Cienna - 13 Years 11 Months ... Kaylee - 11 Years 6 Months!

On the road again... We excitedly headed up for much anticipated family time! Both puppies started in the cab of the truck, but both of them being over 50 lbs. It was a little much. They were way more comfortable being in the back by themselves. Headed to Grammy's first off. Had a great dinner and then big breakfast complete with unicorn marshmallow hot chocolate.  The girls then went shopping with Grammy and they got Mommy a hot sauce advent calendar. Afterward, Mommy headed for a beautiful hike with Courtney... meanwhile, Daddy and the girls were helping Grammy with some plumbing issues and finding the cleanout underneath her back deck. And then there was a small alert of Roaklee possibly getting into some rat poison in the side yard. All of it was accounted for and we continued on with our ever eventful holiday week. 

We headed to Poppa's that night in preparation for moving gravel, and fixing the game table in the morning. The Marty's also came over to help and play before Kaylee, Trevor, and Daddy went in the "heated" pool. The next morning we went back to Grammy's. Daddy went with Grammy and the girls to volunteer and help the Rainbow girls clean the lodge and Mommy got to spend a great lunch with Darcie.  After they came back from volunteering, the girls got to get a gymnastics practice/ fun time in at SRGC with their optional team. We had a very musically educational and fun evening before heading back to Poppa's for our first Thanksgiving.

We were able to make the most out of the amazing Cabana space as well as the rest of the property. Playing volleyball, playing games on the big screen, and enjoying each others company! We got to use the outdoor space to do up a delicious tri-tip, and Dana had all the appetizers and sides ready to go! We had Christmas morning in the cabana with the sun out. It was great to be joined by Auntie Sheryl and Uncle Jerry! We were all spoiled by the family, mostly by the time we got to spend with them. Poppa also got all the girls thoughtful matching bracelets with a knot that "ties us all together". We had leftovers and a movie night in the Cabana to finish off a great first Christmas for the year.

The next Thanksgiving was at Grammy's. We started first off with some food preparations for and early dinner and did some more jam sessions. Monica joined us in a very family fun day. The kids did their best on the ginger bread houses, and had a blast doing it. Then we all enjoyed the turkey from the McFarlands, and all the sides made from the rest. There was an impromptu soccer game at the nearby elementary school. Some talented kids.. and adults : ). I'm pretty sure it was a tie. We had fun with a sawdust pile, and then a snowball fight inside of Grammy's house !!!

Auntie Carrie and Anthony came over to play, and the cousins made an extremely creative fort creation as a sleepover in Grammy's living room in anticipation of Christmas present exchange the next morning. The girls appreciated all of their gifts, and more time with family. That afternoon we headed back toward home. 

We stopped by the gym to say goodbye to Darcie and thank her for all she does, and then were on our way to Harris Ranch. We didn't quite get a room there, but did find one a 1/4 mile away that was pretty nice, and the Baja Fresh Dinner was WAY cheaper and pretty darn good for what we all felt like having! The final trip home was easy and a fun family car ride.

Back at home we were ready to start some decorations... But not so fast. There were plenty of school activities to get ready for. The girls had their band and chorus winter concert the next week. Cienna had Jazz, advanced band, and senior, chorus, and some introduction speeches. She was as confident as always and it showed! It was Kaylee's first time and she played in band and chorus, she also was chose to do an introduction speech with her friend as well.

We then got to the decorations. The girls, as always, joined Daddy on the roof to put up the lights then help with making Roaklee's first Christmas stocking... not the best : ) It was an almost unanimous decision to get a blow up lawn decoration this year. The blowup  Santa with a snowboard seemed fitting for the family.

The Adams family got an group of long time friends dating back to Cienna's kindergarten for a festive party. It's been a while since we've all got to hand out together.

Mommy and Daddy then left the girls at home to fend for their selves just kidding. We have such great friends that we can rely on. Annie came to stay with them as Mommy and Daddy got to celebrate Uncle JB's 50th birthday in Corona. It was certainly eventful with a brewery tour and lots of music in the garage. Mommy even started a beginning drum lessons. It was a late night at the hotel with the Bakx, catching up on recent events.

