Mister Twelve

My baby boy is Twelve today

{and not so much a baby anymore}

He is actually quite grown up

and amazes me everyday with

his ideas, thoughts and actions.

He makes us so proud

He is into video games, zombies, nerf guns, legos,

riding his rip stick, playing the drums & piano,

parkour, exploring in the creeks, camaros and drawing.

His favorite restaurant is Japanese Steak House

and his best friend is still Dawson Reith

{since Kindergarten}

Happy Birthday my baby boy!

Happy Birthday!

Hospital Hill ...

was amazing

and a beautiful success

We did it

again, for the second year

my dear friend, Tracey Burns and I walked the 5k

now, I know that doesn't sound like much

but for us girls

that are just a bit out of shape and

 don't really work out much ...

we feel wonderful today

We do it for Dad

{raising a little dough for the cause, trying to find a cure for Pancreatic Cancer}

and

we do it for us

{it's such an accomplishment}

and I am so glad that she is there with me

right by my side

Shannon did it too

with Scott by her side

They ran the half marathon

that's right, 13 point something miles!

Poor Parkville

It is getting ready to happen

again

the Missouri river is full and swollen
and it's moving so fast

 it will flood ... but when and how bad

is the question in everyone's mind

I'm overwhelmed to see how many volunteers

are here helping to
.

save the city

I was there for the Flood of '93

and can remember the devastation 

so extremely sad

Hopefully this time the water will hold

and not go beyond the sand bags

Making a Splash!

This is what we did today ...

95 degrees today

the sun beating down

it's so hot

Sam swam and played with Logan & Dalton

while I soaked up some sun

 {Peyton & Mason were in summer school}

It was a fun day

Memorial Weekend

... And I'm proud to be and American,
where at least I know I'm free.
And I wont forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me ...
                                        -Lee Greenwood


Sometimes it is easy for us to live our day to day lives
without thinking of the all the fighting that's going on
overseas

Today is a good day to remember
remember the heros
who are still serving around the world and
the heros who did not make it home

I really am so thankful for their services
...
 Our family was lucky enough to see a lot of our out of town family
this weekend

Most of our Omaha crew
came to Kansas City and
Shannon & Scott had us all over for a bar b que

so much fun for the kiddos

 Chris, Laurie, Katie & Christy
stopped in for a break in their travels to Florida
we all met at Rancho Grande
for one of their favorite meals

My cousin Chris, a Ranger in the Army,
{and one of my heros}
 has been deployed overseas
eight times
Thank God, he has fought hard and been blessed
to come home to his family
every single time
Thank God

The kids, so innocent, asking question after question
everyone so intense, listening to anything
he will tell us about his experience

so greatful he is here, so greatful he is safe
so greatful for family
...

Another piece of weekend excitement

Melissa and Shawn's baby girl arrived
Leah Diane Weaver
6 lbs 10 oz

How sweet is she!

Celebrate the Fifth Grader

Tonight was the Fifth Grade Awards Ceremony

at Meadowbrook
.

How sweet was the opening ...
with the violins and cellos playing
while the parents took there seats
.

Then the show started

each teacher called their students name

and announced their acheivements

Sam's awards included:
A and B Honor Roll all year long
Award of Recognition for being involved in Student Council
Recognition for his achievements in Strings and
National Physical Fitness Award

I've been feeling pretty emotional this entire school year
 with his elementary years wraping up
.
but tonight
I felt proud of my young man
walking across the stage, shaking hands with his principal
and receiving his awards and accomplishments for this year

His teacher, Miss Abby Crossett,
well, we think Sam hit the lottery with her ...
I think he is more prepared for middle school because of her

She takes her job seriously and truly cares about her students, she does not stop teaching when the bell rings. She doesn’t just want them to just do better in math or reading, but to do well in life also. She kindly guides conflict between students and helps them to find friendship in each other. She leads by example and instills values, life skills and knowledge. 
{we really like her, can you tell}
-------
A few friends from the evening:
Steven Bishop/Rylee Newton
Kyle Voss-McReynolds
Blake Dunkin
Dighton Mumma

I am still a little sad for this school year to be over
but I am very excited for the next chapters in his life!
...
When it was all over
Grandma and Grandpa wanted to take Sam to Baskin Robbins
for a celebratory treat


{this is a tradition, a tradition that we all enjoy}

Chaumiere Lake

What an amazing fishing experience for Sam

He's been fishing before

this was not his first time

Grandpa takes all the boys fishing

he has fished in boyscouts

he fishes when we camp

but today, oh today, was different

Sam caught fish after fish after fish

he baited his own hooks

he took his fish off the hook and tossed them back into the lake

now they were very small perch

and sometimes we think he even caught the same fish

time after time

but he had such a great time

Then we got to see this amazing site ...

How sweet is this!

When we were packing everything up to leave,

Sam asked if he could call grandpa ...

he wanted to tell him that he had caught

21 fish

and the adults caught ...

 none!