8th grade graduation

Last Thursday was the last day of school and Kelsey's 8th grade graduation. We bought her a new dress, of course, but the last minute she decided not to wear it because she has another dress that matches her friend, so they decided to wear those. Oh well. After graduation, we thought it would be fun to take her out to breakfast. Everyone else had the same idea. We went to IHOP and found out it was an hour wait and Denny's had a half hour wait. We were not going to have time before my other kids got out of school, so we went to Krispy Kremes and got a dozen donuts. Oh well.

The girl next to Kelsey is the one with a matching blue dress.
Breakfast!

Later that day, we had planned a swim party for the kids and their friends. Of course, it rained. Oh well. Most of the kids swam anyway. FREEZING! They had fun doing other things like riding the golf cart around and watching movies too.

(does anyone know how to rotate pics, i forgot)

This last Friday, I took Kaylee out for her day with me. She chose to go shopping at the toy store to spend her money. This is what she bought. As I walked down the "girly" aisles ( you know dolls, dress up clothes, and barbies), she said "mom, you know I'm not a girly girl." She was more interested in Legos, Bionicles, action figures, and weapons. Gotta love her!

This last weekend was also Father and son outing with our church. Grant and Davin went and acutally spend Friday and Saturday night there. They had a good time and I was glad they were able to spend that extra time together. Grant evidently spent most of the time playing in the fire (pyro boy!) and chopping wood with our hatchet. The weather was around 75 during the day (love it) and 34 at night (not loving that). I was glad they had a good time.

10 things I love about my mom

1. She is a giver. My mom LOVES to give gifts. I always remember as a kid at Christmastime, she would tell us Christmas was going to be sparse, and then SURPRISE, out comes a big box of more presents on Christmas morning. I also remember a time when she decided as a family we were going to give our Christmas to another family in need. She is still always giving us great gifts and I have to say our kids are even getting more spoiled.

2. She has always been there for me. As a teenager, this was so important to me. I knew I could always come home from school with my "daily drama" and talk to her about it. She would always listen to me. She is still there for me now, more than ever.

3. She is fun to be with. My house was always a great place to be with my friends because they loved my mom too. She has always been my mom first and friend second. She is"one of the girls" now and I love hanging with her.

4. She is forgiving. I know that every single one of her kids (including myself) has broken her heart at least once. She has never held that against us or reminded us of it. She just loves us no matter what.

5. She loves to help. Whether it is her family or friends or whoever is in need, my mom is always willing to help and give of herself, even when it is an inconvenience to her.

6. She loves to travel. I share this passion with her. My mom has been to many fun places in the world and comes home from them planning the next trip. I especially love the trips we have been included on. My parents really are fun to travel with.

7. She's tough. My mom is a trooper. She's not squeemish or wimpy about anything! (I wish I was more like that). She is actually more apt to kill a bug than anyone else in our family. AND she has given birth to six kids, two at home, and four with no drugs!

8. She's friendly. My mom makes friends everywhere she goes, even to the grocery store. I remember as a kid thinking my mom knew everybody and everybody knew her.

9. She has suffered more than any mom should. She has watched children suffer from major accidents, deal with the consequences of poor life choices, and has also lost a child. She is truly tough. I am amazed at her strength. She is such an example. I hope I never have to go through half what she has with her children, but I admire and respect her for it.

10. She is a wonderful grandma. I know my kids adore her. She is always spending time with them and having fun with them, plus as I mentioned earlier, she spoils them incessantly. They KNOW she loves them by the way she treats them.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom! Your beautiful! Your the best. I love you so much. Thank you for all you have done and still do for me. Thank you for loving me. You are a great example to me and I want you to know how much I appreciate you.

(I hope your crying mom, because I am as I write this...another trait I got from you).

MY SISTER?

So a couple of weeks ago, Kelsey and I were hanging out before a Christian photo shoot she is doing for a friend of ours. As we were talking, the man portraying Christ asked us if we were sisters! I can only tell you that REALLY made my day. I don't know if it is because she looks older or I look so incredibly young ( I am going to choose the latter) but either way, I felt great!