I will rejoice and be glad in it....

 

 

 

Janey's Wednesday night Awana group sang at the closing ceremony last week.  She did a wonderful job, and we look forward to seeing her sing in church more often once she moves up in Sunday school class in August.  It was so funny watching this sweet group of friends, and we especially got a kick out of our friend Murray in the front who decided to copy Ms. Louise's hand motions! Janey is on the back row far right hand side!



 

Welcome home party

Jim got home on Saturday from being on a business trip to Arizona all week.  Both girls (and myself) were very excited to have him get home.  Mary Varner planned a welcome home party to throw when he arrived  home.  She spent most of the afternoon making a banner, planning the "pin the shoe on the man" game, and setting the table to eat ice cream.  She planned and setup everything without any of my help.

The banner that Mary Varner made to welcome Jim home

Jim taking a turn trying to pin the shoe on the man.  MV had us use a blanket instead of a blind fold.

Jim was way off the mark with the shoe

Mary Varner's turn

Janey did not want the blanket over her for her turn.

Fishing

I am a few weeks late posting this, but we took the girls fishing the Saturday before Mother's Day.  Mary Varner has fished before, but this was going to be Janey's first attempt.  Jim and Mary Varner each caught a turtle, but not any fish.  Janey (as we expected) did not have the patience to actually fish.  She picked flowers, and ran around the entire time! 

Mary Varner's 2013 school picture

Janey's 4 year old pictures

Janey's preschool has a wonderful photographer that takes their spring pictures.  I have always loved my girls pictures that they get while at preschool there.  Here are my  two favorites off Janey's  gallery.  I have full copyrights to these so I can order as many and any size!  Now, I have to decide which one I am going to pick to frame in our house!  Let me know if anyone would like any/both of these and I can order you one off of Snapfish!

Mother's Day 2013

 My Mother's Day banner made by the girls

 

 

 

Mary Varner made and illustrated a book about me at school.  I plan to scan the pages of the book to the blog so that I will have in my yearly blog book.  I had tears in my eyes when I read it! So Sweet!!

 

 

Jim also got me some beautiful yellow mums, and some crocs to wear when we go camping, bike rides, or just playing around in the yard.  I feel like they may have spoiled me a little bit this year!

This week...

We started the week off with Mary Varner's field trip to the beach.  We planted the sea oats that all  the kindergartners have been growing in their classrooms. The Emerald Coast Conservation Association teamed up with the school for the kindergarten and 1st grade to grow, and plant sea oats in the dunes. They learned all about how the oats are a protected plant, and how the dunes protect our beach. 

 

 

Mary Varner with her sweet friends Leah and Haley

 

 

 Sarah Vannoy and Mary Varner listening carefully to the instructions on how to plant the sea oats.

 

 

They had different sharks (dead of coarse) for the kids to touch, and investigate.  Mary Varner was very interested, and a little nervous at the same time.

 

 

Mary Varner touching one of the sharks

 

 

 A little nervous laugh after checking out the hammer head shark

 

 

 Planting her sea oat

 

 

 

 

Wednesday night, we had our water games night at church for Awana.  The girls had a blast playing with water balloons, water guns, and trying to dunk one of our Elders in the dunking booth.  Next week is our awards ceremony for Awana, and then we are off for the summer break.

Janey looks very happy to get to play with the bubbles!

Janey and Cora having fun

 

Mary Varner with her buddies!!

 

 

Mary Varner has really been into practicing her cartwheels, flips, and hand stands.  I took this short video the other afternoon of her doing multiple cartwheels in a row.  She is very excited about taking a tumbling class this summer. 

Fun at the beach

Last Saturday, we packed lunches and spent most of the day at the beach.  Although the temp was close to 80 degrees, the water was very cold.  The Fann family met up with us, and we all had a great day playing!  Jim and Mary Varner got in the water in spite of the coldness.  After trying it out once, Janey decided to hang out and play in the sand with Caroline. 

 

 

 

 

 

Janey sticking her toes in, and telling Jim that it is too cold

Jim and MV playing Frisbee


 

The kids took turns burying each other in the sand...Mary Varner is was very still while she got buried.

 

Janey's turn.... she stayed buried way longer than I expected!

Strawberry Pickin

Janey and I went with a group of friends to pick strawberries at a strawberry farm last week.  Janey picked about half a basket, but soon lost interest.  I continued picking to fill up our box because I had big plans to use these strawberries in many different ways( we all love strawberries in our family).  After we filled our box, we joined the rest of the group inside the snack shop for some yummy strawberry frozen yogurt.

 

 

Janey ate about as many as she put in her basket

 

Janey and Caroline lost interest and started chasing each other through the field

 

 

Sweet friends...We are going to miss Caroline when she moves this summer!!

 

 

YUMMY!!

 

 

Our full box of  juicy strawberries

 

 

After washing and cutting the strawberries,  we had two  gallon size ziplocs full of strawberries.  One bag was gone within a few days from just eating them by themselves or making smoothies.  The majority of the other bag went into a strawberry pie the girls made.  Delicious!!