Grant is 5!

We have decided that we only do birthday parties every other year.  So this was a non-party year for Grant.  We still make them feel special and do the cake and all, just not all of the extra invitees and party favors.  Grant made his own theme this year "it's my birthday so I can do what I want"  Ummm.... ok so we let him eat 3 donuts for breakfast and a cold hot dog for lunch, but let's not get crazy! Grant is really into golf.  We went to Lou's for dinner and then to play mini-golf with Stella and Briggs.

Lou's

 Let's just say 9 people playing mini golf was a circus.  Bless Brandon, he actually attempted to keep score for all 9 of us!  By hole 7 when Elizabeth was asked how many strokes she had and her response was "I think about 4 sounds good" and she had clearly had at least 10, he gave up on keeping score for the kids.  We let at least three other parties play through, except for this horrible couple that was behind us at the end who pretty much just glared and gave us dirty looks the whole time.  The kids had played on to hole 17, and Amber and I were conversing at hole 16 when this group of 4 men say "excuse me ladies, are those your kids? They are drinking the water." As in the heavily dyed blue water that runs throughout the course.  Awesome.  Hole 18 was the best, as the adults just sat back and watched their reactions to the balls being "swallowed" on the last hole.  Grant and Briggs were on their bellies and sticking their clubs down the hole trying to get their ball back.  The place we usually play doesn't take your ball on the last hole.  It was really fun to watch their expressions.   The once happy root beer filled bellies and mini golf enthusiast started to melt down.

In case you didn't know the proper way to measure for the correct putter...to the belly button!

Where did that ball go?!

We went home and let Grant open his gift a day early.  Camping was on his bucket list, so we thought a  tent would be great fun.

Despite the tornado watch that was in effect until 11pm, we set the tent up outside - even put the rain cover on.  I then checked in with my local weather expert (our friend Matt) and he didn't return my text with a text, but with a call.  Severe weather and lightning were headed our way.  No problem...move the camp out inside! Luckily the tent goes up and down in 60 seconds, well maybe 120 seconds, but still fast.  By 9:30 we were all (including Auggie) in the tent.  We had one air mattress and 3 iPads, 2 flashlights and the weather radio.  We watched movie on my iPad for a little bit and then 3 out of 5 began sleeping really well.  At 2:30 Auggie and I threw the towel in and headed upstairs to a very comfortable bed!

On the day of his birthday we had a nice relaxing morning.  We played hide and seek tag in the basement, chutes and ladders and took a swim.  He had a tball game at 1:00, that he really didn't want to go to because he didn't want our family time to be interrupted.  Awe! But he went and had fun.

We came home and Ima and Pops and the Campbells came over to swim.  We grilled out, opened gifts, had cake and ice cream, watched the birthday DVD that my mom makes for the kids for their birthday each year and swam some more.

It was the year of Legos!

The birthday DVD 

New golf clubs! 

The joy and smiles of relighting candles!

Later we caught lightening bugs - a lot of lightening bugs! The hillside across the street was sparkling with firefly lights.  I always remember that I had planned to host a lightening bug party for Elizabeth the weekend that I had Grant.  The lightning bugs are always great in June.

We measured Grant, 3'11" and the kids wanted to sleep in the tent again.  We said they were welcome to, but we were not joining in.  They lasted until 3 am, when the twin air mattress got too small for both of them and they came upstairs!

It was a great day with Grant and a bonus was it was also Father's Day.  A great day to celebrate all of the favorite boys in my life!

The annual birthday quiz...

1) WHAT IS YOUR NAME? Grant

2) HOW OLD ARE YOU? 5

3) WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE COLOR? Green

4) WHO IS YOUR BEST FRIEND? Brady

5) WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP? A farmer

6) WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MOVIE? Frozen

7) WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE TV SHOW? Paw Patrol

8) WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE BOOK? Click Clack Moo

9) WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY? Mommy

10) WHAT MAKES YOU SAD? When Daddy yells at me

11) WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FOOD? Hot Dogs

12) WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SONG? Olaf song (In Summer)

13) WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE GAME TO PLAY? Chutes and Ladders

14) WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE GIFT? Every gift!

Rain, Rain Go Away

It has been a very rainy June.  One week we had 12 inches of rain.  Each time it rains we get inches, not tenths.  We joke about building an arc.  One morning in was just rain, no thunder and lightning so I told the kids to go play in the rain.  This could win me Mom of the Year status!

School's Out for Summer!

That's a wrap!

Grant's Last Day at St Marks

Grant will still have one more year of pre-school but he will be at a different school next year.  We still had him do the graduation, it was just a graduation from St. Marks! They had a class field trip to Farm Park to celebrate.

Letting his light shine!

We have had so many wonderful pictures taken in front of this altar!  Weddings, baptisms, Christmas programs, preschool graduations! We are so blessed.

Grant & Miss Carol at graduation

Feeding the geese - or hitting them with food while they hiss 

This little calf really wanted to eat his pants!

Grant and Miss Carol