As soon as the boys got back from Winnipesaukee, it was time to celebrate Ben's birthday. Of course, he wanted everything Lego themed...he's obsessed!
7 Things About Ben at 7:
He's a great student. He excels at spelling and math, and he has beautiful penmanship.
He obviously loves Legos. He can whip out a completed set in no time (if he can find the pieces) and he also likes to make up his own pretty impressive creations.
He loves the great outdoors. Camping, hiking, and biking are favorites...just like his dad.
He's good at sports. He loves soccer and has recently become interested in basketball and football. He's a natural!
He's a great helper at home. He actually asks for us to give him chores!
He's sometimes shy in social situations, and his teachers at school and church think he's a little angel. I can assure you he is quite loud and a little bossy at home!
He can be a really sweet big brother when he wants to be, especially with Sadie. He'll play dress up, give horsey rides, or do anything to make her laugh. He and Matt are good buddies and do most everything together, but they also fight a lot because they're so close. He has a strong desire to do the right thing and will be a great example to his siblings as he continues to grow and mature.
We sure love our Benny Boy and we're so thankful for him!
May was such a crazy busy month - all the end of school activities were a big part of that. Matt graduated from his PreK class and is moving on up to kindergarten! He's grown and learned so much this past year...
We are really going to miss seeing Miss Janette and Miss Andrea...they've been so wonderful and VERY PATIENT with all those crazy 4-5 year olds!
At the end of year party, we got to hear them say the Pledge of Allegiance, count by 2's, 5's, and 10's, read their sight words, and sing some songs. I especially enjoyed this one...
It's just so Matt Mo to have to wipe up his slobber in the middle of the song - he's notorious for his drool!
Afterward, we got to have lunch with our preschool friends one last time...
The following week was Ben's end of year party and awards. He was awarded for having the best handwriting in his class...
All the kids with their awards and sweet Mrs. Teague...
After awards, they got to play a bunch of games and run around outside. Ready for duck, duck, goose...
They even got to have their faces painted! Ben makes one cute little pirate...
He has really learned a lot and grown up so much this past year. He's becoming quite the little smarty pants!
I'm almost a month late, but we did indeed celebrate Ben's 6th birthday in July. He's slightly obsessed with Legos lately, so it was no surprise when he chose that for the theme. We thought it would be the perfect time for our first visit to the new Lego Land in Grapevine...
There were rides, lots of Legos to build with, and some pretty amazing creations for us to check out...
Dallas Skyline
The one and only Dirk
And Mo's favorite, Buzz Lightyear
The boys loved the giant jungle gym/obstacle course too. They were too fast to get a picture except for this one I managed to snap right as the birthday boy came down for about the 100th time...
He was so happy to have this Lego man shirt to wear that he got as a birthday present from the Hopewells - thanks again!
Even Sadie enjoyed herself in the smaller toddler-friendly "Duplo" area...
Overall, it was a fun time. We made the mistake of going on the weekend though - very crowded and crazy. We didn't even get to go on the Harry Potter ride or see the little Lego movie because it was so crazy and Sadie was getting overwhelmed - kind of a bummer when you pay so much money! Ben was happy though and I guess that's all that really matters.
At home, the Lego theme continued with his presents...
I love the look of excitement on his face...makes me so happy. Even though it was late, we couldn't resist his pleading to start working on it right away. We let him build the police cars and then finished the police station the next day after church...
He was so proud of the finished product (with just a little bit of help from his dad)...
He also picked out a Lego airplane with some money he got from his Granny and Opa. He put it together ALL by himself!
He also got some presents from Granny and Pops before they left on vacation - the Lego police helicopter that goes with the police station and an awesome quilt my mom made (that was a surprise even I didn't know about). Sadly, I didn't have my camera so I'll have to post those pictures after I get them from my sister...hint hint!)
I had very specific instructions from Ben for his birthday cake...I gave it my best attempt (which as you can see was not all that great and somewhat lop-sided. Oh well, he liked it all the same!)...
I can't believe my little boy is 6 already! He has changed and grown up so much this past year. I can tell he's going to be a fine young man (and probably an engineer if his Lego fascination keeps up...haha). We're only a week away from starting 1st grade and I'm just so proud of how smart, talented, and kind he is (well, most of the time). Of course, there are also times he can frustrate me to no end - he loves to bug and push buttons and he can get pretty crazy and wild (typical boy). But overall, he's just a good kid with an inquisitive mind and endless energy. We're so glad he's part of our family.
