Hello Muscles!

We recently went out to dinner with Em's friend Katie's family to celebrate Katie's birthday. Jared, Katie, and Emily were having fun showing off their muscles!


(awww, look at all the hair Emily still had!)


Connor was showing off his REAL muscles, but wouldn't let us take any pictures. *grin*

dance recital 2012

Connor was in his first dance recital last week, performing with his level 1 Hip Hop class. Super stinkin' cute!!! He invited his Kindergarten teacher to come watch him perform, and he was soooo thrilled when she came!


There were four shows total, and between my two dancers, we participated in three of the four shows. Emily was in the audience for the first time EVER (Connor performed in the morning recital, which she wasn't a part of). She enjoyed getting to see the performances, since she's usually backstage and misses out!

We sent Connor home after his show was over, and then launched right into Emily's two shows. It was a LONG day, but well worth seeing the kids enjoy themselves. Connor had been very nervous about being on stage, but told me afterwards that he really likes his regular class, but he wishes they could do the stage stuff more often. LOL!

Emily and Katie dressed and ready for their ballet performance (they performed this routine in both the mid-day show, and the evening show).


There was another ballet routine they got to perform, but they didn't have a costume for it, so I didn't ever bother taking pictures backstage (they just wore their regular practice leotards and had a ribbon in their hair)

Katie, Emily, and Katie waiting for their tap routine (performed 2nd half of the evening show).


We hadn't really had time for much more than little snacks here and there throughout the day, so I took Emily out for some food on the way home (around 9:30pm!). She picked McD's. We hit the drive through so we could just go home and relax, but then we saw one of the Katie's inside with her family, so we parked and went in after all.

3D handprint

I saw this idea on Pinterest and had to try it out! Turned out pretty good for a first attempt.


Jared saw me working on it and really wanted to do one for himself, but we ran out of time last night. I'm hoping to finish it up with him today. I don't know if Connor could manage one or not, but I'd like to have him try! I'm sure Emily will attempt one as well. I think it's pretty neat (coming from someone who can barely draw a decent stick figure, being able to draw a 3D hand is pretty awesome! LOL)

Swimming

Summer sessions of swim lessons have started, and we opted to put Jared into the "Intro to Swim Team" program instead of level 8 (the final level of swim lessons). He's been in level 8 for two sessions and has passed everything but the flip turns and starts. When I asked the difference between level 8 and Intro to Swim Team, I was told "a half hour". Basically, Intro to Swim Team is like an hour long level 8 class, instead of the usual half hour. Jared LOVES being in the water, so it seemed a no-brainer. Not to mention he never even seems tired after a normal half hour lesson.

Yesterday was the first class, and I'd say it was slightly more intense than an typical level 8 class. The "warm up" was a 400yd swim (that's 16 long lengths of the pool in case you didn't know)! Jared swam, and swam, and SWAM for an hour. If we thought he was pretty strong and fast before, I can't WAIT to see him at the end of the summer!

I absolutely LOVE watching the boys mastering this whole swimming thing. Connor's crawl stroke is finally a REAL crawl stroke, and he's already picking up speed just from two weeks ago. He's fearless and determined. Jared is like the energizer bunny and he just goes and goes and never seems tired. I'm really excited to see where both of them end up. They've both tried and enjoyed several other activities, but swimming so far is the one they really seem to get excited about and do well with.

Funny to think how last summer, Jared would barely put his face in the water, and Connor's crawl stroke looked more like drowning with style!

Hair Donation, Round 2!

Emily donated 10.5 inches of hair today to Locks of Love (minimum donation of 10 inches). The last time she donated, it was to Wigs for Kids (minimum donation of 12 inches), but we decided that chin length hair was just a little too short this time around.

Here are some "before" pictures:


If you pull the waves straight, there was about 23 inches of hair on her head from root to tip; not pulled straight, there was about 22 inches of hair.




The long ponytail I'm going to miss!


She was really nervous they were going to cut off too much, so I very carefully measured out 10 inches, placed some elastics and made four ponytails (I'd read that you get the most amount of usuable hair, and have an easier clean up of the ends, if you form multiple ponytails instead of just one big one in the back)




I cut off the first ponytail, and the stylist cut off the other three


WOW!


I think she pretty much lost all of the wave to her hair with this last donation. There is a very minimal wave near her ears, and the underneath portion in the back is slightly wavy, but otherwise, it's quite straight! I'll be curious to see what it does after the next time she washes it! Last time she donated, without the weight of the length of her hair, it got REALLY curly again!


No longer a long wavy ponytail, but now a cute little sassy one instead! She bounced around the house all afternoon feeling it brush against her shoulers. LOL


Here's a side-by-side Before & After photo:

Baseball Team

We've had the neatest group of boys and dads on Jared's baseball team last year and this year. It's been so much fun watching their skills improve, and their team unity come together. They've really pulled off some nice plays the last few games. Everyone really gets along and enjoys their time together.