The last week was theme day at school. The girls got to show school spirit with holiday socks, clothes, and other accessories. Each of the girls groups of friends made their own gift exchange between them. They both did a secret Santa during the last Friday at lunch time. It is really nice to know they both have a solid core group of friends.

Then there is the whole high school/college experience for Cienna. Just say'in there are so many options. We went to Millikan Site night and Cienna thinks that she found her pathway for high school (what??) next year. She is excited for Millikan Quest. We all know that she will be great in that program.

To finish off the month, it was party after party. Started with a Christmas secret Santa gift exchange at the gymnastics center for the team girls. They had so much fun hanging out together as just kids. Then Mommy had a coaches gymnastics party with a white elephant gift and gingerbread house making. We did our finishing touch of decorations with the train around the Christmas tree and are looking forward to more fun, and moving forward together as a family in all adventures to come!

Check out the photos:

Happy Holidays to come

Cienna - 13 Years 10 Months ... Kaylee - 11 Years 5 Months!

In the beginning of the previous month, Kaylee was left with a couple bruised knees from the ice skating fun, and Dad got to visit SpaceX with work. That weekend Dad had another fun bike ride in OC with buddies while the girls and Mom took the puppies to Wardlow, had the first of fun playtime with the Marshall girls, and went to the Fairbrook Manor Haunted House that evening. One of Cienna's friends was working and playing a spooky guy tormenting the people in line as we waited to go in. The next day the girls got their first taste of Boba with the Marshalls and Daddy, it wasn't too bad. The next day Kaylee had McKenna, a new friend from school, over to play and paint.

It was Red Ribbon Week at school and the last day Kaylee and the 6th grade got to wear their costumes. The 7th and 8th graders got that privilege taken from them from the principal because of a few bad kids. That night gymnastics practice was cut short and they did a little party with costumes, pizza, and treats for the team girls. Kaylee spent some time on building her Kiwi Co lantern and Cienna did some more canvas painting. Halloween Day we took Roaklee to get neutered in the morning. McKayla came over, we did some pumpkin carving, then after picking up Roaklee we headed to the Marshalls to hang out while the kids went trick or treating throughout the neighborhood. Plenty of fun and lots of candy sums up the evening.

The next day there was some very creative acting and video editing the following day from the girls, Lexie, and Nicki as Daddy prepared to head to New Jersey for a business trip. Mommy worked what she could from home while daddy was gone and Roaklee freshly in a cone. We had a great time bring out the dusty tools and knocking out some fun projects that weekend. We finally built and installed a shelf over Kaylee's clothes rod and used the rest of the board to make a shelf to in the corner where her desk is. Girls got to use the table saw and jig saw.

Kaylee lost a tooth during the following week and Mommy picked up the Natal's from the airport as they began their very Disney vacation. We brought McKayla and Daddy picked up Uncle B from the airport since he was coming for a convention in Anaheim, to enjoy a great dinner at Ballast Point in Downtown Disney with the Natals! 

Another busy weekend as we all went to a High School of Choice fair at one of the 13 that were represented that Cienna gets to choose from for next year. It felt like we were looking into colleges. This is too soon. Later that day Cienna went to another one of the high schools to do a dress rehearsal for the performance that her Vocal Ensemble was invited to perform in that evening. Meanwhile Kaylee went to the practice meet at the gym and competed as a level 8 in front of judges. After the meet we all made our way to watch Cienna and the others perform. She did awesome and really enjoyed being on stage. That Sunday we did some cleanup around the house. Finally used the grinder to cut through Mommy's old bumper to throw in the trash. I guess we're not going to use it as decoration in the garage. We also cleaned out gutters and finished installing Kaylee's corner shelf above her desk.

Most of us (Cienna was already at school) got to see the Natals one last time for a little bit before they headed to the airport. We look forward to the upcoming Thanksmas vacation with family and friends.

Check out the pictures that go with the story.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/fYKiJCn3zUhprBGS7

Cienna - 13 Years 9 Months ... Kaylee - 11 Years 4 Months!

