We Have A First Grader

Well.....It's official we have a first grader.....Jack graduated from kindergarten this week.....He is so excited to be starting first grade in Three Weeks.....His class sang and danced to several songs and Jack was just as cute as could be.....He did very well, with an occasional embarrassed look on his face....which was priceless....he told us later that Mackenzie was embarrassing him.....so cute....My mom and dad came up from California for the festivities and took Jack back to California with them. RJ's mom also came to the graduation, along with the Brodersen Family......Jack was so excited to have his family there to watch him...Now we will enjoy the next couple of weeks off and try to stay cool...RJ and I will head to San Diego next week to collect Jack and enjoy the beach for a few days.....Enjoy the pics.....

Walking into perform......
Jack: "We will now sing America the Beautiful for your enjoyment"
Little Ham.....
Loves to sing and dance.......
a little embarrassed......
Happy Boy.....
MeMe, Pops, Mommy, Jack, Daddy, Grandma.......
Omi(Jack's other Grandmother),
Jack, Matthew and Mackenzie(AKA, Brother and Sister)
The End.....See you in First Grade......

Graduation Preview.....

Jack is graduating from Kindergarten in a couple of weeks.....here is a preview of him in his cap and gown......

Midwest Vacation......

Jack and I just returned from a two week vacation to the Midwest...We visited family and friends in Missouri and Illinois...We flew to St. Louis where we were greeted by my mom and Aunt Reva. We spent a couple of days in St Charles and even got to see some old friends from San Diego who now live in Missouri.
Next, we headed to the big town of New Canton, Ill.(population 300) to visit my Grandmother. She fell and broke her ankle and is currently staying in a care center. We stayed at her house and made several trips to see her. We discovered on this trip that Jack does not not like little old ladies in wheelchair or Nursing Homes...One morning when we were getting ready to go and see my Grandma, Jack says to me: "Could you please get me some nose plugs? That place has a stench of old ladies." I don't know where he learned the word stench...but I could not stop laughing....so each time we went to see Grandma we wheeled her out so Jack did not have to go inside. Poor Jack could not escape the wheelchairs and care centers. We went to take my Aunt Geraldine out to lunch and to the bank....Of course she lives in a care center and is in a wheelchair. Jack survived and enjoyed meeting her from afar....didn't want to get to close....A trip to Illinois would not be complete with out a trip to see my favorite Great Aunt Margie and Great Uncle Calvin Dale....I love them so much and was so happy that Jack loved them too....He enjoyed going to the family cemetary with Calvin...in fact Jack liked all 6 cemeteries we took him to....guess he gets that from my mom....While in Illinois my mom took some of her high school classmates out to lunch and we tagged along with her....I loved meeting them and enjoyed their company, they were all just as cute as can be...

Soon it was time to say goodbye to Grandma and head back to Missouri....We headed back to St. Charles to get ready for a trip down to Branson and Springfield....While in St Charles we took Jack to a really fun water park...and one of the most amazing Children's Museums call The Magic House.....The Magic House was one of coolest places I have ever taken Jack....mock Oval Office and all! After a day regrouping and repacking we headed down to Branson, Mo....While in Branson we took in a show, swam, swam and swam some more and played a Little mini golf....One evening my cousin and his family drove up from Springfield to join us for an evening of swimming....Kris's son Kameron helped Jack catch some toads and frogs and I think that was the highlight of Jack's trip....The next day on our way back to St Charles we stopped at Kris's house for a little lunch and some yummy cocktails...Jack had a blast with his cousins Kameron and Taylor, and my mom and I enjoyed catching up with Kris and his wife Michelle....Soon it was time to head back to St. Charles and prepare to head home to Las Vegas.....

Jack and I had a wonderful time and really enjoyed catching up with old friends and family.....What was even better....I came home to a clean house and detailed car!!! Thank you everyone for all of your hospitality and love......Enjoy the pics!!!!!

On the plane....heading to St. Louis.......

Jack and Aunt Reva on Go Carts...........
Mom and Aunt Reva playing Ms. Pac Man.....
Jack with Aunt Reva and Uncle Herb's puppy Checkers.......
Playing with Checkers.....
In front of our favorite St. Charles, Mo Restaurant

Miss Aimee B's Tea Room......

Old San Diego Pals.....Matthew, Dee Dee and Charlyn

Matthew, Dee Dee, Me, Aunt Charlyn, Mom, Reva, Jack

Jack and I walking around New Canton

takes only about 20 minutes......

Enjoying Homemade Root beer in Hannibal, Mo...
Huckleberry Finn's house, Hannibal Mo.
Jack in Mark Twain's Bedroom, Hannibal , Mo.....
In handcuffs.........

Jack in front of the Mississippi River........ Reva, Aunt Margie, Mom...Perry Cemetery, Perry, Ill.
Aunt Margie, and Jack.........................
Me and Aunt Margie.........................
Jack and Aunt Reva having a stick fight....
ahhhh Jackson St.....Clayton, Ill.....
Mimi and Jack at the ice cream shack........
Mimi and Jack playing keep away........
Jack, Aunt Geraldine, and Mom......
Reva, Grandma, me and Jack........
Swimming in Hannibal......
wanted to have a towel on his head like me........
Mom relaxing.........
Jack enjoying the water park in St Charles, Mo.
Climbing the three story Jack and the Beanstock at the Magic House.....
Made it to the top!
Recycling Center......

On the back of the recycling truck......
Raising the flag in front of make shift White House.....
Jack pretending to be Abraham Lincoln in the Oval Office...

Didn't have the heart to tell him Lincoln didn't have a phone....

Jack and Reva Fishing........
Walking in beautiful Branson woods.....
Jack and Reva playing Miniature Golf....
My cousin Kris with his amazing wife Michelle and adorable

daughter Taylor................
mom, Reva, Kris's son Kameron and Jack enjoying lunch on the deck...
Jack and Kameron.......

Dairy Field Trip

Today Jack's class took a field trip to the Anderson Dairy here in Las Vegas. I took the day off and went with his class. On Tuesday my class is going so I get to go again! It is a very interesting field trip and I learned a lot! I am not sure if the kids learned much but they had a great time and enjoyed a bowl of ice cream at the end of the tour...

Interesting field trip fact: Anderson Dairy delivered milk twice a day to the residents of Las Vegas until the 1970's.

Enjoy the pics.....

New Toy

I am a lucky lucky girl...my hubby spoils me rotten....yesterday I got home from work and there was a shiny red laptop computer sitting on the kitchen table....in true RJ fashion there was a note that read..."Happy Mother's Day,Happy Fourth of July, and Happy Birthday." I really needed a laptop for my Master's program....we do a lot of research and group projects in class. I am going through this program with two very close friends and they always share their laptops with me....I have been wanting to get one, but we have two very nice computers at home and so I just didn't see spending the money on a laptop...Well, my lovely husband decided that I needed a laptop to go in the laptop bag the University issued us on the first night my program started. To top it off he set it up with WiFi and so I am writing my very first blog entry from my laptop on the back patio.....ahhhh life is good. Here is a picture of what my laptop looks like... Of course RJ knew that red would be my favorite...He is soooo cute. :)