Laiklie

Laiklie and 8 of her friends did a basketball camp already this summer! Fun! Basketball isn't really her favorite thing (I think she likes the social part is all! Ha, ha!) but she had a good time with these girls!

Kayia, Ava, Laiklie, Addison, Brinlee, Aspen, Kia, Samantha and Sage

 (our cousin Sage....everything is better with cousins and LAIKLIE AND SAGE ARE TIGHT!!)

 

Our Christmas Presents

This year Grandma Hawkins gave us kayaks for Christmas! We finally had a second to try them out the other evening. They are SOOOO FUN!! They kids absolutely LOVE them!

We also love having our own private lake at the ranch to use them on! No crowd!! We had so much fun that we went and bought another one! :) We need one for each kid so there isn't any fighting! ha, ha! We look forward to using them ALOT this summer and for summers to come!

Hauling Cows

Cow hauling day! This year it was later than usual....but still the same!

 Dallin got to hold down the dog! Dumb dog! You can see him next to the semi!

 And this big girl - Oakley - decided she would skip the hula-hoop contest at the school to come home and help haul cows.  She wasn't as willing a few days later when school was out and it was a must that she goes.  :)  It is so good for our kids to be a part of these kinds of things!

Dallin & JD

2 BOY SCOUTS + FLINT/STEEL = FUN FIRE MAKING

It took them a little while....but once they got the right stuff (a cotton ball) they had it up and going fast! Fun to watch them work through the steps of learning! They are getting SO BIG!

Schools Out!!

This was the first school year that we went into JUNE! Can you believe that?! Not get out til June....that is just CRAZY!! We were beyond ready to be done.  We did have fun the last couple weeks of school though. 

 I got to go with Laiklie's class to the zoo on their end of the year field trip. Fun!!

 I sure can't believe that this cutie will be going into the 2nd grade next year!

Such a fun day!!

 Rhett was asked to be a conflict manager for this next upcoming school year so the last month of school he had to take part in the training for the conflict manager program.  Conflict managers are students on the playground ready to help settle fights or arguments or other conflicts that might arise.  They have 2 conflict managers out at all times during lunch recess.  The conflict managers rotate through and it works really well.  I have been the lunch duty aid a few times this year and LOVE this program.  Anytime you have the normal little tattle-tailing you can send them right to the conflict managers.  They are trained to know how to work through issues.  Oakley and Dallin also had the opportunity to be conflict managers and I was glad they asked Rhett to as well.

 This is his graduation.  I didn't have my camera ready fast enough.  He is the white speck behind the teachers just having been handed his graduation certificate.

 The white blur headed back to sit down.

And here he is! Sure proud of him!!

We are SOOO EXCITED to be finished with another year of school and ready to enjoy our summer!!

Las Vegas

Oakley's volleyball team qualified early in the club season to go to the West Coast Championship Tournament in Las Vegas! Yay!! Her friends Lauren and Katie's team decided to go too. Double Yay!!

 These 3 crazy girls left on Thursday night with Lauren's parents and drove as far as St. George.  They got to sleep in on Friday morning and even had time for a little hike and swim. :)

 Finger LOVE

 Katie, Lauren and Oakley - BEST FRIENDS!! sooo grateful for best friends!!

Friday Katie's mom Heather, Ryan and I made the 9 hour drive and met the girls in LAS VEGAS!!

 

Welcome to Las Vegas!

There is even an Oakley Store!! :)

We didn't have a lot of time to play in Vegas, but we were able to squeeze in a few fun things.  We walked the strip the first night.  We seriously had to put our blinders on!! Sooo many naughties!! :(

We walked down to watch the water show at one of the hotels.  Super cool!

The second night we bought tickets to a show.  We took the girls to see Le Reve. 

 

 

It was SOOOO GOOD!! It still amazes me thinking about all the incredible things they packed into one show! So glad we took the time to see it.

The last night we took the girls up to see the Las Vegas Temple.  We got there just as the sun was going down and they were closing the gates. :( We were so sad.  We were able to take a few pictures in the dark though. 

Ryan, Natalie, Heather, Kaycie, Katie, Lauren, Oakley, Hollie and Jayson

And the reason we went to Vegas.....

 To play some VOLLEYBALL!!

And.....

 TO WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP!!!!! YAY!!!

 Oakley's team went without 2 of their players so we had 2 substitute players, we also went with a substitute coach because our coach couldn't get the time off of work.  It made it interesting with the girls in different formations and rotations, but they played HARD!! We only lost 1 set of 1 game the entire 3 days of volleyball!! We played teams from: LA, Mesa, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Utah, Boise and even our other Bonneville team.  We won the tournament when we beat a team from New Mexico. 

 What an AMAZING experience!! We are so proud of Oakley and her volleyball team.  This was such a fun season and she has grown SO MUCH!!

Retirement Party!

My sweet little mommy decided this was going to be her last year teaching preschool.  She has taught for SEVERAL years and has blessed SO MANY little lives in the process of it all!  She is an incredible preschool teacher and will be greatly missed.

 We decided we wanted to do a little party for her and so dad tricked her into coming over.  He had just taken her to dinner at Frontier Pies and he told the waitress "they didn't need any pie tonight." My mom was bummed because it was her retirement day and she couldn't even have any pie! She didn't know we had cake and ice cream waiting for her!

What an amazing example of service and endurance my mom is.  She has taught me so much! I hope to grow-up to be just like her! I love you mom! I am sooo proud of all the hard work and years you have put in!