Happy Birthday Grady!!!

It seems Grady has been celebrating his birthday all month!  He started out with having a couple of buddies over for a cookout and sleepover in mid-May.  He then celebrated with his class the last week of school.  And finally, he celebrated his actual birthday! 

He received lots of phone calls, cards, and gifts....and of course Grady ate up all of the attention!  On his actual birthday we headed down to Fox farm for fishing, swimming and a picnic!  That evening we celebrated both Shawn and Grady's birthday and went to Red Rock for dinner...they both decided they wanted steak....and Red Rock has some rockin' good steak!  We ended the evening at Menard's so Grady could spend some birthday money on tools!!  He is currently building a chicken coop.....and needed some tools of his own!  Grady is wanting some chickens very badly and I said if he built the coop he could have them.....that boy is determined....I think we are in trouble! 

Happy Birthday Buddy.....you make us laugh each and every day...God blessed us the day he gave us you!  Our lives would be so boring without our Grady Monster....he is fun-loving, has the biggest heart, and a determination that can at times be a little frustrating for us as parents, but wouldn't want him any other way!  He gives 110% to all that he attempts....he has so many qualities that make us so proud....Grady you are one of a kind....never change!  We Love YOU!

 Grady, Jude and Ryker....in the midst of making and eating smores!

 Happy Birthday farm style!  Grady requested éclairs for his birthday dessert...you just never know what that crazy boy will come up with!

Grady and his big bike!!  And yes, he is in his boxers....with his birthday being on Memorial day this year...he got to open gifts first thing in the morning instead of having to wait until the evening...so, being the oober modest boy that he is....he is posing in his boxers....no shame that boy!

End of the Year Field Trips!

 Grady and his buddies at the zoo!

 Grady and the blacksmith at Cowtown!

Grady had 3...yes 3 field trips in May this year!  His first one was Cowtown in Wichita, the second was the Sedgwick County Zoo and the 3rd was the second graders annual trip to Martin's Farm.  I went to Cowtown with Grady...it's an outdoor museum in downtown Wichita that basically gives the kids a sneak peak into a typical Kansas town in the 1800's.  Grady had a chance to pump water, churn butter, do laundry on a wash board, go for a buggy ride, and play with old-fashioned toys!  It was a blast and an eye opener....especially after they had to haul the water across "town" just to do a load of laundry!  Grady's favorite part was the blacksmith.  That day he was busy building a head for an ax....Grady could have stayed in his shop all day...he was so impressed with the whole process!  Shawn headed to the zoo with Grady's class...it was a wonderful day for the zoo!  The weather was perfect and all of the animals were out for viewing!  Grady was especially excited to have Shawn come along on the field trip....it was all he talked about for days before and after!  The 3rd trip was to Martin's farm.  Mrs. Martin is one of the second grade teachers that opens up her house and property for the second graders to tour each year.  She lives on the river so, the kids have the opportunity to walk by the river, look for tracks, identify trees, and look for changes to the area over the years.  They also have a cook out and play games!  It's just a day full of fun!  I stopped by in the afternoon and walked to the river with Grady and his class....and I even learned a thing or two! 

End of the Year Awards!

Both of the boys brought in a hauling on Awards Day at their schools!!  Grady was awarded with Perfect Attendance, the KU Reading Award, a Green Team Participation Award and the highest Reading Award for his 2nd Grade class!!!  Gabe received a State and Regional Award for his participation in Science Olympiad this year, an Academic Award for maintaining a 4.0 this year and the biggie...drum roll please....he received the Overall Outstanding Student for the 6th Grade!  He was voted to this award by his teachers...so, this is a pretty awesome award!  We are so proud of these two boys....they sure make this parenting thing a cinch!!   

 Grady receiving his Perfect Attendance Award...doesn't he looked thrilled!

 Gabe's Science Awards and the Recognition for his 4.0 average.

 This is Gabe's Overall Outstanding Student Award....Mrs. Andrew's his math teacher wrote the nice little ditty....you all may remember her from baseball last year...she was the one who enjoyed yelling at the officials...glad Gabe was on her good side!

Grady's Reading Award...he received this by reading the most books and having the highest score for his reading tests!! 

Mother's Day!

This year we stayed home for Mother's Day....and it was a glorious day!  I woke up to biscuits and gravy...YUMMY!  We went to church and then into Wichita for my favorite pizza...Knolla's!  We came home and enjoyed some coffee and cocoa in my new Keurig and ended the day with a little baseball in the backyard!!  I can't think of a better way to spend my Mother's day than with my 3 favorite fellas....I'm one lucky gal!

Braves Baseball!

Grady is playing league ball with the Braves this year!  He is in machine pitch this year....and WOW has he improved!  He has only had a couple of games so far, but he has hit a few really good ones this season.  He had one that went into the outfield and he was able to get a double off of!!  He is still holding out hopes for a homer by the end of the season!  He has been playing short stop and pitcher and doing very well at both!  So far his team in undefeated...we'll keep you updated!

 

Bandits Baseball!!!

Gabe #5 sliding into home....SAFE!

