A good day!

You'd better believe the kids crashed after a day full of swimming, jumping, playing, sunshine and fun!

I don't know why she does this to show she's 3.

Just doing my civic duty

I took the kids to a rally today. The power company will be building new power lines and we want to let them know we don't want the lines to go behind our house. We already have large power lines running behind our house but they are proposing 15 story towers in addition to what we already have. So I took the kids to protest -- sort of. We walked up and down the sidewalk a few times holding signs and even chanting a bit. D got quite into it and made a few of his own chants.

It was a really good learning experience for D. We sat on the grass and discussed our Constitutional right to be doing this. We talked about why we were doing this. There was a kid walking around with a scale model of what these towers would look like by a home. D was fascinated by it. He especially like it when he found out the family are model railroaders and that was how they built the tower.

The girls mostly sat in the stroller. K held a sign and walked barefoot by the stroller for a while. Several people got a kick out of that. You can see we amassed quite a collection of balloons by the end!

The End

This is it. The end of D's Kindergarten career. Monday was Kindergarten Graduation. A fun little event where we got to see D perform and receive a certificate of completion. I know there are some out there who feel that graduation ceremonies for kindergarten are silly and superfulous. I can't say they are wrong, but I love a good excuse to cheer for my kid. He was so fun up there singing songs in Spanish. I really miss that he won't be learning Spanish in school next year. Maybe Uncle Rick will send him letters in Spanish from CHILE!! (Wahoo!! My baby brother is going to serve a 2 year mission in Chile!!)

Roy came from work to attend the ceremony. It was a really great thing too because K decided to act up while I was trying to video. That's right, it is all on video! After the ceremony, we all went back to D's classroom. The kindergartners went out for recess while the parents prepared snacks for the kids. K helped me load plates and set them out for the kids. There were some extra plates and hats. Check out the big graduate with his adorable little sisters!

Tuesday was summer birthday celebration day. D decided he wanted to take birthday goodie bags in to his class. That's right -- even with a September birthday he has a summer birthday. Only some years.

Wednesday was the last day of school. They had a school barbeque. D got to eat a hotdog. Wahoo. He gave his teacher and his bus driver each a card he made himself and a bookmark we got from the Disney Family Fun Website.

After he got home from school, I made him tell me on video what he learned and his favorite parts about Kindergarten. It was fun. He managed to fill several minutes. He finished by saying he would miss Mrs. Childers. I know he is excited to try the Challenge program but he will miss the friends he is leaving behind at SJA. He will also miss riding the bus. I think it will be worth it.

Happy Father's Day

Today we celebrated dads. I called my dad. I'm good like that. I'm not good like sending cards. I never think about such things until it is too late. For Roy, the kids and I made this awesome dish of delightfulness:

We also got Roy a gift certificate for a massage from a friend of ours who does that stuff. He was surprised. Bonus -- the guy works in the same building as Roy's office.

Happy Father's Day Roy! We love you! Happy Father's Day Grandpa! We love you too!

Why A is in bed early

She

• barfed in the car


• pooped in the bathtub


• bopped the 'family jewels' *a-hem*


• ripped a gameboard


• put a hole in the wall


• whined, cried, spilled, threw things and other general bedlamite behaviors.

On a field trip

I was lucky enough to go with D's class on their field trip. We went to the Children's Museum. If anyone has a chance to take kids to a children museum, I totally recommend it. We've been in Spokane, Seattle and Portland. They are so much fun.

I dropped the girls off at a friend's house bright and early. It was good practice for next year when we will have to drive D to school down by her house. Everyday. Ugh.

Then I headed to the school. After going to the Zoo with G&G I was worried about having too many kids to keep track of. The zoo was teeming with over-excited kids and over-extended/frazzled chaperones. I was very relieved to find that there was a 2:1 ratio of kids to chaperones. I was teamed with another parent and we had four boys. It was perfect!

The bus ride:

Lovin' the water room:
Rockin' the Dental Hygiene:

Lookin' like a squirrel:

Amazing clay creation:

Practicing his plumbing skills:

Giant Lincoln Logs:
Afterwards, I took him to Wendy's. He ordered a Frosty for his drink. He tried to drink it like a drink and ended up with a face covered in Frosty. I couldn't stop laughing! He was so shocked that it happened.

It was nice to have a day just to spend with D. Sometimes things get rocky -- what with my demands for the fake farting to stop and all. It was really good to spend some time together laughing and playing.

Twins!

While Grandma was here she got some new little dresses for the girls. A is catching up to K. Even though they are 2 years apart they are only about 1 size apart. Here they are looking so cute in their matchy dresses. Too bad I couldn't get them to stand up and pose by each other!

Grandpa and Grandma Visit!

My parents came to visit this week. We had a lot of fun with them. The first couple of days were cloudy and damp so we played inside and went shopping and to the dentist.

Thursday we headed down to the Zoo. As soon as I told the kids G&G were coming, they started talking about the Zoo. Apparently these two things are connected in their little brains. I tried to talk to D about maybe doing something we haven't done before. His idea? "Have G&G ever rode the Zoo Train?" Me: "I don't think so." D:"So that would be new!"

Here we are on our way to the Zoo. G&G drove the whole time they were here. The kids love to ride in "Grandma's Big Blue Blazer"!

Tigers are Grandma's favorite animals at the zoo. They put on a good display of napping but at least we could see them!
And here are the kids on the infamous Zoo Train. I don't know why Roy looks so grumpy here. Maybe because we didn't pack a lunch so he had to buy lunch at the zoo.... That's against Pyatt priciples! Amiright Macey?
Really we all had a good time at the zoo. We are glad Roy took the day off to come with us. And once all the kids on field trips left it was actually a really great day to be at the zoo!

Friday we took G&G down to the same park on the river we went to last week. Good fun times.

On the way to the park, D crashed on his bike and skinned his knee up. He didn't feel like going in the water after that. I was just proud of him for getting back on his bike and riding the rest of the way without crying. He's getting so big and tough.

Since he wasn't playing in the water he drew this picture in the sand. It is a heart that says, "I love you." He drew it for me. Aww...

G&G were able to stay through Saturday so they got to see D's t-ball game. It is so funny watching those little guys play ball out there. I'm really proud of D and the skills he's learning. He may not be the most athletic player on the team but he gives it his best and has fun. That's important.

We were all sad to see G&G go on Sunday. Well, actually, we were all sad to wake up and have G&G gone since they snuck out before we were up! K wanted to call and have them come back to give her a "big, huge hug".

Going to the Dentist

Today was a trip to the dentist for all three kids. D's been several times before but only had his teeth cleaned once due to the amount of freaking out he did. It was a first time visit for both girls.
When the hygienist came out for D he headed back like an old pro. After a bit I went back to check on him only to find out he was just finishing up! That was fast! So I went to get K who had been so excited to go visit Dr. Todd. She changed her mind by the time she got back to the cleaning station. The hygienist was great with K. She showed K the equipment and tried to relax K a bit. This was important to get K to remove her hand from in front of her mouth. Finally the work paid off and K laid down in my lap to have her teeth cleaned.
A wasn't so easy to be entreated and pretty much cried the whole time she was being cleaned.
When it was time for the dentist to check the kids' teeth, D went first to show his sisters how it was done. On her turn, K hopped up in the chair and pushed the button to lay the chair back. On her turn, A cried.
Two out of three tear free... I'll take it!

Today is also my birthday. 29. For real.