What's New With The Carter Family

Seriously..........was he bored, OR WHAT???? My son actually BEGGED ME to let him fingerpaint . That's right, you heard me. My 8 year old suddenly got nostalgic for those fun and carefree preschool days, and decided he wanted to get his w a s h a b l e paints out and do some artwork - with parts of his body . Thank goodness he only wanted to use his fingers.......I would have died if he'd suggested his feet! Imagine the mess THAT would have made LOL. As it was, he got a good 30 minutes of fun out of this impromptu activity...and I, of course, snapped a couple of quick pics :) Hey - if I had to deal with the clean up, the least I could get out of it was a picture or two!

In the midst of all the rain, cold weather, rain, overcast sky, and did I mention - rain, we had ONE glorious, hot & sunny day! It happened to fall on a Saturday (yeah!) when the Skinners were over visiting...so we set up the pool, got the kids in their bathing suits, and let them have some 'almost' summer fun! The pool was cool for a while...but the water was still kind of cold, so Jem and Riv moved on to laying on the loungers to get a 'tan'. After a while, out came the water squirters ! Those were a big hit, and speaking of big hits, check out the photo of Jem getting 'got' by our neighbors....and don't miss the photo of Jem getting a nice shot of water back onto them too! My favorite shot? The one of Jem and River posing with their guns....too cute!

Every year NCA holds a field day for Grades 1-8, the day after school ends. Field days are SO MUCH FUN! It's basically a chance for the classes to have one last fun event together...as they move around the field, competing in events against the other classes in their grade level. I was a little worried about the weather this year...it had been raining all week, and it was overcast and yucky....but thankfully the rain held off while the kids were outside and Jem had a great time! Here are some pictures from the day... The Boys in Jem's class against the boys in Mrs Hill's class! Heather passes the ball over to Jem, who then needs to pass it under to Sabrina! Best buds Abby, Jem and Heather! One of the challenges - racing to open a starbust WITH GLOVES ON! (And yes, they got to eat the Starburst when they were done haha!). Jem and buddy Ben. What a fun class, what a fun year!

Can you believe that a WHOLE YEAR has gone by already? Wasn't I JUST talking about Jem's first day of 2nd Grade? Wowsers, this year has really flown by....and it's been a great one! On the last day of school, Jem's class celebrated with an "Aloha" party....they played lots of fun themed games and had some yummy treats (like fruit kebabs, hawaiian rolls, popsicles). Here are a couple of pics from the party! Aloha 2nd Grade!

Every year, at the conclusion of the school year, each grade participates in an "Awards Ceremony". Here, each child is awarded with a Character Award and an Academic Award. The second graders were honored yesterday, and Jem was given the Joseph Award for Imagination and Creativity, as well as the Sportsman Award for Outstanding Sportsmanship! Here are some pictures of Jem from the day, as he awaits and finally receives his awards...

The 4th tooth is now OUT! It was super wiggly last night...and this morning, over a bowl of oatmeal....out it came! Take a look at the video below for Jem's "explanation" of today's big event!

What a gorgeous day it was today!!! The sun finally came to Washington, and it was awesome to be out in it! We invited the Skinners to join us for a picnic lunch and some family fun at Jennings Park. After stopping off at Extreme Pita in Lake Stevens to get some lunch, we drove down to Marysville and set up camp by the play area. After eating, we moved on to a nice grassy patch, set our blankets down, and played a game of Phase 10. It was a warm, relaxing and most enjoyable afternoon! Thanks for spending it with us guys :)