Haiden's Enchanted Forest Birthday party complete with scavenger hunt started us off this month. Then a visit with McKayla and the pups next. She got to help with the redo painting of Kaylee's bedroom door. More puppy play came when the Bakx dropped off Freya for the weekend as they went for a fun celebration weekend. They played really well even though Roaklee thought he was still 11 instead of 40 pounds and Freya thought she was 40 instead of 5 pounds : ) 

The next birthday party was for Nicki. The girls got to go hang out for dinner and playtime before a fun nighttime bike ride. That evening Mommy got to see some friends that she hadn't seen in a while thanks to Erin throwing a fun birthday celebration with a delicious taco bar. Then followed Cienna celebrating Bella's birthday with a day with a few friends going to see "Dear Even Hansen" followed by some frozen yogurt!

The next weekend we were pleasantly surprised to find that Grammy was driving down for a visit! We did some shopping around town which the girls always love to do with Grammy and then went to a musical concert in down town LB called Musica Angelica. We were given the opportunity from the girls middle school music program to go as guests with no charge. Then we went venturing to Knotts Berry Farm. Grammy bought a season pass so she is guaranteed to come back and visit! We did some sight seeing at the shops and different villages, then some fun smaller rides. Grammy then announced she was ready to go on a big roller coaster. Of course the girls both mentioned the biggest one.. "Silver Bullet" and Grammy was in for it. This is one crazy coaster but she did get shot out of a cannon, so it happened and it was amazing. She found out why she was the only one with "silver" hair on that ride :)

The next day she took the girls on her own for a little Dollar Store shopping and somehow came home with 24 pool noodles to place under Kaylee's bed to make it higher and more comfortable for her. She is still using them weeks later without any back problems. As the week started we were all home during a very rare lighting storm as Daddy went for a run. Only about 10 minutes later we got a call from him that a tree less than 0.5 miles from our house, which he was a couple hundred yards from at the time, got struck by lighting and caught on fire. We have an amazing fire department that saved the house and any other nearby structures.

We headed south the following weekend to join the Sklenicka's on their camping outing for the day. It was SO great to see them after way too long. There was talk of fishing, we got to catch up on each others lives, Mommy fed birds with Jackson as the rest of the family went on a paddle boat with Uncle Joe. Their was story telling and tree climbing, and mostly enjoying being together again.

Yet another birthday was for Clara. She designed her own birthday to be with friends in her backyard, eating pizza, playing games, and smores for dessert!

The final weekend of the month included a skills assessment for gymnastics... Oh how they have been improving like crazy every month. Check out some of the videos. One of first time skills this month was a double back dismount off bars for both of them. And then we all went with the Marshall and Vigliotti girls to go ice skating. It was our girls very first time. We all had so much fun. Cienna hung with Lexie and took it a little low key but did fantastic. Kaylee went a little full board with Nicki and Adi and ended up with quite a few more bruises than everyone else. They're both excited to go back sometime.

School, work, gymnastics is all going great. Most of all the weekends, family and friend time make for an amazing adventure and memories to share!

Enjoy the videos and pictures!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/v32va7kgAB3TZHmj6

Cienna - 13 Years 8 Months ... Kaylee - 11 Years 3 Months!

Getting ready for school to start we wanted to make the most of the rest of the summer. Kaylee is finally tall enough to ride all the coasters...so we were all excited to head to Magic Mountain. Daddy took the day off a Thursday and we sort of had the entire park to ourselves. We ran from coaster to coaster with no lines. Mommy and Daddy told the girls that this wasn't how it always was, but they insisted that it was just because they were there. We did some baking including a rainbow cake using the castle bundt cake mold that we've had since Cienna was 2. Roaklee also got his last shots so we headed to the dog park many times and even went for lunch at the Lazy Dog Cafe. We took the Bronco around the neighborhood for a joy ride with the dogs, it was Roaklee's first time. Mommy and the girls went to the salon and girls got new shoes for the beginning of the school year. Kaylee got some Marshall shirts from friends so they were all outfitted for school.

