Schools Out...Scream And Shout

The last day of school always seems so far away, but we can hardly believe that it has come and gone. It is weird to think that we have been in UT for two school years now. The kids had so much fun with the last week of school activities. I must say that I am just as excited for school to be out! I am looking forward to spending time with the kids and planning some fun activities to do over the summer. Hopefully I can keep them busy and not too bored!

Kenzie and Mrs. Booth. Kenzie helped me make a candy necklace for her teacher. They had a Teddy Bear Picnic, so Kenzie brought her favorite bear...it was the biggest one there!
Kenzie had fun doing activities and singing songs with her bear.
We went outside to have the picnic, play with the parachute, and jump on the tramp. Kenzie had a blast with her pre-school friends! She has learned so much this year...I'm so proud!
Matthew, Kynlee, and Karley on their last day of school.

Cute sisters!

Karley and Ms. Bennett. Karley had an amazing 2nd grade year! Her reading skills really blossomed this year...you go girl! It was no surprise at all when Karley said she was voted "Class Clown". She loves to make people laugh, especially her teacher, and everyone loves to be around her! I had fun being the Room Mom for Karley's class...it kept me busy.

Kynlee and Mrs. West. I am so proud of how hard Kynlee worked this year, and her grades show it! She had more homework than any of the other kids and was very diligent in doing it. Kynlee made lots of new friends, but some will be going to the new school next year. She had quite an emotional day...she's a little tender heart.

Matthew and Mr. Jeppson. I can't believe Matthew will be in Junior High next year. Aaahh! His teacher has prepared him well...he is one smart kid. Matthew is so excited to finally not be in Elementary school!

This is Matthew participating in the "Clap Out" tradition. All of the 6th grade classes walked through the halls lined with cheering kids from the rest of the school, slapping hands and giving 5's. It is a way to honor and congratulate them now that they have finished Elementary and are headed to Junior High. We stood with Kynlee, knowing that I would have someone crying along with me...she's going to miss her big brother. Matthew had so much fun, after all, this is what he waited for all year!

Another school tradition that is worth seeing, is when all 9 buses leave. They each continually blast their horn as they exit the school grounds and all the way to the main highway. It is loud and incredibly powerful! Meanwhile, most of the teachers are out front waving good-bye to their students. It is another touching moment for me...I'm such a baby!:) We are so grateful for the amazing memories of this school year!

I've Been Shot

We took our family to play laser tag last night! Thanks to the kids' school for sending home some free passes. The older kids had been before (a while ago), but this was a first for Kenzie. After we got on our vests and guns, we headed into the maze, went our separate ways (except for Kenzie and I), and the battle was on. It was so much fun running into everyone and seeing how much fun they were having! The black light made the big smiles of everyone GLOW. Kenzie lasted almost the whole 25 minutes before she had me take off her vest...she's a little trooper. When the time was up we each got a print out of our statistics and rankings (see results below). We all had a blast and look forward to the next time we go!

SNAKE - a.k.a. Dad - 7th place

BOURNE - a.k.a. Mom - 4th place (I was surprised!:))

ZELDA - a.k.a. Matthew - 6th place

JOKER - a.k.a. Kynlee - 8th place

KNIGHT - a.k.a. Karley - 9th place

BATMAN - a.k.a. Kenzie - 11th place (Out of 11!:))

School Performances

This week has been busy with end of the year school performances. Kynlee had her 4th grade performance on Tuesday. It was based on Utah History. She has been learning the songs for months. Her class did a fun song on the counties of Utah...there are so many! I told her that it's neat that she's learning about Utah, because I will never know what she knows about this state. The performance was great and I could tell that Kynlee was having a good time! Matthew performed in his 6th grade class play last night..."Taming Of The Shrew" by Shakespeare. I was totally impressed with all of these kids, especially my son, because he surprised us with some unknown acting skills! He played the part of Tranio and had 19 lines that he remembered perfect. The play was funny and very entertaining! It was so fun to watch Matthew and Kynlee perform what they have been working so hard on and talking about for months. I was as proud as a mother can be!

The Mormon Pioneers are a HUGE part of Utah's history. We were able to find the perfect outfit!
Kynlee looked darling as a little pioneer...she loved it!
Kynlee with a group of her friends from her class.
Matthew dressed up for his part also. He looked great and played the part so well!
This is a shield that Matthew made with his initials, MS, on it. So cool!

Dancing Queens

Kynlee and Kenzie had their Dance Recital last night. They were so excited and looked darling in the sparkly costumes their teacher made! The stage was set up in the yard of their teacher's house. We were able to enjoy the beautiful weather and an amazing performance...it was great! Kynlee has been in dance classes since she was three and this is Kenzie's first year. They both love dancing and I love watching them!

My beautiful dancers! Thanks for the kisses girls!:)
Dancing Queen #1: Kynlee
Dancing Queen #2: Kenzie

The crown made Kenzie's costume complete!

Kynlee's group danced to, "Bop to the Top", "Rock Star", and "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!". She did great! The last song was choreographed with jump ropes...it was so cool! It is fun to watch how much Kynlee improves each year. Way to go girl!

Kenzie's group danced to, "The Hamster Dance" and "Dancing Queen". I was so proud of her! Even though there was a huge audience, she did not have a shy bone in her body. I was totally impressed that she remembered all the steps! Good job Kenzie!

Kenzie had so much fun performing with her friends and she looked absolutely darling doing it!

Kynlee's dance group striking a pose. These girls have so much fun together!

The girls with their amazing dance teacher, Sis. Jones. Thanks for a wonderful year Cindy!

Sunday Stations

I read a story in the Friend magazine a few months ago called "Sunday Stations". It shared an idea that was exactly what I had been praying for. We have 9:00 church, which I love, but I find that the rest of the day tends to drag on and not be very meaningful. There are definitely things we don't do on Sundays that make it different than other days, but I was yearning to add more spiritual activities in a way that was fun and entertaining for the kids. I decided to start "Sunday Stations" in our home and I feel like we have gotten a little more out of the phrase "keeping the Sabbath Day holy". Each Sunday we decide what we want the stations to be. The kids can choose from: reading a story from the Friend/New Era, reading their scriptures, listening to Primary Program songs, working on Articles of Faith, setting goals in Faith and God/Duty to God books, making phone calls to family, writing a letter (e-mail) to family or Ward Missionary, reading a story from the Gospel Art Kit, doing activities on the lds.org website, and many more. Each rotation is 15 minutes, so in all it's about an hour. The girls really look forward to it and most of the time, Matthew enjoys it too!:) I know it's not much, but it feels like such an accomplishment when we finish. My hope is that my kids will enjoy developing habits as they learn of the Savior and do as He would do. I am so thankful for Church magazines that are full of good ideas that I can use in my home!