Kira's Kindergarten Graduation!

Kira got the 24 hour stomach flu and missed her kindergarten graduation yesterday!!! We were all sooo bummed.... But when we got to school today for the last day of school, her most fabulous teacher Mrs. Ott said "she can graduate today!".... So first thing in the morning at "Flag", the kindergarten class went up on risers on the stage to sing some songs. But first, the head of school announced that Kira was graduating this morning! So, in front of the whole school, Kira graduated all by herself. She was the only one with a cute little blue graduation cap. It was ADORABLE and we can never thank Mrs. Ott enough!

This picture is Kira being announced by the head of school:



Then Mrs. Ott asked Kira, "What did you learn in Kindergarten?"... (they had practiced their responses, but with being sick, Kira needed a little whispered reminder)... and she said loud and clear, "Share Everything!".


Finally, she was presented her diploma:

And here is the video of their graduation song:

CONGRATULATIONS KIRA MAY!!!!!!!!!!

Kira's Irish a capella Performance

Last week, Kira sang in front of the whole school at the variety show and did an amazing job!
We were so proud of her! The parents and whole school (pre k - 12th grade) were there, and she performed in the "big" gym- on stage- all by herself... just a microphone.

One thing i did not catch on video... after her song, she bowed, and then picked up a basket with green puff balls- and thew them into the audience. All the kids got up and rushed the stage! lol. leave it to our girl. A million thanks to her teacher Mrs. Ott for encouraging her and doing a bang up job organizing the whole show! She is the best teacher ever.

Great job Kira May!

Kira's New Playset

A good friend of mine from work and his wife graciously gave us their used playcenter now that their kids are a bit older. They also helped us move it to our house! Kira and her friends had sooo much fun trying it out this weekend! It was a beautiful sunny spring day, and at any point in time, there were between 5-8 girls playing. Kira is thrilled with the playset AND a great excuse for the kids to play at HER house now!

The one below is all the girls sitting on benches while they picked teams and discussed the name for their "camp".

And my favorite picture...

Kira's First Soccer Game!

Kira is on a Kindergarten soccer team now. With the rainly cool weather, the had a whopping 2 practices before their first game this Saturday! Let me preface the game by letting you know how adorable, informal, and hillarious it was!

First, they broke up each team into two smaller teams. So Kira was one of 5 from her school. But they always had 2 sitting out and 3 on the field. And the best part... no goalies! Hey- they were lucky to kick the ball, needless to say in the right direction. Surprisingly, the kids seemed to get the hang of remembering which goal was theirs. After about 30 minutes, it started to rain, and they called the game. Kira says they won, but I was too busy giggling at the cute kids slapping "good game" in the rain to notice the call!

Sharing a Yummy Dessert

At the end of April, we headed to Illinois to have a late Easter. We went out for a great brunch. The highlight at the end was Kira and Daddy sharing a decadent banana fosters dessert.

Just Because...

Last night the three of us went to the Texas Roadhouse for dinner. Kira was pretty much a big ham ball all day, but while we were waiting to be seated, she managed to settle for just long enough for one cute picture. My baby is getting so tall!

Weekend to Oregon State with Grandma

Since my grandfather passed away last August, my grandmother in Milwaukee is able to travel a little more and wanted to go see my mom (her daughter) in Oregon state. So, my mom flew in to town and took my grandma back to Oregon with her for a week. Well, grandma needed an escort back from Oregon, so I somehow managed to be the lucky one for the job! (I know, it was rough, but someone had to do it!) It was the first time as an adult that the three of us got to spend that kind of time together. I was only there for 2 whole days, but it was very fun and relaxing.

My parents have a beautiful house in Salem at the top of a hill with 3 HUGE trees. You can spot their trees from quite some ways away. It is a very impressive drive up the hill to their beautiful house.



And right from their backyard, they have a beautiful view of Mt. Hood on a clear day.

The first day, we drove down to the ocean. It had been cool and cloudy until I arrived, and then apparently, I got there and the weather got warm, clear and beautiful. There was one lookout point in particular that is completely breathtaking....

We stopped for lunch at a cute little resturant. They had spectacular clam chowder, and a great view of Depot Bay, which is the smallest natural navigable harbor in the world.

Then we went to another location with cute shops, and a part where you hear barking.... when you get closer, you arrive at this dock with huge and hillarious sea lions.

On the drive home, we drove through some beautiful moss covered trees.

Oregon is also the second most fertile land in the world after Hawaii. We are always driving past another crop.... grapes, apples, hazlenuts, chrismas trees, grass seed, figs, you name it. Below is a photo of a small part of a huge field that harvests hops for beer.

The last day, we went to several wineries, all within a very small driving radius of my parents' house. This last picture doesnt really do it justice, but our favorite winery was designed so well inside, even had beautiful bathrooms. The wine was great, but best of all, it had a gorgeous view from their deck. Not like Wisconsin, that's for sure.

So overall, Oregon was amazing as always. But Grandma was thrilled to spend time with her girls and was so thankful. It was nice to be able to do something for her that she truely valued.