Field Trip/Bridal Shower

Today I went with Kelsi on their end of the year fieldtrip. All year they have been writing penpals in a different elementary school here in town. So today their penpals class came to the school to meet them & go on the field trip with them. They first showed the penpals the rock climbing wall in the gym. We then walked to Minden park where we ate lunch, they played flag football. We continued walking down to Coldstone for a tour & ice cream. When we came back to school the principal was in on the surprise bridal shower for Kelsi's teacher, she is getting married this summer. So the principal took her to the office for a confrence.. poor thing was so worried & upset that she had messed something up because they made up a story to get her in the office & the principal had to carry out the story for a good 10 mins. before telling her he would just talk to her after class.. She then came back to class where she was surprised to find decorations, etc. The class got her a $100 visa gift card & did a wishing well full of misc. kitchen items. They also had sparkling Apple Cider for the toast, cake & little mint favors. Very cute!

Memorial Day History....

(Normandy American Cemetary ~ 2006)

Here are a few things that some of us may or may not know about Memorial Day......

(Normandy American Cemetary ~ 2006)

It is a celebration of remembrance for the brave service of men and women who gave their lives for their country. Originally, Memorial Day honored those who had died in the Civil War. Now, it honors those who died in the Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam, Desert Storm and our current war.

(American Cemetary in Luxemberg~2006)

Memorial Day was declared a federal holiday in 1971. We now, designate this day to remember loved ones who have passed on, as well as remembering our service men and women. Flowers and flags are placed on graves in remembrance of them. Parades and dedications of memorials usually are part of the day's activities. Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, local marching bands, members of the armed service, fire departments, police departments, and fraternal orders often march in parades and attend ceremonies to commemorate the day.

(American Cemetery in Luxemberg ~ 2006)

Waterloo, N.Y. is considered the birthplace of this holiday because the people of Waterloo were the first people to proclaim a day on May 5, 1866 to honor the soldiers who died in the Civil War. They closed their businesses and placed flowers and flags on the graves of their soldiers. Flags were flown at half-mast.

(Bastogne, Belguim ~ 2006)

Major General John A. Logan declared May 30, 1868 as a special day for honoring Union soldiers killed in battle. He was Commander in Chief of an organization of Union Civil War Veterans called the Grand Army of the Republic. They took charge of Memorial Day celebrations in the Northern States. The American Legion took over these duties after World War I.

(Omaha Beach & Memorial, Normandy, France ~ 2006)

The Southern States of Alabama and Mississippi observe the last Monday in April as Confederate Memorial Day. Georgia observes April 26th, North and South Carolina observe May 10th, Virginia observes the last day of May. Louisiana and Tennessee observe June 3 and Texas celebrates Confederate Heroes Day, January 19th. *Facts taken from http://sunniebunniezz.com/holiday/memorial.htm * * Photos taken from our trips in 2006*

Happy Memorial Day!

I hope everyone had a nice long weekend. Ben has been off the last 4 days and that was definitely nice. Today we went to a BBQ at Kelly & Roberts, I think everyone had a great time. Kody loved the dogs & cats (especially the new kitten). The older ones enjoyed making smores & having a fun time running around with the other kids.

A few pics

This past week we went up to Reno so I could take some pictures of my friend Terra. She is due in July so some of them we went with a patriotic theme. I took 90 pictures all together so these are just a few of my favorites. I think she was a great addition to my portfolio. :o)

Night out

Last night we went out for Randy's birthday. We ate at Outback Steakhouse & by the looks of the picture I think he was a little embarrased about the singing. :o) Later that night we met up with Tessa & some of her friends & hung out for a bit. It was a nice evening.

Softball Accident

So we have our first accident of the season, if any one remembers last year McKena broke her wrist the first week of the season. Today in practice the ball hit Kelsi's thumb when she was batting. Its kind of hard to see how swollen it is in the picture but you can somewhat compare it to the others fingers. It has a HUGE lump on the knuckle & she doesn't want to go to the Dr. yet. She says its fine, but she can't bend it. So we'll see how it looks tomorrow or if she can bend it. She has a game tomorrow night so that should be interesting.

My new toys!!

I ordered these the other day & today the studio setup came! I LOVE it, its so easy to set up & break down. It also came with a white background. :o) I can't wait to get the nest I think I'll have a lot of fun with it (baby, blanket & wings not included.. lol)

Happy Mother's Day

I hope all the wonderful moms that read this blog had a great day today. Mine started off with Kelsi giving me her gift she made in school while I was still in bed. It was a little box she made with a hand written scroll inside, also had a Mother's day poem.

Mother, I love you,

And this is the reason why.

You take me as I am,

And you help me when I try.

You do so many things for me,

And always love me, too.

God knew when he made mothers,

The best mother for me was you!

Then when McKena woke up she brought me in 2 books she made in school. The first one was monthly journal entries that she drew & wrote since the beg. of school. The next one was a book that I had to guess which " Mother" I was, each child had a paragraph about their mom with a drawing. Some were pretty funny to read. Mine was....

My mom has brown hair. Her favorire food is roast beef. My mom's favorite color is pink. She likes to workout. My mom is good at cooking. I love my mom because she is nice.

This afternoon we went out to my parents for a BBQ since yesterday was my Dad's Bday.. so it was double gifts for them. My mom got me a digital photo keychain, I can't wait to upload some pictures to it.

Saturday Softball

So now all I hear is these softball chants ... Here is an example.. :o)

We don't drink No Lemondade All we drink is Gatorade We don't play with Barbie dolls All we play with is Bats & Balls We don't wear no Mini skirts All we wear is dirty shirts

McKena's league doesn't keep track of scores, but Kelsi's team won again! 10 - 4 :o) Kelsi running home..

McKena playing 1st base (throwing ball)

Kelsi batting

McKena running home

Names, Names.... Names..

I've been having a rough time coming up with a name to use for my photography. This is something I've always wanted to pursue & eventually will. I need a name though so I can start building a portfolio & mark certain pictures with it. Some people have given me suggestions so I didn't come up with all the names listed on this poll. I'd love everyone's input though & feel free to email/comment me if you have an idea for a name. Thanks!! Here is the link to the poll... :o) http://snappoll.com/poll/269105.php

Luau

Tonight was the girls school Luau, I think we all had a nice time. They had deep sea fishing where the girls got stuffed animals, basket raffles.. each class had a theme that the students each brought something in for it. Food, music, Dunk tank... lots of kids walking around soaking wet in the cold! lol

The Family picKody sporting his new Hot Wheels sunglassesRobin & I McKena & her teacherBen & RonKelsi & her teacherMcKena & Lexi