Tuesday, May 28, 2024

scott's visit

A few months before Memorial Day, Kevin's friend Scott Kimball reached out asking if him and his two oldest boys could come visit for the weekend.  We hadn't seen the boys for years, so it seemed like a fun opportunity to get our families together.  They arrived on Friday morning, but since Kevin had to work, we met up at Six Flags.  It was our first official day of summer vacation but it was ridiculously hot and none of the water rides were open!!  I swore that it might be the only time we went all summer because it was pretty miserable.  I don't know how people go in July or August!
We had pizza that night and hung out playing games and guitars :)
We went to the lake on Saturday morning and spent the majority of the day there.  Paxton (left) is 13 and Jagger (right) is 15. The kids all got along pretty well, but Paxton was difficult at times.  He didn't listen well to Scott and became upset pretty easily, but overall the kids had fun together. 
Veggie Straw fangs...the kids ate an entire Costco-sized bag in two days, so there's that!
Colby continues to impress me with his ability to try new things despite multiple face plants in the water. The morning was super overcast, but thankfully the sun came out after lunch!
Brooke had her longest surf ride that day, so I teased her that she was just showing off for the boys. 
She was giddy as she climbed into the boat, asking me if I saw her!  Apparently she wasn't paying attention to my obnoxious cheers as I recorded the whole thing, haha.
Colby also had his longest ride, which he quickly pointed out was "longer than Brooke's."  Why does everything have to be a competition??  (And we were all kinda chuckling about his arms, but his balance was great, so clearly that was working for him.)
Scott is one of the only friends Kevin really keeps in contact with, so I appreciate that he makes the effort to call Kevin and check-in. They met and became close in high school and have been friends ever since. 
They were on a mission to get some air on the wakeboard and one of the kids caught a pretty good picture of Kevin's best attempt.
I'm pretty sure Jagger was actually asleep, but Colby was just resting as we got back to the slip. 
Saturday night turned into an epic Nerf gun battle, which was both really loud and a little chaotic!
We headed back out to the lake on Monday...
We figured we still had a decent amount of gas, but since it was a holiday weekend, we decided to gas up before getting started for the day.  We were DYING when it just kept pumping more and more gas. The tank is supposedly 50 gallons and we pumped 50.358 galloons into the boat, which means that we were almost BONE DRY.  That could've been a very bad situation, so I am so grateful that we decided to fill up before heading out. 
The water was "Sunday Smooth" for hours, which honestly felt like a gift!!  We were all a little sunburned from Saturday, so Kevin busted out all the biggest hats he could find, including the sombrero he lent Scott. 
We spent the afternoon jumping off the boat, holding dive competitions, board riding, eating snacks, floating, and swimming after the random tennis ball that Colby brought :)
Thanks for a fun weekend, Kimballs!

Wednesday, May 22, 2024

2nd grade awards

The afternoon before the second grade award's ceremony, I decorated Colby's classroom for the party that would follow their ceremony.  I didn't get to stay long before needing to go get Brooke from school, but we went back to Daulton after pick-up to finish all the decorating.  I love being involved in Colby's class, but the last few years the whole "Room Representative" role has been a little bit frustrating.  According to the PTA member over volunteers, the teachers want everything to be the same across for each grade level, which basically means the room reps have minimal creative license in planning and executing the part.  I understand that they don't want one party to be over the top and another one to be really lame, but I wish we were able to do what we wanted!

The theme we were given was "Summer," which is the same theme we had last year.  I went to the dollar store to see what I could find and came away with pink flamingos, table runners/table coverings, and palm trees.  I also ordered leis and colorful sunglasses for each student. 
We were also told that the students needed to make picture frames, so I added that to my Oriental Trading order.  I didn't realize until the night before that the class pictures I printed were too big for the frames, but at that point, there wasn't much I could do.  So the kids went home with a decorated frame and a separate picture of the class.
Colby's awards were on Wednesday morning and he came home with a stack!!  Citizenship, High Frequency Words, Art Achievement Certificate (1 or 2 per class), Library Award (not sure what this entails but it was given to one student per class), Certificate of Completion, Lion Award (great leader with a passionate heart), and the Sunshine Award (voted on by peers and awarded to one boy and girl per class.)

