Kindergarten Graduation Party

 Cake and ice cream was in order to celebrate such a big accomplishment!! Kaya tinted her icing , iced her cake and decorated it as she wanted ;) Had a good turnout and Kaya was on cloud nine. We requested no gifts just family and friends.
 

Kindergarten Graduation

Kindergarten round up April 2014


  May 28th 2015 we graduated a kindergartener :) Oh my talk about an emotional week!! Here my baby was graduating Kindergarten, Emily was graduating High school, my brother graduating
college very soon in Cali. Ethan has been asked for a select technical school based in Kansas
with schools in Oregon and Cali. Good grief!! :)
   The ceremony was adorable, the songs sweet and when they sang and did sign language to "You are my Sunshine" ...they all beamed!! Each teacher presented their class, Kaya got an award for Science Fair. It was a good time. Kaya had us, her Mammaw W, her Pappaw W and her Grandma T all there. Uncle J sent his love from California. I dabbed more than a tear or two.





Last day of Kindergarten 2015



 

 



Kindergarten Picnic

   Kindergarten Picnic day was a success!! Other than so hot we thought we'd melt and Kaya having one mini breakdown afterwards..it went well.
   The kids walked to the local park and we met them there. After their picnic lunch (Nathan conveniently snagged the spot next to Kaya ;) ) we played for over 2 hours at the park. Sweaty hot kids having a ball other than the few that didn't want to share the swings. All the kindergarten classes came so there was an est. 80 kids there!! A big hit was the teachers giving cold ice water near the end. All the kids loved that as well as the popsicles they got once back in their classes.  After all the play time the kids walked back. Kaya managed to wrangle me into walking back with her so Steve drove and met us at the school.
  Tears flowed ALL the way back to school..she wanted to either leave with us or us stay with her. I told her she couldn't leave she had graduation practice (hard for her to get she had to stay when some parents take their kids out after every single event!!!! and the other kids see that) and we couldn't stay because the graduation songs were supposed to be a surprise for us.
   When we picked her up from school she was all smiles, Mrs W said she did great and Chloe had given her a hug ;)

World MS Day

  World MS Day brings attention to a serious disease that most people know nothing about. I will admit, till Steve got it I knew what it was but not what it actually could do and consisted of. MS is the smallest abbreviation for a big disease.....over 50,000 complications and issues. Steve has Relapse Remitting MS...there are different forms of MS such as RR, Progressive etc. Each has it's own set of issues and can switch down the road to another form. Yes, MS is such an awesome disease.
  Unless you have MS or are in close daily contact with someone that has MS then you really do not know the whole story. MS can make a person feel draggy and tired on a decent day and downright ready to kill themselves with pain, fatigue and issues the next. Steve can have a day, a week of  very little issue, enjoy himself at events and then boom...it rears it's head. Weather affects MS...low pressure systems awakens symptoms. Most MSers feel like they are buying snake oil when they purchase their meds because there is no for sure thing.
   I've had people complain and gripe about the small things in life. I try very hard to remember that what affects us...affects us. What affects you affects you..and we may see things or feel things differently. But it's very hard to listen to someone say complain about a hand ache when my husband has lost a good portion of grip in one hand and has to reteach himself visually how to grip. It's hard to hear someone complain about a foot or walking when a surgery WON'T fix my husband limp or gait. But I've learned that most people don't always understand MS or it's issues. Education, kindness and trying to explain things is about all we can do.
   One day we hope to say "We use to have MS". I'm very proud Steve sees it as a diagnosis not his life and pushes himself daily.

Kindergarten Game Day

  Kindergarten game day was a hit...a hot day but fun. Rain threatened off and on all morning so the game day moved to the gym and school hallway with one game outside. I took the Subtract Game...the kiddos tried to roll a ball into the hoop and if it stayed they took the hoop away..first one with all 3 gone was the winner. Talk about some wild excited kids!! Steve picked SpongeBob and afterwards I'd have to say he earned his stripes...any game that involves a sponge, a bowl of water and kindergartners ...yeahhh.  8 stations of fun, several rounds of tug of war (Kaya's class won twice!!) and just wayyy too many giggles
   All around fun day and it was fun to see all the kids competing and having a good time. The best was when the teachers did tug of war and recruited the Dads LOL The kids loved it and our class was chanting for Steve lol Kaya's buddy told her "your daddy is the strongest daddy EVER" :)

Civil War Days

Thought this looked like a woman sadly waiting on her soldier to come home....or just a thoughtful moment

Kids in era dress...came out really well!!

  I just love how these two pics came out. Civil War days for Memorial Day weekend at a local park. Kaya had a blast checking everything out, the hands on exhibits, stilt walking, making cornmeal and all the other fun activities in the park.

Fish fry get together down home

frog legs soaking in their milk bath before hitting the flour and the fryer

   What better way to celebrate family and a cousin feeling better as well as Memorial day? A family fish fry of course. Kaya has been biting at the bit all week for frog legs and catfish. A family meal is whatever you make it to be...with the significance being on family and being together. Down home we do that to the max and I am so very thankful my daughter gets to have that kind of fun...the same fun I had growing up.
    The menu for today was awesome and mouthwatering. Catfish done in the cast iron pot over the fire pit, frog legs in the deep fryer, hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill. Add in a table of hot sides and crock pots, a table of cold sides and a table of desserts...well you get the picture ...we know how to put on a meal lol Everything was awesome and I'm almost sure we all ate too much. Kaya couldn't get enough of the frog legs and we all laughed at all the kiddos lined up with their plates patiently waiting on the fryer!!!
   Of course there was tons of awesome cousin time. Playing ball, water balloon fights, running, laughing, playing tag and hide n seek. To those little ones running around the yard it's fun...to us,their parents, sitting on the porch watching them...it's awesome memories being made and the same memories we had at that age. We are a tight bunch even if we give each other a hard way to go. I'm almost certain my grandparents are watching us from heaven thinking "Good grief what did we start??" :) :)
   I won't lie that I was counting down the days till the get together too. I have had a lot of stress concerning some situations with "others" and ...to be honest my aunties hugging me, my Uncle saying "It's ok...you all have us"...well...that sure heals a hurting heart fast. I'm so very thankful for every second I have with all of them and for their unconditional love of us. I can say I always come back from down home with a bounce in my step, a smile on my face and a better outlook.
    

My cousin going for the net....you can't have a farm without a basketball goal down here ;)





Growing up Grandpa would use this to draw water for the cattle or for us kids. He always kept a pot under it to catch drips and to let water be available for the dogs if they needed it. I LOVE that I caught the clouds overhead in the water in the pot. :)

Mother's Day

    Steve told me that we always host the get togethers, I always do most the cooking...that this Mother's day it was MY day and no cooking. We mailed his Mom a card from us/Kaya and checked on her today, of course told my Mamma Happy Mother's day and then took off and spent the day down at my Dad's. We keep chickens there and we needed to check on them anyways. We took down chicken to eat for lunch(ironic I know lol) and fixings and Dad supplied drinks and some sides and we had a really nice time.
  I'm thankful to Kaya that I am her Mamma. Without her I'd never be called SuperMamma, the best Mamma in the World or....Mean Mamma LOL She opens my eyes to what unconditional love is and she opens my heart every day. I've found when your kid hurts you hurt...and when it's hurts you can't fix easily...you fret. I'm thankful for Steve for without him I'd never have Kaya...and that gift is simply priceless.
 I have had an all around nice day