What will a boy do for an iPod touch?

Carter has been seen mowing the lawn and volunteering to babysit siblings since school got out.  He has his eye on an iPod touch that our neighbor is selling but we told him he has to buy it himself.  He gets paid $5 for each lawn mowing and $2 per hour for babysitting.  He has to pay tithing and put half in savings. . .at this rate, I’m hoping it will take him a while.  I want him to work for it!

Annual Father/Son

This is the only evidence I have from the father/son campout.  All I know is they came home dirty, stinky, and happy!

She’s a Poet

Sydney has been writing lots of poetry lately.  I loved the poems she wrote for Mother’s and Father’s Day so I thought I’d share. 

I love your laugh and smile and the way happiness comes across you.

I know sometimes I pick one thing and you pick the other.

But all I’m going to say is that I’m glad I get to call you mother!

I love the way you smile, it brightens up my day.  You make life so joyful and cheerful.  The sweet way you laugh dazzles my heart.  You are so generous and thankful, such an angel.  When you think I wonder too, I wonder what’s inside of you…LOVE!

For father’s day, she got a little sillier (and most of it is untrue :)

One annoying person is my brother,

you always fight with mother.

Olivia’s a snot,

And I can’t tie a knot.

All mom does is bother,

But I’m glad that you’re my FATHER!

What a Kid!

It’s hard for me to believe that Derek is about to start Kindergarten.  He is such a cool kid…most of the time.  The last few months, he has been pretty weepy.  My friend says all her 5 year olds reverted back to tears when they were 5 but it drives me crazy because he knows how to talk it out!  On the other hand, he can be cool and chill and super funny.  His new favorite outfit is cowboy boots with what he calls “short sleeved jeans” :)

He can be super helpful and kind to his friends, but don’t ask him to go play at their houses.  He will wimper and say he wants to stay here. 

Sisters

Moments like this make me smile.  An early morning book (okay, not that early.  My kids love to sleep) in matching jammies, squeezed into sister’s bed. 

Memorial Day

For Memorial Day, we all met out and my Grandpa Gleyre and Grandma Beverly’s grave.  I don’t think I’ve ever taken my kids out there so it was nice to go.  We sat around and my Dad told stories and we had a nice family prayer together.  I miss them dearly.

Soccer

I believe this could be the last soccer season for Carter.  His awesome coach is no longer coaching and most of the boys have tried out to be on competitive teams.  Carter would much rather play basketball than do competitive soccer so I think this might be it.  Here are the fun boys he got to play with this year. 

Class Pictures 2013

Eeeewwww!

All through the school year, I have watched the two youngest Rippy girls while Jill volunteers at the school.  I was outside weeding and the girls headed in to go potty.  When I came in to check on them, I heard more than one voice in the bathroom (not a good sign) and I opened the door and found this. 

All three sitting on the pot and all three had gone potty.  I had to take a picture to embarrass them in the future!

School Play

This year the second and third graders put on a play called “Lemonade.”  They were all different fairy tale characters and Sydney got to be Rapunzel and was told she needed a dress and a long braid (gotta love “mom homework”) I found someone with a Rapunzel dress up dress then I went to the beauty supply and bought hair extensions.  I cut them in three parts and attached them one after the other til it touched the floor.  I had to hide some ugly parts with flowers but I thought that added to the hair do!

Cousin Addy was Cinderella and BFF Carly was the Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe.