May Memories (in June)

Natalie celebrated her 8th birthday in May! 

It's been fun watching her mature over the year, and we are so thankful for her.  She's a great middle child- swinging back and forth to play with both her older and younger sibling.  Both her first and second grade teachers described a "quiet confidence" that she exhibits at school.  She is a hard worker and loves to please.  It's been especially great to see Natalie's patience with Kate.  Natalie teaches Kate SO much, and Kate definitely looks up to her.  It's been sweet to watch their friendship grow even more over this past year. 

Natalie's big wish for her birthday?  CALENDAR MATH- just like her teacher had in her second grade classroom.  So, we surprised her by turning a little section of the basement into a school area.   It even came with an eager student!  (Kate sometimes gets promoted to the assistant teacher when Natalie's feeling extra generous.)

Another highlight from May was PET DAY at school.  The kids were thrilled to be able to have a pet to share at the event. 

Scout even came away with a blue ribbon!

The older kids had class field trips in May, so Kate was so excited to receive a permission slip and invitation to go to the zoo with her grandparents!:)  She took her permission slip very seriously and made sure that we filled it out and turned it in right away. 

 
I found this in her room too- a few days prior to her field trip...it was her own field trip countdown.  :)

 She had a GREAT day!

The kids were getting ready to head over to Grammy's house one afternoon to play Monopoly.  They had been bickering off and on all morning.  

Me:  You better not fight at Grammy's.

Natalie:  Well, we had a little bit of fights left in us, so we were just getting it out of our system.

I overheard the girls grumbling about their brother one day when they thought he was being too bossy.
Kate:  We're not the soldiers of Scott!
Natalie:  You mean slaves.  If we were his soldiers, we'd be guarding him from enemies.

Kate:  Mommy, I'm not much of a cleaner, so could you help me clean my room?  

(Kate, I'm not much of a cleaner either.)

 
Kate:  Are there presents in that closet?  (The one that they are not allowed to open because I keep gifts inside!) 
Me:  Maybe.
Natalie:  Maybe means yes, Kate.  I've learned that from livin' in this house.  

This Calls for Celebration!

Wrapping Up the School Year

Summer Break is just around the corner!

This year has flown by!  It's been a good one!  I have been a little sentimental this week- realizing that it is my last one with just Kate at home.  Next year, all three will be in school.  Mixed feelings on that one!  Kate is so stinkin' excited to go to kindergarten though, so that will help make it easier for me to send her off.  Until then however, we all have a summer to enjoy together!

Jon recently ran the mini-marathon with some members of the police department!  We were proud of him!

I feel blessed to be the mom of these three kiddos.  Here we are for our Mother's Day photo op. 

Scott made me a special flower craft in school, and I had to laugh when I read this one. 

Jon needed an extra $1 bill the other day, and ended up borrowing it from Scott before hurrying out the door.  Later in the day, Jon put a dollar back on Scott's desk to pay him back.  Scott brought me the dollar and said, "I don't need this.  I already took 4 quarters and a penny out of your coin purse." 

"Four quarters and a penny?" I questioned.

Scott matter of factly said, "Yes, one dollar and a penny for interest."

Since when does the nine year old charge interest on a five hour loan?  

Scott recently did a class presentation on a famous American.  Can you guess who he selected?

He had to have his 3+ minute speech memorized, and so we practiced...a lot.  One day, we were driving, and I was prompting Scott to start his speech.  He wasn't in the mood, and so both of the girls took over.  I was surprised to hear how much they had memorized too just from hearing him practice!  Ha! 

He did a good job and fielded all of the student's questions afterwards.  This boy knows John Deere!

The girls recently got a collection of new big hairbows.  I came out of my bedroom with one in prior to leaving, and Natalie didn't know what to think.  She didn't want to hurt my feelings, but I think she was nervous I was actually going to wear that to her spring program!:) 

One day, we were having a discussion about tombstones and couples being buried together.  The kids were asking what they do if one spouse dies, but the other is still living.  They wanted to know what they wrote on the tombstone of the one who hadn't died yet.  In all seriousness, Natalie said, "Do they just write COMING SOON?"  The thought of this just killed me!:)  Ha! 

Kate has been very nervous about bugs lately, and it's making her fearful to even go outside.  I was pleading with her one day, and said, "A bee is not going to sting you.  Just go out and play!  If you get stung, I'll pay you $5!"   Well...a few days later I was out and a bumble bee stung me, and it HURT!  I was probably being a baby about it and kept complaining about how bad it hurt.  Kate asked me to get down her piggy bank.  I wasn't in the mood and didn't want to help her count coins.  I felt embarrassed for my attitude later when my sweet little girl pulled out a $5 bill and insisted that I keep it.  Natalie also ran and brought me $5.  :) 

Natalie & Kate had their dance recital last week.  They both love dancing and seem to enjoy being on stage!  It was a cute show!

 

 

Scout Continued...

(Because one post with just Scout pictures wasn't quite enough.)

Scott with Scout- and yes, the similarity in names does get confusing at times!

 Natalie and Scout enjoying popsicles!

Scout especially loves to attack Kate.  The screams and squeals may have something to do with that! 

Here Prince was checking out Scout during one of her naps.  Brave kitty- Scout slept through it!  We can understand the saying, "Curiosity killed the cat!"

Love the harness!

She falls alseep in funny positions!

 First Gator Ride

After a few weeks of keeping Scout indoors, we realized that an outdoor pen was a nice option!  I am not sure that Scout agrees. 

"Please let me back in to play!"

A friend told us that dogs love Crocs, so I bought a pair at a garage sale specifically for Scout, and she's thoroughly enjoyed them!

Caught in the Act

First Bath

I think I'm all caught up on Scout pictures.  My kids have been kind of neglected in the photo department for the last several weeks!:)   We now return to the regular scheduled blog posts...

Meet Scout!

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” 

-Charles Dickens (he must have had a puppy!)

Six weeks ago, we brought home this adorable little rascal.  The kids were soooo excited to have Scout become the newest member of our family!

We had watched YouTube videos, checked out dog training books, and listened to advice from various dog owners regarding the best techniques for puppy-rearing.  I felt pretty confident that we'd be able to have her whipped into shape in no time, and that it would be bliss.  I should have realized that when people responded to my idea to keep a lab in our kitchen with an "Oh My!" that I would be in for more of a challenge!   

Don't get me wrong, we have all taken a liking to Scout.  However, she is a ton of work- something I wasn't anticipating.   "Good thing you're cute!" has come out of my mouth more than once over the past several weeks!

Softest Fur Ever!

We've also taken on a new appreciation for the cats since getting a dog.  Cats are very low maintenance compared to a rambunctious puppy. 

We chose her out of a litter of ten.  Both of her parents are black labs!

I wanted to become a dog breeder after seeing all of these adorable pups together.  I've since come to my senses!

She can't quite jump up on the porch yet, but that day is coming!

 Blue-eyed Baby!

Sweet Scout! 

Many more Scout pictures to come...she's changing so quickly.