that we all have been to the temple) to be able to go and attend a temple session while we are in Utah next summer all of us together for the first time, I am so excited at the thought of being there with everyone..... Something more to look forward to as we are already planning next summer before this one has really even began.

I love you Mindi and Chris.... Remember these 2 days and how you feel about each other and your family.... what an amazing gift from our Heavenly Father... Hugs and Kisses from us all.

Friday HOORAY!!!!

Well here it is, Friday again and I find myself saying "where did this week go?? Summer is fast approaching and the girls are antsy to be out of school. I had a huge "to do" list that I wanted to get done today and in fact I don't think I did any of them....

To start with I needed to go to the post office to mail some packages, didn't happen, I also needed to take my wedding ring to a jeweler to have it re-sized and the prongs redone so that the diamond doesn't fall out (I haven't had it on my finger since before Noah was born and come to think of it, 4 houses and moves ago... I think it is time to put it back on), this too didn't happen along with my Costco trip and going to the music store to renew the rental agreement for the kids instruments for the summer.

So I ask myself "what did I do today" well for starters I cleaned my house, did 3 loads of laundry, fed the boys, bathed the boys, dressed the boys (and myself) headed out for a WalMart trip came home unloaded and put away the stuff, fed the boys lunch and then went on my "date" with Noah, the date that he asked me on earlier this week.

There I was cleaning the boys room after a very long day when Noah pops his head around the corner and says "mom, you and me really should go on a date night" it had to be the sweetest thing anyone has said to me in a long time. I almost cried, I asked him what he would like to do on our date night and he said "you know, go to a movie and get ice cream" to which I replied "absolutely, I'll drive and pay". So all day he has been looking forward to our date night, however about 1:30 he decided he couldn't wait until the girls got home from school to watch Ammon so he agreed to let Ammon come along on our date, we didn't have time for a movie but we did go and get ColdStone Ice cream (it was awful, he got cotton candy and ate 2 bites, although Ammon decided to eat 1/2 of it, I got Cheesecake it was horrible, really I hate ColdStone, ever since I worked there it just isn't the same). So we had our date and the weekend is upon us....

I'm off to once again feed the kids........... what else is new around here =)