We were supposed to have a mid-week game last week, but the other team was a no-show, so the boys played against the dads instead. I wish I'd thought to take a few pictures!

I did pull them all together afterwards for a group shot, at least!

Here they are with stern faces:


Now they're all looking to the left (another reason I love this group; such a FUN bunch of people!). This picture makes me laugh!


And now looking to the right (or up; there was a bit of confusion!)


A "normal" photo


Then a silly one!


I'll be printing these and passing them out to the families at our end of the year pot-luck next week. Should be a fun night!

Kindergarten Graduation

I'd say he's pretty proud and pleased to be graduating Kindergarten, wouldn't you?!?!


Walking up to get his certificate and shake his teacher's hand. Unfortunately, my camera refused to focus so I could snap a second picture, so I missed the handshake portion of things...


Ta-da! He did it! (He also managed to get permanent paint all over his shirt, tie, and pants during a project that morning in class... UGH! Really wish I'd known THAT project was happening, and I'd have re-thought his attire for the day)


Bittersweet moving into first grade... It means we're leaving this amazing teacher behind!


Checking out his memory book


And enjoying the giant plate of goodies at the graduation celebration


Way to go Connor! So crazy to think the year is over already and you're heading off to first grade in the fall.

Happy 6th Birthday, Connor!

Dear Connor,

You were born with a "go get 'em!" attitude, and not much has changed! I've spent the last 6 years watching you explore your world, set and meet your goals, and fight for your fair share of life. I've watched you struggle through frustration and disappointment, giggle through happy times, and I've watched how you share your generous spirit and heart with everyone who comes in contact with you. You are my spark of adventure and "unknown" where I'd otherwise be cautious and reserved. How lucky I am to have you!

You live each day to the fullest, and aren't much bothered by consequences along the way. I tell the story of how I found you, just past your first birthday, standing on the edge of the dining table, crouched and ready to jump (nearly gave me a heart attack!), and Daddy tells the story about how not long after that, he found you standing on the spring horse, fully prepared to take a flying leap. I should have known back then that not much would slow you down when you put your mind to it!

Your fearless, "go get 'em!" attitude has taken you so far already, but your list of accomplishments for this past year include: FINALLY getting the hang of crawl stroke at swim lessons, mastering beautiful dives off the diving board (with a few high-scoring belly flops along the way, which of course, didn't slow you down one bit), learning to read (and moving up a reading group mid-year when you suddenly just took off with your new reading skills), getting fancy on your roller skates, and being willing to continue with Hip Hop, despite being the only boy in the class (and you're the most adorable little hip hopper EVER).

You make me work at being patient, you are a daily example of what a truly generous and loving spirit looks like, you make me feel special when you tell me you love me a thousand times higher than I love you (except I love you TWO thousand times higher than you love me, so there!), you make me laugh, and you make me really think about the world around me (curtesy of the 8 million questions you ask in a single day...). My life is better with you in it!

I am so blessed and thankful that your "go get 'em!" attitude kept you safe through a rocky pregnancy, and that it continues to shape the person you are, and who you're becoming. I know life will always be an adventure with you around, and I look forward to it!

I love you, Monkey (Connor Bonnor, CJ, Bo Bonnor, Little Man...)

Have the happiest and most adventurous 6th birthday.

Love, Mommy

Geocaching with Jared

Jared and I had some time together a couple of weekends ago, so we headed to Dollar Tree, and bought a stash of stuff for our "bag of swag" for when we geocache. For a whopping $5, we have mini playdoughs, plastic soldiers, some sailboat erasers, little cars, and plastic bugs. Now when we find fun stuff in the caches, we can make trades!

We decided to see if there were any caches near the store, and one seemed like it would be a decently quick/easy find. We found a little jingle bell, and left a sailboat eraser. *grin*





Beautiful sunny day, time spent in a park we'd never been to, surrounded by really yummy smelling flowers, with a great view of the bridges. I'd say it was a GREAT morning out with my Jare-bear! And we were successful geocachers, yet again. Yay us!

A very strange discovery

Jared hit a baseball into the back corner of the yard, which is full of blackberry vines (These vines were established in the back corner well before we moved into the house, and we've never gotten around to dealing with them). He got a stick and was hacking through the vines to try and find his ball. He suddenly came into the house shouting that he'd found some movies wrapped up in a blue tarp and wondered if I could help him dig them out.

A blue tarp full of movies stashed in the blackberry vines in my backyard?? I was a little weirded out, made the kids back away, and poked around a bit by myself.

Turns out, there were 5 or 6 plastic cases, each containing 8 cassette tapes. Recorded on the cassettes is the Bible, in Spanish. How's that for weirdly random???


The cassettes are in surprising good shape for how long they've had to have been out there. My FIL had this house before us for 7-8 years, and he has no knowledge of them either. Which means they've been out there for a good 20 years (or someone more recently took the time to dispose of them there!)

