School's Out for Summer!!!

Yesterday was the long-awaited last day of school.

Eggs on Toast was the only one who was sad about it. He really likes school.

I appreciate all of the teachers that my boys had this year.

However, this one holds a special place in my heart.

Summer, here we come!

The Graduate

It may come as a surprise to you to know that we have a graduate in our midst. Yes indeed, his name is Onion Ring, and he has graduated from elementary school. This wasn't supposed to have happened so soon. Did he skip a grade, or something?

I never had a ceremony when I graduated from elementary school, but Onion Ring did because he's so lucky.

Now that he's graduated he is too cool to smile when I want to take a picture. But never too cool to make a face.



On to bigger and better things!

BIG AND AWESOME NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi! it's Onion Ring and I have 3 big announcements to make.

#1 This is my first blog post and I am exited to see how it goes.

#2 I AM TOTALLY AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

#3 You can be awesome too! (Although some of you already are.)

I have done some SERIOUS thinking about this post (Not!).

Signed, THE TOTALLY AWESOME ONION RING!!!!!

We Looked Out the Window and What Did We See--Snow?!!

Did you notice that today is May 24? Well, it is, and it has been snowing all morning.



Do you see the white stuff? It's not just on the ground, it's falling out of the sky, too. Still. As I type this, two hours after these pictures were taken.



On our way home from dropping the school-boys off, Junior said, "I wish it were Halloween. Is it almost Halloween?"

Then when we got home, he turned on our "Christmas with the Chipmunks" CD and we've been listening to "Frosty the Snowman" and "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" (and everything else).

By the way, it's May 24. Did I say that already?

Still snowing.

Animal Farm

Cheryl, one of Brandon's co-workers, recently invited us and others to her father's animal farm to see the animals.

The boys got to help feed the lambs...

...and the kangaroo. (Some of the animals were a little exotic.)

Then my camera battery died (waaa!).

We also saw many amazingly colored pheasants, turkeys, llamas, emus, goats, swans, and a beautiful turtle. I don't remember what kind of turtle it was, but it was African and will grow to be around 150 pounds, and live to be about 150 years old. Right now, it is about three years old. I wish I had pictures of it because it was very beautiful. It was the color of the red cliffs in southern Utah with darks and lights in a pattern on it's shell and spiky things on it's legs and body. I have to admit that, being the kind of person that I am (the kind that tends to avoid interaction with animals), I was surprised at how much I liked the turtle. And I was surprised how much I liked the Great Dane, too. Not that we will be getting a turtle or a Great Dane anytime soon (or ever), but I was just surprised, that's all. I was glad to visit and then leave. The boys, however, could have stayed forever.

It was so nice of Cheryl and her father to have us over--we all had a great time.

Little Dodgers

Eggs on Toast and Junior had their first T-ball game a couple of Saturdays ago. They are on the same team, the Little Dodgers, and they are loving it.

Thawack!

Wow, look at Junior run! He's so fast, he's just a blur!

Here is Eggs, working really hard, fielding on first.

Wow, what a throw!

Here's Junior working really hard fielding on third.

Oh, well, I guess the traffic is slow over on third.

You know, the nice thing about T-ball is you get to hit, run, and field, and there is still plenty of time left over to pick at your lips. (Luckily, he wasn't picking something else.)

And there's plenty of time to mess around with whoever is on third.

Or just plain mess around.

Go Little Dodgers!

On a Role

Junior was on a role today with his wisecracks. Although he didn't know they were wisecracks. Luckily I wrote them down so that I didn't forget.


Wisecrack #1, after catching a whiff of the restaurant we were driving past:

Junior: Whenever I get a smell of restaurant it makes me hungry of hot dogs.


Wisecrack #2, in retrospect:

Junior: I think I know why she (the Silly Grandma) gave me the awesomest present (for his birthday).

Me: Why?

Junior: Because she thinks I'm cute. And because she likes me so much.


Wisecrack #3, as we were driving home:

Junior: Mom, can we go the "man way" home?

Me: The "man way"? What's the "man way"?

Junior: I'll show you.

He showed me. It turns out that the "man way" to our home means that you turn onto the street before our street which loops around and connects into our street. It is the way Brandon drives home when he is pulling the trailer because when he comes from that direction he can park the trailer from the proper angle. Hence, the "man way".

The Picnickers

This afternoon Eggs on Toast and Junior decided to have a picnic. They took apples and carrots outside and this is how I found them.

Five Alive

I have let all my boys have their first "real" birthday party when they turn five. Junior got to have his first party this week.

The Silly Grandma made a great cake again.

(Cake images have been altered to protect identity.)

Junior said he wanted a dolphin theme so we made oceans in a bottle (plastic water bottles filled half with water, half with veg oil, food coloring, glitter, and small plastic fish) and we fished for dolphins. (It just occurred to me that this game was environmentally incorrect and I must be an irresponsible parent. Funny, since I recently watched "The Cove". Well, it was a fun game, anyway.)

Good thing cake makes everything all better. It causes forgetfulness of parental sins.

Presents do too.

And now that we have a giant RC tarantula in our home, our lives are complete.

But mostly our lives are complete because we have this five year old guy with us.

Birthday Blues

Junior's birthday dawned gray and snowy. (!!??!!)

After we dropped the other boys off at school, the Birthday Blues set in.

I had to plead to be allowed to take pictures on his first day being five.

Then I told him that since it was his birthday, he could play game cube to his heart's content while his brothers were at school.

Bye bye Birthday Blues.

The Pinewood Derby

Boys + Pinewood Derby = Totally Awesome Fun!!

What more is there to be said?