School's Out!!!

School ended on June 13th and it did not take us long to begin celebrating!  Our first stop...  Ray's Ice Cream - a Royal Oak tradition!  The following day we celebrated our good friends' (and neighbors) new adventure to Latvia by attending their farewell party.  It is bittersweet to see such special people leaving our close knit street, however what an adventure they will have working and attending school in Europe!  (I'm already planning a trip!)  With the warmer temperatures lately, the kids have put our backyard into fun use with the sprinklers, hoses, slip-n-slide, and more!  We have had several backyard play dates.  More fun is yet to come for Summer 2013!!!

Cookie Dough and Blue Moon - YUM!

Sloane will miss her fellow girl on the street.

Russell is counting on keeping in touch with his buddy through lots of letters abroad.

Slipping...

and sliding!!!

Bathing beauty.

Backyard fun at its best!

Another Great Season of Soccer!

Last week marked the end of the spring soccer season.  Both kids were disappointed that it was over which means we will most likely be signing up for the fall season.  Aron happily coached Russell's team again this season.  He had hoped to coach Sloane as well, but the schedules didn't work out.  Maybe next year.  I always enjoy getting to know the parents of the team members.  We were blessed with two wonderful teams full of positive energy both on and off the field.  

Sloane scored a goal at her last game.  She is quite the competitor!

Go Purplicious!!!

Russell grew so much this season.  He loves his soccer buddies, especially his long-time pal Antonio.

Go Pirates!!!

Field Day Fun!

One of the BEST things about having the kids at my school is the ability to sneak out of class in order to catch a peak of their classes having fun!  On field day, I was sure to spend equal opportunity with both Russell and Sloane while still having a blast with my own class.  We lucked out with beautiful weather full of sunshine.  All the kids had a blast!

Russell's class preparing for the 50 yard dash.

Sloane's class lining up for the 3-legged race.

GO!!!

Team work.

Tug of war...  Boys vs. Girls

Tug of war...  Team One vs. Team Two

Water Relay (holes in the buckets made this game even more challenging)

Ping Pong Challenge (find the numbered balls in the pool)

Attempting to Keep Up!

With the craziness of another school year coming to an end, I am having a difficult time remaining organized.  With that said, let me update you with our June happenings... 

 

Russell has been asking for some time to run a race.  He obviously sees not only his mother running races, but now Aron has a few under his belt as well.  So...  The athlete and competitor in me did not want to let Russell's wish go so I signed him up for our local Oak Apple Kids Run.  Sloane, not wanting to be left out, was also registered to run.  Both kids were awesome!  I could see Russell becoming nervous at the starting line, but he took off and never stopped with Sloane following right behind him.  

Pre-race photo at packet pick-up.

Russell the Runner!

Little Sister won't be left behind!

Trophies for the finishers!

 Another wish Russell has had this spring was to do something in our neighborhood to raise money for the American Cancer Society.  After some discussion, we decided on a lemonade stand.  Sloane assisted with sign making, Russell was on set-up duty, and both were taste testers.  By the end of the afternoon, they had raised nearly $50 in donations! 

Our little salesmen!

Lots to do this Long Weekend

We always look forward to our 4-day break over Memorial Weekend and this year was no different.  We packed up Friday and headed west to spend a couple days with Aron's family in Saint Joseph.  The weather was a bit cool so no swimming in Lake Michigan or splashing in the Whirlpool Fountain, but we found plenty of other places to explore.  After a relaxing Friday, we headed out for some fun on Saturday.  Aron's Dad met us for lunch and then took us to Hidden Ridge fun park.  The kids had a blast driving go carts, playing mini golf, hitting balls in the batting cages, and bouncing on a trampoline.  From there we headed to Aron's relatives' cottage on Lake Michigan.  We walked the pier and enjoyed the beautiful sights of our beautiful Great Lake.  Saturday night we enjoyed family time with Aron's mom and two brothers.  The older Carlson men showed Russell how to play the board game Axis and Allies.  Russell had difficulty falling to sleep because as he pointed out, "his mind was too busy thinking about strategy."  He is definitely our history buff.  After a good night's sleep, we headed downtown Saint Jo on Sunday for a visit to Curious Kids Museum, a ride on the carousel, and a walk through town ending with ice cream!  We made the trip home Sunday evening in order to be home for the annual Royal Oak Memorial Day parade.  Russell marched this year with the cub scouts.  He looked so grown up!  Sloane had some excitement as a spectator when Fox 2 News decided to interview the kids.  Myself along with the rest of the family, would like to thank all of our service men and women past and present!!!  We are truly grateful!

 

Put-Put Fun!



 

Walking the St. Jo Pier

 

Evening with the Carlson boys.  Wings game on while playing Axis and Allies.

 

Exploring Downtown

 

Look closely...  This is not an ordinary statue.  This is a man dressed as a George Washington statue.  He would stand, walk, sit, and motion to the people walking by.  We loved it!

 

Downtown Art Exhibit - Planes, Trains, and Helicopters!

 

Fun at the Carousel

 

Hanging out at Grammy's House

 

Parade Time!

 

News Interview

 

Our Little Scout

Has spring FINALLY arrived?

After a VERY cold and wet start to spring, I think things are beginning to look up.  We can not get enough of the bright sunny days and fresh air of outside!  Getting homework done is becoming more and more challenging.  After being stuck indoors for so long, I can't say no to the outdoors!  It looks like the coming week will be bringing even more sunshine!!!  Hip hip hooray!!!

Ducks have found a new home at our neighborhood park due to the flooded grounds.  The kids followed the ducks around for more than 20 minutes.

After two weeks of cancelled games (flooded fields), we finally are on the field and having fun in the mud!

Sloane is loving being part of Team Purplicious!  She is one ferocious player!  Watch out!!!

Russell is back with the Pirates and doing AWESOME!!!  I love seeing his athletic growth.

His favorites position, goalie!

Diva Run

Last weekend I flew to Myrtle Beach to see one of my closest friends, Maria.  We ran our 2nd Diva 1/2 Marathon together.  I finished the race at 1:56 and in the top quarter of racers.  Once the race was over, it was nothing but rest and relaxation.  The weather was not hot, but we were able to walk the beach, sip Mai Tais poolside, and hear the ocean as we slept.  Ahhhhhh...  What a marvelous girls' weekend away!

The first thing I did after checking into our room was pull back the blinds to check out the view.  Wow!  I could look at this for hours! 

Amazing views and calming sounds.  Can I go back tomorrow?

Diva runners ready to RUN 13.1!!!