The school year comes to an end!

Well, we made it through all the end of school parties and wow was it ever a crazy time. Olivia graduated from 5th Grade and is now headed to middle school which is a major milestone and the send off was huge. On Friday we had the 5th grade Luau! It was complete with a full luau dinner and a whopper of a party. They had beach sand volleyball, face painting, limbo, a cake walk, Dippn Dots and a professional DJ who really made it a great day. I was there for most of the day doing the face painting but I was also in charge of Elle's ice cream sundae party so I was constantly jumping back and forth between the two events.

At the end of Olivia's party they had all the kids come in the cafeteria and had a huge slide show recapping the year. They did such a great job with it and then at the end each of the kids got a bag with a DVD of the slide show and a few special remembrances and treats. We had a professional photographer there snapping photos so I didn't take pictures but with the long weekend I won't get the pics from the party until Tuesday so I can't post any pictures yet.

Elle's party was very special also. Another mother and I had worked hard to make a scrapbook for Elle's teacher that had a page personally made by each child in her class. We had to be really sneaky but we did it! It turned out so well and she just loved it. As all the children were gathered around her and she read and looked at each page, one of the boys in the class was just bursting with pride and said "Oh miss Rath, our hearts are on every page, I hope you can feel it." She got a little teary eyed at that. Chloe ended the year with a big walkathon and a full day of fun events, pizza and parties. I couldn't be at any of it (nor do I think she wanted me there....13 you know) but she gave me the play by play.

Oddly enough, because we had too many snow days, after the long weekend they have to go back to school for one more day on Tuesday. Crazy I know!! Olivia's teachers told me that they are going to watch a movie and then have a student vs teacher kick ball game. Elle will have a pj movie and books day and Chloe is having movies also. They have to go or they won't get their report card, smart thinking or I don't think anyone would have shown up. Olivia is excited for her "Walk Out" that is where the whole school lines the halls for the 5th graders and claps for them as the walk out for the last time. All these special traditions sure create great memories for our kids and I am savoring these moments.

The Best time of Life

When I had little ones I often thought "I can't wait until my kids are a little older, it will be so much easier when they are not so dependant on me and life will not be so hectic and busy." HA HA HA is all I can say. There is no comparison as far as sheer constant demand between the early years to now and I was very wrong in my predictions. That being said this is the best time of life. I am so happy and love the constant pace of our life right now. The past week has been 3 talent shows, the end of year choir concert, teacher gifts, constant parties, piano recitals, 2 walkathons, field days, gymnastics Olympic presentations, and everyday has been a dress-up day (pj's, beach wear etc.), and on top of that all our church activities. I wake up everyday just hoping my head will keep up with it all. I have no desire for all this bustle and love to end. When I was a young mother so many of my friends made the comment that they wanted to be finished having kids by 30 so that they will all be out of the house by 50. NO Way for me, I don't want to be an empty nester, I want my life to be filled with my children and grandchildren. I don't want them gone early. I just feel that this time is so rich in rewards and joy. So I will post a few photos of our weeks crazy fun!!

Chloe and Olivia Performing at their piano recitals!

Chloe and Olivia with all their friends at a cheer party!

Olivia with her friend Cheyenne at her school field trip

Elle, just headed off to a busy day at school!

Loosing Myself

Do you ever look in the mirror and wonder "Who in the heck is that staring back at me?" I am starting to be unrecognizable to myself and I am trying to figure out where I am so I can get grounded again. When I was young there was one thing that Iwas sure of, I would never be the gross "sweat pants" mom. I was going to be cute, up to date, hip, cool and always looking "together" as I ran my children to their various activities. I am so busy lately with plays, birthdays, house showings, end of school parties etc....So why do I sometimes find myself aimlessly maneuvering through my day in sweats and a pony tail with a private hope that I will squeeze in a shower before bed. Hence as I blog about our daily adventures, I am rarely in a picture, why??? Is it because there is no one else to take the picture? no it is that i am not looking acceptable enough to be in the picture.
So I was whining about this tonight to Chris on our walk. He listened to me and then when we got home he was sitting contemplatively on the couch when he said, "The funny thing is that right now you are more sexy to me than you ever have been our whole marriage" What??? That is cracking me up because he is either trying to be Johnny Lingo and some how believe into existence an 8 cow wife or I am doing just fine and he is baffled by my rantings tonight. This is a very rare day of crazy thoughts because I really don't care about this kind of stuff and spend little or no energy on my cuteness, but for some reason today I felt a little lost!!

