My Fifth Grade Graduate!

It's official...we have a child who has finished elementary school!  (She does have a half day still on Tuesday, but she's all but done!)  Where has the time gone?  It seems like only yesterday, we were dropping Ashton off at kindergarten in Texarkana, Texas....Pleasant Grove Elementary school....neither of us knew a soul and we were both so nervous!!!  But, she did great that year and has continued to SHINE all through her elementary years.

A cute little kindergarten girl:

First Grade (Back in Iowa):

Second Grade:

Third Grade:

Fourth Grade:

And on the first day of Fifth Grade:

This week was bittersweet as we got to celebrate her 5th grade year.  We are so proud of her and happy for new adventures, but a little nervous about middle school (at least I am!)  On Tuesday, we got to go with her to a local YMCA camp for 5th Grade Day.  I guess I wasn't really thinking to haul a 4 year old and a 6 week old there, but it was such a great day and worth it to see our Ashton.  And she was so happy to see us.  She is always such a good sport about having the little kids tag a long.  I am so glad to have a nice jogging stroller that made hiking on back trails more enjoyable!  The kids got to play different games, do some team building activities, do archery and go canoeing.  It was all so much fun and such a gorgeous day.

I can never get over how green and lovely it is in the state of Iowa.  The simple scenery is truly magnificent.

What a great group of kids...it was neat to see them all together.

We had a picnic lunch and of course, Cole found a big stick to drag around.

I grabbed a quick picture with Ashton...with babe in arms...one day I won't have little ones to drag to these events.  It will be a sad and happy day.

Ashton's class had "theme days" for the rest of the week including sports day, costume day (she was a hippie) and nerd day.

I LOVE that this girls is so creative and fun.  We loved attending recognition night with her and seeing all the ways in which she has excelled.  It's nice to receive awards and be smart in school, but I think her greatest achievement is her kind heart.

Congrats, 5th Grade Graduate!!!

One Month

So Luke is one month old (actually it was on Wednesday).  We survived the first month!  Hooray!!!  The first month with a newborn...joyful, exhausting, challenging, rewarding, fast, slow, laughter, tears and everything in between!  We are in love with this new baby...he is just so sweet and has brought so much love.  He is also making sure not to get lost in the mix- he can cry very loudly (especially in his car seat), he is always hungry, and he likes to stay up at night!  He has taught me that even after 5 babies, I still have a lot to learn!!!
Here is my first picture of the fabulous FIVE all together....it took me a month to get it!! I still can't believe I have 5 kids!

Here are some more pictures of Luke from the past month:
ONE WEEK (Looking especially tan with some jaudice!)

 Beautiful flowers from Dad and Pat!  So thoughtful and brought a smile to my face, especially since it rained every day for the first few weeks of Luke's life!

My super talented friend brought over this cake for the family.  The details were amazing.

TWO WEEKS

At THREE WEEKS we got an awesome visit from Aunt Katy...she seriously brought me back my sanity and was such a huge help to me.  We had so much fun while she was here and she lifted my spirits greatly. We went to Walmart about 10 times, returned clothing that didn't fit, bought more baby supplies, went to the Sky Bridge, got my hair done, ate at Chick-fil-A, went to soccer games, talked and talked and talked!  I love her so much and I miss my bestest friend when she is gone.  I'm glad she didn't freeze while she was here- she missed the Texas sun!! Oh, and the kids are in love with her...in all the craziness, she managed to take each of them to buy some special prizes- they got to pick something they wanted and something they needed. (Special thanks to amazing Uncle Nick for taking care of the kids at home so Katy could come!)

Regan wanted a poofy dress and she got it! (along with a fancy water bottle)

Ashton got an older girl dress for 5th grade graduation and some slippers:

And Jordan wanted sparkly shoes and a purse:

(I didn't get a picture of Cole with his water bottle and umbrella)

So yes, they were all seriously spoiled by their aunt!  And it meant so much to me- to see them spending time with her.  Katy brought her curling wand and that is why the girls had amazing hair for church.

The weekend Katy was here we had 3 different birthday parties to attend.  Regan's face painting was awesome!

The crazy thing about having 5 kids is that even with a newborn, life still goes on and it doesn't slow down.  Jordan is knee deep in softball- Tod is coaching her team and I think he is pretty excited about his new star pitcher (thanks to Becky for the photos!)

I've even made it out to a couple of games!  

Ashton is taking golf and has had a few violin concerts:

Jordan played in her first viola concert.

She also go to participate in the Diabetes walk with her sweet friend who was recently diagnosed:

Regan is gearing up for her big dance recital.  These photos were taken on picture night.  This girl was born to dance!!!

I didn't even get any pictures of the many soccer games that we have had.

And the Cole man keeps me on my toes.  He runs full speed all day long- the only time he is still is when he is asleep...and he hates going to sleep.

 He usually plays outside for at least 4 hours each day and he gets so mad when it is rainy!!!  This month he mastered riding his bike without training wheels and he tears around the neighborhood.  I need to get a picture of that!

And writing all that just leaves me completely tired out...wish I could catch some zzzz's like this little guy.

(To bad these pictures were taken in the middle of the day...he just doesn't sleep like that at night!!!)

But that's okay...somehow it is all worth it!!

(I just read through this and realized once again that there are NO pictures of Tod.  I have to say he has been spectacular throughout this month, so patient and helpful and calm.  What would I do if I was married to someone as anxious and high strung as I am?  It wouldn't be pretty.  He is the perfect guy for me and I can't say enough about all he has done for me these past weeks.)