Weekend Wedding

Last weekend, we went to Salem for the wedding of one of Jared's cousins.  I've been around the Collier family long enough to basically see Darcy grow up.  I think she was 9 or 10 when I first met her.  Anyway, she is all grown up and got married (and moved to Alabama) on Saturday.  It was a beautiful ceremony for a beautiful couple!  Ethan and Nora joined us for the reception and seemed to have a great time!!

Cody and Darcy!

Father/Daughter dance :)

The kids snacked, danced and blew bubbles while we waited for the wedding party and dinner.  They may have been a little hyper...

Happy Kids!

Sweet Nora

Silly Ethan

Dancing!

Bubble blowing

Goofy face making

This is the best one of the 4 of us... I told you they were hyper :)!

Jared and I, remembering our wedding 9 Memorial Day weekends before ;)

There was a photo booth and Ethan really got into it!  He kept trying to find different people to go get his picture taken with! (Forgive the poor quality...I just took a pictures of the prints)

Family in the Photo Booth

Grandma Karen and Ethan

Grandma Karen, Grandpa, Ethan and Nora

It was such a fun afternoon and evening celebrating a wonderful couple!  Congrats Darcy and Cody!

First Swim Day of the Season!

Yesterday was our first trip to the Surf Club of the season!  We had such a great summer last year spending lots and lots of days at the pool!  We couldn't wait for this season to start!

On our way in!

I'm not sure what the deal with this face is...he was happy and just being goofy.  Must have just caught a funny expression!

She's a fish!  Not at all afraid of the water, or of a belly flop!

Ethan's Last Day of Preschool

Last Friday was Ethan's last day of preschool...forever!  To be honest, it was a little hard for me to take!  But he's so excited about summer and kindergarten!  For his last day, they had a field trip to visit the kindergarten.  His school is right next door to the elementary school, so we just walked right over.  I tagged along and brought the camera.

Last day of pre-k

Here's his first day...for some comparison!

He's grown and learned a lot!

Meeting one of the kindergarten teachers and her class.

Working on a project with the kindergartners

Taking a tour of his new school

After the trip to the kindergarten, we walked back to Ethan's school.  Here is his whole class on their last day!

We brought cupcakes to celebrate Ethan's birthday (a little early).  Minion cupcakes with blue icing...I'm sure all the parents were excited about that :).

Blue mouths!

After snack (and clean up) they all headed out to the playground for one last time!  Such a great group of kids!

Jaxson and Ethan- best buds at school!

Mrs. McDevitt and Ethan.  We will miss her so much!  She was wonderful.  Hopefully she plans to stick around, so Nora can have her too :)!

Nora's First (real) Haircut

This was Nora's first time in a real salon to get her hair cut. My friend has trimmed it a few times, but it needed a little more. She did so well and sat so still!








Such a big girl now!! I have to straighten it to look like that...so it's usually a little curly and wavy!

Preschool Graduation

My little baby boy graduated from preschool last Sunday!  He has learned so much there and had such a great experience!  It will be hard to not be a part of that school next year.  But, Ethan is super excited about going to kindergarten.  He gets to visit a classroom and take a tour on Friday, so that will be nice.  Anyway, on to the pictures!  His class sang 2 songs and then joined the 3 year old class for 1 song.  It was a very nice program.

All Smiles!

That hat!  It kept creeping back on his head :)!

Working the choreography 

After the songs, there was a little graduation ceremony.

Getting his diploma

My Big Boy!

If you're interested...here are a couple videos of his stellar performance ;).
First up: I've Got the Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy (and some lovely commentary from Nora right as I turned the camera on)

Next, I am a Promise

Preschool Field Trip

On Friday, Ethan's preschool class went to a YMCA in a town not too far from us.  It has a wonderful kids pool.  It was a blast and all the kids loved it!

Just getting in...all smiles!!

Ethan with his buddies, Blake and Jaxson

They loved the tire swing!

Here's the tire swing in action...

Ethan and Blake again

Standing under the water spout

Just lounging

Underwater Ethan!

A Beautiful Mother's Day

I realize, I'm behind a day!  Happy Mother's Day to my mom and mother in law!!  As well as all the other moms in my life!  We love you all!
We had a great day.  The weather was beautiful and I got some new landscape lighting installed for my Mother's Day gift!  I will have to take a picture to share later.  After church, a tasty lunch and a nap, we decided to go to the park for some playing and fishing.

Lucky to have these 2 boys in my life :)!

He ended up catching 3 fish!  I was playing with Nora, so no pics of the fish.

She didn't get wet...but wanted to inch closer and closer to the water.

Lucky to be this girls mama!

Nora wasn't too interested in the fishing, so we walked to the playground.

Ethan and Daddy joined us, after their worms were gone.

I LOVE this picture of these 2!

What a wonderful Mother's Day!  I'm so blessed!  And, just think, there will be 3 littles in the pic with me next year!

Baseball Star

At least he's a star to me :)! Ethan had his first baseball game on Thursday night.  He was beaming the whole time.  He loved it!  It was so fun to watch. They play 3 innings where every player has a turn to bat.  There is no score keeping, but these kids don't care!  They each get 5 (if needed) pitches from the coach and if they don't hit any, they get to hit off the tee.  So it's kind of a hybrid coach pitch/tee-ball.  Ethan hit the pitches his first 2 at bats, and the third used the tee.  He also played outfield, third base and pitcher.  He said pitcher was his favorite, because he got to get the ball more and throw to first base :).  Anyway, on to pictures...

Playing the field...at least he wasn't picking flowers ;).

He smacked it down the first base line :)

If you look close, the white smear in the dirt out in front of his bat is the ball!

My good friend, Jessica, got a video of his first at bat and HIT of his baseball season!

Running the bases.

Cheering section/snack area

Nora and Callynn enjoying their brothers game!

She ate most of the time :)

Ethan the 'pitcher' 

Good Game

"Go Braves!!" (with their treat dollars)

Blue Gatorade mustache, a ring pop and a very happy boy!