Mimi and Grandpa Come to Visit

Mimi and Grandpa flew in to visit on Friday, May 27th. We hadn't seem them since November and the kids were very excited. Chris took the kids to pick up Mimi & Grandpa from the airport, giving me a little more precious time to get my house cleaned and prepared. We had just hosted our "end of school" party a couple hours earlier so my house wasn't in the best condition. Fortunately, we got it all cleaned up and ready for them.

Early Saturday morning, Chris, Mimi & Grandpa left for a guided fishing trip. They had a great time and really enjoyed the tour guide. They only caught one fish but they still had lots of fun. It was a beautiful day to be on the lake fishing. 

Here's a group shot of the fisherman- Mimi caught the fish so she got to hold it for the picture. 

Bailey and Tanner were very curious about the fish and Tanner wanted to help grandpa get it cleaned and ready to eat.

Bailey and I went inside and let the boys work their magic. The manly men got the fished cleaned and we ate it that night for dinner. 

After dinner we had a water balloon fight and played on the slip-n-slide with Mimi.

The kids had so much fun. They love playing in the water and having Mimi and Grandpa there made it even more perfect. 

The next morning was Sunday and we went to church together. After church we ate an early dinner and then went for a walk around the "Mildred Cooper Chapel" in Bella Vista. 

Isn't this chapel gorgeous? It was such a pretty walk!

The visitors center overlooks Lake Bella Vista. 

I had to snag a group shot of everyone with Mimi and Grandpa!

These kids loved running around on the trails surrounding the chapel. It was a very nice night for a walk. 

There was actually a wedding going on at the chapel and Bailey kept finding flowers from the bridal bouquet on the ground. She was in heaven. 

Monday morning was Memorial day and we started our day at a lake in Bentonville. The kids were jealous that Daddy got to go fishing, so we decided to go again and take everyone.

 

Tucker mainly dipped his fishing pole in the water repeatedly and ran around the shoreline. 

But he looked awfully cute while he did it. 

However, Tanner was in it to win it and took his job very seriously. Mimi showed him how to cast out and he tried his best to hold his pole very still. 

Bailey liked fishing, but when she didn't immediately catch a fish, her enthusiasm waned.  

Grandpa helped her stay focused. 

Tucker was also obsessed with getting help from Grandpa. 

This guy is pretty cute. I kinda love him.
What a handsome fisherman. 

Before we could catch more than a small fish (which we threw back) a thunderstorm rolled in and we ran back to the van for shelter. lol. We ate cookies and drank juice boxes and watched the storm.  The kids loved it. 

Then we drove home to get changed and warmed up. We grilled burgers and enjoyed the rest of our Memorial day at home. 

The following day was Tuesday and Mimi and Grandpa's last day day with us. We decided to spend the day at Silver Dollar City and it was so fun!

Our first stop was the "Thunderation" railroad

Then we road "Flooded Mine" 

Then we split up. Mimi and I took Tucker on the train- his only request whenever we go to SDC. 

Dad and Grandpa took the older two to the tree house and carousel. 

Then Mimi and I took Tuck and Bailey to the splash pad to cool off while Dad, Grandpa and Tanner went to ride more rides. 

This kid never learns. He just kept putting his face directly above the water spouts. It was pretty comical to watch. 

Bailey decided to see what all the fuss was about and tried out Tucker's trick, she wasn't a huge fan though. 

When we met back up with the big boys, Tanner and Dad were on the pirate ship ride. This is one of Tanner's favorites. 

Then we took the kids to ride the caterpillars and lady bugs. 

It was a great day at Silver Dollar city. It wasn't crowded, there were no lines, the weather was amazing and it was so fun to have Mimi and Grandpa with us. 

Today Mimi and Grandpa flew back to Oregon. It was sad to see them leave but we had so much fun with them. We sure love Mimi & Grandpa!

End of School Party

After "Field Day" at Tanner's school, we got home and set up for our 3rd annual "end of school" party. We only had about 40 minutes to set up but i think it came together well. 

Even though Tanner has two weeks of school still, all the traditional calendar schools are out for the summer and so is Bailey, so we decided to go ahead and have the party early.

This year's party was an ice cream social and it was so fun. 

Don't you love the galvanized bucket and all the red and mint? So fun. 

We ate ice cream, played with bubbles, painted faces and the kids ran around like wild animals. There were around 25 kids at the party and it was a wild house. But it was so fun.

Bailey was happy to have her friend Chloe at the party. 

Here's Tanner and Zoe Manning enjoying their ice cream sandwich pops. These were a hit with all the kids. 

Tucker decided he needed an ice cream sandwich and as many blueberries as he could hold. Then we had to get him a bowl for all his blueberries. He loves them!

I think all the kids had fun. I'm so lucky to have so many good mom friends and my kids are lucky to have so many little buddies. We sure love this area and all the fun it brings.
So welcome summer. Even though Tanner isn't done with school yet, we are excited for summer! Goodbye school!

Kindergarten Fun & Field Day

We left Bailey's end of school ice cream party, dropped her off with Daddy and Tucker at home and then I went over to Tanner's school for "Fun & Field day". 

I got there just as Tanner's class came outside to start the field games. He was so excited to see me.
He's so cute!

The kids played all sorts of games. They ran, jumped, did relay races and all sorts of fun. 

Tanner's cute class getting ready to run the pizza box challenge relay. 

And this partner run was pretty hysterical to watch. 

After all the field games the kids got snow cones. 

Oh and we found this cute friend out on the field. Tanner and Ryan aren't in the same class, but they always enjoy playing together at school events. 

Tanner and some of his classmates enjoying their snow cones. 

I think it's safe to say that Tanner enjoyed his snow cone and time with his class. 

Aren't these little buds so cute? Seriously I think kindergarten is the cutest age. They are so enthusiastic and happy. I just love it. And I love watching Tanner interact with his friends.
It was definitely a successful field day.