More pictures from Cozumel MX

Off to Cozumel Mexico!!

About five months ago, some friends of ours asked us to join them on their trip to Cozumel. First of all, we felt very honored to have had them ask us to join them and second of all, Terry had been asking me for awhile now to take a trip with him....just us as a couple. I thought hard about it and decided to do it. I won't lie and say it was easy to leave my kids behind because it certainly wasn't!! And I won't lie and say I didn't think about them OFTEN while we were away, because I did!!
There were several things that we did that I really wished they could have been there for....but we did enjoy our time away together as a couple. It is so amazing how much has changed in the last 16 years - and Terry is not only my husband but he is still my best friend!!

It was interesting being in a country where we didn't speak the language but everything worked out great...despite a few "tense" moments!! But they made the memories all the more special. We had a great time on an excersion to Chichen Itze-an old Mayan ruins site. This has been added to the 7 Wonders of the World list, I believe. We also went swimming with the dolphins and toured the island in a rented jeep. The entire time we were riding in the jeep I kept remembering a jeep that my dad used to have - Runnin' Bear. It was the same color and all!! We also went snorkeling both right off the beach and out in the ocean on a tour. It was our first time to do this and, surprisingly, Miranda and I enjoyed the tour snorkeling more than the guys did!!

It was a wonderful way to spend our anniversary! Thank you, Eric and Miranda, for asking us to join you! Now, we need to plan the next trip.....with our kids along!!!

School's Out....Let's Shout!!!

I'm not sure who was happier to have summer vacation here....the kids or me!! I was able to surprise Trevor by attending his awards program. After watching him receive his awards, I was very glad that it worked out for me to get there. Each year, our school district has Olympiad tests in several subject areas depending on their grade level. This year, Trevor tested in Science, Language Arts, Math and Geography. He received first place medals in Science, Language Arts and Math - out of 123 students in his grade level.

That same afternoon, I volunteered for the field day activities and attended the awards program at the girls' school. Erin was extremely surprised when she was awards with a certificate for placing in the Top 10 (out of 125 students) for the Science Olympiads they had taken.

All three of the kids received their reading awards....absolutely NO surprise there for anyone!! Trevor even received the prize for having the highest number of reading points in his grade level - a new CD Boom box!!

Great job to all three of you - Daddy and I are proud of how hard you all work in school. Keep up the good work!

My children.....

Memorial Day

Last year we had a camp-out weekend at Terry's parent's land. It turned out so good, we decided to try it again this year. We had a smaller crowd this year but the kids had just as much fun and the adults enjoyed the time together and the relaxation.....or at least those of us that weren't cooking were relaxing!! Dad has a lot of recycling and the kids never grew bored of digging in the "treasures" to find ANYTHING that might be good for SOMETHING! Thank you to all who came and thank you to Mom and Dad for having us all again this year!! Many, many more memories were made by young and old alike!

Obstacle Course, Teeter-Totters and Team Work

We are very lucky in that our school district has a fabulous school forest set up with a nature area, a low-ropes course and a high-ropes course. The girls will have the chance to experience a portion of the high-ropes course in 4th grade....until then they have fun with team building experiences at the low-ropes obstacle courses. There are several different areas but the favorite is always jumping on a rope and swinging over the "water" (just a tarp) without touching down. The next favorite is an obstacle course involving climbing a log, walking across a wire rope and then climbing through tire swings without touching the ground. It is amazing to me how they can come out and experience the same things each year and they are always just as excited about it as they were in kindergarten!! And each year they are able to stratagize better...I just love watching them "grow" in ever way!

4-Wheeling with Dad!

Erin was sooooo excited when Trevor was invited to his best friend's birthday party - it meant that SHE got to go on the four-wheeling trip with Daddy! They had an exciting day on the trails with Uncle Chris, Shawn and Uncle Levi. The trails were bumpy and they suffered a small mishap but she said she had a fun day....and would go again!

Pull-eys Help Me!

In May, the fifth grade had their big project due. Trevor was very nervous as this project would end up being their final science grade for the year - it was a Science Fair project they needed to research, analyze, etc. Trevor chose to study the pulley systems and build several models using different number of pulleys in each system. Using K'Nex, he built three different models and then decorated his display board using my left over scrapbooking papers! During the fair, he had a lot of fun explaining the project to the younger students and letting them have hands-on fun with the models. He did a LOT of worrying, stressing and sweating over this project.....but he ended up with an A+!! Dad and I are so proud of all your hard work through fifth grade. You set very high goals for yourself....and you achieved each and every one of them this year!! We love you, Trev!