First Week of Summer Break...

Last week was our first week of summer break. It was an exciting one. Carter wanted to go with Chad in the semi for a couple of days, so he was able experience a trip to Chicago! He had lots to talk about when they returned. He liked the "big" buildings he saw in Chicago!
When Carter was with Chad in the semi, Autumn was over for a couple of days as her daycare was full. Bradley enjoyed a whole day to himself with Autumn that he absolutely loved! I captured some pictures of their fun together.....

The next day that Autumn was with us, Carter was back from Chicago and was lucky enough to have a whole day to himself to play with Autumn, as Bradley was at daycare that day. My plans for the day were to texturize and prime my kitchen walls. Both boys had the chance to have Autumn to themselves for a day. They sure did enjoy that!!

Autumn and Carter even helped with my kitchen project, and they primed my walls behind the refrigerator. They did a great job!!

They were very good helpers!!

~~~~Thanks, Autumn, for the fun time!!~~~~

Carter invited a couple of friends over Friday night for a sleepover. We all went to Grandma & Grandpa Dorwin's house for a grilling-out/get-together with people from church. The boys & Carter's friends had lots of kids to play with!! I finished my painting job on Saturday......what a good feeling that is! I will post some pictures soon.

~~~I started another on-line class last week that runs until August 1st. My classes on campus start July 7. It should be an interesting summer. I hope I can keep up with my family blog............. :-)

The Bear at the "Bear Creek"....

This is in the front yard, next to our driveway.....
The bear has been seen on many occasions wondering around in our yard. Well, we finally had the chance to see it ourselves Saturday afternoon. Laurel Gruber happened to be on County Road B at the time, when the bear was sited in our front yard, and slowly made his way across the street. She was able to get some pictures of the big bear!
I had just put Bradley down for a nap, around 1:30, when I looked out the window and saw the very large creature across the street. Someone else had stopped their vehicle at the time to get a look, when the bear started running across the field. My adrenaline was sure pumping when I started shouting..."The bear.....it's the bear.....it's the bear....". Chad and Carter came running to get a look. It just happened to be the same day that 3 fox members decided to charge at me & Toby when I was letting him outside at 5:00 a.m. I was a little shooken-up about that incident!
What a day at the Bear Creek! Both Chad and I were surprised at how large the bear is. He must be getting his fill at the Bear Creek River!! :-)
~~~~Jamie, do you still have a bear license?????????~~~

Kindergarten Graduation

It was a fun and exciting day as Carter graduated from Kindergarten today. The Kindergarten Class of 2008 gave us a nice singing program for their graduation, and a carnival to follow. Carter will be moving forward to first grade next year at Arkansaw Elementary School.
Carter is in the group of kids getting ready to sing.
Not only did I get to see Carter graduate today, but Paige and Autumn were also graduating from Kindergarten. Autumn is in the group singing all of the songs that they learned.

Here is Paige peeking out in the group (she's in the pink-striped dress).

Carter looked nervous as he was waiting for his Kindergarten Diploma. I can see him thinking..."I hope it is signed!" :-)

Oh yes, Carter, your Kindergarten Diploma is signed!! Here he is receiving his certificate binder.

Here is Paige getting her Diploma.....

And Autumn getting her Diploma.....

The Kindergartener's sang "You Are My Sunshine" to the parents as they handed us a flower with their picture in it.

Tara and I were able to attend the Ceremony together. Tara & Autumn....

Carter had his picture taken in the lion during the carnival...Carter has come a long way in the last couple of months. I saw him as a more confident person this year as he was singing on stage. He seems more comfortable and feeling good about his progress. I believe that he will do well next year in first grade and we continue to pray for progress with his self-esteem, confidence and emotional maturity. We are very proud of him!!

Warm & Sunny Weekend!

I just love that picture of Toby......I had to add it to our blog to share it with you! :-)

It was finally a nice, warm weekend where the boys were able to play outside all day. I will share some of the pictures that show how busy the boys were...........

The Gator and Tractor were out-and-about on Saturday. I think the boys ran them until they wouldn't run anymore. If only the battery-operated vehicles could really mow lawn.

Which John Deere will take the lead????

"Bradley, watch where you are going".....

If every weekend could be this warm...

On Sunday, the boys decided to get out the water toys. They had the rocket sprinkler going until they were soaking wet. Carter came up with the bright idea to use umbrellas because "the water is cold, Mom".

Bradley shooting water in Carter's mouth

I spent time in the garden this weekend as it was looking more and more like our lawn, rather than a garden! I wish the veges would grow as quickly as the grass does!

Poor little Toby just couldn't keep up with the boys this weekend. He had more fun basking in the sun and taking a few naps here and there.

Chad was hard at work organizing the garage and shed. He bought a few cabinets to hang in the garage which motivated him to clean out the shed.

Chad and the boys surprised me with a beautiful crabapple tree that they planted in Memory of Baby Jacob. They planted it outside my kitchen window, thinking that I could look out and see it every day. I will take a picture of it and post it in the future.

~~I start my summer vacation as of Tuesday this week. It begins just in time to take part in some of Carter's school activities. On Tuesday, I get to join Carter's class on their walk to the park and have a picnic. On Wednesday, I have to check-out my students and classroom at Pepin. Thursday is Carter's Kindergarten graduation ceremony and carnival that I am able to volunteer at. I am excited to see Carter graduate and move forward to first grade! I think he is now ready for first grade. Friday night, the girls in my FCCLA organization are coming to our house for the end-of-the-year party. We are doing pizza and games and/or a movie. The boys love this party as they get lots of attention from my students! Today was my last day at Alma and I had to leave early because Carter has pink eye. He woke up Sunday morning with it and Chad took him to the doctor this morning, but he had to leave for Chicago this afternoon. Carter can return to school tomorrow.

