MISS FRISBY

Well, this post is just for Bailey Rose! She had begged me and begged me to blog about her little friend and pet Miss Frisby. She got Miss Frisby this last May. She is a Dwarf hamster and Bailey Rose is just in love with this little fur ball. She actually spent some of her birthday money on a little plastic pool so that Miss Frisby would be able to exercise in a large place without being able to escape. Her idea worked out beautifully and Bailey Rose could sit for hours and watch her run around the little pool. She got lots of hamster toys for her birthday and so Bailey Rose sets up little exercise courses for her to play with while spending time in the pool. She has been a great pet for Bailey Rose and she does a terrific job cleaning her cage and making sure she has food and fresh water. However, because she is a Dwarf hamster she is very small and very fast and so Bailey Rose does not get to hold her like she wants too. Next time we will not get a Dwarf so that Bailey Rose will be able to pet and hold it.

TRENDY?

Bailey Rose begged to have the newest craze (hair feathers)! Some of her friends at school had them so she wanted one. I first said no because, I didn't thought it was too trendy but, then I realized it was no different from clothing styles like skinny jeans that are trendy at first. I know this fad will die out soon enough so, I caved and let her get one. She was so excited and after spending at least twenty minutes picking the color she wanted she now sports a small cute blue feather!

CATCHING UP!

Well, I guess it is time to play catch up again!

In July we celebrated Bailey Rose's 10th Birthday! With favorite cake and all the cousins it made it perfect for her. I still can't believe my baby is 10 years old! Seems just like yesterday I was holding her in my arms and meeting her for the first time.






The first day of school came quicker then I thought it would. Keaton has entered the 7th grade and is now enjoying Jr. High. The first day was not a good one but he has now made the adjustment and is enjoying it as much as any 12 year old enjoys school. He loves having Band everyday and really likes his band teacher. He is not thrilled with a PE class everyday but, I am sure once the weather has cooled off he won't mind it as much. He is growing up so fast and becoming such an awesome young man.

KEATON - 1ST DAY OF 7TH GRADE JR. HIGH


Bailey started 5th grade this year. Two more years and she will be in Jr. High too! Where does the time go? She had a "perfect" first day and was all smiles when she came home. She loves her teacher which is the same teacher she had in 4th grade. I love it when great teachers loop. She is also taking the viola this year and is too excited about learning to play an instrument. She is my bursting bubble of happiness!
I am glad she is enjoying the 5th grade!

BAILEY ROSE- 5TH GRADE


It is weird having the kids at different schools this year and makes picking up and dropping off a bit more rushed but since Kevan has been on medical leave from work it has worked out good with his help. However, in a few weeks when he returns to work I will be juggling the driving a little more.

Last week Keaton finally was able to buy his 3DS which he has been saving for. He got lucky and they went on sale and was marked down $80 which I think is just an awesome deal. He has enjoyed it LOTS since he got it and tells us all the time, "It is the best purchase of my life!" I think he appreciates it more since he saved and saved until he could buy it. He is now saving for new games. He is one HAPPY CAMPER!



All in all I thought this summer was a good one. We did nothing exciting and went on no vacations but it was enjoyable still the same. Things are getting back into a routine and it looks like this school year is going to be a good one!

WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?

What is wrong with this picture?
Well, the kids wanted to watch the Disney Channel so I told them it was fine and to just keep the volume down a little. Before long Kev and I made our way to the couch and sat down and began watching" Good Luck Charlie" with the kids when a few minutes into the show Kev turned to me and said, " Why are we watching this?" I said, "The kids wanted too." He then told me that he didn't think that was the case and I glanced over at the kids and this is what I saw; Bailey Rose playing "Angry Birds" on the i-pod and Keaton playing a game on his DS with the Disney Channel playing in the background which neither of them was watching. Kev and I looked at each other and chuckled at the fact that we were involved in a kids TV show while they were obviously being entertained by other electronic devices and hardly noticed. When Kev switched the channel both of the kids said in unison, "Dad! We were watching that!" Is it possible that they could do both at the same time? LOL!

SUMMER SO FAR.....

Well, I guess it is time for another update! So far it has been a busy summer mainly with just everyday life. The kids are finally starting to get the hang of "sleeping in" and I have enjoyed a little quiet time to myself in the mornings. I wish I could "sleep in" but I am up when Kev gets up for work at about 5am and I can only lay in bed for so long before I start to feel like I am wasting time.

A few weeks ago we celebrated Keaton's 12th birthday! Grandpa & Grandma Roth came all the way from Texas to be apart of this special birthday! Keaton was ordained a Deacon by his dad on Father's day! Grandpa & Grandma Roth, Grandpa & Grandma Smith and Uncle Chad and Kevan and I were there for his ordination. It was a very special Father's Day once again because, 12 years ago on Father's Day Kevan was able to bring home his first only son home from the hospital. It's hard to believe 12 years have gone by since that day. After church we had a Father's Day dinner at our house and had a full house with 17 people but it was DELICIOUS and LOADS of FUN!

A few days before his ordination we celebrated his birthday with Texas Sheet Cake ( My kids FAVORITE cake) and ice cream. The Jensen cousins and Uncle Brian & Aunt Shanna, Uncle Randy, Aunt Keri Lyn, Grandpa & Grandma Roth and Grandpa & Grandma Smith and Aunt Deb all showed up for the celebration. Keaton's favorite gift was all the money he received, he has been saving for a Nintendo 3DS and he was able to get much closer to his goal. It was lots of fun!








