WE MADE IT back safely from our St. Louis trip. Here are a few pictures...more will come later. We had a great trip...however it was VERY hot and humid this weekend. You will be able to tell from our sweaty faces. Forest Park was also saturated with Boy Scouts. Who knew it was the Boy Scout Jamboree this weekend???

I can honestly say that an overnight trip with 6 kiddos is plenty long! We had a blast, but the parents were definitely tired! It was a great time with friends and it will be a memory that we will remember forever.

(This is how Miss Sophia was the whole time at the zoo UNTIL we enter the penguin exhibit and it is VERY CHILLY. Our princess hates being cold, so she instantly woke up when the cold air hit. )

(LOVE this picture! Miss Maddie and John Boy)

(John with his friend Jessica...he loves her and just stares at her when she talks to him.)

(He later gave this snake a kiss!)

(Miss Makenna "It is really hot.")

We are off to the zoo tomorrow! As you can see...John is ready to go! We have talked about all the different animals and we have sang the zoo song. (Hopefully I will get this on film because John has dance moves to it!)

There will be 3 families...all with 2 little ones (5 and under) who are heading out to St. Louis to have an overnight trip. It is a weekend full of a zoo trip, spending the night at a hotel, swimming, picnics and so much more! Pictures will hopefully be posted by Sunday evening.

Summer is here!

This is where I spend most of days of my year. It is a job that gets a fresh beginning every August and a farewell in May...or in our case this year...June. Today was a farewell day, which is always exciting but a little sad, especially for a 5th grade teacher. We don't get the privilege of seeing our past kiddos on the first day of the next school year. We don't get to see them walking down the hallway throughout the year. We get to move them on to the big world of middle school. We get to see their last recess that they will ever have, their last elementary school lunch, them walking in a line to the bathroom, and a few tears at the end of the day. After they have left the building, I walk into the bare walled classroom (because they have helped me clean!) and sit in the quietness. I reflect on the past year and wonder, "What could I have done better? What changes do I need to make next year to be more effective in these kids lives?" This year my reflection became a thought of being more intentional with my relationships with the students in my classroom. You would think that this would be easy in my profession because I spend A LOT of time with these kiddos; however, it is so easy to get caught up on what I am suppose to be teaching and getting those fabulous MAP scores, that intentionality in my relationship with these precious children gets thrown out the window. I feel like this has been a year that has taught me more about intentionality and now it is time to apply it even more in my life...outside my home and adult friends.

Don't get me wrong, I loved my class and I think that overall it was a good year, especially since I missed a big chunk while on maternity leave. As I watched the 5th grade DVD today and heard the sweet things that students said about me and my class...I wouldn't have traded this year's class for ANYTHING. However, I feel that this summer should be a constant prayer of being more intentional with my students next year. To instill in them that I care about them so much and that I want to give them my best EVERY day. So this is my goal for the summer and my hope is that when August 18th comes...I am ready.

I hope all my fellow teachers and students have a wonderful summer!

Sorry readers...we haven't had internet for the last few days. So from where I left off in my last blog...John is feeling better. Must have been a 24 hour bug or something. Pops decided that it was time for John to go to his first professional baseball game. So Pops, Daddy and John headed to the Royals game on Tuesday. However, before going to the game, Pops and John did some shopping at Wal-Mart. Royals outfits, stuffed animals (for Sophia), a baseball tee (along with a bat and ball) and a new "soft" ball for inside batting practice was purchased. Let's just say our house is all about ball right now. Everyone had a great time at the game and John even got a certificate for his first game at the Royals stadium. He is still talking about it! Enjoy the pictures!

Here we have batting practice going on in our house after the game. John LOVES hitting the ball and he even "runs the bases" after he is hits. He is always asking for "ball" to be on the TV. Needless to say, Matt is loving it!

Talking to Nannee after the game. He was talking 90 miles a minute.

Pops and John discussing the game. Notice my dad is in Cardinal's red. He even wore it to the game. :)

Miss Sophia even got a Royal's outfit. Isn't she looking pretty in pink??

On Monday evening, John spiked a fever of 102.4. It was just all of a sudden. Morning came and so did the fever...100.4. So John got to spend the day with Daddy on Tuesday. He kept the fever all day long. Pops was already planning on coming up on Thursday, so he came up a couple days early to take care of the sweet boy. John was very surprised this morning when Pops came in to get him when he woke up. The fever has broken and it is time to get playin'!

One of the things I love about living in KC is the RIVER MARKET. We went down there for the first time this season and I had almost forgotten how much I do love it. I love the idea of getting fresh produce. I love the idea that some of it was just picked that morning. I love that it is just one more way I am trying to keep my family healthy and away from pesticides. I also love the smells, the sounds, the colors from the vegetables, fruits and flowers. My new love is the Italian Grocery Store....AMAZING! See the pictures below to see how our day went.

Sophia's first time going to the River Market and she is excited!!

John saw that Sophia had a hat on, so he thought he needed one too. He is a little obsessed with hats these days. He would wear them all the time if we would let him.

John would try to grab food off the tables. He would say "yummy". He loved going down there. We finally let in and bought him an apple. He worked on that apple for a long time. He kept saying "mmm".

If you have never been to the River Market downtown...you should try it. My recommendation is to go early. By 9:30/10:oo ish, it is getting very crowded and hot. Not only are there farmers that bring in their crops, but there are little shops with specialty foods all around the edge. I love this coffee shop.

Sophia was so excited when we were home, it exhausted her...so she slept the whole time we were down there.

Matt surprised us with a canolli after buying a few things at the Italian Grocery store. I had actually never had one, and it was delicious! It was great treat!

When we were finished buying our goods, Sophia got hungry. So we headed over to the Nelson. John and Matt played in the yard, while Sophia and I sat on the bench and soaked in the sun.

The main purpose of us going to the River Market was to buy fresh strawberries. I had decided that I wanted to make my own jam this year. We usually get it from my mom because her's is the best. But I was going to try it this year. I have been on a kick of being more domestic...and this was one more way of fulfilling that feeling. So we found beautiful strawberries! Part of my Saturday was spent making this yummy stuff. The hardest part about this process is you have to wait 24 hours to let it set...so your need isn't fulfilled right away. I can tell you it turned out beautifully and the verdict is that it tastes FABULOUS! Just like my momma's!

On Saturday and Sunday, I also got to make beer bread, a Sunday lunch for friends, and a chocolate meringue pie. I have decided if I could cook/bake all the time...I would be in heaven. It was a fantastic weekend. I hope everyone has a wonderful Monday!

I love the mornings. (Almost) everyday, Sophia wakes me up around 5 a.m. At first, I wasn't a fan, but now it is something I look forward to when I am heading to bed each night. It has become "our" time. The house is quiet and it is just us stirring around. Our girl time is spent talking and lots of smiling. Sophia isn't quite an
"evening" baby. That is her fussy time, but morning comes and she is a hoot! She smiles and coos. She kicks and punches. She looks around at everything. You could see her little brain working as her eyes dart around the room and then she gets fixed on something and nothing breaks the eye contact. She follows me around the house, either in her swing, bouncer or a blanket on the floor as I am doing things. As I blog, I stop to talk to her and she usually gives me a grin. I am so blessed to be able to have some girl time with my daughter.

Have a great day!