the last few months... in a nutshell

i am copying a brilliant friend of mine and starting the "in a nutshell" series... blogging can be a vicious cycle and this is my attempt to break that cycle... and get caught up once again.

so here are some moments from the last few months... in a nutshell...


school's out for the summer!
the last day of school came and went and we are all excited for the summer! the boys both loved their teachers this year and will be excited to visit them again in the fall.






my darling and talented little sister, samantha, was in a little production where she played snow white... doesn't she look exactly like her??? we had fun watching her and clint always has fun in buildings with really tall ceilings... he scares me.




ethan and clint spent an afternoon making a few minor repairs on their cars. ethan LOVES to work alongside clint, no matter what the job!



one week night in may, the boys had just gotten out of the shower when i heard "that" scream... you know the one that makes you say "that'll need stitches"... in the bathroom i found ethan gushing blood from his chin and crying. he had slipped and hit his chin on the toilet seat. well, it was 9:30 pm and clint was out of town, so i had to load up all 4 tired kids and head somewhere to get stitches. i didn't even know where i was going, just got them in the car and started driving and making phone calls. luckily, the after-hours doctor was still there and told us to come in... so beats going to the ER. well, major trauma for ethan and 3 hours later we were headed back home with a stitched up chin. that kid is so strong and HATES to be bugged by doctors ... it took 3 of us to hold him down so the doc could stitch him up (while ethan held his breath and turned purple multiple times) and another nurse to take care of my other 3 kids in the hall. they were the nicest nurses and made me feel better, because it was one of those times i was pretty sure i didn't want to be the mom. luckily, those times pass...
why do these things always seem to happen when the the dad is out of town???






we FINALLY got to go outside and play! we had such a long winter, spring seemed like it would never come...but it did and we enjoyed every minute!









barrett participated in his first hershey track meet. he chose to do the 50 meter dash, long jump, and the softball throw... because "running just isn't his thing"...




looking cute in green for st. patty's day!

we got to play with a few of my life-long friends, emily and mindy, one afternoon. we asked ethan to take our picture and this is what we got! i always love hanging out with good friends. i have known emily for 29 years and mindy for 17 years! yes, that makes them lifelong friends! love these girls and they have the cutest kids too.



cameron and the entire first grade took us on a "jungle safari" with a cute little program... for a small minute i actually missed teaching...



the boys were in chess club and jump club after school. they are really enjoying the game of chess... thanks to grandpa scott for teaching them how to play! i was roped into helping out with jump club and each day of it i definitely did NOT miss teaching! the boys had a great time, but I was SO glad when it was over!



we met our new cousin tanner and had a sleepover with his big brother landon. clint built a really cool fort for the kids to sleep in... only the best around here when you're our guest! we also loved playing with sara, richie and macy while they were in town, although i can't seem to find any pictures of it...

bermuda, bahama without his pretty mama...



clint spent a few days in bermuda for work... and no, i didn't go with him... he owes me.





and lastly, we finally got started on our yard this spring! yeah - there is an end to all the dirt in sight! i can hardly wait!

Dr. Seuss Day

the boys had dr. seuss day at school today.
well cameron decided he wanted to dress up as Yertle the Turtle... so away he went working hard on a turtle costume. He cut, taped, drew, for hours and in the end decided it just might not work to wear an entire costume made out of paper to school...(i'm talkin', he made arm covers, leg covers, etc...) of course, we had tried to tell him that in the beginning, but he needed to figure it our for himself. so, at the last minute we came up with this option instead. he became Yertle with a simple turtle shell from a costume (thanks Suzandy!), and we attached his stuffed turtle on his back...
he seemed pleased with the end result!

missing the boys...

school started this week. no half-days for us this year! the boys are gone a long time and at times it is a bit too quiet around here...is that possible?

this was their first day. cameron is excited for 1st grade. i think it isn't very cool for your mom to come take your picture at your desk in 3rd grade anymore. barrett wasn't too happy about it.

ethan gets through the day by entertaining (or scaring) savanna and me! i found him doing this.

Kindergarten Talents...

Cameron's class had a darling talent show for their Christmas program. It was so cute to see these fearless 5 and 6 year old share their talents! There were singers, dancers, magicians, a little drummer boy, comedians... and much more! Sometimes I wish I was more like these kids...they were definitely brave and so much fun to watch!

First Day of School

The boys are back at school... Barrett is in 2nd grade and Cameron is in Kindergarten. We started them at the school where we are building our house to avoid having to change schools mid-year. We really love their new school so far and they are having fun making friends from the neighborhood... although the drive to and from school every day is a bit long, we think it is worth it.