Cienna was part of the WEB group (Where Everyone Belongs). They are 8th graders that run the 6th grade orientation to make them comfortable and ready for the first day of school. Before the orientation, the girls had a "practice meet" at gym where they showed how far they have come and to get excited for the season to start in January. WEB orientation was fun for both girls. It was a half day on campus where Cienna got to lead her group with another leader whom they had to call on the phone the week before and talk to and welcome each of them. Kaylee didn't get a call from her leader, but still had a good time at orientation. We spent the last of the summer getting season tickets to Knott's Berry Farm. The day before school started we again had an amazing roller coaster extravaganza with a whole day running from coaster to coaster!

They were both excited for the first day of school. It was a fun morning and they even were ok with me taking pictures not only in front of our house, but in front of the school as well. Daddy joined the DOGS (Dads Of Great Students) with the tradition of lining up front of the gates and cheering all the kids in as they went through. 

The next weekend we had Adi over for a bike ride to Jamba Juice and made a quick somewhat unexpected stop to Jax Bicycles because Mommy had a popped tube. When we got back we had the Marshalls over for more backyard fun.

McKayla brought the puppies over to play the next day. It's a home doggy park with the four boys! They all get along super well. We all got an extra day to celebrate Labor Day with friends. We had a late lunch BBQ at and with the Ferrarios. Was a beautiful day of pool, sun, and more doggy playtime. Then we headed home for a dinner BBQ at the Douglas's with the rest of the neighbors.

The school days felt long the first week but they were getting the hang of it. They did a clarinet session to prepare for instrument distribution the 2nd week of school which made Roaklee howl. We wanted to do a project together and decided it would be super fun to paint their bedroom doors. We went to Lowe's for them to pick out colors and they went online to pick a design. We had a mishap with Kaylee's, but Cienna's turned out pretty cool. We'll continue Kaylee's next weekend.

We ended the month with an amazing party for Haiden's 11th birthday. Full of Enchanted Forest scavenger hunts, plenty of food and fun! 

We'll just say, it's been so great to be back in school with everyone and hope we can continue through the year happy and healthy!

Enjoy the photos:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/BVVPYUBNPu4cekMY7

Cienna - 13 Years 7 Months ... Kaylee - 11 Years 2 Months!

After a couple busy weekends we had a Sunday to do some yard clean up before the girls went for their second week of gymnastics camp and Daddy headed to Vegas for a couple of days. Then there was a week of playdates and adventures.  We first had the pleasure of having Adi for a sleepover which included plenty of laughs, fun with pictures and videos, night bike ride, beach bike ride with smoothies. Then headed to the beach with the some of the Marshall's and Viglioti's to enjoy the fresh air and boogie boarding. Next Kaylee got to head to Adi's for another sleepover and do another beach bike ride... this time in Seal Beach. After that we headed to the tidepools (or tad pools depending on who you ask) with the same gang followed by more fun at the house with sprinklers and the "kiddie" pool : )

We were again lucky to get to spend some time with Vera, Danni, Juju, and their friends at Bayshore followed by ice cream at the 2nd and PCH center which we had never been before they headed back out of town. We then excitedly anticipated the arrival of the Natal's to hang out with on their way to San Diego and had a great time catching up and relaxing together. Auntie Megan got a great new job opportunity at June's new school and was impressed by Cienna's paintings so she requested one from her of her new school mascot.  It turned out amazing!

The following Day we got to spend time with the Shoenberg's at a pool party at the Jansen's home. It was so great to see Shannon, Shelby, and Sadie and here how things are going in South Carolina! Plus it's fun to see gym friends outside of the gym sometimes too.

We didn't have enough going on so we decided to head to Mammoth for a very quick weekend. Actually our tickets from last year's Bluesapalooza were transferred to this year so we HAD : ) to go. We are so grateful that we have friends that let us stay with them in their very accommodating cabin super close to the festival and big enough for all of us to enjoy! We had some Family Feud time with just us before the rest of the crew came back from fishing and we all headed to Mammoth Brewing Co. for lunch. We had fun playing games and getting settled before a big pasta dinner. Mommy took the girls and Sofia out for ice cream in town that evening before bed and getting ready for another fun day. Before the festival for some, and a lot of hiking for others, we all had a big breakfast. Mommy and the girls then headed to take a gondola up 12,000 feet to the top of the mountain and the rest of the crew headed to the festival for an awesome day of  music and fun. 

