Paddle Board Trial...at the Mudhole

But first!  A couple of pictures from the bike ride Jeff went on in the morning:

And then a picture of a great afternoon of warm fun by the river (the first paddle board outing a success!!!)...and then a bonus naughty pup pic.

June 18, 2021

Two very exciting things happened on this day: 1*) Jeff&LE celebrated SIXTEEN years of marriage, and 2**) Kalei Nalani Van Sickle graduated from Mead High School!

*1--Since I was done with work and Jeff still had to teach for another WEEK (insert shocked face, here!) I surprised him with a SIXTEEN-ounce iced coffee!  He showed me that the background on his classroom agenda was a picture of the bridge he proposed on SIXTEEN years ago.  Sweet.

**2--Kalei's graduation ceremony allowed for only direct family members to attend.  So we volunteered to be the party-preparers who would watch the ceremony online, while setting up for the party afterward!  Julie came up for the weekend and we warmed up breadsticks after we saw Kalei walk across the stage (waiting for the V graduates...agony!).  The bonus entertainment for us was to see Uncle Drew on TV too...and he was even mentioned in a Valedictorian speech..."Mr. Lochhead helped us understand the makings of the high school boy brain..." OR SOMETHING OF THE SORT.  Don't quote me, but that was the gist that we will be reminding Drew about for years.  We suggested that Grace take her boy troubles to Uncle Drew now, but she wasn't quite sure about this.

There she is!!!  All smiles!!!

After dinner at her house, we all went out to dessert at the golf course.  It was so nice to share in this special day of hers!

Last Week of 5th Grade for Mrs. "Fullochheader"

The last week of school was extra memorable for Melissa and I--we knew she was moving on and I would probably carry on without her as my other half--so we were a bit sentimental in the craziest week of the teaching year...

Oh, Mrs. Fuller.  Here she is in the middle of one of her stories, it looks!  It was such a crazy year--starting online, continuing hybrid days, then full days at the end of the year.  I'm glad I recorded a little bit of it to remind me how many transitions happened in one EPIC school year.  Our last day of school was June 17...and Mead went for an extra week after that!  

Sleeping and Graduating

This is Micah's sleeping spot most nights.  Since Christmas, he's been having a hard time sleeping in his room by himself, so he's slept on our floor most nights. Sometimes he starts sleeping in his room and then comes in halfway through the night, other times he just starts sleeping on our floor.  All of our kids have gone through this sleeping stage and have put some hours in on our floor.  We keep telling him that he'll grow out of it...but Nessa doesn't seem to mind having a sleeping buddy!

Our Middle Child is graduating from elementary school this year!  We came home from Julie's to see this yard sign, so OF COURSE, I asked him to pose by it.  :)

And this nasturtium is finally blooming--I got this from the seeds that Kai started in the spring!  It's so cute here, in my kitchen window boxes.

Yardwork for Auntie Julie

We got to go see Auntie Julie in her new house on a weekend in June!  We wanted to help her with a few landscaping projects, so we ended up shopping around the local nurseries, making lists of plants she could give to her landscapers.  We did end up planting her flower pots and helping set up the nieces' trampoline!  Of course it was so hot, so the pool at Trina's hit the spot!

A Greenbluff Ride

I always love the pictures that Jeff takes on his Greenbluff/Mt. Spokane rides.  Gorgeous!
 

Our Lakeside Seniors of 2021

Look at these sweet 5th graders from 2013-14!  This class is graduating this week, and when they were in 5th grade, they had two teachers who EACH had their last babies during the year.  Micah Lochhead came in November, and Evie Fuller arrived in May...so Miss Noel was our long-term sub for both ends of the year! We were so excited to celebrate these students--and I love to help Melissa carry out the tradition that she initiated so many years ago: giving balloons to our graduating seniors that were OURS.  It is always so fun to look through the list of students, remember who they were, celebrate who they are, and to wish them well in who they will become.

This year's balloon routine was also memorable for us, knowing that Melissa has been hired to start the 9Mile Family Partnership program next year...and I'm gearing up to work full-time without her...ugh.  We're both anxious to see where we will be next June...

 

Swimming Lessons with Miss Leslie

 

Back in February, when we had to sign up for swimming lesson times, we weren't sure what the summer would hold.  Would we be able to travel again?  Would we go camping more? So many questions were still unanswered.  So we signed Micah up to take a week of lessons in the afternoons after school during a week in June.  We sort of giggled when we received our assigned time:  7:30-8:15pm! So for a whole week of 1st grade in June, Micah was getting out of swim lessons past his bedtime.  Ha, ha!  Sorry, Mrs. Keyes!  Mead ended up going to school until JUNE 25, due to the September Smokopolypse of 2020...so it all worked out, it was just a bunch of late nights for Micah.  He was also put in a group of kids that were all older than him, but he held his own!  I think being with older kids has always been a motivator for Micah.  We were so proud of the progress he made!  He loves the water and works hard at whatever Miss Leslie shows him.  

My Two Favorite Things:

1.  Kids reading with snuggly pups.

2. New garden beds GROWING THINGS.

Birthday Dinner with Travis!

Travis turned 7 this week and invited our family over for dinner!  It was a fun afternoon of trampoline jumping and Pokemon card sorting, and delicious food eating!  Travis and Micah are quite entertaining together...