Well, I finally got to look at the pictures from Trevor's kindergarten graduation. Not only did I cry before,during and after the ceremony, I cried while looking at the pictures too. Not sure if it is pregnancy hormones or what, but I am so proud of Trevor. It is affecting me in mysterious ways. It seems as though the year has flown by. There are times when it felt like time stood still. Yet, it seems as though I blinked and he graduated to first grade. We all know Trevor is bright academically, but his behavior, emotional and social skills were in need of some work. We were truly blessed with a wonderful teacher this year. Ms. Van Eman was able to bring out the best in Trevor. That has not always been something easy to do. I am hugely grateful for all the hard work and patience she obviously has. I am positive that he would not have been as successful if placed in another classroom. He has worked so hard and will continue to work hard this summer. Because of his love for reading and learning, he will be a great help this summer when working with the little kids. We have already discussed a curriculum and he is the lead reading teacher. I am still amazed at his achievements in reading. He is very fluent and has started to read books on his own without assistance. He loves to go to his room and read silently. This is amazing to me, since most kindergartners/first graders will read out loud to sound out words. He is reading way beyond his years and enjoys reading to his siblings. We are so proud of Trevor and cannot wait to see his progress next year as well. I can't wait to teach and work with him this summer. I am going to have a difficult time next year when I won't see him for days on end (since he will be at school full-time). I LOVE teaching my kids and have mixed emotions about them going to school all day everyday. I know it is life, it is just difficult. Trevor has come so far. For those of you who know him, know his history of non-compliance, physical aggressiveness, and impatience. So, for those of you who know him, know how proud we are that he has developed into such a bright, wonderful, young boy.

P.S. You have to hit the play button on the montage...

Trevor's Graduation

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

This and That

Well, are the rest of the pictures we took the other day.  I am sure it will be a few days before I get to the graduation pictures.  I only took 329 pictures before, during and after the ceramony.  I can't wait to share them.  They are truly priceless.  Until then...here are some more pictures from our outdoor adventures.   Don't ask about Caleb in the maternity swimsuit.  For those of you who know Caleb, you know it is a miracle that he chose to wear anything at all.  He is a free spirit who likes to freeball it...lol

Mario and Luigi

It is hard to believe the weather these days.  I can't remember a year when it was 90 degrees in the month of May.  We have been living like it is summer....AC cranking, pools, slip and slides, lemonade, etc.  I hope we aren't bored come June, July and August...  Hope you enjoy the pictures.  Only 500 more to go through.  We are extremely excited about Trevor's kindergarten graduation this week.  I can't believe he is growing up so quickly.  I am sure I will have a ton to say when I get to post the pictures from his big day.  Until then, enjoy my little Mario, Luigi and Princess Peach...

We had the BEST weekend ever! Well, at least I thought so. We spent the weekend relaxing with friends and family. It started with a trip to Kings Island. The boys have become so brave. They wanted to ride every and all roller coasters they could. This was no easy feat seeing as that I am in my second trimester. I feel terrible that I can't ride all the rides with them, but we did what we could. Thanks to Mimi, they were able to ride many more rides than they could have with me alone. The rest of the weekend, the kids played baseball, hopscotch, bubbles, soccer and football. We also had a few of our closest friends over to have the first of (hopefully) many cookouts of the summer. Food was great, company was awesome! Now, if only I could have had a few cocktails...come on October... It is amazing how well all of our kids play together. My friend Mandy has kids very close in age to ours. So, the kids play together as if they were siblings, themselves. It seems unlikely, but it is almost relaxing to spend an afternoon with six kids ages six and under. We are so blessed to have such great friends in our lives and in the lives of our kids.  The kids AND adults had a blast.  We also celebrated Aaron's 35th birthday together!  Can you believe it?  He doesn't look a day over 30 and doesn't act a day over two...lol  I love all the pictures taken this weekend. The one picture that cracks me up is the one with Trevor and the juice. Most or all of you know that the only drink Trevor will ingest is water. I think since every other kid wanted juice during dinner, he felt left out. He asked for juice and pretended to drink it for about 30 seconds before quietly asking me for water. So funny. I think it is great that he only drinks water. Great, but a little odd. Oh well, to each his own, right? We had a campfire Saturday evening and the boys (Aaron, Trevor and Caleb) had their first of many campouts. They read Captain Underpants by the fire and sang campfire songs before falling asleep in the tent under the stars. On Sunday, we were once again able to relax as a family. We spent the afternoon playing outside and spent the evening watching Spiderman while cuddling on the couch. It was wonderful and gave me many happy memories to remember for a lifetime.