There was also a large roasting pan full of dirt, and a partially used bottle of shampoo. I stopped digging around after that because we had to hurry and eat our dinner before leaving for swim lessons. I'm curious, yet a little afraid, to see what else might be stuffed under the blue tarp, buried in our blackberry vines!

Quote of the Week

On the way home from swim lessons last night, Connor said to me, "Mom, do you know what my favorite thing of my whole life is?" So I replied, "I don't know Connor, what is your favorite thing of your whole life?"

"You and daddy, and Emmy and Jared, and all my pets."

He pretty much made my entire day right there! I love him!

A little creepy

Apparently we're celebrating Halloween early this year. Notice the spider inside the skeleton cup?


I guess that's what we get for leaving two cups in the sink overnight...

Monkey

Connor's nickname has been Monkey for pretty much his entire life.  As he started getting mobile as a baby, the nickname seemed quite fitting, considering how many hours a day he spent climbing on things around our house!

And look how comfortable he is, hanging out in trees...

Newest Pets

I've been neglectful in introducing our three newest pets.  We've had them for about a month or so.

We have Kermit, who was our first frog: (his two favorite places are either IN the tipped over flower pot we put in there as a hiding place, or back BEHIND the tipped over flower pot, wedged into the corner of the tank)


And Jumpy, who was our 2nd frog: (Jumpy is the most active of all three frogs, and we find him climbing all around, dangling from the mesh cover of the tank, etc)


And Miss Piggy, who was our 3rd, and final frog: (Miss Piggy can usually be found right about where you see her in this picture)


Connor would continue adding to the "collection" if he had his way, but I'm not looking to go totally crazy!

We had a little scare yesterday where we couldn't find Kermit ANYWHERE, and Miss Piggy was looking significantly more fat than the day prior...  I was pretty sure she must have managed to eat him, but then a few hours later, Kermit was back.  I have zero explanation for it.  I moved the moss around, checked in all his usual places...  At least he turned up again!

The boys get a kick out of watching the frogs eat the crickets we feed them.  I try to stay hands off the whole cricket thing, but have ocassionally needed to be the one to feed the frogs.  It IS pretty neat to see them snatch up the crickets!

Happy 8th Birthday Jared!

Dear Jared,

I'm not quite sure how 8 years have passed since you were born... I guess what they say about time flying when you're having fun is true! You make life fun and interesting, either with your sense of humor, your creativity, or your passion to learn!

One year ago, you were barely willing to put your face in the water at swim lessons, and now you are almost fully through level 8! Swim team is most definitely in your future at some point! It's been so much fun watching you learn to swim and sticking with it until it was something you could do WELL. You set a goal for yourself back on day 1 that you would get to level 8 in less than a year, and you succeeded! I anxious to see what other goals you set for yourself as you explore life?

One year ago, you were blowing my mind by FLYING through the Harry Potter books, despite the fact that you were only in first grade. This year, you've read so many books I can't even keep track! You've gotten interested in greek mythology and have read numerous books on the subject. If I didn't know better, I'd swear you had a photographic memory the way you can spout off greek mythology facts out of the blue! Last I checked, your average comprehension test score was 96%, and you'd earned over 200 pts for the school year. That's crazy amounts of reading! I love it!

You've turned into quite the little negotiator lately, and I'm secrety convinced you're going to be some kind of lawyer. We've joked about it for years, but I get more and more convinced by the day. It will be interesting to see this skill progress, and how you use you it in life. As long as you aren't using it against me, we're good!

You are strong, smart, talkative, athletic, and creative, and you have so many other amazing qualities as well. I wish you another healthy year full of books, swimming, Legos, Wii, family/friends, etc. You deserve great things Buddy!

Love you,
Mommy

geocaches of all sizes

Look at this tiny little cache Emily and her friend Katie found!

Facetime

Now that we have wireless Internet at our house (I know, we're seriously behind "the times"!), my kids are LOVING that they can use the free texting app on their iPods, we're loving that my iPad is now usable for more than just games (checking Facebook from my bed in the morning? LOVE! heehee), and Emily is enjoying this little thing called FACETIME.

We've pretty much created a "monster" !! She and her friend Rane Facetime each other several times a week. Or they attempt it... I got onto my iPad yesterday and saw 6 missed Facetime calls from Rane for Emily. *grin*

This was their very first Facetime conversation, which was actually held at the pool during the boys' water polo lesson (we got our wireless router later that afternoon).


It's pretty cute seeing the girls show each other their rooms, their pets, their family members, etc.

Did you hear the one about the cow?

So, this cow walked into the kitchen, got down on all fours, moo'd loudly (but sounded more like a goat), then shouted, "UDDER ME!"


Maybe you had to be there, but I thought it was hilarious!

Where do kids come up with this stuff? hahahahaha!