Back at the Beach

Today Sydney and Kalyn stayed with us for a few hours while Mama and Aunt B headed to Columbia. We took advantage of the opportunity to show them Macon's beach. They really enjoyed it even though it was an overcast and slightly cool day. We virtually had the beach to ourselves for quite a while, so that was fun.

Silly face pose!!!

Gracie is still a little too brave and was trying to coax Sydney out into the deep water. Sydney is a great swimmer, so it was no problem for her!

Kalyn was pretty timid at first, but she loved playing in the sand and stepping into the lake up to her ankles!

Ella was trying to get Kalyn to swim with her, but Kalyn needed to slowly adjust. She finally got in up to her belly button, so that was good enough for the first visit. It probably does look like an awful lot of water to a 5 year old.

Gracie and Kalyn dug in the sand for a long time pretending they were fixing food for us to eat.

Cheese!

Ella was in "Baywatch" mode running down the sandy beach. She LOVES going to the lake! It's nice to have it so close to our house, but I still have to say that it's a lot of work to go to the beach. There is much planning involved before you go and then much clean-up when you get home.

Just a Fun Day

The girls had been begging to get the bounce house out, so today was their lucky day. It always draws the neighbor kids over, so they ended up having an unscheduled playdate, which they enjoyed very much!

Ella loves to wear Brent's hats...and apparently she likes to eat them, too. Whenever she has the chance to snatch a hat from him, she will do so and then wears it proudly. I guess maybe she needs a hat!

What one child does, the other has to. This time it was a case of Gracie needing to do what Ella does. That's a bit of a role reversal for our household.

Ta-dah! Do you like my hat?

Our First Trip to the Lake

Since Gracie is now out of school, we headed out to Longbranch Lake for a little swimming fun. Ella really loves the beach. Isn't she a bathing beauty?!

Ella insisted on called the lake and ocean. She kept saying, "You want to get in the ocean with me, Mommy?"

I was playing with the settings on the camera and this ended up in black and white, but that's okay. The girls were having such a good time playing in the sand together.

Ella spent a lot of time trying to fill up her bucket with that tiny scoop!

This little hole full of water was pretty entertaining for quite a while.

Ella would lay in the shallow part of the lake and pretend she was swimming in the deep end like her big sister. Gracie wears her life jacket and takes off in the lake. If she gets out too deep, I just yell for her to come closer, but she is pretty much fearless. She would go all the way out to the farthest point if I would allow it.

The Kindergarten Graduate

Wow! Where did this school year go? Gracie looked pretty big as she headed off to her last day of school. She only had to be there a few hours so that she could graduate.

I think the principal was glad to see the last day of school arrive as well!

This was hanging on the bulletin board outside Gracie's classroom.

It's a pretty long walk across the gymnasium to receive your "diploma" but it helps when you are walking toward your daddy!

By the way, Gracie was the only student who gave Brent a kiss and hug.

Every student in Gracie's class was given a special award. Gracie's award was for being a Star Reader.

After the graduation there was a reception in the classroom. Grandpa kept his eye on Ella while I helped with the punch. The kids were all very excited to be 1st graders! I know I took home one wound-up little girl who was so glad to be done with school for a few months. However, a few short hours later Gracie was asking me, "Now what should I do?" Typical!

Gracie's Cemetery Experience

My parents watched Gracie and Ella while Brent and I were at the wedding yesterday. Dad and Mom took the girls with them to the cemeteries to put flowers out. Ella fell asleep on the way there, but Gracie really enjoyed the experience. She helped cut the weeds away from some tombstones, placed the flowers where they needed to go and she learned a lot about our family. There were a few questions asked later about my dad's sister who died as an infant. I know she never knew that story, so she found it very sad. Gracie also learned about the flag being placed on graves of those who served in the military. Today as we went to some of Brent's families graves she mentioned all of those flags and what they represented. Gracie and I also discovered a set of stones at a cemetery near Lancaster, MO for sisters named Grace and Ella. You can bet it was a sobering moment to discover those graves. Memorial Day prompted lots of questions, but it made for some good learning.

Justin's Wedding

Today one of Brent's best friends got married. They have known each other literally forever, so it was cool that Brent could be the best man. Justin and Jenn had a beautiful day and we enjoyed being there. The picture is of Brent, their youth minister from back when they were kids and the groom, Justin. Sadly, I only took one picture the entire day. I was somewhat preoccupied with the fact that I locked my keys in the van at their reception site.

Gracie's Dance Recital

McKenna Nelson is Gracie's dance teacher. She is a high school girl who still takes lessons herself. I don't know how she does it all, but she's wonderful!

All of the girls would stand off to the side and watch whatever group was on stage. They were mesmerized!

Gracie with her buddies Shelby, Brooke and Aubree

They just needed to unwind!

This was Gracie's jazz outfit. They danced to "Tutti Frutti."

Gracie and Gracee - The Toothless Wonders