Recital 2013

Recital this year was a blast to watch!  The girls had two entirely different styles of dance, and both did a great job!

 

Afterwards, I was able to get a few pics also...

Spring Dance Pics

Camryn:  Hip Hop!  :)

 Aubrey:  Ballet!  :)

 

 

Girl Scout Geocaching

For our final badge of the year, we took our Brownie troop Geocaching.  What a blast!  We turned it into a family event, so moms, dads, and siblings tagged along too.  We hiked for a few miles on a beautiful day, found two caches, and to top it off, created and hid our own!  Now geocachers from all over can find our troop cache, and we can monitor online how many searchers have located it!  Super fun!

The girls had to use team work, cooperation, map skills, and even GPS to locate their finds.  Way to go, girls!

 

 

 Dan teaching the girls about Geocaching, and GPS

 

 This was our cache that we hid!

 The younger siblings were PSYCHED to be a part of this one!

 They sent little brother Max under the bridge to retrieve the first cache!

Sun + hiking + geocaching + popsicles = HAPPY KIDS!

Author's Tea

To end the year, Camryn's class hosted an "Author's Tea," at which time EVERY student in the class shared at least one of their best writing pieces from the year.  Students also auditioned and were voted in to be narrators for the event.

Camryn shared her story "The Surprise," about the morning we surprised the girls with a trip to Disneyland, and "A Beautiful Sunset," about a character she invented named Kate McLate.  :)  She also was honored by her classmates as one of the narrators, which meant she had to write and memorize her introductions, as well as speak multiple times in front of a cafeteria full of people.

Not surprisingly, she was ecstatic about this opportunity, but complained for days about being nervous and having a fluttery tummy.  The day of however, she did an amazing job, never hinting once that she wasn't 100% confident.

Nice work, Camryn!  Way to be a leader!  We are proud of you for wanting something, working hard, going for it, and succeeding!

Last Day of School!!!

Wednesday was the last day of school!!!  That means Camryn is "officially" a THIRD GRADER (What???), and Aubrey is officially done with preschool and ready to be a KINDERGARTENER!  Where has the time gone???

Twin Day

"Twin Day" at Deer Creek last week.  :) 

Dirty Girl Mud Run 2013

Earlier this year, a coworker/friend of mine suggested that the females on our staff participate in the "Dirty Girl Mud Run" this spring.  She offered it up as a chance for us to each step outside of our "box," build some camaraderie, and have some fun.  Little did she know just how far outside of my box she was asking me to step!

When Brian heard about it, he just laughed.  Encouraging and urging me along the way, he insisted on attending to witness the event with his own eyes.  (I'm pretty sure he thought I wouldn't go through with it.)
 
But it was my sister is actually the one who said it best (with more than a hint of disbelief in her voice, "Um.  You HATE running, and you HATE getting dirty.  Do you KNOW what a Mud Run is?"

Yeah. 

So the day finally came for all 25 of us to run/walk/hobble along the 5K course, attack obstacles, and crawl, slosh, roll, through the mud pits along the way.

And it was awesome.

Truly!

And I made it.  Successfully even!

It is worth noting:
1.  I ran most of the way.
2. I did not "avoid" (or walk around) a single obstacle.
3. I did not hurt myself(!)
4. I finished in the top 10 of our team.  (It was not a timed race.)

Seriously.  I really did it.  I can hardly even believe it myself!

Unfortunately, Brian had to leave town suddenly the morning of the race to be with his grandmother who is quite ill, so he didn't get to see it.  But next year!  Next year we will do it again(!), and Brian will see.  And the girls will see.  That even their neat-nick, high maintenance Mama can get down and dirty, and have fun doing it.

I think they would like to see that.  :)

Our team "Before"

 

 Waiting for the race to start

 

I have to get into THAT???

 

 My personal favorite...the slide into the mud pit.  :)

 

 

 PROOF that I ran!!!

 There I am!

Next time I will remember to close my mouth when I hit the mud.

 

 The final pit was free choice.  :)

 

 

I guess Sarah chose to dive.  :)

I promise, it was all out of love...!

  

 

  The "After."  It really is hard to tell in photos how muddy we were.  It wasn't a sticky, clay mud.  It was more of a sandy, gravelly, wet mud.  A gooey on the bottom, wet on the top, settles in between your toes, and weighs you down, wet-type-mud.

 

 

 

Celebratory beer. We made it.  :)