Ready for Summer

We did a lot of things in May.

Summer is a busy time with parades and ball games and gardening and grandkid fun.

Some things we do every year and some things are new.

This year Jim and our neighbor decided to put their restored tractors on show and get some photos. The two on the left are Jim's.  The end on is the MT he got last fall and while it isn't completely restored it is in a usable condition and it as already seen duty as a plow and planter in our garden.  The others are Leroy's. 

One thing we do every year is clean out Lorene's pool with the vacuum excavating machine, scrub it down and she fills it and does all the chemical things so it's ready to swim in.

This year she bought a new pool because pool wear out, you know so we (well everyone but me who stood around taking photos) started from scratch.

I guess I helped pull the mostly empty pool out of it's place.  We were trying to keep the water inside and off the ground, but it didn't work.  

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Christian is taking gymnastics classes and his school had a "Showcase" and he got to show what he's been learning.  I've noticed a growth is arm strength because of this.

9

Christian turned nine this month.  We didn't have enough single candles to make 9, but we can all add.  He wanted Benny footprints and it was Zane's idea to use hardening chocolate.

 

End Of School

Time doesn't always fly by, sometimes it crawls, or meanders, or plods, or walks, or runs when you're wading through it. But, looking back, it flew.  

Here we are at the end of another school year.  Zane is done with 7th grade, Barry with 5th and Christian with 4th. It went so fast.

Paislee is done with Pre-K

Zane ran the 400, the 4 x 400 relay and the 1 x 400 relay and maybe some other ones.

Paislee is done with Pre-K and starts kindergarten in the fall.

First Day of School

Last Day of School

And, Lorene is also done.  

Her first year of nursing school is completed and she is working under her provisional LPN license until she gets her boards.

Her EMT certification gave her the opportunity to apply to spend a day with the AirCare team.

 

Play Day

 Today was Play Day at our grandboys school. Since they live in a small town where the school is just a couple blocks away from the school, they take their jackets and lunch and water bottles and walk.  I'm assuming some people get to drive because when I got there every class had a nice little canopy shelter to provide shade (which wasn't needed) and a place to corral their stuff.  When I got there at 10:20, having planned to be there at 10 because that was the starting time, but didn't make it because I had to get gas,  which was really appalling because gas is now 3.999 a gallon and I was nearly empty after a trip to see the audiologist yesterday in Omaha. So, I got their at 10:20 as aforesaid and they were already well underway so I missed several events. 

Barry and Christian were in the same group, 3rd and 4th graders.  Barry's teacher took care of the boy contingent and I suppose Christians teacher was in charge of the girls.  The morning was taken up with races,  I believe Barry was first in the 100 and 300.  The third graders are really at a disadvantage when they are grouped with the older ones.  But, they will get their turn next year.  Besides normal running, they do the three-legged race. a hula hoop race with two kids in the hoop, a ball on a spoon race, which I missed.  After the races, about 11ish, they break for lunch and then have quite a long time to just run around and play together while the parents stand or sit around in the chilly wind ready for the day to be over. After lunch are the field events with baseball, beanbag, and frisbee and tennis ball throwing, hockey puck hitting, long jump, a relay and a final, free for all running together, albeit separated into little, medium and big kid age groups. 

By and large, these are good kids. There is no fighting. They listen and get into lines when they are supposed to.  Now, of course, they aren't marching around like little robots, but it doesn't take much effort to get them in order.  It's like organized chaos and sounds like "the parrot house at the zoo." Except for the lines to the next event, these kids are running everywhere they go. Truthfully, I enjoyed watching those kids run during they lunch playtime.  There is no obesity problem here. 

After lunch the sun began to show it's face periodically and so it would be warm shining on us for a little until a cloud got in the way and the wind felt chilly again.  By the time to go home, it was shining brightly. A lovely end to a day that started out cold and cloudy. 

Running back from the 200 m race.

Starting 300m

First in on 300m

Hula-hoop race

Corn hole

Long jump

Frisbee throw

Ready for the relay

And away we go!