Memorial Day FUN!!!

We had a PERFECT Memorial Day as a family....from the beautiful weather, to our kids playing outside ALL DAY, to grilling out with neighbors....it was an amazing day! It started off with our girls and the two neighbor kids playing in the sprinkler at 10am. It was nice and warm outside already....a HUGE change from the rest of the weekend! Logan, Lexi, and Kelly LOVED the sprinkler.....Molly wasn't a big fan. After an hour in the sprinkler, we got out two pools...a bigger one and the small one for Miss Molly! They played outside until 5pm....with a short break to eat some lunch. Since we were all outside so much....we decided to end our wonderful day with a trip to McDonald's playland with our neighbors too.....the adults didn't want to cook....and the kids were beyond excited too! I LOVE having great neighbors with kids close to the same ages....we are so happy the Salow's moved in last September....it's going to be a GREAT summer!

Logan, Kelly, and Lexi getting wet by the sprinkler ball.

Running towards the sprinkler ball from down by the cornfield. Look at Kelly's braided ponytail flying in the air!

Having so much fun!

Laying on the sprinkler jets!

Molly preferred to NOT be in her swimsuit...and ONLY be this close! It took her 30 minutes to even leave the deck!

Molly was happier sitting on the deck at her picnic table and playing with the Strawberry Shortcake Splashin Petal Pool!

Lexi came to play with Molly for a little while on the deck too!

All four kids in the little pool......this was the only way I could get a picture of all 4 kids together....as Molly wouldn't go by the sprinkler or in the big pool.

Floating on tubes

Molly splashing in her little pool.

Water Balloons!!!!

Molly holding her water balloon.....away from the sometimes crazy big kids!

(After awhile in the little pool, she took off her glasses as she kept splashing them!)

It was a WONDERFUL Memorial Day!!!

An EARLY Birthday Present

We gave Kelly her birthday present from us yesterday.....as she needed and wanted a new bike! Her other bike was way too small for her....and she wants to learn how to ride without training wheels....and Brian didn't think he could teach her on the 12 inch bike she already had. On Friday night she was able to pick out the 16 inch bike she wanted! Of course, she picked a Disney Princess Bike! Brian put it together yesterday (after it finished raining) and Kelly was able to ride it for awhile. We thought it would be nice for her to ride it the next few weeks before her birthday! Happy EARLY 5th birthday, Miss Kelly Marie!

Kelly's Preschool Photo Book

Click here to view this photo book larger

Kelly had an amazing first year of school! Here is the photo book I just finished and ordered for her! If you post it to your blog....you get a $10 coupon off your next Shutterfly order! I love coupons!

SUMMER!

Summer Vacation officially began at noon today! I had a little girl running out of school with a beach ball! We're going to "Have a BALL of a Summer!"

Sophia & Kelly after school with their new beach balls!

Mrs. Riniker & Mrs. Bildstein are too nice!

Beach Ball fun outside school!

Kelly's last day of preschool

Today is Kelly's LAST day of preschool. It has been a wonderful year! Here she is this morning at school with her teachers. Today is a short day.....only 8am-noon and it will be officially summer vacation!

Kelly & Mrs. Riniker with her progress report folder

Mrs. Bildstein & Kelly

Her progress report folder with a picture of her first day of school and the end of the year. You can see on the wall how much she has grown....it's amazing!

A thoughtfully amazing gift!

I have been lucky enough to receive a handful of truly amazing, thoughtful gifts over the years. I now need to add one more to that list I will cherish forever. Mrs. Riniker's preschool class gave me a personalized book yesterday....they all drew a picture of the things they remembered/liked the most when I was in the classroom. Mrs. Riniker added a picture to each page....with the preschooler and myself. It was really nice, adorable, and unexpected! Kelly and I have had a wonderful experience at Xavier this year. We look forward to many more amazing years!

