mixed emotions

it's official, chaya graduated from pre-school last friday. i'm kind of sad that my baby will be going to kindergarten next year. i think she realizes it, too, and has been showing lots of emotions as well. her program was darling. they sang tons of songs and were awarded certificates at the end.

miss margo, chaya, and miss angela

st. a's monday, wednesday, friday am class of 2010 - singing "this little light of mine"

i scream, you scream

kenya and her friends all screamed for ice cream. last friday was her 10th birthday party, with an ice cream theme. we started the afternoon by making homemade ice cream in a bag. the girls loved the craziness of it and all agreed it was extremely tasty.

olivia, alexis, kenya, carly, mikayla, annika
pizza and outside play was next on the agenda. four square seemed to be the big hit. however, it is not how i used to play. mini games within the old four square concept. hmm, does this mean i'm getting old?

pin the cherry on the ice cream cone - although they appear tough, no one could seem to get close?

cake and an ice cream sundae bar concluded the night.

ku grad

on the weekend of may 14th, 2010, we traveled down to lawrence, kansas, to celebrate erin's college graduation. omg - what a long drive. short weekend jam packed with golf, swimming, and partying. here is one of fifty attempts at a family picture.

the little girls all dressed up

gilmore cousins

havin' fun in the pool

big cousin kenya, looking after little loralai

happy birthday

happy 10th birthday, kenya! woo hoo, double digits! her present is our new dog, butterscotch. (by the way she is sporting her new puppy cut) i must say kenya is quite a great caretaker and veterinarian.

make a wish...

a quiet night with the fam, her "real" party with friends is in two weeks.

latest and greatest

in no particular order, here are a few things that have happened in the last month or so at the gilmore house.

gibson, all ready for her big gymnastics expo. i think she totally has the look of a gymnast.

her class of kindergarten gymnasts
performing on the high bar

our summer project: a garden! we got some help from my parents to get some compost dirt and then tilled it. good times. we'll definitely post as the planting progresses.

inside, peppers and tomatoes are growing strong. 5 weeks.

drew's attempt at making me a birthday cake. so sad, it tasted as bad as it looked. he didn't have eggs, baked it for a bit and then ran to the store, got eggs, added eggs to half baked cake, baked some more. hmm, didn't work so well. a simple box cake, ruined. i guess it is the thought that counts. actually the girls ate some of it.

the newest member of our family, butterscotch. no not the elephant, the dog. she is a lhasa poo and is now 5 months old. worse than a new baby, but adds lots of laughter to the family and occassionally some crying (mom, too) and maybe even a swear word or two.

the first couple of weeks were rough, but potty training, schedules, and routines are coming together as time passes. we are looking forward to an enjoyable summer.