Disney!

For the first time ever, the school schedules lined up and everyone was out of school on the same day. We celebrated the beginning of summer with a short trip to Orlando.  We had one day in the parks and one day to play at our hotel.

Ready for our big day at the park!  We began the day at Animal Kingdom to ride Expedition Everest (our favorite coaster of all time!)  The biggest surprise of the day was that Amanda was tall enough to ride it.  It was her first coaster ever and she couldn't decide if she loved it or hated it.  But I know she was really excited to have ridden it.

We also enjoyed the show at Its Tough to be a Bug.

We spent most of the day at Disney Hollywood Studios.  Amanda LOVED the Beauty and the Beast show as much as she loved it last time we went.

The boys, meanwhile, enjoyed the Rockin' Roller Coaster and the Tower of Terror.  

Mmmmm...there's nothing better to beat the heat than a Mickey Ice Cream.

We spent most of Friday playing at our hotel and enjoying a memorable lunch at the Rainforest Cafe in Downtown Disney.

Swimming

One of the things that we love the most about summer is swimming in our neighborhood pool.  The kids can't wait to jump in on the first day that it is open, no matter how cold the water.  The pool is filled with well water...water that has been sitting underground through the cold winter.  That, combined with an overcast May, made for a very cold first day of swimming.  But, does that seem to bother these three?

broken arm

It was bound to happen sometime.  I can't tell you the number of times I've said, "whew...that was close."

We had a trip to the emergency room on a Saturday afternoon.

Amanda broke her arm when she was climbing a tree.  She was bouncing on it, lost her balance and landed the wrong way.

She is SUCH a trooper.  I know it must have hurt like crazy.  But, it wasn't long before she stopped crying and endured the pain.  She was chatting and entertaining the doctor with stories of her dog the entire time we were there.

She even managed to give me a smile while were were in the ER.

She was excited about her sling and hospital bracelet.

Later in the week, she even made a cast for her friend, Anna.  They were playing "swimming with a broken arm" or something along those lines.

Amanda wore the soft cast for two weeks while the swelling went down.  When we returned to the doctor for an X-Ray, she was eager to get her hot pink cast.  Nana was the first to sign it.

Sporting her cast while riding a horse (and wearing my black boots.)

Later she wore a waterproof blue cast for two weeks (so we could swim at Disney!).  

We are thankful that it is healing!  And we hope that is the only Saturday ER visit we have.  

Mother's Day

I'm so thankful to be a mother to these two boys! (After a long morning of church, Amanda refused to pose for a picture.)

Later, I snapped these of my three...

Scott, tuning his bike

Andrew, recovering from a brush with the asphalt

Amanda, still sporting the hot pink cast

School Sleepover

We are nearing the end of a GREAT school year.  Both boys have had stellar teachers.  It's been a year where they have been challenged and inspired by (and worked hard for) teachers who really care about them.  

Andrew is finishing 1st grade with Mrs./Dr. Shoemaker (she earned her PhD in December).  To cap the  year she invited the class to a lock-in at the school.  18 of the 21 kids attended (each with a parent). 

We pulled out all of the fun PE equipment and had a roaring good time playing with hula hoops, balls, skateboards, and more...all of the games that the kids dream about playing without any restrictions or rules.

Then, we settled down for dinner and a craft donated by The Home Depot.

We ended the night watching a movie in the classroom and sleeping in the gym.  There is something really exciting about sleeping at school.  

End of Preschool Year

Amanda is finishing her first year of school!

Do you remember this picture taken on August 17?

Look how much Amanda has grown in just 9 months.

One of the favorite activities of the year is taking Bubba Bear home for the weekend.  Amanda was one of the last kids to bring him home.  I was out of town for the weekend and my Mom did a great job of documenting his stay at our house, including a trip to the dentist.

Amanda's sweet, little class

We love Miss Lisa and Miss Chris.