June

This post is dedicated to Jenny, who has left us for the beaches of Florida (and will probably never return), and who waits ever so patiently for me to update my blog each month. Just kidding, she tells me to get my rear in gear and I do it. Paddle into the sun, Jenny.

In June we:

*had our last day of school on June 3rd!

It was a pretty successful school year, if I do say so myself. These girls jumped into yet another new school system, with new friends and new teachers and new ways of doing things, with courage and cheerfulness. We were pretty impressed with the whole district - we've definitely seen worse. The girls made some awesome friends, had the nicest bus drivers ever, got along well with their teachers, and every single one of them ended the year with straight As. Goodbye 8th grade, 6th grade, 3rd grade, and Kindergarten!

*Began our summer routine. No electronics until after lunch leaves plenty of morning time to exercise, practice our piano, read, tidy up, go on adventures, and find ways to be creative. We began running as a family - kind of funny, but also surprisingly fun. We go to the middle school track, and Ed laps us all, but everyone participates - even lazy mom. Karoline likes to chase everyone, but usually ends up needing a ride.

*Hiked Table Rock.

Good thing we hiked it when we did - someone accidentally lit it on fire with a rogue firework and the whole thing is charred now. :(

*Walked the Nampa greenbelt with my mom, sisters, sister-in-law, and cousins. Lisa brought her dog and my kids fought the whole way over whose turn it was to walk her.

*Discovered Idaho City - a cute little boom town about an hour away. Perfect for hiking, ice cream, museums, and historical buildings with creepy mannequins. So fun!

*Got our boating rhythm down - weekday mornings when Ed is home you will find us at Lake Lowell. It's so easy to get our boat in and out of the garage (compared to Arkansas), the lake is so close, it's so easy to get the boat in and out of the lake (compared to Arkansas), there's usually only fishermen on the lake on weekday mornings so it's so easy for me to drive and let Ed ski...this will be a summer of boating.

AND, for the first time in the 5 years we've owned the boat, the girls have finally been able to make a real effort at learning to waterski. Pictures to come on the progress they're making there...

In June, Ed:

*spent some time exploring, including San Francisco...

New York...

and the Dominican Republic...

*missed Father's Day with his girls, so they made him breakfast the next day after our morning run. He is a much-loved dad.

In June, I:

*had a fun visit with my Sin-c-uh. Sure love those besties that remain besties over many years and many miles

*got a new calling. I'm the Relief Society Secretary. I breathed a huge sigh of relief knowing I wouldn't be teaching (except the Sunday we were sustained, surprise!) or planning the activities - this is the perfect calling for me. But what I didn't consider was the fact that we are in a brand new ward - no one handed us a binder full of information, there was nothing planned, no visiting teaching routes to work from, no table cloths, and no closet full of paper products. It's been pretty time-consuming so far trying to get everything organized and starting from scratch...but also pretty fulfilling. It's good for me to be useful.

In June, Kimmee:

*applied for a summer job in the corn fields. Big things to come for this girl.

*helped clean up the "B" on the side of the Boise foothills with Keira and Grandma A. Grandma is so good to get my girls involved in these service projects.

*went to her first Stake Dance and loved it. :)

In June, Keira:

*helped clean up the "B"

*has been my #1 babysitter and helper. She has been amazing - tidying up, giving Karoline baths, making treats, resolving fights between younger siblings, getting Karoline to sleep, doing sisters' hair...all cheerfully and without being asked. Kimberlee and Keira both have made the craziness of the summer bearable by being pleasant and keeping the 2 youngest under control. What would I do without my big girls?

*started mowing Grandpa and Grandma Law's grass every week...the whole acre, with a push-mower.

In June, Krista:

*had swim lessons with Ed's cousins Angie and Natalie. She rocked them.

*spent an afternoon with Grandma A and Jaron laughing and playing games. She came home way past her bedtime and loved every minute of it.

In June, Kassie:

*had swim lessons with Angie and Natalie. She rocked them too.

*was so excited to finally graduate from the purple Primer level piano books to the pink Level 1 books.

It was a little tougher than normal to get this girl to this point. She wants to play by ear, and really only wants to practice fun songs that she hears on the radio, or TV, or that her older sisters play (she figures out the notes herself). I most definitely do NOT play by ear, so it's sometimes difficult to know how to teach her. But we power through together, and now that things are clicking for her I think we'll have a lot of fun with it.

In June, Karoline:

*turned 2!

She had chicken nuggets for dinner, had visits from both grandparents, opened presents, and particularly loved singing "Happy birthday" to herself.

Don't let this beautiful face fool you. This munchkin is a devil.

*some KK facts: she likes the color blue. Or maybe she just likes to say the word "blue." Either way, she knows what blue is, and shortly after her birthday learned all her other colors too. She still loves apple juice and cheese the most, but tolerates many other foods too, like chicken, mashed potatoes, bread, apples, grapes, yogurt, and green beans. She has a screech you can hear across the neighborhood and uses it far too often. She knows many of her letters and likes to point them out on our clothes or random signs. She can count to 10...but likes to pretend she can count to 20. She loves "pretties" (dresses) and playing dress-up. She still hates nursery and will not go without crying. She calls herself "Ka-a-line." She surprises us with new phrases every day and gets really frustrated if we can't understand what she's saying. She loves to snuggle with pillows and blankets. She loves babies - real and otherwise. She is always singing...always. She is SO fun when she's happy, and so completely frustrating when she's not. She is 2 and very good at it. We love that she's ours.

There was so much more to June - it wore us out! 4 weeks of summer down, 8 more to go!