~Achievements~

At the conclusion of each school year, our children have the opportunity to receive special recognition for areas of excellence in their academic setting.  This post is a little delayed due to the fact that photos from the evening are the only file that weren't found on the ailing computer. 
We don't often publicly brag on the kids (I guess as a kid I heard enough of that from other parents that it kind of turned me off), but there is a place for honor, and it is time.  :)  The kids were busy enjoying the Hawaiian reception, new yearbooks, and being with their friends, so (gasp) I didn't bother getting pics!  Kaitlynn posed for me after we arrived home.  I have silly poses of the boys, but they are 'unreachable' on my hard drive somewhere.

Kaitlynn finished first grade this May.  She is a very studious little gal, and is a great independent learner.  The benefit of this independence is seen each day as she is concerned about keeping all of her academic "stuff" (homework, review papers, etc.) in perfect order, and rarely has to be reminded about anything.  Once or twice, she forgot something at home (she would usually remember before we reached the first stop sign), and she was devastated. I gently reminded her that it wasn't the end of the world (coming from a sanguine who loses stuff every.single.day), and we could always go back to get what she needed.  She is responsible about studying for all of her tests, and is personally gratified by good grades.
Kaitlynn achieved Highest Grade Point Average, "A" Honor Roll (all 4 quarters), and a Scripture Memory award.
 I taught her to read in Kindergarten, and she made me nervous because she didn't seem to have a desire to do it.  I knew that she had the mechanics down well (her performance indicated that), but she wasn't very confident, and never really showed an interest in reading for pleasure.  I guess it was just another unnecessary motherly fear...by a quarter of the way through first grade she was stacking books all over her room and around her bed, and reading all the time!  Her Bible reading this summer is just beautiful...I love to listen. 

First piano recital - June 14, 2011

Evan finished fourth grade in May.  He is also a good student who takes his academic experience quite seriously.  He achieved awards for Honor Roll - "A" all 4 quarters, Most PACE's Completed Runner Up, Scripture Memory, and Perfect Attendance.  Perfect attendance is no small feat in our family.  We sometimes take a day of here and there to travel, and we always have sickness!  About half way through the year, Evan realized that he and Ryan hadn't missed any days, and from there he determined to keep it that way.
Evan took piano from October to May, and he is doing an outstanding job on that instrument.  He has a fantastic teacher (Aunt Megan), and really enjoys playing the piano.  I'm hoping to work my way out of my Sunday job.  ;)

 
Ryan completed 6th grade this year, and is headed into the Upper Level Learning Center this fall!  I still can't wrap my mind around that, but it's time and he is ready. 
The differences in children are no more apparent than in Ryan and Evan.  Ryan is much more mechanically inclined, and loves to work with his hands.  He maintained good grades this year, but makes no secret of the fact that academics aren't his favorite.  :)  He loves school, his teacher, his friends, and his favorite subject: history. 
He was recognized for achieving Honor Roll - "B" 2 quarters, "A" 2 quarters, and Scripture Memory.  He also did his best to achieve perfect attendance, but sometime during the first couple of weeks of May, he woke up feeling weird.  He went on to school, hoping it would pass, but didn't make it past lunchtime.  The dizziness and headache got the best of him.  I encouraged him to stay home the next day, as well.  It seemed to sap his strength.  So...he was present for all but 1.5 days of the original school year. 
Ryan has also taken 8 months of piano this year, and we are so proud of how much he has learned in those 8 months!  We credit his teacher with a huge share of that.  She has done an outstanding job with the boys!

Aunt Megan with four of the students that were able to
perform in the summer recital.

Summer is our time to recharge and explore other avenues for fun and learning that may not be available to us during the school year, and so far we are enjoying it to the max!





Wedding Bells!

