End of the School Year 2016

The last week of school was a little bit crazy, but a lot of fun. 

Catie's class had a last day of school Luau and a Field day and Andrew's class had an end of the year party and Field Day. Since I was the room mom at Catie's school I ended up just helping at her school.

It is amazing how much Catie grew during the year this year. She learned a lot about being a good friend, communicating, listening, following directions, and reading! Catie is a great reader and we are giving all of the credit to Andrew because I didn't help her at all! 

The last day TK luau was simple and a bit crazy. We tried decorating outside and the wind was so intense that everything kept getting blown down. Fortunately TK kids have low expectations. I also put together a book for Catie's teacher with cute little quotes from each child. It was a hit!

During one of the days at the end of school, Ryan and I (and Annabelle) went to Chick-Fil-A as our last "date" of the year. I loved my afternoons with this kid while Annabelle slept and the big kids were at school.

Andrew had a great year this year as well and loved his teacher!

After school we went home and I gave the kids some surprises to help kick off summer! I also had a big blow up pool in the backyard and we had fun playing in that and relaxing and also going to our neighborhood pool with some friends. It was a great last day of school!!

We ended up ordering pizza and enjoying dinner at the pool and staying till late. What a great way to end the year!

Crazy we will have a pre-k kid, a kindergartener, and a 3rd grader next year!

Donut Falls Hike & Ice Cream

When we were out in Utah we celebrated Grandpa Allen's birthday with a a hike, trip to visit Allen's gravesite, dinner at Dickey's BBQ (where my nephew Rob works), and ice cream. 

We started off the day with a hike at Donut Falls. It was hot but awesome. One of Grandpa Allen's favorite activities was hiking with his grandkids... so it was a fitting way to celebrate his birthday.  

Baby Ryan was a champ and was super easy going and my kiddos were hiking rock stars.

Cousins!

Catie loved walking with the big kids and then getting carried by Kevin when she got tired. Andrew had the best time trying to hike super fast with the boys and basically climb anything he could find. He never complained and never stopped moving. Love that kid!

While Andrew climbed, Catie got dirty and wet in the streams!

All the kids with Grandma Shari!

This was our first visit to Allen's gravesite since his funeral over five years ago. It was sweet to see the kids happy and having fun together while we visited this special place. It just reminded me of the happy reunion we will all have together in heaven someday. I have no doubt that my kids got to spend some time with their Grandpa Allen in heaven before they joined us on earth. We have his photo in our living room and Catie and Andrew talk about him often. They think he is super special!

One of Grandpa Allen's other favorite things was ice cream. At his California funeral there was even an ice cream sundae bar. Our favorite way to celebrate his birthday is with ice cream. All the Buskirks and Johnsons ordered big ice cream cones and sundaes at Baskin & Robbins and we had fun sitting around chatting together.

This trip was such a great way to kick off our summer vacation in Utah!