Keeping up with the kids-

Hi all! I am so behind on keeping this blog updated. We have just been going & going the past month or so...I am barely, just barely, keeping up. Can't wait for summer! I took on way too many responsibilities at school this year-
Anyhow, here are some pictures of our adorable kids & some updates-

It's hard for me to believe that Mac is 9 and almost a fourth grader. It's all going by too fast-
Mac has had a pretty good school year. There have been some challenges, but he has handled them all very well. We are not impressed with most of the kids in his grade- they have some major issues & their parents are not involved...explains a lot- it's sad. Mac's class this year was very difficult to learn or focus in. He had way too many disruptive kids causing chaos for everyone. It was very frustrating for him, as well as me & his teacher. He had 31 kids in his class. It just wasn't an ideal setting to learn in. Pat & I decided that Mac & Lilly will be going to a Charter School next fall. It is called Oregon Trail Primary Academy. It is a new school & we are looking forward to a new start. It was a tough decision- I really like most of the teachers at Sandy Grade & have a lot of friends there- but we felt a change needed to be made & Lilly will be starting kindergarten, so now is the time. The charter school has many more opportunities for the kids. They will be learning mandarin Chinese as a second language!! Anyhow- I am getting side tracked- we are just ready for summer!

Mac did track for the first time this year. He did very well & enjoyed it. I am not sure if he will do it next year because it's at the same time as baseball & he missed playing ball this year.

In May he had a retainer put in for his teeth. It is wired in his mouth & we go in every few weeks to have it tightened/adjusted. This is a pre-prep for braces, poor kid has a pretty big over-bite. He has already broke the retainer once & it's only been 4 weeks! LOL...
He is very helpful with his baby brother. He feeds him, plays with him & is very good at putting him to sleep...

Over Memorial Day weekend, Pat and Mac went to Spokane for a bike race. Pat did a 24 Hour Bike Race Event with a group of his buddies. Mac did a kid race event. He got third place & his buddy Kaymen (pict. above) got second! They rocked it. Pat's team did good too. They finished (huge accomplishment) with NO INJURIES...
Mac definitely enjoyed camping/hanging out with Kaymen & having some one on one time with Dad! I stayed home with Griff & Lilly to catch up on things. Lilly & I also spent a lot of one on one time together. We have been "past-due". We went shopping, out to eat, to a movie & other fun stuff. It was great :0)

Lilly is now 5 and ready for kindergarten. It's just about all she talks about! She is a "fire-cracker"... she keeps things interesting around here.

She is a major DADDY'S GIRL... which is OK with me because I am one too!
Her teacher asked her what she wanted to be when she grows up & she replied,
"I want to be with my Daddy."
Very sweet :0)

Lilly was beaming at her preschool graduation. She had an awesome year! We are very happy that most of her friends will be going to the new Charter School too, so they will all be in kindergarten together.

And then there's Griff...

He is a cutie-pie! He is almost crawling & weighs just about 21 lbs. He is now 6 months old. He still has NO teeth...crazy because he's been "teething" & drooling like mad since he was 3 months old! He loves Mac & Lilly. He's not a great sleeper, but almost always a very happy boy. His smile just brightens up my days.

This picture was taken yesterday... can't say I was smiling all that much when I found this mess. Yep- that's POOP that he is stepping/sliding around in. It was a disgusting mess but he seemed pleased with himself! AHHH... the duties of a MOM. It just never ends-

On another note- Pat and I are doing well. Just busy as I said earlier. He is swamped at work, a blessing, we know & don't take for granted. I had "volunteered" us to cook/cater a fundraiser for Mac's school earlier in the year. The event was last week and it was a HUGE SUCCESS, but A LOT of WORK for Pat and I. It didn't help that we had another catering job the next day to prepare for as well...BUT we pulled it all off without killing each other, so guess we make a good team! We have a really big job/event coming up on July 18th. It's for a Car Show that is sponsored by Les Schwab. They are expecting between 500-600 people & we will be the only food booth there- Wish us luck!
Well I know I am leaving out a lot of stuff, but I have to get going. I am sure I am boring most of you anyway...Ha-
OH, almost forgot- Catie Lynn had her port taken out on the 4th. She is all done with chemo, etc. She is doing just AWESOME! Thanks to all of you who kept her in your thoughts & prayers. She is adorable and we are so relieved with how everything has turned out.
I am going to ask for all of you to pray for the missing boy that I am sure you have heard about on the news. He has made national headlines. His name is Kyron Horman. We found out last night that Kyron's Dad is an employee of Intel where Jimmy (my brother-in-law) works. It just hits a little to close to home. What a nightmare for this family. They need as many prayers as possible! Here is a link for more info about Kyron-
http://www.kptv.com/kyron-horman/index.html