CON"GRAD"ULATIONS, LOGAN......

I watched my son graduate from 5th grade today. If I am so emotional for this, I can only imagine how bad I will be when he graduates from High School. I really didn't think I was going to get emotional, but then one of the teachers started crying when she was giving out awards. And then, to really add to it all, three of the 5th grade girls sang the most beautiful song in remembrance of a teacher who passed away this year. Then, there was the slide show that showed all of the kids going from babies to now. It got to me. I am so not tough. Here is my little man with his cap (they did not wear gowns) and "diploma":

Way to go, Logan!!! Your dad and I are so proud of all of your accomplishments. We love you!!!!

SUMMER, WE'RE GONNA MISS YA.......

Where in the world did August go???? Where in the world did summer go???? My August turned out to be super busy. This post is so that I can prove, in pictures, that I have not been goofing off (most of the time, anyway). The picture above is from our beach trip. It was a bit warm, but we loved our week there.

Then, as soon as we returned, soccer practices started. This pic is of my daughter (in blue) at a practice tournament with her travel team. This is our first time doing travel, so it is a real eye-opener for us. My son is playing on a rec team, but they will not start games until September.

Then, along comes the first day of school. The kids were actually excited to be going back. Here they are getting ready to catch the bus.

This last picture is of my son at his SOL Awards program. He received medals for getting perfect scores on 2 of the 3 SOL tests they took last year. They were for math and Virginia studies (history). He was the only one in his grade at his school that had a perfect score on the history test. We are so proud of him. (In case you are wondering, he takes after his mother.)

And to top all of that off, I am taking my girl to get braces today. Wow, she is growing up so fast --- both of them are. I feel so old now. I'm going to take a nap.............

Check back tomorrow to see my card for the August Simply Paper Design Challenge.........

Have a great day!!!!

SPRING BREAK????

OMG!!!! Can you believe this weather??!!?? My prayers are with all that have been affected by this rash of thunderstorms and tornadoes. Unbelievable....

But on to sunnier thoughts.... My kids had their Spring break from school last week. Break???? Are you kidding me???? While they were off, the hubby and I took some time off, too. Time off???? Are you kidding me???? I had to go back to work to get some rest.......

No, this is not Lindsey and Logan. Our first destination was the Metro Richmond Zoo. This is a small zoo, but it had quite a lot of animals. Nice day trip for us. The main attraction for us was the Siamangs, the largest of the gibbons, that we heard more than saw when we first walked in. They had  loud "whoops" that could pretty much be heard all over the zoo. The wierd thing is that they blew up their necks to make this sound (which you can somewhat see in the picture). An interesting note on these animals is that the female is the group leader. Pretty cool, huh? Had a great day!!!

That was Thursday. On Friday, we went to see the movie Rio --- in 3-D, no less. It is a really cute movie. No, this birdie was not one of the film's stars, he (or she) was at the zoo. But I didn't have any pictures for the movie, so I think this works.......

Of course, what is Easter break without an Easter egg hunt or two. This is a picture Lindsey and Logan. They are hunting eggs at my mother's house. They also went to a hunt held at my sister-in-law's church. Love that egg hunting!!!!

The annual coloring of the eggs.......

And to top it all off, Logan finally got the hang of riding his bicycle. Oh, yeah!!!! So I took them to the school parking lot to practice.

Whew!!!  It makes me tired just to think about it all. I was able to stamp a little in between all of this fun, so check back in the next couple of days to see what I came up with.

Thanks for stopping by and have a Great Day!!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SIS!!!!!

I cannot believe that my sister is the big 5-0!!!! (By the way, I am the baby.) She is the animal lover in the family, especially horses. This stamp is from a non-SU set I picked up. I think it turned out pretty well.

You will notice I did not rub in the fact that she is a half of a century old. That is because I am not all that far behind and her memory is better than mine. Here she is fifty years ago.....

And now.....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CINDY!!!!!

ZOEY'S FIRST HAIRCUT........

While we had not planned on trimming Zoey, she is a "cow dog" after all, plans can change. The hair around her ears had started to matte up and we don't even want to discuss the issues with the hair on her backend. So, I made an appointment with the groomers my SIL uses for her pup. Keep in mind now --- Zoey is a wimp of a dog. She can bark a good game when she has back-up, but leaving her with people she doesn't know with instruments that make loud noises (she hates when I vacuum and hides in the closet long after I am done) would be a very traumatic experience for her. If I knew what to do, and how to do it, I might would do it all myself, but I am not comfortable with that. I tried clipping her nails on my own, but I am so scared I am going to hurt her. Same with the trimming.

Anyway, here is the before shot:

and here is the after:

Check out the bandana --- that lasted to just after this picture was taken.

Ain't she purty????

MY LITTLE GIRL...........

Well, not so little anymore. My DD turned 12 on November 12th. One more year and I will be the mother of a teenager. YIKES!!!! Although, I think she is practicing the teenage attitude part already. This is what 12 looks like:

BTW, she is trying to let her bangs grow out --- and I am trying to be patient while her bangs grow out. She is growing up soooo fast. I really miss my little girl, but I look forward to the young lady she will become (fingers crossed for good luck).

Happy Birthday, Sweetpea!!!! I love you!!!!

GRADUATION TIME!!!!

It is that time of year again --- GRADUATION!!!!! Whether your child is graduating from college, high school or even from elementary school, it is a stepping stone to another phase of their life. Another step towards independence (we hope). Another step away from us. Very bittersweet, but time marches on. My daughter is taking the step from elementary school to middle school and, while I am very proud of her achievements, I really (REALLY) miss my little girl. You know, the one who thought I did no wrong, who thought I could do anything, fix anything better than anyone else. But, as I have said, time marches on.

She had a small graduation/awards ceremony on Wednesday. This is her receiving her award from her homeroom teacher for her excellent math skills. She also was acknowledged as having straight "A"s for the school year.

In addition to all of her hard work on her grades, she also received an award from the principal for perfect attendance. This is the second year in a row for her.

And, to top it all off, she was one of two chosen to read an essay she wrote about her time at elementary school. She was very, very nervous, but did a great job. Her essay was pretty darn good, too.

Logan had his awards ceremony on Tuesday. He, also, was honored for his excellent math skills. (So, they not only got my good looks, but they got my brains, too). This is him receiving his award.

Great job, Logan & Lindsey!!!! We love you!!!!!!