The ride up the mountain was beautiful. We had lunch at the top and saw a really cool cultural exhibit. The hike down was equally as beautiful even though we took the long way down and went closer to 10 miles instead of 5. We had Porter, Roaklee, and the amazing Dachshund Freya with us on the journey! Mommy headed to the festival to enjoy some music and meet up with the gang for a bit before heading back and getting dinner for the girls. Daddy had a blast and even got Mommy a fantastic t-shirt commemorating the 25th annual festival. 

After tiding up the cabin in the morning and having a delicious breakfast thanks to Shawn, we went to the Ferrario Mammoth Condo to say hello and goodbye to Joan and Larry as well as Cobi, Bri, and Emera.

The girls then had spent the next Mon thru Thurs enjoying gym camp and were welcome to join many other long timer campers at Acting Out camp that Friday to close out the camps for the summer with a bang.

Kaylee finally lost another tooth right before her dentist appt. and has another on the way. Roaklee also got is final puppy boosters. Ready to be neutered in a couple months : )

We're all getting ready for school and yet in a little denial for school to start and the summer to be over. It's honestly going to be an awesome next month as they all have been and we continue to look forward to the adventure ahead.

Check out some photos and videos:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/iqBcUAefm4fyFdbAA

Cienna - 13 Years 6 Months ... Kaylee - 11 Years 1 Month!

This is one of the months that I'd rather do a bulletized list, but it deserves so much more!

We enlisted the help of one of Cienna's good friends and neighbors to make over 4 dozen cupcakes for Kaylee's Plinko relay race fun-filled birthday party! They were delicious. The party started off with a pickup soccer game, followed by a made up relay race game that was guided by a Plinko board, then some tree climbing, Capture the Flag, Pizza, Water balloon fight, and more fun at the park. Kaylee brought Nicki and Adi home with her and Adi stayed the night and we continued the party with hair braiding train, glow in the dark bike ride, and shenanigans.

We followed that up with Father's Day. After remembering our shirt tradition, we got dad his chicken fried steak and eggs before heading over to Joan and Larry's for a wonderful brunch. Mark got a cool shrimp plant as a gift and we all had a good time enjoying the afternoon before heading home for more family time and the girls convincing daddy to go on the trampoline.

First week of summer for the girls, they got to go to their favorite Acting Out Camp. Although they are now the "experienced" campers they enjoyed it just as much! During the month the girls were also in charge of watering the Douglas's house plants and garden. We got to enjoy the delicious berries and even made a pie out of them. That week Kaylee lost another tooth and got Or-Beads... LOTS of them for us all to enjoy for days and days. We all also cleaned out their rooms/drawers in which we removed the last of the Carver clothes that we will ever need... insert tears. While doing so with the clothes they both re-organized their room furniture, and then put it all back to where they were used to it : )

In preparation for Sierra and Robbie's wedding day the girls got some new outfits, and then Mommy had a welcome day off in which we happened to get a new puppy. Then there was Roaklee in our life for the remainder of this crazy month! He did not disappoint. When accepting the invitation to the local rescue shelter we thought we were going to check out a smaller breed litter and weren't expecting to go home with one of the puppies, but they had very recently got a new litter of puppies that they thought were better suited for our family. Turned out they were right. They hadn't even advertised these pups yet. It was a unanimous decision to bring home this awesome puppy. 

The Marshalls came with Lula to visit Roaklee, and then the Vigliotti's. We had fun with Adi before all heading to gymnastics. After the last time watering the Douglas's garden we used their pool as they arrived home from their month long vacation. 

Then the 4th of July came. We started the day making cinnamon rolls, the bike rides around the neighborhood while mommy and daddy fixed sprinklers, before heading to the Ferrarios to swim in the pool and introduce Roaklee to 5 more of Porter's friends. We came back to enjoy the neighbors, Auntie Kimmie's chili, playtime with Brandy (another puppy), fun watching fireworks, and a very festive chocolate cake which we got to take home the leftovers.

