May Moments

I know it's almost the end of June, but I need to play catch-up again. The end of the school year is always so busy and so much fun! Add in Mother's Day and my birthday and, well, it just makes it that much more fun!!


Sock Hop

The last Family Fun Night of the school year is a Sock Hop. The girls had a blast dancing with friends and teachers, and doing crafts. Pike hung out with some middle school friends that had to come because of younger siblings, too.

Big Sisters with Little Sisters: Kayla, Kara, Christina, Catherine, Grace & Emma



Grace and her best friend, Caroline



Emma with her friend Sammy and their teacher, Mrs. Breeding



Field Day Fun

The kids always enjoy Field Day - and Pike was disappointed that middle school doesn't have one...but this year was HOT!!! My favorite part is the t-shirts that the PE teacher designs around her theme. This year it was Field Day Hero and the whole day was based on Guitar Hero - the races were re-named for rock songs and all the teachers had Backstage Passes that they wore that had the timeline of the day. So cute!

Grace and Klarissa

Grace and Madi - we are very sad that she is moving to California!

Emma and her buddy, Garrett. These two are hilarious and his mom and I have already decided we believe in arranged marriages!! :)

Emma and Sammy with Mrs. Breeding - the best kindergarten teacher ever!!

Kindergarten Program and Picnic

The kindergarteners put on a super cute program for moms and dads. They sang some great songs and had the most adorable slideshow. Then we all went outside for a picnic. Emma has had the best year and I cannot believe the girl is going to be in first grade! Crazy!! She has really surprised me with how much she has learned - not that I didn't think she could...I just wasn't sure she would.

She's always been one to just sit back and take her time on everything. Sitting up?? No, that's OK - I'll just lay here and suck my thumb for 7 months. Crawling?? Nope...not right now. I'm perfectly fine just sitting here (and sucking my thumb) until I'm over 10 months old. Walking?? No, thanks...I get around fine as I'm tearing holes in all my cute leggings! I might try that in about 17 months!! So, I always pictured her first year in school like this...Reading?? Writing?? Math?? No, really, that's OK - I'll just wait (while sucking my thumb) and learn that next year. She definitely was not the go-getter, self-motivated type like her siblings.

But, here we are and the sweet girl is reading and writing way better than her go-getter, self-motivated siblings did when they had finished kindergarten...and it just makes me smile! What a great year she has had!

Emma and Sammy

Emma and Daddy

Pike and his Saxophone

Pike didn't have too many year-end activities. In fact, he was really disappointed that his sisters had fun game days the last few days of school - and he had to study for 6 finals. But, he did have a Spring Concert in band. It was held in the gym at his middle school and we were so proud when we got there and he was sitting in First Chair!

And a couple of weeks before this concert, I had talked him out of taking band next year - for several really good reasons - none of which were selfish! Ha! :) But, his band teacher talked him into staying in band - said he had alot of potential. I'm glad she did that!

So...there you have a quick review of the kids' May activities. Maybe by the end of July I'll have a post about my birthday and our June activities!

Last Day...

I've been meaning to update my blog...the past few weeks have been crammed with so many fun end-of-year activities. We were in constant motion and then, suddenly, we hit the brakes this morning. It's the Last Day of School.

All 3 kids went off to school not needing to take backpacks or lunches. The girls will have a fun half-day of signing shirts, yearbooks and making summer plans. Pike has a not-as-much-fun-half-day as he takes the last of his finals.

Where did the time go?? I vividly remember sitting at my computer and writing this post on the First Day of School. I can still feel all of those emotions - the excitement mixed with sadness of Pike starting middle school and Emma starting kindergarten. And, now here I sit and the school year has come to a close. Wow!

Today is the Last Day I will have a 6th grader, a 3rd grader and a kindergartener.

Today is the Last Day they will sit in that classroom where their journey started not too long ago.

And today is the Last Day I will have to send them off in the morning...it's summertime and now it's my turn to see their smiling faces all day!

Pike's Pipe Cleaner Men

Pike got in the car one day after school this week and told me he had started a business. He is making men out of pipe cleaners and selling them. Not only is he selling the person, he is also selling accessories to go with the person! Here are a few 'orders' he has been working on...

This is a Ninja - the headband, belt, and numchucks are all added for an extra fee!

This is a Spartan Warrior - the sword, shield and helmet are extras. Love the helmet made out of an eraser...don't love little pieces of eraser all over my kitchen floor!

