Last Sunday was the epicly right-where-we-are-living solar eclipse!  . . . which I didn't realize was happening until Savannah mentioned it about four hours pre-event.  I really should watch the news now and then. . . Anyhoo, since we all know that you can't look at the sun during a solar eclipse or risk getting your eyes burned right out of their sockets (!!!), we made an at-home eclipse viewer.  It was pretty cool.  I learned many things about the sun.  For instance, that we really have three . . .

Of course, that may have been due to defects in workmanship.  Otherwise, isn't that kind of cool?  Actually the coolest was when our neighbors walked by with their welding helmet and let us have a look.  Very cool.  Very, very cool!

This was the last week of school for our kids, which meant many activities and great excitement!  For the junior high girls, Sarah and Megan, it meant their whole school went to Lagoon amusent park on Tuesday.

I only have pictures of  Sarah at Lagoon because Megan was with her friends in other places in the park.  I am told, though, that a great time was had by all!

Here's a picture of Megan, anyway, just because she's cute!

My elementary school kids dressed up for different themes all week.  Tuesday was "Dress like your favorite character day!"

Cheyenne dressed as Peter Pan (Peter Pan's sister, actually), Cali dressed as the Green Princess, and Mariah was Catniss from The Hunger Games.  Notice the side french-braid. Megan sent her friend, Rebekah, over to have me braid her hair, too.  I started thinking that I could make money by putting a sign out front:  "Catniss braids 50 cents!"  It was fun.


Savannah, of course, didn't need a reason to dress up. 

Her friend, Miranda, went to India this year and brought her back these stunning clothes.  Pretty, huh?  Savannah went to graduation rehearsal on Tuesday and then sang at graduation on Wednesday and after that, no one went to school anyway even though school wasn't over until Friday afternoon.  Aw, high school!

Bethany actually got in on the end-of-school action with her very own preschool graduation.  They all got certificates and then got to play in the water.  What could be better than that?

What a beautiful graduate!

Other than that, the girls did much signing of yearbooks and autograph books.  There was a kickball championship at the elementary school that also generated much excitement.

The greatest excitement of all, though, was that next week, they don't have to go to school!!

And just like that, summer vacation is here again.