Last Day of First Grade

Kate's 5th Birthday

First she graduates from Preschool now she's turning five!?! Where did the years go?!? As broken as my heart may be to realize that my baby is five years old, has a mind and life of her own and will in a short twelve years go off to college without me I still found the strength to help her celebrate this major milestone in a big way.

As usual birthdays are at least a week-long celebration in Schultzville:

Kate opens a few gifts.

Bratz are still cool when you're five.

Later she opened more gifts.

And pretended to blow her nose on tissue paper;

just like Sarah's first grade teacher Miss Paxson

taught her class.

THE BIG DAY

Kate's actual birthday has fallen on the weekend for the last two years. This year it was on Sunday - so she was able to have her birthday party on her her real birthday.

This year her birthday was a beach theme complete with beach mats, umbrellas, a pool to slide in, water guns. and the most expensive bouncer known to man. (I won't go on and on about the cost of bouncers in Central Illinois but I have to say in Arizona we could get one for $65; here most places want several times that plus your first born and left arm. Who are they kidding? In this economy? Nonetheless, you can't have a party with 40+ kids and not have a bouncer. I wasn't willing to part with Sarah so I searched and found a guy an hour away who would do it a bit cheaper. )

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Supermom sets out coolers full of ice cream and popsicles

for the kids to have whenever they want.
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There's always plenty of seating.
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Candy, cheetos, pretzels . . .
Oh yeah, Supermom can do kids parties.

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Fun with water guns.
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I'm having fun!!
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There's the bouncer.

Almost completely empty.

Who knew the water guns and little pool would

be a bigger hit than a bouncy castle?
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Wardrobe change.
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Time for cake.

That's a beach cake with puppies on it.

You may now sing.

Note:>> I have many more pics of the party, the pinata and opening gifts but it takes so darn long to load them into blogger. Just know it was a wonderful day and Miss Kate had a great time.

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Make a wish.

Happy Birthday Baby Kate!!

Last Day of Preschool

There aren't many things that get Supermom choked up - that's one of the things that make me super; I'm good in a crisis. But I've got to tell you, I've been a mess since January knowing that my baby would start Kindergarten this year. She's still new, how can this be her last year of preschool?!?

"Okay mom, I'm going in now.

I have no idea that I'll never come to

school here again. That next year I won't

get to come home for lunch

and I'll have to go all day and there

will be attendance requirements."

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"I don't know that this is the last time

Mrs. Iverson will walk me to the car.

I'm not thinking about how much I'll

miss her and what a milestone this is."

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It's a good thing Supermom has good friends

who do last day of school parties.

Otherwise, I'd probably just fall apart and cry.

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PRESCHOOL GRADUATION

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Here they are, the graduating class of 2009.

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(See the little guy on the left of Kate - between her

and Thatcher, who still loves her. That's Payne.

It turns out he had a secret crush on Kate for two

years, but was too sweet and respectful to

say anything. Once Kindergarten started Payne

could not find Kate at his new school. He

went home and asked him mom who's class

she was in; poor Payne was crushed when he

found out Kate goes to a different school!!)

It's funny, looking back now at pictures

taken while Kate was at Our Savior, Payne

is next to Kate in almost all of them

The world needs more guys like this.

What a big sweetheart!

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Diplomas
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We love you Mrs. Iverson!

Prayer Blanket

Granie makes prayer blankets. All the cousins have them and lots of new babies and close friends too. Granie made blankets for Sarah and Kate's cribs but now they are more mature and need big-girl blankets.

Sarah got one for her birthday a few weeks ago. Kate was crushed; she wanted one too. So Granie sent hers a few days early . . .

What do you think she sent me??

Yay! My blanket!!

Sleep Over

Superdad was out of town on business so the Schultz girls rented a girly movies and camped out downstairs. Even Lolly got in on the act.

Kate's Trike-a-Thon 2009

The 2009 Our Savior Preschool Trike-a-Thon was a great success! Here's little Kate getting ready to ride . . .

And here's some video of the big event.

(Click Play Nana)

Easter 2009

Easter morning. One of just two (maybe three if you count Christmas and birthdays) days per year that we, as parents, expect the kids to wake us up at 4:00 am.

The Easter Bunny does not bring beautifully finished Easter baskets to Schultzville. Instead he leaves empty baskets at the bottom of the stairs and he hides candy and prizes all around the house. He did the same thing in Johnsonville when I was growing up - except my mom was an exceptional housekeeper so he would throw Jelly Beans all over the carpet. I think the bunny knows that nobody should be eating off my floors so he puts candy in plastic eggs which he leaves all over. Another part of the tradition is that Easter morning is done as soon as you roll out of bed - hence the pj's and crazy hair.

I knew the bunny would come!!

Sorry Laurel, there's nothing for you!!

(We don't normally leave her crate in the living room,

but we were having our basement finished

and this seemed like a good spot at the time)

First order of business, count the money.




Next hatch all the eggs and see what else we got.

Why does the bunny bring so many Jelly Beans?