Taylor's Concert

Taylor had her spring orchestra/chorus concert this week. Unfortunately, you can't see her in the orchestra, but Ed did snap a picture before she began singing. Great job Taylor! We're very proud of you!

Weekend in Rochester

We spent the weekend with Jim's family in New York. We all had a great time and also got to see my mom. She came to help for a week while Cheryl is in China with her mom on a 3 week trip. The highlight for Cami was helping uncle Jim mow the grass. She had never been on a riding lawn mower and couldn't believe he let her drive! Thanks for having us!

Reid, Haley, Jenna, Dallin, Taylor, and Cami

Jenna, Taylor, and Cami

Pointing her in the right direction...

See if you can see the line Cami mowed...

They did actually cut all the grass, but it took a little longer than usual :)

More Funny Cami

I've been meaning to blog the first conversation for a while, the second just happened today:

1. My parents took Cami to Disney earlier this spring. After the first full day at the park my dad asked Cami how she felt. Her reply:

"PaPa if feel very tired, but thoroughly entertained!"

2. We dropped Zoey off at the dog kennel today so we could go visit Jim's family for the weekend. Dog kennels are not exactly know for smelling like roses. As we got out of the car Cami said, "Ummm... Mom, I think I smell NATURE."

Bella and Shoes

Bella loved to wear everyone's shoes while she was here. She was amazingly good at keeping big shoes of all kinds on her feet. I took this picture of her this morning wearing my pink sandals.

Congratulations!

Tricia graduated from Rutgers yesterday with a Master's Degree in Library Science. We were able to attend the ceremony and the kids thought it was great to wave and cheer when her name was called. Congratulations!

Castle Park

We did have one day of nice weather while Dan, Tricia, and family were here. We headed over to Castle Park for a few hours of fun. They ran, slid, jumped, and swung until we just had to go and get some Rita's. You CAN'T come to Pennsylvania without having Rita's at least once :) It was so fun to watch the Uncles have such a good time with the kids. They never really grow up!

In this picture the kids are hot on the trail of a bear - they were sure they had found "bear tracks"

Basketball Goal

I got Ed a basketball goal for our anniversary. It took longer than I would have liked to be installed, but it's finally here. It rained all day today, but that didn't stop the kids from heading out in the rain to shoot some hoops. I guess it's the "Hoosier" in their blood :)

Mother's Day

I had a wonderful Mother's Day. My family brought me breakfast in bed and we all just kind of stayed there until about 10am. It was great. I received some very nice cards and a fun new Cricut machine. I can't wait to get it going and make something fun.

Bowling

It rained last Saturday. All games were cancelled. We didn't know what to do with ourselves, so we went bowling. We haven't been in a very long time and we had a GREAT time. Just for the record, I won by one point.

5th Grade Philly Trip

The entire 5th grade went on a field trip to Philly last week. They took the train into the city, rode in the double-decker buses for a tour, and got to go with their chaperone wherever they wanted for the afternoon. Taylor had a great time and took lots of pictures. Here are a few:

The Free Tree

Last year when we bought the willow and plum trees the landscaping company delivered an extra dogwood tree. I called them after realizing the mistake and told them that I had not paid for it and they should come and pick it up. They assured me that I
had picked it out, paid for it, and asked them to deliver it. I assured them that I had never seen it before and had the receipt in my hand to prove that I had not paid for it. I would have taken it back myself, but it didn't fit in my car.



Needless to say, we had about six conversations like that over the next two weeks while I tried to keep this poor tree alive out of the ground. They finally set a date and said they would come and pick it up and didn't show. I gave in and planted it. It's very happy in my yard and I have no guilt about my free tree. I has grown a bit and has beautiful blooms this spring. I always like to have a story behind my plants, so I guess this one was meant to be mine ;)

Official Irish Dance Picture

Here's the official picture

A is for American Revolution

Taylor just finished a big project for the American Revolution unit at school. She worked SO HARD on it. She created an ABC book about people and events of the time period. She researched, typed, and organized herself into a perfect score. We are very proud of all the work she puts into school every day!

The Terminator

Dallin has the best teacher he has ever had for English this year - Mr. Bartosiewicz (barto-savage). He has been teaching at the same middle school for 35 years. He really knows how to get kids excited about English and even grammar.

Every spring they have a huge two-day test called "The Terminator". You would think that the kids would dread this test and hate the teacher who gives it. Wrong. They work really hard in class for weeks leading up to it and he gradually builds up their confidence until they can't wait to take it. What a great influence Mr. Bartosiewicz has been to so many students over the years. I am amazed by teachers with such gifts. (By the way, Dallin got an A - yeah, I'm proud.)

Happy 15th Anniversary!