And, the best part is he is selling life insurance on each creation...for a small fee. If anything happens to your pipe cleaner man, he will replace it.

He is one-of-a-kind...I seriously love that kid!!

Last One!

I know I've written alot about Emma lately, but she is just making me laugh!!

I had 5 cards for the kids to sign - 4 for Mother's Day and 1 for a birthday. I just put them out on the table and they went down the row and signed each one. When I went to sign them myself and put them in envelopes, this is what I saw on the last card they had to sign...

Looks like she was ready to be done! I love the way she just writes whatever she is thinking!!

And, yes, that scribble really does say 'Pike Stewart'...I need to post more about him. He is a wonderfully complicated one! :)

Backpack Pack Rat!

Check out what I found in the bottom of someone's backpack today...

Now, keep in mind, this is a very small portion of everything that actually came out and it's hard to tell how high the pile is...

Can you guess whose backpack it was??

I would have guessed him, too...but, no, it wasn't Pike! Pike uses his backpack to transport enormous books to and from school and that's about it...and, if you know him, then you know it's not textbooks he transports! He has also perfected a filing system that consists of him folding up all of his important papers into tiny squares and stuffing them into the pockets of his hoody. It's quite impressive to watch him fish through his pockets and actually pull out the exact paper he needs!

And I think we all know it's not Grace. Her backpack is always cleaned out and her folders are always precisely lined up with papers sorted by subject and date. OK - maybe it's not that organized, but it's close! :)

So, there you have it...I found all of this (and so much more) in the bottom of Emma's backpack!! I asked her why she had all of that in there and she said that she was saving all of it, because she might need it someday.

I guess you never know when crushed up Goldfish crackers mixed with rocks, toys and wilted flowers will come in handy. :)

Emma's Homework

I love the papers Emma brings home from school. Kindergarteners come up with the best stuff for their work - it's creative and funny and honest.

One day Emma had to write -ug words and illustrate them for homework. She had to solve a few puzzles on the front to get the word and then draw a picture of it...

I absolutely love the way she drew a slug...

She was working on this homework at one of Grace's swim practices and had extra time to do a few on the back. She did a pug in the rain, a hug, juggle, a jug, dug and lug...

When she got to lug she asked me what it meant. I told her it was carrying something heavy. She thought for a minute, then her eyes lit up and she said, "I know what to draw!"

When she was finished I could tell what most of them were, but asked what she was 'lugging'. She looked at me and said, "Can't you see...that's your big 'ole bottle of wine!"

Yep, I sure do see that...still in the paper bag from the grocery store. :)

Fort Fun!

The girls came home from school and decided to build a fort in their room. After ever so sweetly asking me if they could get out blankets, chairs and tape, I told them they could definitely build a fort, but they couldn't use tape. They really wanted to make it big enough to sleep in, but couldn't figure out a way to get the blankets to stay up high enough without taping them to the walls. This is when having a clever big brother comes in handy!

They talked Pike into helping them get their fort to stay up - and he only charged them $1 a piece! :) I think they would have paid him more, but he enjoys these kinds of projects and decided to work for a small, affordable fee.

The grand idea was to drape the blankets over a structure made of fiddlesticks - and it worked great!

When Jeff came home from work, Emma was so excited to show him their creation. He told me later that she took him upstairs and told him all about it. Then she whispered, "And, tonight we're going to sleep in it, but we're really going to go into our little American Girl doll closet and play. But, don't tell Momma!" :) I just had to laugh, because that about sums up this household - fun Daddy and rule-follower Mommy!

Here is the fort held up by balancing chairs and fiddlesticks...

This is inside...very easy access to the American Girl doll closet!! I think I'll check on them a few times tonight! :) Notice the balancing chairs on fiddlesticks!

I was on my back inside the fort, so this is looking up at the fiddlestick infrastructure designed by Pike. I think he deserves a raise!

Another picture of the balancing act inside...I hope the girls don't knock that down tonight!

Good Night Sweet Girls!! :)

Easter '09

We had a great Easter this year - an amazing service at church and lots of fun with family and friends. On Friday we went to Lisa's house and colored eggs. On Saturday we colored more eggs at our house and volunteered at church for the evening services. Sunday we went early to volunteer again, then went to service at 11:00.

