A weekend of fishing and hiking!



It's been a good weekend!  Friday night we all went fishing with Dick and Marie and their two grandsons.  The pond was beautiful and filled to the brim with small blue gill fish.  I think between the six kids they easily caught 50 fish.  

 

Yes, it is actually impossible for Chris to look normal when someone points a camera in his direction!  I somehow missed taking a picture of Sam holding a fish.  But he went fishing with Dick a few weeks ago and I have a shot from then! 

The kids came home tired!  We slept in a bit and then went on a short hike in the Gorge Saturday morning.  Sometimes we read up about the trail we're going to do, other times we just randomly pick one.  It was a nice surprise to find that at the end of the trail was a great place to watch people rock climbing.  This is obviously going to be a passion of Sophia's so we're signing her up for some classes soon.  She will climb on anything we let her!  The kids also got to end the trail walking through a creek.  It was hot, so any chance to get a little wet was welcome! 

 

 

It's hard to tell, but this climber (who blends in with the rocks) free climbed right up the side of the rock to set up the rope for the other climbers.  He had serious skills!  The other climbers struggled even with  attached to the ropes!  

 

We've been in Kentucky about 3 months now and we've gone on 14 hikes on 12 different trails.  Not bad!  We've got countless more to try out too!   It's so nice to get outside and explore! 

 

Graduation for my biggest and littlest!

Tomorrow is the last day of school for my kiddos.  I'm not going to lie, I am so VERY ready for this school year to be over.  Stanton had 30 snow days this winter, so they had to go several extra weeks longer than usual to make up those days.  The only problem...we didn't live here then.  My kids were back in Kansas going to school all of those days.  So they got stuck making up snow days they never got to take.  Bummer!!  It has been a long school year! 

Last week Sam had his kindergarten graduation.  We were so worried about sending him to kindergarten last August since he was barely five years-old.  And then we walked into class and there were so many big six year-olds in the room that I started worrying even more.  But he has done great!  He can read so well - even better than his sisters did at this time.  So I'm really glad we went ahead and sent him.  And I'm also really glad that I'm done helping with kindergarten homework!  The graduation celebration was shockingly crowded. We were there 20 minutes early and could only stand along the wall to watch.  Lots of people showed up to watch these sweeties!  There was singing, dancing and lots of memorized lines!   He was pretty proud of his certificate! 

 

Then tonight we attended Sophia's fifth grade graduation.  Luckily, I already went through the emotions of having my baby leave elementary school since she started the year back in VC at the Intermediate school.  We've already gone through the drama of  entering a new school filled with so many new students, switching classes, beginning band, following a schedule, opening lockers, deodorant and discussing who is suddenly shaving and wearing make-up!!  When we moved to Stanton she had to finish out the last two months back in elementary school, but she adjusted well. 

I am so very proud of her.  She entered a new school with only two months left in the year into a class where kids had been together for six years.  And she did it seamlessly.  Then, she volunteered to say the prayer at her graduation ceremony.  So stinkin' proud!  Every time I think I'm failing as a parent, I'm going to remember her standing up in front of all of the 5th grade class and a gym full of their friends and family, and praying.  She's confident, but more importantly, she's totally comfortable praying to God in front of people.  That's awesome!  I still get nervous when I'm asked to pray in front of others.  I absolutely love seeing the person she's becoming!  Totally, uniquely her own person! 

 

With her good friend Alisha.

 Saying the prayer she co-wrote with a classmate.

 

 

From Kindergarten...

To ready for 6th grade!