Roaklee had his first bath before heading on an 8 hour road trip to Resort Del Poppa. We'd been looking forward to seeing the progress of Poppa's cabana in person. And were ready to help move it along. The trip there was fortunately uneventful and no potty accidents. It was so amazing to spend time with so much family. We first had a night and day working on Poppa's WiFi setup in the cabana with Poppa and Auntie Heather and stayed in the RV with the girls in the bunk beds. Then we got visits from the McFarlands, The Natals, Grammy, and the Marty's came to stay for the rest of the week as well as the Kyle's.

Oh boy did we have a great time. More puppies, getting to see Buck and Stella again and meet Duke. We helped build an outdoor kitchen and bar area with help with a neighbors forklift, thankfully had lots of time in the pool given the triple digit weather, Kaylee almost single handedly built a pop-a-shot for us all to play, we built a 3 in 1 pool/air hockey/ping pong table to play. We took some time with Volley balls games, Kan Jam, Glow in the Dark Bocci Ball, and hanging up Dart boards into the late hours of the night. There was certainly some much needed cousin time all around!

We all got creative with every meal, from pita pockets, make your out pizza, not to mention carnival themed day which included cotton candy, shaved ice, nachos in gravy boats, churros, corn on the cob and much more. Ashley designed fun games to be played with many of balloons blown up by Mike and Trevor and water bottles filled with sand by the girls. We had a fun relay race that involved wetting sponges and passing them overhead to fill buckets! Then of course all the kids pulled the garbage cans out to the street while sitting in the open trunk of Cameron's' car. Then Alex brought out some pellet guns including the one Daddy brought to try out. He set up a range and gave us all a little lesson. It was quite satisfying to knock over the cans and learn some important responsibilities with guns. He then proceeded to make Kaylee's day and let her drive his truck around the property to put away all the gear. And then continue to drive a bit just for fun. He even adjusted the peddles for her. Cienna remembered to add the plastic bugs to the front of the RV as a perfect final touch.

The trip home was quite hot, but all 6 of us enjoyed the ride in the cab since Daddy luckily got the AC fixed before the trip.

The girls had their second week of Acting Out camp the next day and we got to watch Lula for a night. She was wonderful as always even with Roaklee.

Then we watched an amazing couple of "kids" get married. Sierra and Robbie had an amazing ceremony and reception at the Ferrario's. It was very apparent how much time and love they put into making the day so amazing, but the best part was time with all the great people! We are so happy for the two of them! They had beautiful decorations, a burger truck and doughnuts for desert, photo booth, and plenty of time to dance. Daddy and Roman's beer were both a hit again!

The following day, after some yard work around the house we went to the Bakx for some swimming and to spend more time with the Ferrario's as well. It sure was a great month and start to summer. We know it'll be over before we know it, but so far so fun.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/KAXySE4ETTbTPJcv5

Cienna - 13 Years 5 Months ... Kaylee - 11 Years Old!

We had a virtual open house with Kaylee's teacher which turned out to be just a fun chat session with  Mrs. Cyrs, who is super awesome, since we were one of the only ones to join. Kaylee showed us all her work online when they got home from gymnastics. Cienna also had a virtual one as well that Daddy recorded so we could all watch later since we were at gymnastics for that one too. We took advantage of the school fundraisers going to Handel's after gym and Flippin' Pizza for lunch. Cienna has made a great commitment to be a WEB leader as a soon to be 8th grader and help out all the incoming 6th graders (such as her sister). As things are starting to open up, we did take a trip to the local bowling alley. We were all a little rusty : ) Not that we were all that great to begin with. There was a little surprising excitement in front of our house with a random car and a lot of emergency vehicles and then police involvement. It was interesting, but nobody was hurt.

All 5th grade families did such a great job communicating and planning for such a great end to the 5th graders end of the year activities and send off to middle school. We managed to get T-shirts for all the kids, they all made amazing designs to be turned into tiles and displayed at Carver for the long haul, we got lawn signs made, and more.