Gabe is a baseball playing machine this Spring!  In January he was asked to be on a traveling team from the Augusta area, and he happily accepted!  He started practicing in the end of February and has played in 4 tournaments so far with the Bandits.  They are a young team with a majority of the boys having never played together....so there are some kinks to work out, but all in all they are a great group of boys and a blast to watch!  Gabe mostly plays first base and from time to time in the outfield.  He has also tried his hand at pitching a few times and has done very well there as well!  He has really improved in at bats....the fall ball instruction he received definitely didn't hurt!  The teams he and his team are facing are some of the best at the age group....so, they are getting a lot of good experience!  He is also doing League ball here in Augusta...so between the two teams he is at the ball field every night with practices and games!  Thank goodness the boy loves baseball.....and us too!  His league team has a good mix of boys that have a lot of experience and some that this is their first or second year....they have lost 2 games and won 1.  Gabe has been playing all over the infield with his league team....most surprisingly is probably catcher!  He has been rocking at catcher!  Last night, Gabe made a rocking out at catcher....he settled in right in front of the bag, caught the ball from the first baseman...after he had made an out, and tagged the scoring runner!  He looked like a pro!  He may not be facing the same caliber of player in league, but I think it's important for him to play league.  He is gaining a new appreciation for the rest of his traveling team...while he stands at first with his glove out ready to catch the ball...the other boys are fielding the ball all over the place...something he has had the opportunity to do in league!!  So, if you are looking for us or are itching for a little baseball...come down to the field most any day...and you'll find us!

 

  And yes, this wintery picture was actually taken at one of Gabe's tournament games....in MAY!  We were freezing...we had all of the ski gear out...can you say RIDICULOUS?!

Morels Galore!!

Shawn and the boys went morel mushroom hunting again this year.....and they were pretty successful!  They found so many we were able to dehydrate most of them, freeze them and will be able to enjoy them all summer!  The first week after the big hunt, Shawn and I were putting the little fungi in EVERYTHING....until the boys put their foot down!  They kindly asked how many different dishes did we think we could put the mushrooms in...okay, hint taken!  We have since slowed down, but we are so glad they had a successful morel hunt!

Easter!

We had a wonderful Easter...enjoying the free weekend, spending time with family and the beautiful weather we had been blessed with!  Even with the super busy schedules we have in the house, we set aside time to do our yearly tradition of coloring eggs!  As the boys have gotten older, there are lots of things they have outgrown....thankfully this is not one of them!

 

 

 

 

                                              Easter morning....aren't we such a cute bunch!

SpRiNg BrEaK!!!!

Ahhhhhhh!  Spring Break...now those two words are music to my ears!  This year we took it easy...enjoying the beautiful weather the first few days offered and lounging around when the weather decided to be more like Christmas Break!  The boys both started out the week with a sleepover...Grady headed to a friend's house and Gabe had a friend over!  Gabe and Tyler went fishing with Shawn Friday evening and had Conoco for dinner (that only occurs when I am absent, so always a real treat!) and then those two stayed up past 1:00....that's as much as I know because that's when I called it a night and the two crazy kids were back up by 7:30 ready to hit it again!  We picked Grady up around 10:00 and spent most of that afternoon chilling out...surprisingly, both boys stayed awake until we lost Grady for the night around 5:30!  Must have partied a little too hard!

 

For the most part of the beginning of the week, the boys and I soaked up the beautiful spring weather!  We spent most of our time playing baseball....and I mean hours playing baseball!  With Gabe being on a traveling team this year and Grady debuting his machine pitch season this year...it's a good thing they like playing, and we have the room to do so!  On Wednesday, the boys and I tried our hands at geo-caching!  We were 1 for 3 on finding the caches.  It was a good time, I am glad we found one....not sure if I will get those two to give it another whirl or not!  Once the weather turned cooler we decided to stay inside and do something crafty!  Crafty however to a mother of boys is a tad bit different that a mother of girls I would assume!  We built a catapult and trebuchet!  We started with precut pieces, but had to glue, tie knots, measure and build patience...which unfortunately the boys inherited lack of from me!  I am happy to report though, both projects are finished and they work fantastically!  On Friday we headed to Wichita to take in a movie and lunch!  We decided on "The Croods" (Fantastic movie if you are wondering) and lunch from the Warren Diner while we were watching!  The boys really thought eating lunch in the theatre during the movie was pretty cool!  After the movie, the boys and I ran some errands and then they went to spend the night with Aunt Greta and Uncle Marshall, while Shawn and I enjoyed a date night!  So, as far as Spring Breaks go, I think it was a winner!!  And bonus to that.....only 7 more weeks of school!! WOO HOO!!  

Grady's Best Bud!

A couple of weeks ago, Gabe had a night out with friends, so we loaded up one of Grady's best buddies and headed to Jimmy's Diner for dinner and The Alley for entertainment!  The boys loaded up on pancakes and shakes at Jimmy's before heading on for a go-carting, arcading, laser-tagging good time at The Alley!  They were both so well behaved and a complete hoot!  On the way back to Augusta the two of them were singing some song....a parody of some sort....hilarious!  Oh to be 7 again!   

This was the first time Grady has ever driven a real go cart all by himself.....he was so careful.....so much different than we had expected!  As for Jude....well, he was all pedal to the medal...he was hard to even get a picture of!