School Year Wrap-Up

Okay, what better way to start a new school year than blogging about the end of the last one?  We'll see how quickly I can sum up this and the rest of the summer.

Connor and Elise had their last day of Eagle Academy.  There was a school party with crafts and treats, then we met again that evening with a few friends for pizza.  The kids and I are really going to miss that school.
  

One Saturday, after several months of lessons at the Rose Bowl, Evan decided to take a breath!  Once he knew how to do that, the pool was his playground.
      

Elise wrapped up her year in ballet.  There was costume day, picture day, dress rehearsal, and then the final performance.  She did an amazing job, and is looking forward to moving up to the 7-9 year old class this fall.
  

  

Dress Rehearsal

Performance Day!

Evan "graduated" from his first year of Joy School.  The kids sang their songs, got their diplomas, and had treats.  It was super cute.
  

Elise's Daisy troop did a food drive in May.  They collected non-perishables and money to give to a local food bank.  The coolest part was being able to tour the food bank later that month, and stock the shelves with the things they donated.
  

  
Rinny decided that bed was boring.  She figured out that she could easily climb out and have nighttime adventures.  I tried putting the mattress on the floor, but the little monkey still climbed out, so I ended up spending almost $200 on a fancy crib tent.  I guess the old kind were recalled, so this expensive kind is the only game in town.  It was worth it, though.  She sleeps great again.
   

We found her in bed with Evan one morning.

  

Mattress on Floor

    

On the last day of school, the kids brought home their art portfolios.  I didn't get pictures of everything, but these are the highlights:

   
Elise:
  

  

     

Still Life

Connor:
   

May Stuff

When we got back from Arizona, we had a ton of activities!  Connor had his second Pinewood Derby at Cub Scouts.  He designed and painted his car all on his own, although he had a little help with the power tools required to cut it.  I was actually really impressed with his attitude at the race.  He told me, "I went for looks rather than speed.  If I come in last, that's okay.  Somebody has to."  He didn't win, but he certainly didn't come in last.
  

  

At the kids' dentist appointment, Elise had her stubborn top front teeth pulled.  They were resisting falling out on their own, and were causing the adult teeth to come in wrong.  She got a jackpot of two gold dollars under her pillow the next day.
  

   
Nana and Grandpa Al were able to come visit us for a few days.  They helped us shop for a new couch, bought an awesome rug for our living room, and took a tour of Ryan's office.  It was nice to spend time with them!
    

  

Elise turned seven!  It's so strange how she's not a little kid anymore.  She got a butterfly balloon, a giant stuffed dog, Anna and Elsa dresses (which didn't arrive until July,) and a ton of  crafty stuff, including a rubber-band loom for bracelets.  We celebrated with an ice cream cake she picked out herself.  I was surprised how excited she was to start her goal of reading the Book of Mormon by the time she's eight.  She read something like 45 pages in the first week.
     

Rainbow Loom Bracelets

   
Connor and Elise memorized poems for their school's annual Speech Meet.  The homeschool kids had their own classroom this year, so it was cute to see all their friends get up and recite stuff.  Connor did "Eight Balloons" by Shel Silverstein, and Elise did "Hurt no Living Thing", by Christina Rossetti.
   

  

One evening, we had the kids' friends over for a few hours.  When things got quiet, I went to investigate, and found them basically having a hot tub party in the two bathroom sinks.  They also made dozens of "spit balls" by wadding up wet toilet paper.
   

We spent Memorial Day weekend camping with friends in the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest.  I was hoping to see a tree that went back to the time of Christ, but we discovered that the oldest one (they won't tell you where it is) is over five thousand years old.  Older than the Great Pyramid.  That's crazy.  The funny thing about Bristlecones is that it's the ones that live in the worst conditions that live so long.  They grow slowly, and stay small and twisted.  The ones in good soil grow into tall, attractive trees, but they die young.  We also spent Saturday in Bishop, for their annual "Mule Days".  I guess it's a pretty big deal among mule owners.
   

Mule Days Parade

"Log-Pulling"

  

Evan got to join in towards the end.

 The wood got seared with a Mule Days design as a keepsake.

 

Mule Eating Connor's Hat

   

Bristlecone Pines!

The dads went on a lot of bike rides.

On Sunday, all the families went on a four-hour hike. Everybody made it!

Snowballs in May

Sierra Nevada Mountains (In the Background)

I loved the colors in the wood.

Largest Bristlecone Pine

   

  

On the way home on Memorial Day, we stopped at Manzanar, which was a World War II Relocation Center for Japanese Americans.  It made a strong impression on the kids.  We watched a film, looked at some great exhibits, then took a driving tour of the site.  It was a lot bigger than I expected.  Besides kid books, we bought three Junior Ranger hats for the kids to keep their badges on (they earned a new one each at Manzanar.)
  

   

On the last day of May, Elise had her birthday party at Chuck E Cheese.  After attending two of Connor's parties there, she had decided it was her turn!
  

She was really nervous about the "embarrassing" Chuck E Cheese part.

Ready for the Ticket Blaster

After receiving nail polish and sparkles as a gift, Elise did everybody's toes, including mine (and one of Ryan's.)    

  

   The rest of these are just awesome pictures I took.  We did a lot of stuff this May!
   

Evan and his Park Day Friends

Evan needed a picture for the Mother's Day card he made.