We said goodbye to Betsy at gymnastics as she finished her senior year, but is coming back as a coach. She will always be known as a great influence to all the team gymnasts. Kaylee lost her tooth that night as well. With a couple more closely on the way.

Then we had a great Memorial Day weekend. We went hiking with the Bakx and a couple of Netters and extra friends at Peter's Canyon, before enjoying lunch in Old Town Orange at 1886 Brewery. Then we finally got to have an outdoor BBQ with more great friends in our backyard. Yes, the kids got to go on the roof and have fun playing, as well as the adults. We then had a delicious breakfast and walk around with Vera and her friends at Balboa Island. It was great to catch up as always and am happy she was able to make the time for us! Afterward we went to the Ferrarios for a BBQ and games in the backyard. 

We had more fun at the park with the Marshalls and then a drive by celebration for Devynn's 6th grade graduation while Daddy headed to the Bakx to brew some beer for Sierra and Robbie's big wedding day next month!

We all improved our art skills with planning some games for Kaylee's birthday party, a 5th grade sign for Kaylee, and a creative sign to show for Megan's upcoming 40th birthday party.

We were all very excited to head North to celebrate Megan's birthday and support her in accomplishing a goal that she has worked extremely hard for. She is an inspiration. She ran 26.2 miles, yes a marathon, that she planned with her friends and family. Each mile with a different person. I ran mile 4, Mark ran mile 5, and the girls ran mile 6. We really enjoyed being at the beautiful park that they planned for her mile loop and meeting all her great friends.

Mommy and the girls left a little halfway through to take June to her Allstar Softball game. The girl is a standout on the field. June hit a couple doubles and mad some outstanding plays on the field. Megan, RJ, and Daddy joined us at the end of the game to celebrate June's season. We all got to chill and watch Cruella that night together before the big birthday bash cul-de-sac party the next day. Megan deserved this party with tons of friends and fun. There was a two story water slide that both she and Grammy did more than once, a delicious taco truck, and Kona ice. The weather was great and the fun among all was even better. Another big hit of the party was Daddy's 805 clone that he made to share for the party! We did had have to leave right after the party to get back for a big week ahead for work, last days of school, and and 11th birthday for Kaylee.

The last week of school, Kaylee got to have all her online friends join them on campus. They made DIY ovens to make smores and enjoy each others company. The next day happened to be a bigger deal with it being Kaylee's birthday and them getting to do an in person 5th grade graduation! Mommy and Daddy got to watch as she and her classmates shared a big accomplishment that they learned this previous year, and then Mommy and Kaylee got to spend the rest of the day together. We got our nails done and then we all got BJ's for dinner. She brought cookies to gym for everyone, Mommy and Daddy got her a delicious Baskin Robbins ice cream cake and after gym we got to facetime the Natals, and then Grammy as Kaylee opened her gift.

That day was practically Cienna's last day of 7th grade. They got to also bring all online students to join an outdoor field day. Cienna and her friends came up with a plan on their own to give all 7th grade teachers an award that was voted on by all 7th graders. They approached their teacher and then the principal with their idea and had it approved. They made a google form to be filled out by each 7th grader and processed the results. They made printed out awards and were allowed to go to each teacher and present. She had a great day giving awards to the teachers with her friends and even were joined by more 7th graders to help present.

Then we had the last day of school. Parents got to continue the 5th grade tradition of chalking the sidewalk all the way from Carver to Wardlow Park for an after school celebration full of fun, pizza, and hard work from all the parents to make it wonderful. Cienna had an asynchronous day which meant she could pretty much join in the Carver park party as well!

In preparation for Kaylee's upcoming party, Cienna and her good friend Addie prepared to make 4 dozen cupcakes. 2 dozen PB cup, 1 dozen vanilla, and 1 dozen chocolate. There happen to be an extra dozen vanilla, but can there really be enough cupcakes. They are planning on frosting them Sat. morning before the party.

We're certainly lucky to have so many fortunate opportunities, family and friends in our life!!!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/YY9dhceE9799bm849