Here are a few other truly amazing gifts I have received over the years....I look at them every one in awhile and count my blessings for the people in my life.

** As a college graduation gift, one of my college roommates put together an amazing scrapbook of our 4 years of college. Those years were amazing! I miss my college roommates/fellow swimmers/and best friends a lot....but love to look back and remember the good times we had together.

** When I turned 25 years old, my mom gave me a box with her 25 favorite memories of me over the years. Those memories truly make me smile!

** The day of my bridal luncheon (the day before our wedding) my Mom gave me a framed poem she wrote. It was amazing and is still hanging in our bedroom. Every once in awhile I read it and think back to our wonderful wedding weekend.

** Our wedding quilt that was made by all our our family and friends...it is on a quilt rack in our room and my girls look at some of the pictures now. It has always been a really special gift!

** When Kelly was born (our first child) my Mom gave me a book "I Loved You Before You Were Born". She wrote throughout the book about how excited she was to meet "Baby Snyder" and that she truly loved her before she was born.

** Two years ago (my 10th year as the head coach of the WCHS swim team) my state team put together a scrapbook for me as a birthday/coaches gift. It is truly the best gift I have received in my 12 years coaching. It was a special team that year...and I will always remember those girls and be grateful for the time and effort they put into that scrapbook.

** No I will add the preschool memory book to my list of cherished things!

The front cover of my preschool book.

Kelly's page "Thank you for being our helper when our teachers are gone!"

Caitlin's page "Thank you for reading to us!"

They thanked me for a lot of things....here are some of the things!

**Coming to our parties

** Building a lego tower

** Coming to our music program

** Helping me color

** Helping me make play-doh flowers

** Helping me with puzzles

** Playing with us

Dunk Tank

Today was my last day subbing at Xavier for the school year. It has been a lot of fun! I have truly enjoyed my time in the preschool classroom this year! This afternoon the kids got a chance to throw a ball at a teacher that was in the DUNK TANK! It was an incentive for those kids that raised money for the Xavier Xcursion. Kelly was able to throw two balls....she did great and just missed....but they told her to go up and push it anyway since she was so close! FUN TIMES!

Reese, Eli, and Kelly taking time out for a picture!

(These three are also on the same t-ball team which I just now realized!)

Kelly throwing one of her balls.

Kelly pushing the target!

The preschoolers and Kindergartners watching & cheering!

The kids WANTED TO GET WET!!! They are so excited to get splashed by Mrs. Kluesner (Eli's Mom)

Playdates at the park

Every Wednesday morning for the last month, Molly and I have had playdates at the park. Molly LOVES going to the park anytime.....but when it's just her and Mommy, it's even better! We meet a group of 5 other moms with there non-school age kids (it's the same group Molly is in story time with at the library). It's been fun for the kids....and the moms too!

Molly LOVES the "tickle tunnel" at the park! The moms stick our hands in the holes and tickle the kids....THEY LOVE IT! I love the expression on Miss Molly's face!

Slides are a lot of fun...

...and swings too!

Today when I told Molly it was time to go home and get ready for a nap.....she laid down on the slide and said "Molly take a nap!" Too cute!

Kelly's Spring Preschool Music Program

Kelly had her first school program on Wednesday night at St. Francis Xavier School. It was adorable...of course. All three preschool classes performed together. Kelly did amazing...as she sang all the songs with actions too! She was surrounded by two boys in her class.....who kept looking at her to see what to do! It was really funny! The parents of the two boys came up to us afterwords and said if it wasn't for Kelly, they wouldn't have done anything....and thanked her! We then took a picture of Kelly with Cael and Tanner. Too funny! They sang 7 songs...

1. I Have a Hello

2. Stinky Cake

3. We Are the Dinosaurs - Kelly's second favorite!

4. Plunge Right In - Kelly's favorite!

5. God Made Me

6. My Mother is a Baker

7. May There Always Be Sunshine

Kelly with the rose she got from Grandma & Papa Murray after the program.

