Caroline's 13th Birthday!

 Yes, it's official--two teenagers in the house!  All the drama, weeping, he said/she said, obsessing, texting.....and that's just me and Tim!  (bah dump dah!  I'll be here all week, folks!)  Caroline wanted to invite over a hoard of friends for a sleepover, and she picked out the black/white/aqua theme that you see here:

Allison, Lo Lo, Anna Marie, Claire, and Emma

 Party started right after school last Friday, and the girls made little English muffin pizzas and ate a ton of watermelon, blueberries, and strawberries.  They hung out for a while, then came back downstairs for presents and cake.

Present time!

Jay and Emmy were shy at first, but warmed up quickly!  They would not leave the girls alone, which annoyed Caroline to no end.  But her friends without little brothers and sisters were very amused by them and helped out a lot!

Narwhal!

I-tunes gift cards were kind of a theme!

"Rainbow in my Room" from me and Timmy!

Our "big" present to Caroline were 2 new pairs of shoes and a new tennis set up!  Caroline does 2 weeks of tennis camp each summer and fall tennis.  She has been doing spring tennis twice a week for the past 2 months and wants to try out for the JV team next year.  We got her a sweet new racket and bag!

Jay gave it a try!

Make a wish!

We got the younger two in bed and then asked the girls if they wanted to do s'mores.  They ran outside to the patio and we got the fire pit going pretty good!  I figured they would eat a few and head back in, but they were out there for over 3 hours!  Timmy said they finally gave it a rest at midnight.  I wouldn't know--I was conked out by 10!

Backyard Shenanigans

 We have been enjoying this warm weather and getting the yard a little more "spruced up".  The winter was hard on all of us, especially my poor plants!  As you can see above, we painted the whole fence (thank the Lord for paint sprayers!) and added copper lights to the tops of the fence posts.  They give off the perfect amount of "glow" in the evenings and the copper looks so nice!

Broke out the fire pit!  We've made s'mores twice already!

 Our newest addition:  the playground!  We started with a broken down set from Craigslist, with the idea that we would replace the broken/rotten wood but use all the slides/supports/accessory pieces.  We ended up doubling the size of the second floor area, adding a big climbing ladder, and then a playhouse underneath!  With a real roof and shingles, I'm thinking about pulling a permit and charging for rent in this thing!

Pea gravel and rubber mulch give the space that "daycare" look that so many strive for!

Their favorite hangout spot--the turtle sand box!  

Blowing raspberries for the camera.

This thing is....massive.  It's safe to say that they won't outgrow it anytime soon!

A peek inside the house.  We plan to add some plastic chairs and finish the trim!

Caroline's Band Concert

 Caroline invited Cammy to her final band concert last week and Cammy (the retiree) happily accepted!  It's not only Caroline's last time playing as a 7th grader, but it's also her last concert with her teacher Mr. Shira because, sadly, he is headed back home to Mississippi this summer.  The lure of teaching at a rural school wasn't enough to hold him back from returning to his significant other and doggy down in the delta.  We are going to miss that sassy cat around school, and I know the kids are upset as well.

Mr. Daniels (L)-- KGHS band director and Mr. Shira (R)--KGMS band director

Emily spotted a friend from school--Avery--and got some hang out time while we waited for Caroline after the concert.

We are all so proud of our little saxophone player!