{flag football}

Since Jaxon is going to play tackle football this fall, we signed him up to play flag football this past spring. He had a great time, learned lots of plays, and stole lots of flag. His coaches were very enthusiastic and Jaxon was able to meet some awesome, new friends.

T---O---U---C---H---D---O---W---N!

{father's day}

This year was a little different for me since I wasn't able to talk with my own dad. He and my mom were on an exciting Baltic Cruise. The day was not complete for me.
I have never questioned for one minute that I have the most wonderful and loving father. I consider myself the luckiest girl on the planet to have a dad like mine. He is one of the most generous, most honest, most hard-working people I know. I have so many tender memories with my dad, from always wanting to sit on his lap to seeing him cuddle my own babies.
Dad, I love you more than you will ever know.
Since we have church super early in the morning, there wasn't much time for an extravagant breakfast in bed, so this is what Sabey got:

The breakfast of champions, Diet Coke and all

After church, we went to Magnolia's--one of our all-time favorite restaurants and enjoyed one of the most delicious brunches I've ever had. Good, good food. The kids were in heaven, especially with the dessert bar with cannolis, chocolate-dipped strawberries, creme brulee, etc. It was so much fun and it made it even more fun that we were all dressed up in our Sunday clothes. We might just have to do that every year!
We all got to relax and take our Sunday naps before we headed to the farm for a BBQ. We did it a little red-neck style, as it was about 95 degrees and we were standing around a campfire cooking hot dogs. But you know what? No matter what we do as a family, its always fun and always memorable. The kids love their cousins more than anything and I love that Sabe has his brothers and I have such great sister-in-laws.
I love this card that Sabe picked out for his dad:

thanks, Taylor, for the new bike!

{HOORAY!! last day of school}

What a relief....kind of. I think its bittersweet when the last day of school comes. Of course, there is no more homework, no more waking up at 6:30, no more packing lunches {my least favorite part}, no more catching the bus, etc.
But what are we supposed to do with these kids? They've been gone for 8 hours everyday for the last 9 months and I haven't had to entertain them...until now. I now know what it must have been like for her to have all 7 of her children out of school. A slave to the waterpark, playdates, picnics. Well, it all actually sounds like a lot of fun to me. My kids are all at such great ages, so I really do look forward all the adventures and fun vacations this summer has to bring.

This was the first full year Jaxon has been at Lovettsville Elementary and by far, the BEST YEAR EVER. This group of boys that are his best friends are such great kids in every way. They are like brothers--they look after each other, support each other, and just love being together.



Mrs. Moore is not only the #1 teacher of the century, but she has been like a mother to Jaxon. She is so kind, patient, and loving. We are so lucky that he has been able to spend his days being taught by a woman like her. She has become a dear friend to me and Jaxon is having a hard letting go of her and 4th grade. She will leave a lasting impression on him for the rest of his life.

This is Joe. He moved from New York this school year with his parents and 6 brothers. I met him when we made gingerbread houses at school. He sat next to me and it only took a few moments before I noticed he was special. He is the kind of kid that thinks of everyone before himself. Its amazing to me that a young boy like this can have such amazing qualities and share them with his peers. He received the "Citizenship Award" this year and there is no doubt that this boy stands for respect, selflessness, and love.


Izzy has gotten lots of attention from all these cute boys this year. She is soooo incredibly shy when we visit the school, but the moment we get home, she can't stop talking about them...."I love Haden. Can Matthew sleep over? "


Congrats to Jaxon for an awesome school year!! We are so proud of you, buddy.

{a day in Annapolis}

For Memorial Day, we decided to go spend the day & night in Annapolis, MD. I have always heard that it is a really cool town and we needed a get-away from home for a bit. We left around noon and checked into our {awesome} hotel and then got shuttled down to the market square. Annapolis is not only the capitol of Maryland, but it is also the sailing capitol of the nation and home of the US Naval Academy. We took a boat tour around the bay and stopped for ice cream more than once. It was fun walking around the town, which was full of great shops and restaurants. We had a great mexican dinner, since most of us are not fans of seafood {YUCK}, and then hung out in the hotel room before we cruised the streets at dark.
The greatest part about our trip was experiencing a new place, especially one that felt so far away from home, but we were only about an hour and a half away!
FUN TIMES...


can u believe Sabe picked this T-shirt out for himself?