summer has begun!

Summer has started and we are WELL on our way checking off our summer list of things to do.  Someone on Facebook said we should write it again on the summer list so we can do it again.  Good idea!

We've been watching the wheat get ripe for harvest!

 We've been playing in Nana's pool!

 Chad and the girls slept in a small tent in the backyard.  Before that happened we ate s'mores and tossed around glow in the dark balloons inside the tent.

And, here's a horrible picture of our summer list.  But, it's there in our kitchen, and it's so fun to walk by the see all the exciting things we get to do for the few weeks of summer we have.

 

Wingnuts Baseball Game

Kindergarten recognition

I can't believe it.  
Jada is 4 days from being done with Kindergarten.

Her Kindergarten recognition was a few weeks ago.  Of course they had to play some sappy song about how kids grow up too fast, so I cried within the first 5 minutes of the program.

No surprise there.

 Mrs. Koehn has taught Jada so much.  Her reading has SOARED since the beginning of the year.  Her writing is so fun to read, and she's doing math that my second graders learn.  

I get to brag about that because she's my daughter.  

 See that cute brunette behind and to the right of Jada in the purple dress?  That's Addie.  Jada's silly friend.  The two of them are so fun to watch together.  I can see the two of them road tripping across a few states together someday.

That little girl at age two who cried and cried because of the all the attention put on her at her birthday party has become this happy DIVA who sings and dances and makes up funny stories and faces. 

 We are so proud of our Jada Bear. 
 

Sowing seeds

When I was little my family had a HUGE garden.  
Ok, I don't really know how big it was, but to me, as a little kid, I thought it was ginormous.  

 
I remember there were potatoes, tomatoes, onions, green beans (?), and probably other vegetables.  But, what I liked best to eat were the cherry tomatoes.  We'd have them all the time at the table.  

What I LOVED best about the garden is that my parents would take me out there and let me help dig up potatoes, or pick the cherry tomatoes.  
And then I'd see the worms.  Even though I was kind of afraid of them, I'd try to show my dad how brave I was about holding them or picking them up out of the ground.  I'm sure I squealed like a girl when he picked them up.

 Our garden growing up is such a good memory for me.  My parents taught me about growing our own food and how much work and time it takes to do that.

 So naturally we are trying the same thing.  
To grow our own garden.
Tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, cilantro, strawberries, pumpkin, cucumbers, and spicy peppers.

 And hopefully through the summer we will actually grow something in our garden.  And we'll be able to teach our own kids about sowing seeds, and eating from the fruits of our labor. :)

 Let's just hope this guy doesn't eat everything out there.

 

motorcycle rides

Gracie said this was the "second best thing" that happened to her this week~ her first motorcycle ride with Great Uncle Dean.

 We had to remind her on the second ride out to make sure she kept her mouth closed!  She said the only thing that would have made it better would be if she could go barefoot.  However, we warned her of the dangers of that, and she decided to keep her flip flops on!

Gracie's baptism

Last Sunday, April 29th, Gracie was baptized.  She's been asking about it for a while now, and we decided she was ready to go through the classes and get baptized.  
The night before she opened some gifts.
Hannah and Tom knew she would need to be well dressed for the occasion:  head cap, goggles, and a nose plug.

 Amanda set her up with a pretty necklace.

 Mimi and Papa gave her a pretty picture frame with a picture of her and them together in it.

And Nana made her a salvation bracelet- which she wore to school the next day.

The night before at supper she hardly ate anything- she was so nervous to talk in front of the whole church.

I don't have great pictures because I videoed most of it.  
First, Gracie went up and told her testimony in front of everyone.  I loved her testimony, but the rain boots were a definite needed piece of accessory for being in the water!  :)

 and then anyone from the congregation could stand up and say encouraging words to Gracie and give her verses to live by. I had already warned Chad that he was going to have to talk because I would lose it if I tried.  After several people stood up (sunday school teachers, a boy who doesn't even know her, Tessa, and Ashley), Chad stood up and talked about how a teacher at our school called Gracie her hero in a letter to us one time because of how she treats her good friend, Izzy.  It was a tear jerker.
Then, Nana got up and prayed for her.

 And finally, she went to the pool and Pastor Brad baptized her.  It was all very exciting and emotional.

 Gracie accepted Jesus into her heart at age 5.  She knew what she was doing.  She didn't just do it because she was curious.  Gracie has always been someone who thinks deeply and is aware of what she's doing.  
God is doing some special and amazing things in Gracie right now.  It's exciting to see someone so young be such a follower of Christ.