4th of July Weekend

For once we didn't have anything planned for the weekend and it happened to be the 4th of July.  We decided to surprise my parents and spend the weekend in Massillon.  It was a welcomed surprise!  The kids had never been the Clays Park so we packed a picnic and headed out for a day of fun in the sun.  Clays park is a small man mad lake with slides, rings to swing across and floating climbing walls that you can climb up and jump off of.  The kids were in heaven.  Later that evening we had a cook out with my mom.  We were really disappointed that my dad had to work.  But we made the best of the time that we had.  We visited with Grammy while we were there too.  The next day we stopped off for a visit at Grandma and Grandpa Scotts on our way out of town.  We were looking forward to spending time with the at the Outer Banks the following week.  We made it back to Centerville in time to watch the fireworks.  It was a relaxing and low key weekend, which was just what we all needed.

When Pigs Fly!

Duane ran his second marathon in 9 months.  He ran the Flying Pig in Cincinnati.  The girls and I decided to sit this one out since it wasn't close by and the weather was questionable.  So we made him a sign and hung it outside for when he came home.  He was on our minds all morning.  Duane had a lot of obstacles to over come with this one.  For weeks before he was having trouble with his shins being inflamed.  The doctor gave him some medication and it helped.  But it was still painful on the day of the race.  The weather was horrible.  It poured down rain all morning.  He was soaked the entire time. It was a very hilly course.  He was able to find Jodee and they ran together for a lot of the race.  It was nice for him to have the moral support.  They were both thrilled to finish the race.  And in spite of all the obstacles, he did cross that finish line.  We were so proud of him!  I still don't know how he does it.  26.2 miles!  I'm sure it won't be his last.

Summer Camps

It was a big summer for Mallory!  She was finally old enough to go to camp with her big sisters.  In June we all went to bible camp at St. Charles.  I helped with phys. ed so I was able to see all three girls every day during camp.  It was an adventure.  I felt a bit like a fish out of water since it was the first time I helped with games.  Luckily there were a few people that have done it for many years so I just followed their lead.  It rained a few days so we had to be creative and come up with indoor activities on the spot.  But we managed.  In August the girls went to Hidden Meadows Day Camp at Grant Nature Park.  They look forward to it every summer.  Mallory enjoyed it just as much as her sisters.  They spent the week creek walking, doing crafts, hiking and playing games.  Madison found a HUGE snapping turtle on the first day.  After camp on the last day I had them show me around the creek.  We saw two snakes!  That cut the trip short for me.  They didn't skip a beat!  Mallory had a lot of fun during her first experiences with summer camps.  Madison and Molly enjoyed camp too.

Another Awesome Dragon's Game

One my last day of school for the summer it was time for a night at the Dragon's game for Molly and Madison's schools.  It was great that both of their school were there at the same time.  Since it was Molly's first time to go for her school we sat in the PVN designated section.  Mallory even ran into some children from her school.  It was a beautiful night for a baseball game.  We laid out our blanket and filled up on hot dogs and peanuts while we waited for the game to start.  The lawn seats were great!  The girls could roam around our section and get close to the field.  They even got their baseball hats signed by the opposing team.  I don't think they even realized that they weren't the Dragon's players since their uniforms were similar:)  They were just excited to meet real baseball players.  It was a good game.  The Dragon's won and everyone stayed in good spirits so we were able to stay till the end of the game.  We are really feeling a part of our children's school family.  Every where we go we see more and more familiar faces.  We love our schools and our community and we are blessed to be a part of it.  I had a great evening saying hello to summer break.  The girls followed a few days later.  Great night with family and friends!     

Madison Takes the Stage to End a Great Year!

Madison had an exciting spring!  Out of all the third grade students she was chosen along with another students to participate in a special tree planting ceremony with the mayor of Centerville.  Two students from every Centerville school were chosen.  We were so proud of her!  I was able to go on a field trip with her in May.  We visited the Welton House, a historic home in Centerville.  I enjoyed spending the afternoon with her and her class.  She ended the year by taking center stage at her school talent show.  She practiced for months!  It was another proud moment!  I was amazed by the courage the kids had to get up in front of all their peers and parents and perform.  Madison didn't skip a beat when she sang the Taylor Swift song "You Belong With Me".  She sounded awesome!  She learned how hard work and determination pay off.  I look forward to many more performances to come.  Madison had a great school year.  We all loved her teacher.  It is a bitter sweet end to the school year for her too.  

Molly's End of the Year Events

Molly had an awesome end to an awesome year!  Her music enrichment class had a program.  She did a great job.  We were excited that Molly was chosen to be in the enrichment program and we enjoyed being there to see what she has learned.  Her class had an Author's Celebration.  She performed again with some of the other Kindergarten classes.  Hearing young children sing brings me to tears every time!  After they kids sang Molly shared some of her writing with us and we read stories to her and one of her friends.  It's so fun to read the stories that she wrote.  She has come so far this year and has quite and imagination!  We sat on a blanket outside and shared doughnuts.  I was able to help out on field day.  I took a group of her classmates around through different activities that were set up outside.  Wow!  Was I tired after that!  It was a lot of fun.  The day before school was out for the summer molly's class had an end of the year party with games and ice creams sundays.  I finished up school a very days before the girls so I was happy to be able to be a part of Molly's end of the year activities.  Next year she'll be one of the "big kids" when she heads back to PVN for her last year.  We will miss Mrs. Matthews.  She was a wonderful teacher who taught Molly a lot.  I have a feeling that Molly taught her a few things too:)