Summer Bucket Lists

This year, we decided to make a list of things we really wanted to do this summer. Some we'll get to, and some we may not...but hopefully this will help us keep busy with fun activities and stave off boredom (at least for the first week or two). :)

Cody's List:

• going to the beach and running from the waves
• going to Vail and going on the gondola
• swim in our pool
• make the chocolate cheese cake YUM!
• play checkers with the family
• movie day
• have a sleepover with Addie
• go to the Arboretum
• go to the zoo to see penguins, giraffes and cheetahs
• make chocolate tower double chocolate cake (that's a lot of chocolate!!!)
• bounce at BounceU
• play with Legos

Luke's List: 

• have a friend over
• go to the ice cream store
• see giraffes at the zoo
• go to the beach
• ride bikes
• make our own playdough
• swim
• watch Ice Age 4
• paint my toenails black
• get books at the library

Jackson's List

• Frisco Discovery Center
• bake a cake
• river rafting in Vail
• bungee trampolining
• snorkeling
• go on a bike ride
• take the dogs on a walk at Arbor Hills
• Nerf gun war with balloons
• Dale Chihuly exhibit at the Arboretum (I love that he knows the artist's full name)
• make ice cream sundaes
• bake new kind of cookies
• new frisbee
• make crayons
• Wacky hair day
• send balloons to Gramma
• Paper airplane competition
• big domino track
• family Lego build
• make things with cool duct tape
• flashlight tag

Those are quite some lists! We'd better get started! :)

Summer Day 02

Marble Race Track! 

Summer Day 01

Shaving cream party! 

Jackson's Practice Writing STAR Essay

I dare you to get to the end with dry eyes! Jackson wrote this a couple of weeks ago for during a practice test.

 

Something I will keep forever

My grandmother was super. She traveled all over the world, and raced cars with my brothers. She would come and cheer on at sports activities. But one day, she didn't feel so super. My parents told me she had cancer that was spread throughout her stomach and kept on coming.

That cancer was unstoppable. We would go out and buy balloons and teddy bears. Somedays she would feel better, but others, horrible.

One evening after supper, Mom and Aunt Kate said they were going to visit. My Dad, my brothers and I all hopped in the car. As we were cruising back to the house, my Dad got a call.

Back at the house, my dad explained my Grandmother had passed away. I was devastated. My mom always said, "Your grandmother loved you so much." I always believed it. I kept her in my heart forever. I loved her so much.

Cody's Book of 100

Cody made this book in class yesterday to celebrate the 100th day of school. I think this may be my favorite project that any of my kiddos has made so far...EVER! I just love everything about it: the ideas, the spelling, and of course, the illustrations. 

The 100 eyes is my favorite, although his drawing for 100 mosquitoes makes me giggle every time I look at it. :)

Baseball Boy

This afternoon, I took Jacks out and talked him into trying out a few poses for me...I'll be taking some team and individual pics for his baseball team this season, and I wanted to experiment a little. I'm pretty happy with how they turned out! 

Deep Ellum Pics

We had family pictures taken earlier this month down in Deep Ellum. The boys are growing SO quickly, and we hadn't had a good shot of all of us together in a while. So Luke rocked the boots, Jacks rocked the Angry Birds hat, and Cody was only willing to go as "out there" as a braided baseball necklace that DIDN'T MATCH. (gasp!) :)

Luke looks completely insane in this next one. Not saying he isn't, just saying here, he looks it.

And this one's my favorite!