Aunt Sissy brought us tickets for the circus on Tuesday night...and even though we were still exhausted from the weekend...we took the kids. We are soooo glad we did!
the kids loved the petting zoo...it's the first thing we did!
I forgot how amazing some of the circus acts can be...some were super dangerous...like the motorcycles going upside down in the ball cage. Some acts were adorable, like the "my little pony parade". Others were almost unbelievable...like a man balancing a 35 ft metal pole over his head while a girl did flips and turns on top of it...but the craziest one included a little motorcycle inside a turning wheel while still being balanced on the mans head!! CRAZY!
Blake got in the ball and got on the motorcycle with the
pro rider!
Taylor wouldn't let go of Daddy for a bit...when she got done, I asked her
if she was scared being on that pony, she says, "no Mommy...I wasn't
scared being on it...i was scared of being OFF it!" lol!
Tay loved petting the zebra
We all loved the circus...Taylor keeps bringing it up
days later..."wasn't that sooo much fun at the circus?!?!"
This was our first free weekend to celebrate being out of school, so...we had movie night on Satuday night. We rented the movie HOP...it was really cute. We had popcorn and candy to make it official. I bought 3 of the movie style boxed candies, then Taylor and I put out little sample cups on a tray for everyone to get an assortment.
On Sunday, we went to church and then just hung out by the pool and got ready for our bash on Memorial Day. Billy rarely gets extra days off, so we have to really take advantage and have some fun!
On Monday, we had some friends and family over for a pool party. It was the best way to spend a super hot Memorial Day!
started out healthy with red, white, and blue vi shakes for us all!!
the only dessert I made was fruit pizza
vodka bar...check!
Aunt Sissy bought the coolest pool toys ever!!
Blake's neighbor friend came over to hang with us
And then the party began...no more pictures cuz we were too busy having fun! Aunt Sissy brought over enough vodka and tequila for an army and so many toys for pool that we could get lost in them! We played with the kids in the pool and made sure to have fun with them! They are still talking about what a great day it was.
Aunt Susie and cousin Cheryl came over, along with Mat & Christa, and as the night went on...the neighbor's started swimming with us too! The party went on into the night...it was fun and I can't wait to do it again!
This weekend was the camp at Beaumont. Blakes graduation from Wolf Cub to Bear Cub took place at Cub World. This camp is absolutely amazing! The kids and I went early on Saturday morning, we missed the pack hike, but that gave us time to explore the camp, and oh my goodness, it was the coolest camp ever.
A small trail led us to a beachy creekside. It was perfect depth for kids to play in, but not deep enough to get hurt. There was a huge 3 story pirate ship built into the bank and other play areas around that reminded me of Swiss Family Robinson's! This entire area was filled with sand, jungle gyms and tunnels that led underground all around the play area...we loved it!
We went through wooden mazes out in the woods and then had a picnic lunch. After lunch, both kids got to build "Water Bottle Rockets"...they filled them with water, took them out into the middle of the field, blew them up with water, and BOOOM!! They shot up...way up! It was awesome!
Billy came right after work and got there just in time for dinner. They grilled out and then made all different kinds of cobblers for dessert. Taylor and I were worn out from the long day, so we headed home while Dad got to stay for the Council Ring Graduation Ceremony. Blake is now officially a Bear Cub!! I'm so proud of my little guy!
I always start this post with the same sentence..."I cannot believe another year has gone by..." Time just moves so fast, my little guy is finished with second grade already! This has been the best school year ever, his teacher was amazing, he made some really good friends, and he learned soooo much!
He took Mrs. Hakenewerth a handmade card, some flowers
and some chocolates
On the last day, the entire school forms a parade to march around the neighborhood. This is such an awesome day! Second grade was supposed to wear purple but Blake decided the night before that he wanted to walk with the cub scouts and help carry the flag.
My friend, Karen met me at my house, and although we were almost late...we walked to the parade...it was a beautiful day! We packed umbrella chairs and found a shady corner to watch as another year passed! I love that the school does this, so fun!
