my FAVORITE people

Does it get ANY better than this?!

Pre School 2011

(L-R Kemp, Chase, Jack, Deja, Josie)

My best bud!

Pre School

he's only 3 1/2. it's just a mommy co-op preschool. he doesn't care. he's so excited to get together with friends and wear his own backpack. he has school work and experiments. his first week he are worms and dirt! and he's gonna "beat you on the top of the coconut tree..." it's so fun to see him after school, all boy, my little man.

School is OUT!!

WoOT! WoOT!!
YiPpY!! After a week of Seth and Clyde's tears because, "We won't be in Kindergarten anymore!" and they were "going to miss our friends SO MUCH!" It has finally come. Our house hold now consists of 1 - 3rd grader and 2 - 1st graders!!
To celebrate they each invited one friend (from school) to the park where we met up with a ton of our church friends for sub sandwiches, chips, soda, cookies, capri-suns, water balloons...you name it! What a party!!

Once we were good and hot the party came to our house for water guns and a PoOL PaRtY!!

Cute friends

(Seth, Ryker, Clyde, Noah, Jackson, Monte Birk and Jonah)

Monte and Jonah

Seth
Clyde and Noah
Once our friends left my tired, cool and wet little indians watched a new movie upstairs together.
Jack-et picked the movie but he didn't make it through.

2nd Grade Musical

I LoVe our gradeschool!

I LoVe our teachers!

I LoVe our music program!

Mrs Sponseller is the BeSt 2nd grade teacher in the WoRld!!

Our best friend Jonah who brought his mom on a special date with us for ice cream after the performance. He's not in our class this year but we make it a point to get together.

A western theme review. Clementine, California here I come, Elbow room, Lone Star Trail, Big Rock Candy Mountain, Johnny Appleseed, good songs!!

Schools OUT!!

The night before the last day of school I thought, "We've got nothing to DO tomorrow!" It was a sobering thought for the "kool-aid mom", as I've been recently labeled by a friend. That being said, the "kool aid" personality in me was definately in need of a kid's End of School ParTaY!! So at 10:00 at night I called a friend for each of my boys and arranged it. I surprised them with water guns and a cake that said "SchOoLs OuT" on it when they got home and soon after their friends showed up! As you can see there are more that 6 school age boys here. It seems that some of them had brothers in need of a party too. What's 1 or 2 or 3 more when you're the kool aid mom, eh?

MB
Clyde
Seth

HaLf - DaY GraDuAtiON!!

We can't call it Kindergarten graduation this year because they are doing kindergarten again next year. The difference is that next year is ALL DAY!! Clyde and Seth's birthday make the cut-off for Kindergarten by 5 days making them the babies of their class. This mean mom is giving them the opportunity to be some of the oldest kids in their class instead by having them do it again.

luCkY DuCkS!!

Best buds Malloy and Ben. We had weekly play dates with these guys all year!

We absolutely LOVE Mrs Mellow

campus field trip

Seth and Clyde are lucky enough to have a daddy in their class as a fireman! Monte Birk is lucky enough to have a mom that picks him up early from school and let's him tag along. Because this was a "too cool" visit from the fire men. They even hooked up to the water and let kids get wet!

Seth


Seth, Ally, Clyde and MB at the front

Mom's Day at AR

I underestimated the excitement of Mother's Day in the first grade classes of Augusta Ranch. I had to park a block and a half from the school and hoof it to the class to be there on time! Muffins, juice, cards, songs, poems, stories...I wasn't allowed to pick up a finger. He served me the entire time I was there and was terrifically happy to be doing it! I was in a little corner of HeAveN the entire time.

There is something very special about your oldest child. Don't misunderstand me, all of my boys are very extra ordinary and special. But your first child shares all of your firsts with you. You learn with them. And they, for the most part, forgive your slow learning curve far too often. This guy is my best friend in so many ways!

HaPpy/SaD and GroWinG uP

I know that there are plenty of moms out there that Champion the start of school...I could've used a month of more summer. I miss my kiddo's...immensely! And yet, they RoCkEd the first day of school!! It is wonderful to have 3 Great teachers that I can trust with my little devils for an entire day. Now, If I could just get them to StOp GroWiNg!!

and yes...Clyde's shoes are on the wrong feet.

Some things there are just no remedies for.

It's been an exciting week for the Gardiner boys!

2 field trips in 2 days!

At the Firestation with pre-school we learned about fire safety...stop drop and roll...and to wear our seat belts "no matter what!" We saw where the firmen sleep, eat, watch tv, excercise...it was so COOL!

The fire trucks wheels were taller than us!

The Kindergarten-ers got to go to the COW FARM and learn what cows eat (a magnet, cotton seed...you name it!), how much they weigh (1500 pds), how much milk they make (8 gal per day), how big their shots are (gigantic!), how often they bathe them (2ce a day)...we even saw a 2 hour old calf stand up for the first time! We love our teacher Ms Dillon (on the right) It was so special!

We fed the sheep, donkey and horse...we held a rooster and rabbit in our arms and we got to taste one of 8 different flavors of milk!

aren't you jeaous of Arizona's

80 degree weather and big blue sky?