Sunday afternoon we went back to Ben and Lisa's for a day of egg-hunting and food! Our friends, Todd and Andrea were in town, and it was so much fun to get to spend the day with them! Kyle and Angie came over, too...so it was the kind of holiday I love - busy and noisy with lots of laughter!

Here are a few pictures from the weekend. There is actually a good picture of my 3 kids. I thought as they got older, it would be easier to get all 3 of them together for decent pictures, but it's still not very easy. So, I was excited to see a good one - even if not one hair on their heads was touched by a brush that morning! :)

My Fishin' Family

Jeff absolutely loves to fish. I never really knew how much until we moved to Houston. When we lived in Dallas, we were in an apartment, I was teaching and he was going to school and working...so there wasn't really a place to fish and there's wasn't alot of time to fish.

When we moved to Amarillo...well - it's Amarillo - and the water is few and far between. It was always a drive to fish, and he was in Pharmacy school and we had babies...so he didn't get to go alot.

Then, we moved to Houston...lots of water everywhere! Our subdivision has a couple of lakes and Lake Houston is right by us. He's working, but no more school, and the kids are older. Finally...there's a place to fish, there's time to fish and there's even someone to fish with!

The girls like to go with him even more than Pike - and, out of all 3 kids, Grace is the one who loves it the most - worms and all!

At the end of March, they went out and Grace caught a pretty good sized bass. She had a bigger one on her line, but couldn't reel it in and her line broke. Here's the one she did catch:

Silly boys...fishing is for girls!

Here's one that Jeff caught at our lake. It's so funny, because he said that when he's out there fishing, people sometimes walk by and quietly tell each other - there's no fish in there. He can hear them and, every now and then, he gets to reel in something like this while they are still there! :)

One of my favorite pictures...Jeff took this of the kids just a couple of weeks after we moved to Houston. So sweet!!

March Moments

I thought I would put just a few family happenings from March as I am slowly, but surely catching up!

I think Emma learning how to ride her bike was the big moment, but we had a few others...

Emma got to go to a birthday party at Minute Maid Park. It was her friend Garrett's party. Garrett and Emma are in the same class and go to church together, so they see alot of each other. Garrett's mom, Kim, and I have decided we believe in arranged marriages! :)

The birthday group got to tour the ballpark, go in the dugout and eat cake in a luxury box! She had a blast...

Kim took this picture of Emma in the Astros dugout. So cute...



Emma and the birthday boy, Garrett.

One of the kids' favorite things to do at Lifetime Fitness is climb the rockwall. It is so much fun to take them and watch them climb. They have really improved and the last time Jeff took Pike and Grace, they both made it to the top! Jeff likes to climb, too and I have got to get pictures of that! :)

There's Pike - the first time he made it over the ledge.



And, Grace, working her way up...not bad for someone who is scared of heights! :)

Adrian, our sweet nephew, had his 11th birthday in March. Angie planned to take about 10 boys to the Kemah Boardwalk for a day of rides and games. Of course, our whole family planned to tag along to enjoy the celebration. Well, the weather was not supposed to cooperate...but we all went anyway. It was rainy and cold, but those kids had the best time! Adrian always has the best, most memorable birthdays...I love it!!

All the boys hanging out in the wind and rain...they were freezing, but had so much fun!

The Boardwalk Bullet turned out to be the main attraction. The best part...we were the only ones there, so they could ride it as much as they wanted...no lines!!

Adrian wanted Angie to ride with him...I don't know if this was before they went or when they got back!

Hanging out on the Train Ride, which Grace said was 'creepy'. :) There really is a story there, but that girl makes me laugh!

Happy Birthday Adrian!! Hard to believe you're already 11!! We Love You!!

Happy Birthday Jeff!

Jeff's birthday is in February and we had a fun family birthday celebration. He doesn't like cake and loves Oreos, so the kids came up with a great idea...

100th Day of School

Emma celebrated her 100th Day of School...in February. I know it's the end of April, but I'm just now going through my picture files. :) I'll get caught up in the next few posts...

All the kindergarteners dressed up like 100-year-old people. It was very cute - I had to go up and take a few pictures...

Emma and her friend, Cy...what a great elderly pair! :)

You can't tell by the picture, but Emma had on knee-high stockings that we bunched up around her ankles. I love Cy's cane and aching back!!


Emma and Mrs. Breeding...this one really makes me laugh, because Mrs. Breeding is so young, hip and fun! The wig and hair net were hilarious!