Aviary

Jarren was quite fascinated with the peacocks.

These spectacled owls were soo cute! Jenna and Kendall thought so too.

Kristen liked the flamingos.

Good Deal or Not?

In April, my friend told me about this GREAT deal on these fun passes. I bought them for $9.95 each (plus tax) and they said I saved $600--or more. I can't quite remember. I've seen the same pass on sale for $49.95, so I know that no matter what, it was a great deal. We can go to the water park, mini golfing, bowling, the aviary, and some sporting events. The pass is unlimited for a year, but some venues are only on certain days. I thought yesterday would be a great day to go to the aviary!! Anyone who knows my family, knows that at least half of us are bird watchers. It was a cooler day yesterday and we can only visit that place for free on Mondays. So...off we went....and I left the water and snacks sitting in the cooler in the garage. Strike one, right off the bat. Our "free" adventure ended up costing a little because I had to buy water. Strike two--it was super crowded. Strike three--half of the kids were complaining and whining and begging to go home, pretty much from the moment we stepped out of the car. So now I'm wondering if this pass was such a great deal after all. I bought them thinking it would give us some fun things to do this summer, but if yesterday was a preview of all the "fun" we'll have, I'm not so sure.

Life Lately in Pictures

$1 reading glasses from Target with the glass pushed out. She LOVES wearing them!

Before braces

After braces--if you look closely enough.

New highlights and contacts!!

Before highlights

Ryuga--Jarren's new Beyblade costume

He wants his new nickname to be Ryuga

Highlights!!!

Update

I don't know what's up with my kids. They won't let me get any good pictures of them. They must take after their grandpa--haha.

On Monday, Kristen got contacts. She's soooo excited about it. I told her she can start wearing makeup to school in 7th grade, but I'm letting her practice this summer so she gets the hang of it. Now she can show her eyes off. On Tuesday, she got some highlights--blondish and darker, but they're not too stand out. She's in heaven, but won't let me take a picture.

Today, Kendall got the dreaded braces on. He chose dark green bands. He has to have a chain put on in about 6 weeks. Poor kid. He won't let me take a picture either, so...if either of them ever let me, I'll post them. If not, just use your imaginations.

The End of Another Chapter

Two days ago, my "baby" graduated from Kindergarten. What a weird feeling. There are some things or stages that I am glad that I never have to go through again (think potty training), but there are others that are kind of sad. Kindergarten isn't my most favorite. Where we live, it's a half day deal--either 2 hours and 45 minutes in the morning or 2 hours and 45 minutes in the afternoon and only 2 hours on Fridays (early out day for the elementary and late start for the middle school). Life with a middle schooler and a kindergartener is even more interesting--basically these are (or were) my Fridays:
8:25 am--Jarren and Kristen start school
9:50 am--Kendall starts school
11:25 am--Jenna starts school
1:25 pm--Kristen, Jarren, and Jenna are out of school
2:50 pm--Kendall is out of school
Someone is coming or going all day long. But...now that's all over and done with. That chapter of life is over and it makes me sad. I know I'll blink and she'll be heading off to middle school. Yikes.

Anyway...her graduation was great. They sang songs and each got an award--Jenna's was for excellent reader (the teacher talked about how she had to hold her back instead of pushing her forward). They had pictures and a refreshment. Fun. Jon took some pictures, since I couldn't even see her in my seat, but the camera was acting up, so they're all fuzzy. 

The Never Ending Story Dog

Toby reminds me of that big dog-like thing (Falkor, I think?) in the movie The Never Ending Story in this picture. Ha ha. He puts up with a lot from the kids. He just kept sleeping while Jenna piled animals on his back. No big deal in a day in the life of an old dog.

Stretch Marks?!

A few weeks ago, I noticed some reddish horizontal marks on Kendall's lower to mid-back, around his spine. I asked him what happened and he thought maybe they were scratches or something. Last night, I noticed them again and thought aloud, "Could those be stretch marks?" He went and looked in the mirror and said that's what he thought they were--he said his friend has a ton of them. I've never seen stretch marks around someone's spine before. I guess that he grew so fast in such a short time that he got them. I wonder if they'll ever go away...