8 more days...

That's right!  Only eight days until Caden completes his first year of school.  I am excited for the little guy, though he is growing up so fast.  He is getting so tall, all of the pants that fit over winter are now too short.  He eats a lot.  A lot... I cannot begin to imagine the grocery bill when he is a teenager.

We are very ready to have a break from our normal routine, and plan on doing many fun activities this summer.  The kids will spend a large portion of their summer with Clint.  I will miss them, but will see them every weekend, and bet that they are going to have a blast spending some extra time with their daddy.

I finished my finals last Thursday, and my car died for the last time on the same day.  We had been expecting it for some time, and with 240,000 (I know, crazy--and no doubt, a testament to Chevrolet) miles, it was time to call it quits.  I am now the driver of a mini van.  There was a point in my life when I hated any and all vans on the road, but now I have a new found appreciation for the van. 

School ended with grades that I am proud of.  It will be nice to have a break for the summer, but I will be ready for classes to start come August. 

Here are some pictures that sum up the week.

I can't figure out how to rotate this one.  Miss Laica did this 100-piece puzzle (basically) unassisted.  I helped get her started on the outer edge, but only after she first refused my help then grew frustrated when she wasn't having much success.  (Sound like anyone you know?  Having a daughter that acts just like me really makes me understand how crazy I must make those close to me sometimes.  Oh well, no one can say we aren't independent. :))

Isn't he so stinking cute?  This was at the library, on the same day that the car died.  We were killing a little time before picking up Cody from work, and had time to visit "Justin's library."

Caden had his first baseball game at 7:30 Friday night.  (Can you tell I put my kids to bed early?)  We had barely made it out of Republic, and both kids looked like this.  Out.

On Saturday, the kids went with Harold and Becky (thanks, again!) so Cody and I could get out and enjoy the beautiful day, adult-style.  We attended Mother's Brewing Company's annual bash (which is very family-friendly, we just wanted a date-day) and had a really good time hanging out with each other, family, and friends.  Always nice to get out and see some folks I don't get to see that often anymore... and good beer and music along with perfect weather make for an awesome day.

Laica and I got to stay at home for most of the day today, and her first strawberry was ready to be picked.  The kids really are having a great time with the garden.  There is another berry that is almost ready, I am hoping Caden can pick it tomorrow.  Little Miss said that it was delicious.

I took this picture to show Cody what I was making for dinner.  If I haven't said it here before, I love my crock pot.  I also love that I can feed all of these vegetables to my family without any complaints.  Caden is looking forward to his field day tomorrow at school, and I can't wait to hear all about it.