School was out on May 12th and we picked up the pace from there on out. Zora and Jordis have been playing volleyball on Monday mornings. They had 4 games on Monday nights. We missed the first Monday because we were in Kansas City saying goodbye to Iris, Yoyo and Ava. Last Monday Mom missed the game which was in West Franklin, due to work. However, this Monday the game is here in Carbondale and I will be able to go! Plus Carbondale has air conditioning which the last gym did not have. Both girls are getting better at volleyball. Serving is the hardest for both of them but they have been hanging in there practicing and I think they will get better the more they play.
Overbrook Swim Team has been practicing since the first week of June. Their first meet is at Lyndon on the 27th. Jordis has two sisters and a special friend who have joined her this year. Tessa and Kendalan are both swimming and their friend Haven is also on the team. Mom is looking forward to watching them all have a successful year. The first two weeks were a test to see just how dedicated they really were to be on the team. It was cool and the water had not warmed up much. So they were getting out of the water with their teeth chattering and their poor lips and fingers were blue. But it has made them stronger and more ready for winning! No these photos are not from swim practice but you get the idea that playing in water is fun :)
RaeAnne has been keeping busy being in drivers education! She has her instruction permit now and can drive with a licensed driver at her side. Dad has been doing a lot of that because Mom doesn't have nerves of steel, but today I took a chance and she drove me home from Overbrook. Other than having her keep the vehicle more toward the center of the line, opposed to driving too close to the ditch she is getting better. She still put a few more gray hairs on my head!
We were very sad to see Iris, Ava and Yoyo go back to China. They have been a joy to get to know and it just seemed like time flew by while they were here. We hope to see some of them again as they are planning on coming back to the USA in the near future. And who knows? We may make it to China in the near future! We picked them up from the Kansas City airport, they took us out to eat at Joe's Crab Shack and then we took them back to the airport.
And I almost forgot...we celebrated Kendalan's 10th birthday April 24th. Double Digits! Our baby girl is growing up. Doesn't seem possible that she has been with us 9 years now, of course she will never let us forget it :) She will be a 5th grader this coming fall. School will start August 25th. Just two more months and they will have to put their noses back to the grindstone.
In the meantime, we are having a great summer so far. We have reservations in South Dakota this July. We will be traveling across S.D. to see Mount Rushmore, Wall Drug, The Corn Palace, and hope to sneak over to Wyoming to see Devil's Tower! What a trip! Our special friend will be going with us there too! :)
Mother's Day was nice. I had worked several days in a row, so I was tired but the girls made it fun as usual and they didn't disappointment me for a gift. They are the Awesome ones! I can't imagine our lives without them.
How could I forget that today is Father's Day! Nicholas drove down from Manhattan to take Mark out to lunch. Big Brother also asked RaeAnne to go back to Manhattan with him and spend the week with Shelby and him. RaeAnne packed up all her stuff and told us goodbye! I hope she has a great time! I took the girls out driving around to find a wheat field to get their photo in. We finally found the perfect one by Vassaar. Then we all went to Red Robin "Yum!" to have supper. We filled ourselves to the stuffed category after eating three helpings of their never ending FF.
