My four oldest stayed up late Sunday night making cookies and being silly!  They have so much fun together!

Monday was Memorial Day!  Sarah and Savannah had to work, but we were able to all meet together for a picnic dinner at Grandma and Grandpa Gazdik's house.  The weather was sunny and calm and we had a great time playing games afterward in the cool grass.  We always have fun at the Gazdik's house!

Tuesday marked the first day of the last week of school!  It was the last day Sarah and Megan actually went to school.  Wednesday was graduation and since it was during the day and all the teachers had to be there, no school classes were held.  As part of the orchestra, though, Megan was required to attend graduation and play.  She said it was long and boring!  Not a thrilling event in her week.  Thursday seemed pretty pointless since all the seniors were already gone.  Meg went to her first period class (where there were all of three in attendance) and was told, "Well, you can either be here or you can not be here . . . "  She got the point and came on home.  They had already gotten their yearbooks at last Friday's yearbook signing party at the Arts Park with a live band.  THAT was great fun.  Goodbye Sarah's junior year and Megan's sophomore!

At the junior high, classes continued throughout the week, but on Thursday, the whole junior high went to Lagoon for the day!  Mariah got to ride on the NICE buses and go on lots of roller coasters--that is, when she could convince her friends that it would really be fun!  Goodbye to Mariah's eighth grade year!

At the elementary schools, school did continue until the last half-day of school on Friday.  They stacked their desks and chairs on Thursday so Friday was perfect for dance parties in the classroom!  Their friend, Lydia, invited them over for an end-of-the-year party at her house Friday and they came home after four hours, soaking wet and sunburned!  Goodbye Cali and Chey's fifth-grade year!

Bethany's school had a dance concert on Thursday.  Every grade had learned and presented a different dance.  The first grade did the Mexican Hat Dance.  It was super adorable, especially since Bethany had an authentic Mexican skirt from Ensenada to wear!  Goodbye Bethany's first-grade year!

Benjamin also had his last week of school.  He had Joy School on Tuesday and Thursday and we had Joy School Graduation Thursday night.  I've been to a gazillion Joy School graduations, but this was the only one we ever held in the evening, so it was Kevin's first!  Funny, huh?  Ben's had a great time this year and told at the graduation how he especially liked going on out litter walk to take care of our beautiful Earth!  Goodbye to Ben's preschool years!

Kevin is attending EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) training this weekend.  It was all day Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, but it was in Salt Lake, so he has been able to be home every evening.  He is super excited to learn this technique.  Every indication seems to say that he will be able to help a lot of people get over their emotional pain through what he learns this weekend.  It's exciting stuff!

As for me, I keep telling myself, "Summer is here.  Summer is HERE."  I don't think it's sinking in all that well.  I did take Ben, Beth, Cali, Chey, and their friend Melanie to the splash pad on Saturday for a couple of hours.  As I watched them dash in and out of the sparkling water, my heart did finally say, "Summer is here!"