Kindergarten graduation

Wow...that went fast! Britt's kindergarten year is over. He had a wonderful teacher and aide, and he learned a lot. His teacher, Mrs. Slade, was perfect. She's a bit more laid-back than I am, and I think Britt really benefited from that. It's been a great experience watching him grow so much this year. He made tons of friends and loved every minute with them. He was put in the accelerated reading program, and also did very well on his weekly spelling tests. We're all looking forward to a summer of fun before he starts all-day school this fall.

Mrs. Slade and Britt on graduation day.
Notice his shirt- it's the same one I wore as a kindergartener at Highland Primary 24 years ago. Also, the cute present we made for Mrs. Slade- the apple is made from an old book. So fun, inexpensive, and cute!

Mrs. Burton (his teacher's aide) getting Britt ready for graduation.

Graduation time!  

Tried to get a picture of him after he got his 'diploma,' but apparently he was in a rush. :)

Saying goodbye to his class pet, Burrito the guinea pig. Britt loved taking treats (carrots and lettuce) to her all year.

Britt's end of the year field trip was a fun time. I went along to help chaperone. We got to see all kinds of demonstrations at the Taylor fire station. They even let the kids use the hose, put out a small fire with an extinguisher, get inside the fire engine and ambulance, and get soaked by the fire hoses. 

Britt and his best buddy, Mason, on Track & Field day.
No surprise to me, they won the 3-legged race in their group. These boys are two peas in a pod. Funny enough, Justin was good friends with Mason's mom all through high school.  Marnie and I were happy we got to tag along and watch all the Track & Field fun. 

Mud people

It's often a very bad thing when these two get quiet. One minute they're playing nicely with some buckets and the sprinkler, then before you know it...mud people.

Mother's Day

We have the best moms. Which means our kids have the best Grandma and Granny. Britt and Marnie answered a short questionare about each grandma and we put them inside the lovely Mother's Day cards they made for them. Britt said that his favorite thing to do with Grandma Tara is to get plastic pink flamingoes from random yards and break the heads off of them (never happened), and Marnie said that Granny Moe makes the best corndogs. They also made cards for their great-grandmas, and said that Grandma Ruby's job is driving around with Aunt Hazel (close enough), and Grandma Marili loves to play with string (it's called crocheting). :)

Britt and I went on a lovely date to his school's Mother's Day Luau. The kids danced the hula and served the moms cake and punch. Britt wasn't too keen on dancing in front of everyone, but he did a great job. We had a fun evening being just the two of us.

Britt took this picture of me and Marnie with my momma. I'd hoped he would get a full body shot so you could see the killer outfit I was wearing. It was a shirt and skirt that my Grandma Loe made for my mom in the 70s. The shoes alone were worth a picture. :) Oh, well.

It's been a while since I posted funny stuff the kids have said, so here are a few things from this weekend.
Justin's dad is a bishop and was talking about a couple who asked him to come to Hawaii to marry them. Somewhere in his conversation with Justin's mom, Britt started listening and got very confused. (He has a priceless look he gets when he's baffled.)
He interjected with, "what?! Grandpa! Why would you want to marry a new wife? [points to grandma] This one's perfect!" It sure made his Grandma's day. :)

Justin took Marnie with him to pick up a Mother's Day surprise on Saturday. She swore to keep it a secret. Later that day she said to me, "mom, I know a secret, but I'm NOT gonna tell you! I promised daddy, and I am NOT gonna tell you where we got your flowers." Nice secret keeping. :)

When they picked up the flowers, Justin let Marnie hold them in the car. He asked her how they smelled, expecting to hear, "beeeeeautiful," but she said, "hmm...pretty different from yogurt." Good to know. :)

I'm so glad I have my two silly littles. I always wanted to be a mom, and as hard as it is sometimes, it's a thousand times more rewarding. I'm fortunate that I've been able to stay home with Britt and Marnie for these first years of their lives. I'm also lucky to have a husband who was totally on board with me staying home to teach and love them. A good dad makes "momming" easier, and Justin always has. I'm glad to have stellar examples of motherhood all around me. I've only been in the parenting game for 6.5 years (funny enough, Mother's Day this year fell on the 7 year anniversary of the day we found out I was pregnant with Britt) and I know I still have a lot to learn, but it's good to know I have other moms, grandmas, great-grandmas, sisters, etc. to lean on.

swoon

I can't tell you how lovely it makes my day when these two shake the walls with squeals and laughter. When they're best buddies, they're reeeeeally best buddies. They disappear into another room to play "Princesses and Paleontologists" or giggle while playing silly parts in iPod games. They're our yin and our yang. He's a little version of his dad and she's just like her mom (poor girl...). They do have their moments when one is dramatic and the other is moody (I won't tell who's who), but for the most part they love being together. The moment Britt disappeared into the doors of his school this morning Marnie said, "aww...I miss my brother." Aren't brothers and sisters the best?