The last couple weeks have been crazy with all the end-of-school happenings, but we survived and now we're ready for summer! The end of kindergarten kept us especially busy - lots of activities, performances, and awards. First up was Field Day...
Kind of like a "3-legged Race", but with a ball instead of being tied together
Tug-of-War (Ben is in the back row)
Ben's cute teacher, Miss Swarts
Ben said his favorite activity was the Slip & Slide. Even Miss Swarts wanted to join in the fun...the kids thought it was hilarious!
Next was the "Kinder Kitchen" musical performance. All the kids wore chef aprons...
As you might have guessed, the songs were about food... "On Top of Spaghetti", "Peanut, Peanut Butter, & Jelly", "Apples & Bananas", etc. It was pretty darn cute, I must say.
The next day, Ben's class performed at the school's morning assembly. They sang "Hello, to All the Children of the World"...
(Ben is the 6th one from the left)
Ben representing Japan. Too bad we don't have any lederhosen...he could have dressed up to represent Switzerland!
Then there was the Kindergarten "Moving Up" Ceremony...
Each kiddo got to walk the stage and receive their certificate. They also played a slide-show of all the fun they had in kindergarten this past year...I'll admit it, I got a little teary-eyed over it. It's hard to let your baby grow up! And maybe a little bit of it was knowing that I was about to have all 3 kids at home ALL day for the next few months...haha! Ben is actually much easier these days. It's the combination of all the kids (especially the boys together) that scares me.
Finally, we made it to the last day (I should really say, morning, because we were headed home at 9:30). After the morning assembly, we went to his class room for Miss Swarts to hand out her "Candy Awards" to each of the kids. Ben received the "Peppermint Award"...
It says, "Awarded to the classmate who takes our breath away with how hard he has been working in his writing journal." Miss Swarts said she would have to tear him away from it when it was time to move on to something else. He has learned so much this past year and we are so proud of him!
After another slide-show with his friends (and more tears from all the moms) it was time to say good-bye...
Ben with one of his good friends, Grafton...sad he'll be moving this summer!
A shy good-bye hug for Miss Swarts...I could barely get a picture he was so quick!
You tired yet? I told you there was a lot going on... and we haven't even gotten to Matt Mo's end of preschool party yet. Guess I'll save that for another day!
I know most people don't want to watch a video of other people's kids reading, but this is for our family history and maybe some proud grandparents too :)
Ben was super excited to find a book about a boy named Ben in his kindergarten reading folder last month. I thought it would be a good opportunity to get him in action...
That was only his 2nd time to read the book. He had it pretty much perfect by the next day...he's getting so smart!
The week before Christmas was full of parties... preschool, kindergarten, and an adult only white elephant exchange. Unfortunately, Ben came down with a stomach bug the day of his party and had to come home from school. He was sad to miss it, but thanks to a sweet neighbor who stopped by his classroom for me, he was able to enjoy his goodies once he was feeling better. Luckily, John was able to come home for lunch and hang out with the sicko so I could go party with Matt Mo at preschool...
We made this graham cracker (gingerbread) house together. Well, truthfully, I did most of the work while he ate the candy. They also got to make another shirt like they did at Thanksgiving... so cute!
The next night was the annual white elephant party hosted by some friends in our ward. We ate yummy food and laughed the whole night long. This year I made a redneck "brief"case to give away...
And I filled it with all your redneck essentials...
A Slim Jim, "Totally Ripped Abs" body spray, Cheese Whiz, duct tape, sunflower seeds, a bandana, and a wife-beater.
And the lucky recipient...
Here are a couple other favorites that night...
Curt and Shandi's sweet Christmas's past photo album. It came with the stipulation that whoever got it has to add their old pictures and re-gift it next year!
Brianna got a hilarious CTR, ahem, "slingshot". Enough said.
Good thing we got to live it up that night because the next day, John and I were both hit with whatever bug Ben had and we were pretty miserable. At least we weren't sick on Christmas day though!
The weekend after Thanksgiving we took the kids to the old downtown square for the "Dickens of a Christmas" celebration...
They had so much fun with all the different activities. They won some treats on the "cake walk", rode the carousel, and took a train ride around the square...
I think their favorite part was the petting zoo...
The goats were the friendliest, but there was a little baby piglet that was so cute I wanted to take it home. It didn't compare to my own cute little piglet though...
