Graduation Day

Avery had a great year of preschool. We decided instead of going to the district preschool, we would go to a gal who lived closer and had lots of success with her preschool program. She was able to be there with lots of her friends including Morgan, Carsten, Cooper, Ryan and Everett. Her teacher was very on top of them learning all their letter sounds and phonics. She was reading lots of words by the time she finished.

Her graduation day was fun. We all came and they showed us things they had learned through the year. They each talked about an animal and a planet. It was so cute. I can't believe she is old enough to be in this place but she is more than ready to go to school. I love that little mug and will miss her next year.

Zoo Day!

First of all, let me just say that I am uncomfortable with the fact that my baby is old enough for things like field trips. Urg! Second of all, if you know me at all, you know I do NOT enjoy the zoo. The whining and the smells...but, man was she excited. Avery's preschool and their families went on a cool spring day down to the Denver Zoo. It was crowded but it in the end it was fun.

Miss Robyn and the kids in her class and some of their siblings.

 And the polar bear was out. Yay! I swear they are never out.

Avery and two of her best buddies, Cooper and Everett.

Um, ewww.

Aw flamingos! I love flamingos. Brings back the day when I wanted to work with flamingos in Florida. What was I thinking?!?

Sanity Savers

These ladies sure do bless my life. I can't imagine not spending my one day a week with them during the school year as we rehearse for Take Note. This spring, our set list included lots of beautiful songs about nature and the beauty of God's creations: Here Comes the Sun, Blackbird, For the Beauty of the Earth, Summertime, etc. So grateful the music has been and always will be a part of my life.

Surprise 40th Trip

Turning 40 is a big deal so I decided that when it was Shannon's turn, we just had to celebrate with a bang! I brought up the idea of a fun surprise girls' trip with some of the ladies and they were all on board so we started planning. We told Shannon we were going to steal her away for a long weekend but didn't tell her where. We called her sister to get some ideas and from all the input we received about where she had already been and what she enjoys doing, we decided on CHICAGO!!

We gave Shannon an idea of what kinds of clothes to bring and then just picked her up and headed to the airport where she would learn the destination. We checked in her bag, got her on the train, came up the escalator and then Erica gave her this present which she opened and then squealed!

We decided to have some new experiences and took the subway from the airport to the hotel. It was definitely an experience with all our luggage in tow but we finally made it.

We settled into our suite at the Hampton and decided to go find somewhere to eat close by. We ended up at Ed Debevic's. I'm not sure if anyone in our group had been there but most of us hadn't. One thing we weren't prepared for was the rude snarky staff. That's the way they are. That's the way they are supposed to be. It is their claim to fame. At first, you are asking yourself, "what in the world did she just say to me?" Then you start playing along and it's kind of fun.  Here was our waitress. What a tool.

The next day was GORGEOUS. We were a little worried about weather in Chicago in April but that first day was just amazing. In fact, I think most of us were sunburned by the end of the day. We made our way down to Cloud Gate, or what most people call it, The Bean. It was a beautiful view with the skyline in the back and lots of famous buildings from movies that we'd seen. Like the building on the left from Adventures in Babysitting. It was pretty surreal being there.

The Chicago River was looking so beautiful and all the skyscrapers so picturesque, we just had to take the architecture boat cruise and then go out onto Lake Michigan.

I don't remember much about what was said about individual buildings but I remember it being super interesting and each building had so much history about it's construction and what it has been used for through the years.

Awesome shot of Willis Tower (the Sears Tower).

The skyline from Lake Michigan was absolutely marvelous!

Oh this girl. I tried several times to take a great skyline shot of her and she couldn't stop laughing. Lyndsey, I just adore you.

The birthday girl. I can't imagine a better best friend and the fact that our friendship has lasted almost 40 years is priceless. So glad I got to spend this fun weekend with her to celebrate.

Do I hate tiramisu? Yes. Did I enjoy this sign. So much!

One evening, we decided we had to hit the theater district for something, so we went and saw Peter and the Star Catcher at the Bank of America theater. It was a smaller theater but very ornate and beautiful. The production was a prequel to Peter Pan and it was a hoot.

On our walk to the theater we walked by the iconic Chicago sign.

Afterward, we hit up the House of Blues for dinner. It was late but we didn't care. The music was loud but it was great.  Listening to live music and getting hit on by drunk British guys actually turned out to be quite memorable.

Saturday, we spent some time at the Chicago Cultural Center. It was the old public library that they had turned into a museum. So gorgeous inside with some awesome exhibits up. We got a little bit educated in Chicago History.

We headed out to see Navy Pier but most of it was under construction. We walked out and back but nothing really grabbed our eye except lots of obnoxious girls and their parents that were there for a cheerleading competition. I did however get to see this beautiful girl who came down to meet us for lunch. Love you Lor!

Kauai!

This year, my amazing parents have been married 50 years. All they wanted to do was go to Hawaii and celebrate with their family and, by golly, we were happy to oblige! They decided on Kauai for a quieter more low key, less touristy experience and it was marvelous! We stayed in the Pono Kai condos on the east side of the island. We spent some time down south in Poipu at the beach, snorkeling and scuba diving. We spent several days up in Hanalei on the north edge of the island and man, was it ever gorgeous. There were sprawling beaches with calm water and beaches with insane waves and crazy surfers. There were caves and waterfalls and whales. There were hulas and winding tree covered roads and dinner cruises up the Napali Coast. It was just bliss for 9 days straight. I absolutely love creating these memories with my kids and the rest of my family.

On the way to Poipu.

This kid literally just needs a beach. That's it. He would be happy forever.

This girl, full of sass, no matter where she is.

Grandma, Grandpa, and Aunt Lauana rented beach chairs and hung out with us at the beach in Poipu for the afternoon. I love this picture of Grandma and Zack after they went down to the water to see the huge sea turtle that came on shore.

Grandma and Grandpa always have a special Family Home Evening at our reunions. This was afterward. We love them so much!

On the first day we ventured to Hanalei, we stopped and saw all the sights. Mel and I at Kilauea Lighthouse.

There are many beaches up north that just have mammoth waves. They are mesmerizing. No one was allowed in the water the days we were there except local surfers who the lifeguards knew and trusted. They were fun to watch though.

After exploring some awesome beaches and caves up north, we settled in at a beach in Hanalei Bay for the rest of the day where the kids could give boogie boarding a try. I truly thought Avery was the only one that would try it. But, Zack said he would try and on his first attempt he hit the wave perfectly and he went forever! That was all it took. They all wanted to do it and had an amazing time.

One of my favorite pictures of the trip!

Absolutely no fear.

Wailua Falls, the waterfalls seen in Fantasy Island.

Of course the kids loved the pool despite the beauty all around them. They spent plenty of time there too.

Here is the whole group. Everyone was there except Mike, Jenn and his 3 older kids. Aunt Lauana also came to help celebrate. These people all know how to have a good time!

One night, we took a dinner cruise up the Napali Coast with Captain Andy's. Weather had been so bad and waves so high in the weeks previous, our boat was the first one that had made it out in weeks. I was so grateful because the Napali Coast was one of the most gorgeous things I'd ever seen. We also easily saw over 20 whales right next to our boat. It was unbelievable!

I think Avery fell asleep about 2 minutes after this picture and slept the entire time thanks to kids Dramamine.

These two had a great time. They are just adorable.

Trying to find some more whales before the sun set. 

Because of the way flights worked out, our little family ended up staying 2 days longer than anyone else. The kids wanted to go back up to Hanalei to see some more enormous waves so that's what we did. Such an amazing trip.