The kids and their teachers....

 Molly and Miss Anna

 Molly and Miss Kasey

 Jack and Mrs. Mikesell

Jack and Mrs. Selven

The kids have ended their school year with great celebration!  They had a great year, and each of them is looking forward to being in the next grade.  I have great plans for the summer to keep up with their reading and math work, but I guess only time will tell if I keep to my word.  They are excited about the new workbooks, and Jack is really into his reading ... so I have great hope!!  Of course, there will be plenty of play and summer fun along the way.

So I kind of forgot ...

.... to post what the rest of Mother's day looked like.  I just remembered tonight.  It was a sunny warm day, and the kids just begged to run in the sprinklers for the first time this season.  We obliged, and they were more then thrilled.  Of course with the sprinklers, comes the request to fill the water guns.  They had just grand day.  Enjoy ....

 Ready, aim, fire

 If you don't guard your guns, Daddy might pick them up and come after you

 Jack without arms, and not doing well with his sister successfully coming after him

 Jack finally getting his turn at shooting the gun

Then the weapons were put down for a little sliding practice ... Jack was sliding into "home" plate!

Budding artists...

Here is some more artwork that the kids created on their dry erase boards.  Molly just kept drawing and drawing, while Jack was reading to me.  At the end, Jack just had to get in his sports team drawing.  He told me that he did the Colorado State just like Kyle's logo on his hat!  Enjoy ....

New drawings ....

Molly made this drawing the other day in class.  I was a bit surprised at the detail and, well .... everything about it.  Molly has not shown much interest in drawing pictures to date, so when my eyes gazed upon this I almost did not believe that she did it.  She did say that Miss Kasey helped them draw it step by step .... but Molly did it all by herself.  I think the detail of Alabama on the hat is hysterical!  I guess she really does like the rolltide!

Jack brought this drawing home last week.  It is of a castle in Wales.  They have been studying the countries of the world this year.  He explained that they watch a short film about castles, and a man explained to them how to draw a castle.  This is what my son drew  ....  and again I am happy to see that he may have more artistic ability than I originally thought.  

While the kids may not grow up to be famous supported artists, I can dream TODAY that they may develop more of an interest in things other than sports!

Mother's Day picture ...

So ... I don't love this picture of kids and me but it is what it is!  The day was great.  It was super sunny and warm.  We went to church, enjoyed some Mexican for lunch with friends, then came home and enjoyed the backyard before small group at church that evening!  I have more pictures to share another day that will tell you a little more to the story of what exactly went down in the backyard after lunch  ....  so until let that keep you on your toes!

Flowers just keep coming ...

These white azaleas are on the "other" side of the house out by the kids windows.  It is a place that is easily missed by people and I don't remember really blogging about the plants before.  This year is the best year for these two lonely white shrubs.  They are wonderful this year, so I just had to include them in my yearly pictures!

 

This is yet another one of our many rhodies on the property.  It is old.  It is planted way too close to the house.  It is a bit scraggly because it is really shaded by the huge old maple tree above it.  Kyle wanted to rip it out when we first moved in  ....  but we have pruned it, loved it, watered it, fed it, and this year it too has wonderful huge pink blooms on it.  I love this one because as the flowers open they come to make a cone shape right on the tip of the branch.  It is amazing to watch spring come alive!

When we first moved into this house, they had bulbs everywhere out back and in the front.  None of them really were that wonderful, so over the years I have moved most of them to new spots.  I hated to throw them out, and so I thought a new spot might make them happier.  Last year, we moved the irises. I don't really like irises as a whole, because the tubes sit on top of the ground and they don't like to be covered so it is a little bit of an eye sore when they are done blooming for the year.  However, these we perfect to go next to the daffodils that I had moved to the side of the house.  Now, I do need to let you know that whenever I have moved said such bulbs .... it is always at the wrong time of the year!  I have no patience to wait until the right time so it is always a "crap" shoot as to whether they will bloom again or not!!  Well, look at what came up this year.  I LOVE  the purple little irises.  The white ones are my favorite of the two because it is big and it smells like to the most wonderful thing in the world.  I only got one bloom, but many spikes so I am hopeful that next year will bring more blooms.  If you are in the neighborhood, stop on by and smell the white iris  ....  but you better hurry it won't last much longer!

Jack, the amazing helper ...

Sometimes in the past, I have been concerned that we have pushed the kids too hard in helping us with the yard.  When we first moved in there was so much to do that we were always outside doing yard work.  While we are still out there doing it, the intensity has settled a bit.  We would always have the kids out there helping with things that were appropriate to their age.  Now, they did not always LOVE doing it, but we just shrugged it off with a "this is part of being a Parker" mentality.  Fast forward a couple of years .... I can now see the benefit in "requiring" them to be a part of the work.  Jack LOVES helping Kyle do projects around the house.  The other day Kyle got around to cutting the concrete around my magic planter so that we could plant some more perennials.  Once again the previous owners went hog wild with the concrete.  There were several HUGE chunks that had to be removed.  Jack got home from school, immediately put on some work clothes, gathered his gloves, shovel and went out front to help kyle load up the concrete to take to the dump.  He was bound and determined to pick up a piece that was just as big as what Kyle was lifting.  I must say that that kid is strong ... the pieces he was lifting was quite amazing.  (Now, don't worry we would not let him lift something that was too heavy and dangerous to his back! )  Enjoy the pictures I was quick enough to capture ...