Daisy Day at Camp Marapai

Daisy Day at Camp Marapai in Prescott!

Emi's Daisy Troop went to Daisy Day at Camp this year. It is more or less a trial run for the little girls before they are eligible foe overnight camp as Brownies. The girls had a blast! I think most of them will do just fine next year. They sang hilarious Girl Scout songs at check-in that will forever be etched in my memory, like "you can't ride in my little red wagon" and "Baby Shark, do-do, do-do-to-do." Then they rotated all day through different areas of interest. There were some activities on the field like the parachute and relay races with a sleeping bag. A couple different crafting stations, a nature station, lunch and campfire songs.

The girls from Emi's troop that made it to camp marching off through the woods, to grandmothers house....

That's Emi there in the clearing. You can tell because Grandma Trisha beautifully french braided her hair for me before we left.

Miss Emily looking all proud of herself after trekking through the forest and down to the creek...

...and then this happens! Poor thing, but she was very big and didn't let it phase her a bit. Now who's proud of whom I ask?

Last but not least, a station devoted to learning about the forest around them and look, even after a long day in the sun she still has the whereabouts to raise her hand, participate and give the correct answer. In case anyone is still wondering....I am the proud one.

Amen!

B&W

So our crazy little bus stop has sort of formed into a neighborhood gang. If you were so inclined you might even refer to it as a drinking club... It all started innocently enough, an invitation to ride bikes one day while the weather was nice. It has since evolved into this great little group of friends. We get together once every couple weeks and the kids create chaos while us calm collected moms sit back, relax with a glass of wine and let it be. I think it's good for all of us on some level. The kids get a sense of much needed freedom as we carelessly let them ride their bikes in the forbidden street or (gasp) around the block unattended! In return us mothers get an albeit small taste of what our future might hold. ...more alcohol and less hand-holding = twice as much worrying. It will make us stronger more adept parents in the long run, right?

See, look it is even educational. I learned how to repair a bike chain all by myself. I even got the dirty hands as a badge of honor!

Bubbles. What outdoor activity is complete without them I say. That up there is Squish and her little friend Andrew, in the street! See how relaxed we are.

Also, Lego's I mean what kid doesn't long for the opportunity to drag all of his toys out into the middle of the filthy dirty driveway and just get lost in their imagination. Can you see us moms growing by leaps and bounds? This is a big deal, I hardly let my kids take toys out of their respective "spots" much less out into the great wide open.

My wonderful mom friends. Kelly and Erica and a quick shot of all the junk it takes to pull all this relaxing off.

Emily's 1st Grade Play!

The entire 1st grade at Emily's school put on a play about the Sonoran Desert. It was so cute, but even better than the adorable songs and choreographed moves....Emi had a speaking part. And she did it! My shy, conservative little lady practiced for weeks first all alone and then she started in the car and before long the whole house was saying her lines with her. I'm sure that's not all that uncommon, but Emi is so quiet most especially around strangers. If she was nervous I was twice as nervous. I thought for sure she would freeze up when she saw how many people were there. She did it though and she did it perfectly. it was adorable and I am so proud of her!

Another Move...

Papa move his shop, again and of course we were there to help. Well, Travis was there to help. I was mostly there to hang out. Lucky for Papa the weather was nice otherwise this move could have been lonely. All the kiddos were along for the support as well. They love when we go visit the shop. There is trouble to get in. It used to be just stray kitty's, sawdust and and the occasional saw horse to play on, but as of late the "toys" have gotten better. This time the kids had forklifts, those carpeted rolling things (they love to skate around on them) and air hoses. I guess it's not that the toys are new it's more that the kids are finally old enough to appreciate the more dangerous. The air hose was a big hit this time. I remember when it would make Emi cry... not anymore. The kids had a blast. They have never been quite so dirty in their lives.

HDLL Opening Day & Parade!

Welcome to Opening Day!!

Can't you just feel the excitement? We were so excited! Opening Day had finally arrived and Billy got to wear his uniform for the first time. I have to say, he is the cutest kid ever. Ever. It was windy (which seems to be the descriptive word for the entire spring of 2011) and cold at 7:30 in the morning, but it was not going to rain on anyone's parade. Literally. It was a beautiful blue sky and as soon as things got under way the wind subsided too. There are 100 pictures here, but I could not pick and choose. So you'll have to look at them all, sorry.

Grandma Trisha had some shirts printed up for all Billy's groupies. Aren't they cute!

The parade. Can't you just hear the camera frantically clicking away? It's hard to tell so let me help, Billy is the incredibly cute little guy in the center of the group and Coach Travis is on the far left. Did I forget to mention that Trav is coaching Billy's first team? I know, it just keeps getting cuter, doesn't it!

The singing of the national anthem. "Oh say can you see..." Look how sweet all the boys are with their hats covering their hearts.

Team photo shoot.

The girls had blue and purple Gatorade's to keep them occupied while the team pictures were under way. It sorta turned their mouths blue and purple so that explains the strange tint in all the pictures from here on out, but aren't they cute in their matching Bees shirts?

After a long day of family fun, icy treats and the all-American pastime everyone is pretty beat up, but they did take the time to watch the Boulder Creek Varsity baseball team play Saguaro HS. Pretty cool to see the big guys play after watching the little ones all day. I wonder if Billy will play ball for BC one day, hmm... I'll have to keep this picture handy just in case! At the parade after the league introduced all the teams they had the Boulder Creek players that played for HDLL stand up. There were quite a few...so it's a possibility I suppose!

GO BEES!!!!