I loved watching Colby receive his awards, but I knew he was most excited about the Sunshine Award. (In the weeks leading up to the ceremony, he told me a million times that he was REALLY hoping he would get it.)  The Principal presented the award and explained that the award is given to someone who exemplifies good character traits like the ones they emphasize at Daulton: kindness, perseverance, empathy, responsibility, honesty, and respect.  "These kids bring sunshine to our classrooms and we're all better for having known them." I was trying to keep a big smile, but definitely fighting back the tears!
His friend Staley was the girl in his class that received the Sunshine Award, so I had to get a picture of the two of them and one with their teacher, Ms. Stevens. 
Oh, and they sang "A Million Dreams," which was beautiful!!  The kids knew the lyrics SO well and sang from their hearts.  After the final song, the students were dismissed by class to return to their rooms. I quickly rushed down the hall to beat the students and parents there, and the party was chaotic as usual, haha.  It's always pretty awkward trying to keep the kids engaged while the parents stand around the perimeter of the classroom and watch, but Colby loves when I am the Room Representative, so I will continue to do it. 

The funniest part was probably watching the kids play musical chairs.  The principal even joined in on the fun while he was making the rounds, haha. Colby was SO competitive and was the ultimate champion, but it was almost embarrassing because he was so intense about the whole thing.
Being the Room Mom has its perks, but it's always such a busy time of year, so it feels like a relief when it's over, haha. 
We stopped by to say goodbye to Mrs. Kelsick as well.  She was Colby's teacher for math and science and he absolutely loved her!!
As we walked down the halls, it was hard to believe that another year was over!! I was hoping for a slow summer, but I knew that third grade was right around the corner.
As we left the school, Colby was proudly holding his award, so we stopped for another picture.  It was a little bright, hence the squinty eyes.  He commented that he wished Brooke had a phone so he could call her right away and tell her that he won.  She also won the award, so he knew she would understand and be happy for him.
It was such a special day for Colby, and I hope he always strives to exemplify the character traits that earned him the Sunshine Award.

I checked Colby out early from school and his requests were Dollar Tree, Five Below, and McDonalds.  He actually found a pretty cool Lego box, baseball shades, and "10 for 10" bazooka gum, so he was pumped.  I had a few other errands in that shopping center, and he requested that we walk instead of drive, so I enjoyed walking and chatting with my boy!
We are SO proud of you, buddy!!  Keep doing amazing things :)

Monday, May 20, 2024

5th grade awards

Monday was Brooke's awards ceremony and I was SO proud of her!! She received the Language Arts Academic Award (one per class), A Honor Roll, the 50 States Award, Citizenship Award, PVU Panther Award, and Whiz Quiz. She has worked so hard this year and continues to love school, which is such a blessing!
Brooke and our neighbor, Hope...
Brooke and the principal, Mr. Gibson.  I really like him and appreciate that he stands at the door every single morning to greet the students.  He knows them by name and makes the extra effort to make them feel seen and important. 
Brooke had phenomenal teachers this year, so I had to get a few pictures with them.  Mrs. Sowell taught math...
Ms. Batie taught ELA...
And her favorite, Mrs. Klingman, taught social studies...
As we left the ceremony, I wanted a few more pics of my girl. 
We were taking a selfie when another parent offered to take a picture.  I can't say enough about how proud I am of Brooke, not just because of her academic achievements, but because she brings sunshine everywhere she goes.  She finds joy in everything and for that, I am so grateful.  

She isn't my little girl anymore, which is both heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time.  She has great things in store for her and I can't wait to watch as she continues to blossom. 
Her friend McKenzie walked by, so I had to take another picture :)
After the awards, we went shopping, had some lunch, and ended with Bahama Bucks.  I know one-on-one time will be rare this summer, so I loved the chance to pal around with Brookie. 
She adored this jacket, and if it wasn't $70, I would've bought it for her, haha.  
And I thought the hat she found was hilarious.  She wanted to send the pic right to Kevin. 
Sure do love my sweet girl!!