Only 9 more days of preschool left and our daughter will be in Kindergarten!

Kelly with all her Grandmas and Grandpas

The best picture I got during the performance......as I was videoing it too!

Molly enjoyed listening and sitting on Papa Bears lap!

Molly playing with Grandma Jackie and Papa Bear before the program started.

Some of the girls in Kelly's class after the program.

(Adriahna, Sophia, Kelly, Mackenzie, Cambrie, Caitlin, Michalea, & Andrea)

Kelly with her two best friends....who happen to be wearing the same dress!

(Kelly, Sophia, and Cambrie)

Cael, Kelly, & Tanner

(The two boys are cousins....and really good friends! There Grandpa told us we shouldn't be encouraging two boys and one girl at this age....as they will be fighting over her in a few years! God help us....I hope it's longer than a few years!) They were really cute that they kept watching Kelly through the entire program!

Here's a video of one of the songs....and the lyrics too....as it's Kelly's favorite!

If you wanna go swimming in the river of life,

You gotta jump right in with all your might.

You gotta jump, jump, jump right into the Love of the Lord.

If you wanna go surfing in the sea of love,

You gotta put your faith in God Above,

You gotta jump, jump, jump right into the Love of the Lord.

When the storms of life start to get you down,

And the waves of fear come crashing down,

Don't get worried there's a place inside

Just plunge right into JESUS CHRIST!

Swimming Lessons

Kelly finished up the second session of swim lessons on Wednesday. She has been taking lessons for 10 weeks straight on Mondays and Wednesdays at the Loras Pool in Dubuque. She LOVES the water! She has learned a lot....and already was asking to go swimming today as we drove by the pool. I LOVE......that my daughter LOVES SWIMMING!!!

Kelly with Emily on her last day of lessons.

Jumping in the water....Kelly would do this all day! She started the lessons 10 weeks ago jumping in....and still LOVES IT! But...

...during lessons she learned to jump from the block into a noodle ring....

...and she learned how to tread water...

...and learned how to streamline...

....and float on her back and front...

...and how to DIVE too!

(She can dive from the wall a million times, but when she tries to jump and dive it just doesn't work for her! If Emily puts her hands or a noodle there, she will jump over it. It's wierd!)

She is my little swimming fish and I LOVE IT!

Xavier Xcursion

On Monday 5/9 (the day after we got home from our MN trip)...we had the first annual Xavier Xcursion. I subbed at school in Kelly's class that day (as Mrs. Bildstein was one of the organizers of the event)...so I was able to get some cute pictures of Kelly's group! The preschoolers were teamed up with the 5th graders. The kids had a great time! This was a fundraiser to get the kids outside for 1.5 hours. They had different activities set up and each class had a designated walk depending on the grade they were in. Kelly's class had to walk THREE times around the school, church, etc. block. The kids were TIRED! At rest time, we had 11 of 16 kids FALL ASLEEP! (Any other day I subbed in either preschool class, MAYBE 2 kids fall asleep!) It was a fun morning!

Adriahna and Kelly

(Adriahna joined Kelly's class in April as she moved to Dyersville.....she has done so well adjusting to a new school and has found lots of friends!)

Some of the preschoolers waiting for directions for the next activity.

Kelly, Adriahna, Cambrie, and Ellie LOVED the kickboxing to music activity!

Over and under

Cambrie and Kelly with socks on their hands. Each person in the relay had to add an extra article of clothing!!! The preschoolers and 5th graders were divided evenly into two teams.

Kelly and her new 5th grade friend! This girl was really nice to Kelly!!! They were passing balls around in a circle....with their FEET!

Kelly passing to a 5th grade boy.

Look at the smiles on both Kelly's AND her 5th grade friend. They had a lot of fun!

Skipping around the church during their walk.

Walk, walk, walk!!!

A short little video of the girls during the kickboxing activity!