Early Summer Photo Dump :)

Lots of Lounging

Painting

Swimming

Grilling

Silliness

Ben's 11th Birthday!

I would say the main theme of Ben's birthday was FOOD.

He wanted sushi for lunch at school.

Ben at Nagasaki waiting on his spicy salmon and crunch rolls

After he was fast asleep on his birthday eve, we set up a balloon wall in front of his door.

This was filled with regular balloons, large bungee balloons and neon glow-in-the-dark balloons. That's what happens when you send Dad to the store for balloons. He also came home with neon silly string and a confetti bomb.  The balloon wall was kind of a bust because the morning train woke Ben early and he was half asleep and confused.

The confetti bomb, however, went well. We let it off just as he was arriving home after school.

Then it was present time!

He has asked for an iPod Touch for 3 years! He thanked us 10 times in 3 minutes :)

In the evening, Ben dined at his favorite mexican food restaurant - El Mezcal 

And much later, we celebrated with a DQ Blizzard cake. YUM! I may have had two pieces..

Some traits of Ben at this age:

Continues to explore his love for food (like his mama)

Loves Boy Scouts and sharing that special time with Greg

All things Minecraft and Halo

Can't wait for middle school

Very creative and opinionated :)

Loves swimming and wants to continue to compete this fall

Enjoys reading and music

Enjoys playing Nerf guns, tag, and Green Ghost with his neighborhood buddies

It was a great day to celebrate a GREAT BOY!

We Have A Preschool Graduate!

Coming This Fall...Lost Creek Elementary!

Growing Up!

My little man is really growing up.

Yesterday, was middle school orientation. I was a little nervous to drop him off in this crowd of people, but Ben has no problem striking up a conversation with strangers :)

We topped off his day with ice cream because milestone days call for ice cream.

Overall, he enjoyed his day, signed up for art and band electives and really likes his fitness teacher/coach. That's pretty much all he would divulge.

This past Sunday, a new chore was explored...

Hard work, but I think he did great! I'm not very judgmental because I have absolutely no desire to mow. Zilch.

The boys continue to really enjoy their Boy Scout campouts and venture off again tomorrow night. Here are a few fish pics from the last one.

Daybreak

They keep their drinking cup tied to them! How cute is that?!

Impressive!

This past Monday, Ben  attended the Court of Honor and received his red scarf :)

 It wasn't long ago, he was struggling to keep that flag off the floor (sigh).

May Day

This is the first year we've made May Day baskets! It was a tradition for Greg growing up and he mentioned I should try and put something together with Ben, so that's what we did. Of course, I found some inspiration on Pinterest and completed the project for less than $20.

What I used:
Scrapbook paper, $5 for a 50 count tablet
Easter grass, $.08,  (75% off!)
2 boxes of Starburst, $1 (50% off)
2 boxes Laffy Taffy, $1 (50% off)
Gumballs, $2
Flower Seeds, $1.18 per packet
Ribbon, $.97
Stapler, tape, hole puncher

I simply shaped the paper into the cone, added a staple to secure, taped the sides, stuffed with goodies,  and tied ribbon and tags through punched holes. All in less than an hour!

Ben was super stealth with the delivery!

Here's hoping for some great May weather!