Taylor thought she wanted to scooter her way to the parade...
the streets are filled with kids, parents, emotion, and excitement!!!
Just when I thought the big Mother's Day weekend that the family showered me with, was actually over...Blake brought home the most adorable "thank you" card. It thanked me for coming to the "Muffins with Mom". It was adorable! Again, his teacher put so much thought into every little detail.
notice the envelope...looks like Halmark to me!
"Dear Mom, Thank you so much for spending Mother's Day
with me. I will never forget it. Love You, Bye! -Blake S.
your the best...
MOM
Ever!"
Mrs. Hakenewerth took pics of us as we came in for the
Mother's day even! She is the most thoughtful
teacher ever!
My gifts! The fist thing Taylor did when she woke up was,
whisper "Happy Muvers Day"...that was a gift too!
This was the best Mother's Day that I have ever had in my life! It all started with Muffins for Mom at Blake's school. It was the most precious thing ever! On Saturday we took the kids to spend time with Aunt Sissy and Aunt Susie so that Billy and I could go to the Visalus Regionals in KC. It was an amazing event, but being away from the kids, makes me miss them, so I was happy to pick up my little kiddos. We had had a super long day and night, but got up first thing in the morning and headed to church. It was "officially" Mother's Day and the perfect place to be was at church. The entire message, almost word-for-word, went along with what we had heard the day before at the company meeting, more signs that Visalus is for us. Billy and I kept looking at one another...like really?!?
When I picked Taylor up from Sunday school, she had made me some beautiful gifts...pretty flowers and drawings. She was so proud to give them to me! Later that day, Blake handed me a hand-wrapped present...it was a copy of "Love You Forever", the same book that we read and cried about at the "Muffins for Mom"! The best part was...what was inside...
"Happy Mother's Day
Sometimes you get discouraged
Because I am so small,
and always leave my fingerprints
on furniture and walls.
But everday I'm growing
I'll be grown up someday
And all those tiny handprints
will surely fade away.
So here's a final handprint
Just so you can recall
Exactly how my fingers looked
When I was very small."
For dinner, we grilled hamburgers with lots of veggies! It was just what I wanted for dinner! To end the night, we watched "We bought a zoo" for a movie night! It made me cry too....I cried alot this weekend, but they were mostly happy tears, although I miss my Mom like crazy, my little kiddos didn't give me long to be sad...they sure made this day special!
This was the first Visalus event that Billy and I got to attend together!! It was difficult and costly to get there. Sophie had to be boarded and we had to drag the kids, still in their pj's, to my sister's house at 5am, just to make it to the convention by start time. BUT IT WAS ALL WORTH IT!!!
A few of the people that have lost 50-200lbs each on the Challenge!
Our very own Kassi and Matt are up there! YAY!
Everything that was said, from the fact that sooo many people are unhealthy and obese and WE have a product that is helping hundreds of thousands become healthy, to the opportunity that this company offers to help us live life without financial stress, it was eye-opening.
Health is so important, it dictates how we feel, how productive we are, how we live our lives. We need to make our health a priority in our life so that we are around to help others get healthy too...we want ourselves and everyone around us to "live" life...not just "go through" it!! The stories of health transformations are always awesome...the entire stage was filled with people that had lost 50, 75, 100, 150+ pounds!!! That alone is life-changing, but the health improvements of so many others...like getting to stop insulin, high blood pressure or cholesterol meds or no longer having chronic pain...that's awesome too! These are real people, that we met, that now get to LIVE their lives the way God intented...happy!
That brings me to the financial side...to see single Moms go up on stage and cry tears of joy because, just a few months before, had lost everything...home, car, belongings...now, because someone introduced her to this opportunity....walks across the stage as an ambassador making 10,000+ per month...and no, this was not just a select few...this was stage-full, after stage-full, of REAL people from towns near us, that were in the same boat as some of us...they didn't "know" marketing people or have high-up "in's" in the company...stories of bankruptcies no longer needed, first vacations, first new cars, the ability to pay all their bills and help some others pay theirs, the ability to GIVE more! I don't think we will wait on the government to creat new jobs, I think we will spread health, get paid by an amazing company, and be blessed to give and help others even more!! That right there, is what this company is built upon...help others...build eachother up, pay it forward, teamwork, mentoring, it's all we could ask for. This event confirmed to both, Billy and I, that it is faith-driven, and we are blessed to be part of it! I love Visalus!