Kevan and Grandpa Roth, Uncle Randy and Keaton all endured the heat and got in a day of golf while Grandpa & Grandma Roth were visiting. Kevan enjoyed spending that time with his dad. He said it was the PERFECT Father's Day for him!

The next week after Keaton's birthday we all got together and celebrated my dad's 71st birthday! My dad picked the Golden Corral to eat at and we all had fun eating and visiting and laughing with one another. The cousins enjoyed hanging out as always! It was a fun night and celebrating my dad is an easy thing to do since is is just the GREATEST dad to walk this earth!










So far this summer has been a good one even if we have no plans to go anywhere. It is a stay at home summer and we have done lots of swimming and will continue to do lots of swimming. We are looking forward to celebrating Bailey Rose's 10th birthday in July! So the celebrations will continue throughout the summer!

A LITTLE GIRL & AN EASY BAKE OVEN

A few years back Bailey Rose got an Easy Bake Oven for Christmas just like most little girls want. We baked and baked until all the mixes were gone and then Grandma Smith bought her some for her birthday and again we baked and baked until the mixes were gone. It sat in a box for a few years after that and I was considering donating it because I figured she never talked about it and it hasn't been used in years. I assumed she had grown out of it. Then one day we walked into the 99 cents store and there on the shelf were Easy Bake mixes. She gasped in delight and then begged me to buy her a few mixes. I knew in her head she was thinking how much fun it would be to get down the box and rediscover her Easy Bake Oven. I caved and bought her a few mixes. Just like I thought she got down the box and well need I say more?













The difference in the experience this time was that she could do it all by herself without help from mom and she washed the dishes and cleaned up without mom. It was quite enjoyable just being able to sit watch her enjoy her Easy Bake Oven.

THIS & THAT!

Bailey Rose made this really cool piece of art in art class. They had to collect their own material for the piece and create whatever they wanted to create. The end result was pretty awesome I think! She calls it "Lady Gaga". I think the name fits the art piece perfectly!




This weekend we drained our pool and refilled it for the summer. It took about 5 hours to drain and about 2 days to fill. I am going to love the water bill next month! The kiddos thought it was cool to be able to walk down into the pool without the water. It is now refilled and more then ready for the summer of daily summer.




Well today is the last day of school! Bailey will move on to the 5th Grade and Keaton onto Jr. High. It is hard to believe how fast this school year has gone. Next year holds new adventures for both the kids. I will have them at different schools for the first time. As a matter of fact, they will not be at the same school together again until Keaton is a Jr. in High School. Even though next school year is the last thing on their minds I know they are excited for it! Here's to a FABULOUS summer!

SIXTH GRADE SCIENCE FAIR

Friday we had the pleasure of attending the 6th Grade Science Fair. Keaton was very excited to display his experiment and it to my surprise lots of the children from all the other grades really seemed interested in what he did. It was a simple project yet it had a good amount of data to record and then explain. Keaton did such a GREAT job at explaining the procedure and demostrating it and explaining the outcome and why. I was thrilled at how confident he was and at how much fun he was having. It was fun to see all the different experiments by all the 6th graders, they all did a GREAT job! I still find it hard to believe that he only has 4 more days of elementary school left. Next year Jr. High! Time goes by too quickly.

Keaton with his project:"Which has more electrical potential a potato or a lemon?"




Keaton and his Best Bud Nathan!

Bailey was happy to have Daddy at school!

FLOUR SACK BABIES!

Keaton's 6th Grade class is doing a flour sack baby experiment. They each brought in a sack of flour and then they were told if they had a boy or a girl. They have to carry it with them all week and take care of it as any parent would take care of their own child. This is to give them an idea of the responsibility a child brings into one's life. We did something just like this in High School only we were given a husband and a wife and jobs and a budget etc. on top of the flour sack baby. It is a fun experiment! Now Keaton was not thrilled about getting a girl baby. However, I made sure we dressed it up to make it look like a girl since he had to carry it around for this next week. Even though he wasn't thrilled about it I think deep down inside he is having fun with it all. Bailey Rose is always asking if she can babysit the baby which my 11 year old named, "Peach Toadstool Roth". ( Any guess at what his favorite pastime is?) I am not sure how much my ll year old son will get out of this experiment but, it has already sparked many questions about caring for a baby.

KEATON AND HIS FLOUR SACK DAUGHTER

"PEACH TOADSTOOL ROTH"

ALL DAY MONOPOLY

Yesterday morning the kids and Kevan started a game of monopoly. It was quite early when they started and lasted the entire day with a few pauses while chores and errands were done. It was actually nice to see them so entertained with one another as they bought and sold monopolies. I am not even sure who won the game but, boy did they have a blast! The kids love spending time with their dad and I love to watch them all interact! Kevan complained that the sun was too bright coming through the windows so he played most of the game in his sun glasses. I always call him a vampire since he always will sit in the dark to watch t.v. and seems to prefer the dark to the light!

SWIMMING SEASON BEGINS!

The kiddos decided it was hot enough for a swim this last weekend. Keaton was the brave one and stayed in the pool to swim for about 45 minutes. Bailey Rose on the other hand was in about 10 minutes and then moved to the trampoline. Smart girl! Though the weather is getting real warm the pool still needs about a week of 100 degree temps. before it is comfortable for extended swimming. However, they had fun!