~~~~Have a great week everyone!!~~~~

Memorial Day Weekend

We hope everyone enjoyed Memorial Day. We took the boat out for a ride on the Chippewa River and stopped at a sandbar for some fun and fishing. Todd, Missy, Dylan, Paige & Cruz also took their boat out. I am bummed out as I forgot to take my camera to get some shots of the kids playing on the sandbar. As cold as the water was, the kids still played in it and in the sand. They really didn't seem to mind until the very end when everyone was shivering. After a couple of hours, the winds started to pick up and the clouds started to come in, so we headed for home. Todd & Missy grilled out and Paul, Tara, Autumn, Evan and Grandpa Bill were able to join in. It was a nice afternoon.
~~We hope everyone had a nice weekend!~~
~~Have a great week!~~

Sunny Saturday!

The boys had fun in the sun on Saturday! They were finally able to bring out some of their summer toys. They have been waiting a long time for this. Chad spent Saturday working in the shop, getting the boat ready to go, and mowing the lawn. He was busy from about 9:00 in the morning, and he finally came in about 9:30 at night. The boys and I played outside, worked in the garden, and I am still scrubbing away at the glue on my walls after removing the wallpaper. The boys were thrilled to try out their water squirters that the Easter bunny brought them this year. It was all fun and games until they decided to squirt mom. Then it was time to put them away! :-)

I tried to be around the house as much as I could to help out with Toby. The boys sure do wear him out! When Toby falls asleep, there is no waking him up. Here Toby is taking a nap on the porch as the boys get wet-n-wild.

Welcome Home Toby.....

Carter was very excited that his puppy came home Friday night.

After work on Friday, I went to Winona for a few dog items at Fleet Farm. On the way home, I stopped in to pick up Toby in Fountain City. The boys were sure excited to see him. Carter is especially enjoying Toby. Bradley, on the other hand, is a little skeptical. If Carter is playing with Toby, then Bradley will join in. Bradley doesn't like it when Toby chases him....he gets a little scared.We are teaching Carter the responsibilities of having a dog and being consistent with telling Carter when to take Toby out to the bathroom. He's already bathed Toby and is ready to do it again. It has been nice to have Toby for Carter to play with and take care of. It's cute to watch him care for Toby....Carter carries him around like a little baby. Carter feels very proud that Toby follows him all over.

Toby is actually a pretty good puppy. I was expecting the worst, and to my surprise, it is going quite well. Toby sleeps quietly in a kennel at night. He was partially potty-trained before we had him, so that has been going well, too. He looks forward to the treats that he gets when he goes to the bathroom outside.

Having a dog is new experience for me and I never thought I would say this, but I love having Toby. If you would have asked me a year ago, I would have said.."we will never have a dog!!" If it was up to Chad, both puppies would have come home with us as he wanted a companion for Toby. Since I was in charge of picking Toby up, only one came home!! :-) And we love him very much!!