Blake has been preparing for a special Mother's Day suprise for weeks. There have been secrets between him and his Dad about notes from school, he has been sneaking around the house, and even dug out a special red tie to wear to school today for the special event! I have been looking forward to going, but didn't realize that he was going to pamper me for the whole day....he asked me to, not wake up and have my morning protein shake, because he was going to make me breakfast so that I wouldn't have to work or cook at all today! Awww. I heard him in the kitchen around 6am, and when I walked out of my bedroom door, there he stood with toaster waffles drizzled with syrup. He led me in to sit down and handed me the remote so I could watch the news while I ate...awww. For him to give up the remote is BIG! lol! He just kept smiling at me...I sure love this little guy!
I could see Blake waiting at the classroom door as I walked in. He ran up and hugged me, then lead me in. He pulled out my chair and tied a handmade corsage onto my wrist...the perfect gentleman. He offered me water or punch and just kept on smiling.
He offered me a gift that was specially wrapped...it was a personally crafted tea cup...I poured my water into it and drank from it! I love it!
Blake with his buddy, Kyler
Then, his teacher had arranged a guessing game to play. The kids had drawn portraits of their Moms and had written facts on the back about us! Mrs. Hakenewerth read the facts as we listened and tried to guess which Mom it was about! It was the cutest game ever and it made me cry to hear some of the facts about their Moms...some were sweet, some were silly, and some were downright hilarious! I didn't guess mine right, but I loved reading the facts he wrote about me...
Mrs. Hakenewerth has been the best teacher ever, Blake and I are both
going to miss her so much!
1. My favorite book to read with my mom is DIARY OF A WIMPY KID.
2. mom's favorite tv shsow is HOUSE HUNTERS AND DR. OZ (funny that's what he thinks!)
3. If my mom won the lottery she would BUY VISALUS SHAKES (have I brainwashed my kid?!?)
4. An expression my Mom always says is PLEASE.
5. my mother always gets angry when I'M BAD.
6. My mom doesn't like to CLEAN. (guess I'm not fooling him!lol!)
7. My mother's favorite foods are VISALUS, CHOCOLATE and SALAD (i sound bipolar!)
8. I like my mom to cook CAKE & ICE CREAM b/c it's so delicious
9. my mother's favorite restaurant is O'CHARLEY'S
10. if my mom had a ticket to anywhere in the world it would be to FLORIDA
11. my mom has a funny habit of ONLY DRINKING VI SHAKES (I'm sending this to the company)
12. My mom really looked beaurtiful on HER WEDDING DAY
13. my mom looks funny on the day she WOKE UP BAD
14. In the good old days mom used to PLAY WHATEVER SHE READ.
15. I make my mom happy when I CLEAN MY ROOM
16. My mom doesn't know about the time I STOLE COOKIES, CANDY AND A LITTLE BROWNIE FROM THE KITCHEN.
17. when she has free time she like to TALK ON THE PHONE
18. my mom's pet name for me is BUBBY
19. My favorite thing to do with my Mom is READ WITH HER (awwww..we will do that more)
20. The best advice my mom gives is TO TURN THAT FROWN UPSIDE DOWN
After the game, his teacher put a book on the projector and read to us. The book was "Love You Forever" I was crying so hard, of course I was getting embarassed and Blake just hugged me and smiled, he knew that I would cry... he kept making trips back to the beverage table to get me napkins for my eyes.
Watch this 5 minute video book and you'll see why I couldn't stop crying...
After we cried our eyes out, we all headed to the gym to watch a performance by all of the 2nd graders...they sang to us, it was adorable. Progress South Elementary really went all out to make sure us Mom's are appreciated...I hope they know how appreciated they are...I love Blake's school. The entire day has been wonderful, I must say, this is one of the very best days of my life....I LOVE being a Mom!