Absolute Heaven

Chris and I love to walk. When summer hits we love to go for long walks together. When I say it is absolute heaven I mean it! We go every day. We go 5 miles through the most beautiful tree laden, foresty, stunning walking trials. Tonight it was dusk as we headed out our front door and we LOVE how the meadows are filled with millions and millions of lightning bugs. It is breathtaking as a million flashing lights surround us on all sides. We just stopped and stared in awe of the beauty of it all. At about half way through our walk tonight any last glimmers of the sun were completely gone and we were surrounded by moon and stars. The sounds are amazing and we are dodging frogs, bunnies and all kinds of vermin the whole way but that is what makes it fun. As we rounded one corner last night there were 2 deer only a few feet away eating grass along the tree line. We go at different times every day and each time it is such a rich experience. The smells are fresh and and natural and I have to repeat that I love where we live. We don't have all the luxuries that other cities offer but I was always a "Where the Red Fern Grows" kinda gal anyway. I love that I see deer all the time, I love that I just walk out my door and can soak in all kinds of nature and beauty, I don't have to drive to some special park or refuge it is all around me (constant road kill, I could do without!).

The best part of our walks is that we get solid, quiet talk time. It is our "plan our future and life" time. We both just love to spend that time talking about every aspect of our day and planning out our future. I come home everyday so happy and refreshed. It is absolute heaven!!

Its about time!!

This is on the cafeteria wall at Olivia's school!

Wow, I took a little bit of a break. I have had so much on my plate these past 2 weeks I have not been able to keep up with everything plus a blog. I have composed several posts in my mind but they never made it to the computer and I am amazed at the range of emotions and thoughts that I have had the past 10 days....it is a good thing that some of those thoughts didn't make it here. They were all very random and scattered. We have been absorbed with shcool activities, here are some of the highlights of the past weeks.

1. Olivia did FABULOUS in the play Oklahoma!! She absolutely shone like a star on that stage. I was so proud of her. Her school has a really great music program. The school plays are amazing! The choir, orchestra, band and drama programs are also outstanding. I am so glad that the arts are a priority in this school district.

I think the boy who played Curly is so cute....he looks like a mixture of George Strait and Brad Paisley! They were a cute couple on stage.

Here is Olivia with a few of her friends!

Here are a couple of clips from the play!

2. The Mothers Day tea at the school. It was amazing. The 1st Graders prepared a beautiful, touching, and sometimes funny program while the fifth graders served a beautiful lunch with scrumptious tea pot shaped cookies and juice. It was a lot of work for the teachers but seeing the whole cafeteria full of all the Mothers being honored was amazing.

The kids all made coupon books and the teachers helped the kids put together an adorable cook book for their mothers. It was very special.

Then there was the day we made Mud Head Babies, the day at the Zoo that I chaperoned and then there was the Fairy Tale Ball, this was my favorite. They all came dressed as their favorite Fairy Tale character and we had cookies, juice, and a real Ball. The kids all danced with their Moms and Dads and a few of the kids danced with each other....Elle danced with David and that was significant for her!!!! I forgot my camera that day so one of the other mothers took pictures for me, I haven't received them yet but I know they will be adorable. Elle was dressed as Anastasia. They even had a disco ball and turned the lights down. It has just been so busy at school as the year winds down.

Chloe's choral teacher came to her a month ago and asked if Chloe thought it would be too much to ask if Chloe could write a song for the choir to sing at the final choral concert. I thought it was a huge undertaking but Chloe did it in just one evening (she amazes me) and I am so excited to hear her song performed on Thursday night. Wow, who can say that at 13 they were able to write a choral piece good enough to be performed. I am so proud of her. I will post a video of it if possible.

It is a whirl wind of busy but I feel so happy and overwhelmed with gratitude right now. I just love my sweet girls so dearly and I am grateful for a husband who is always helpful and by my side. We are excited for summer and more time together!!