Sweet rewards

 I teach the 6 turning 7 year old kids at church - CTR 6B (CTR for Choose the Right, 6 because of how old they are, and 'B' because we are the second class - there are 14 kids and it was wisely decided to split into 2 classes) I have 6 kids - all amazing! I challenged them back in April (the Bishopric had challenged our ward to learn them in a month) to memorize the Articles of Faith (there are 13!). They had to memorize at least 6 in 6 weeks and if they did, I would host an ice cream party. And because they had to, I did too. Couldn't very well show up if I hadn't done the work now could I?? So my family got to work on memorizing at least 6. I'm very proud of each of them and grateful to teach them.

 Lucas got to join the party and was so happy to play with Austin - sometimes the girls overwhelm our home and he gets a left out.

Austin, Sam, Kirsten - good job!

Next challenge is to memorize the rest and we get a pizza party when school starts in Aug! I'd better get to work.

cue the theme song....

 The duels started before we ever delivered the invites - crime does not wait. haha

 Darth Vader vs Luke Skywalker

 Princess Lea vs. Yoda/Darth

 Yoda couldn't decide if she wanted to be good or bad.....

And this is how we delivered the invites - although Darth Vader stayed home, he would come back though. The bad guys always do.

LET THE PARTY BEGIN:

The party even started when some of the boys woke up. I saw two of them at breakfast at the school - one already dressed as a jedi and the other's mom asked if he could wear a costume - PERFECT! I love it!

 A Clone Trooper (I asked if he was a storm trooper and was quickly corrected that he was a CLONE, oh....sorry) :) a Jedi, Yoda and Luke answered the door - grab a light-saber.

 After popping several balloons and wanting to go inside............(cue the evil theme music).....DARTH VADER! ATTACK! They had water balloons and noodle sabers to fight him and save Princess Lea who was at the top of the slide.

 Got him!!

 Boston the Clone Trooper came over to make sure he was dead and stabbed him with the light saber....haha!

 Off to save the Princess and Darth Vader came back to life!!!

 Food break

 The girls were banished to the craft table for lunch - one was less than thrilled.....

 Light Saber cupcakes and our own bobble head Luke.

 Lots of fun gifts - I asked him which was his favorite and he said 'All of them!'

 For whatever reason, Risenmay boys are entertaining to little kids - especially when they pretend to be dead then 'wake up' and yell at them. :) Boston kept asking him to do the yelling thing over and over.

 Trying to get to the dart guns to try them out.

 Boston, Cooper, Lucas, Bowen, Logan, Mason

 Boston wanted to fight, so fight they did. He's laughing really, he is.

 SOCKS!!!! (after throwing out all of the socks he currently owned, he said 'I will wear these socks every day!)

a new backpack - ready for school and any road trips

 another dart gun and cool glasses

 Only the son of an accountant and statistician would be excited about a calculator!

'nuff said

Happy 5th birthday Lucas! Love ya!

just because

 Random happenings in the past month:

 This kid just keeps getting bigger and just so dang cute - even the drool is sort of cute... :)

 This is what happens when you jump off older sisters' bunkbed ladder to touch the light cords and then land on Kirsten's head with your nose. Daddy then spends the next 10 minutes researching 'broken nose'. You then spend the next week with light bruising under the eyes and breathing slightly louder than normal. Alas, no broken nose and it has not slowed him down a bit!

 Dad wears a do-rag, we all wear a do-rag and glasses to work in the yard.

This is how we spent the first day of swim lessons:

 we're in the water......level 1

 Lucas complained the whole drive to the pool, then threw up in the parking lot - eggs, yuck.

Then threw up on the pool deck - sorry guy who got to clean it up, at least it was mostly clear (the chunks were in the parking lot - sorry Hales)

Threw up a few more times in the cooler - don't worry I emptied it first

 and........cue the tears...what?!

 at least one of us was having fun!

Day 2 was only slightly better - no puking, but there was crying the entire lesson by Abbey. I moved her on day 3 to an earlier class with smaller kids. The kids in her original class were at least 7-8 years old, much bigger and could stand - while she clung to the side of the pool. She now LOVES, LOVES swim lessons and we have had no puking. Fun, really good teachers too - always helps.