Vivien's Promotion, Last Days on Clear Creek

I have not had access to this computer for the last month and a half, so now I get to go back through and try to remember what happened.  It's going to be so fun!  I'm going to love it!  There's nothing else I'd rather be doing!  Right, Self?  Right??

The last week of school, Annie got sick AGAIN.  

 But not sick enough to stay inside and miss watching a cool thunder storm that rolled over us one day. 

 We had flashes of lightning and crashing thunder and hail.  The kids ran around in it for a bit on the porch, but the wind wanted their umbrellas so I made them come inside. 

 Our tender plants were marvelously protected from the storm by the house.  You can see the difference in water exposure on the decking.

 And we had a little rabbit take refuge under one of our shrubs. 

  

Also that week we went through our new house with the previous owners so they could show us all their tips and tricks.  They took us through the yard and shared their vision; why they'd chosen certain plants and how things had been going.  Then we walked through the house and they showed us any quirky things they could think of.  They are really nice people, and we're almost sad we're buying their house because I would have liked to get to know them better!

 Vivi's second to last day of school included a promotion ceremony for the kinders at the outdoor pavilion.  She would not wear the outfit I chose for her because she thought she'd be cold.  Ah well. 

 Here are the teachers, Ms. Stovall on the left, Ms. Laura on the right.  And I forgot to heart the aides, but they are there and we love them too.

 The kids walked individually for handshakes with teachers and principal as their names were read, performed a couple songs (Kindergarten Rock, Baby Bumblebee, and Mi Cuerpo Hace Musica), then we met them back in the classroom afterwards for a reception.  I brought Costco rolls with a meat and cheese tray.  There were balloons for everyone. 

 Here's Vivs with Ocean and Galilea. 

 And with Ms. Stovall.  She's had a great year! 

 Drew had a flat tire that morning, so we spent the day after her ceremony celebrating at the tire store.  Vivien failed to secure her heart balloon in the car while we waited for Daddy with the windows rolled down, and it escaped.  She cried until it was out of sight (which takes a LOOOONG time) and then some.  It was not terribly fun to listen to. 

 The next day she only had an hour or two of school (and luckily there were some leftover graduation balloons), so when we picked her up we headed down the road to Petroglyph National Monument, not wanting to risk the results of Vivien's creative and often destructive time-filling at home.  Example of afore-mentioned activities: the horribly squishy thing she made with half a bottle of glue and some paper below.

There were cool plants at the visitor's center.

 The desert is pretty amazing.

 It really tries its best to make up for all the brown. 

  

We wandered into the visitor's center to watch the film presentation on all the petroglyphs.  Most unfortunately, when we got into the car, Vivien's second balloon decided to go out. 

 She was devastated, again.

 Rafe was not as patient with the crying this time. 

 We decided to do the Boca Negra Canyon hike.  It was very hot and Vivien was in a foul mood, so at the turn off for a view, she decided to go back to the car on her own.  I allowed it because I could see her the whole way.  Not that that would have mattered if someone had decided to take her, but . . . it felt ok at the time. 

The view was pretty.  We'll come back in the winter when we don't feel like we're being slowly roasted on the black rocks. 

 Vivien pouting some more, below.  Sheeeee's a stinker....

But a sweet girl overall.  Here they are modeling the family reunion shirts.

 Here is Annie using the "chopstick," as Rafe calls it.

 And here is Rafe one morning, asleep naked under a towel after his semi-monthly nocturnal uresis.

 Here are boxes waiting to be moved to the new house when we return from our family reunion adventure.

 And here is the face of true love.  True love of video games, as it is one of the only leisure activities I know of that will get Drew out of bed early on a Saturday morning.  True love of his brothers, who are his partners in this endeavor.  And true love of me, because he plays before everyone else is up so that he's ready to have breakfast and spend time with us when we are awake.  He's a goody.