Life moves so quickly, and often leaves us wondering where the days have gone.  Our niece, Harmony, was the flower girl in our wedding almost 14 years ago, and on May 27th we were able to help she and Chris share in their own special wedding day. For those of you who know Gene and Tina Burley, you will recognize Harmony as their middle daughter.  While Greg and I were busy with wedding responsibilities, Ryan snapped a few random photos...

I love this one of Allison and Karson!
(They weren't in the wedding, but they
coordinated quite well!)

I was so excited to play this piano...could spend hours right there
on that bench!  (Wait, I did spend hours on that bench...but I would
do it again in a heartbeat!)  Because I was focused on my own stuff,
I just now realized that Mark and Greg had to light all of these little
candles on the floor.  That had to be a pretty funny sight...6'8" and 6'7"
bending to the floor over and over and over...

Christopher and Harmony Funk

The cake was very pretty, as were the flowers.  I had a beautiful
wrist corsage, but being the pianist made it a little difficult to wear!

One of the reasons the kids absolutely love to go to MI is that they can spend hours roaming the property doing the things that boys love to do.  Forget video games, books, and all things sedentary, these guys become men of the wilderness...haha!

Yes, this was a little scary...

Fishin' in Grandpa's pond

Ahhh, the good 'ole summertime! 

**For the "gory" details of our trip, see www.stephanieburley.blogspot.com

Summer Vacation Is Here!

All of the Burley cousins
(except for the oldest two - one being on her honeymoon)
in a wildly unique tree on Harmony and Chris's property!

School is out, warm weather abounds, the sun is shining, and we are loving it!  We attended the wedding of our niece/cousin at the beginning of Memorial Day weekend, and enjoyed a fun visit with many of our extended Burley/Black family members, as well as "old friends", Greg's pastor and wife, and even "old" teachers! Our children decided to stay on and spend a few days with Grandpa and Grandma Burley, and they are having a blast.  Kaitlynn caught a 13.5" bass, and has become quite a pro at baiting the hooks with minnows!  They have been swimming and fishing quite a bit, and spent last weekend at a cabin in northern MI.  Grandpa and Grandma are going to be worn out, so we hope that they can spend a few days catching up on their rest.  :)  They are making great memories, and we are so happy that Grandpa and Grandma are allowing them these opportunities! 
Hopefully we will be able to catch up with photos from the end-of-year school activities.  The computer that holds our photos decided to be difficult, and we are still trying to recover everything.  The kids had a really good school year, and at least two of them will probably be ready to go back by mid-July, but we are trying to have enough planned activities/chores/challenges to keep them from getting "bored" (which is a word that is completely banned from our home!).
Happy Tuesday!

April Showers Bring...

Mother's Day...Mommy's Birthday...National Teacher's Week!  Wow...what a cool month!  :)  The first weekend of May began with the kids spending Friday evening with one of their favorite sitters while mom and dad enjoyed a date.  We have told ourselves that "alone" time has to be more of a priortity, but reality controls us at this point, and those times are fairly few and far between. 

Since time was limited, we spent the evening in Findlay, and enjoyed some shopping and a late dinner at Outback.  It is our favorite steakhouse within a 45 minute drive, and Findlay has some different shopping options, so it was a fun night.  In all honesty, we could probably sit in the van in our own garage, and as long as it was quiet and we could have a conversation, it would be a great date!  :)

On Saturday, we celebrated my 35th birthday with my family.  Greg grilled a mean pile of chicken, the kids had a grand time playing together (when they weren't fighting...lol), and we had a really nice evening together.

Sunday, of course, was Mother's Day, and my family spoiled me!  Ryan had spent some time on a special woodworking project, and when he brought it out, a few tears were shed.  It is definitely a precious treasure that I will never let go of!


Beautiful cherry shelf from my oldest boy

 My kids knew I had been wanting a ball glove, so they found me one trimmed in pink.

From Evan, Kait, and Alli

Mother's Day 2011 was wonderful!

Catching Up!

Our family enjoyed a few days together during this year's spring break. We attended IHC, and then stayed an extra night for another visit to the Creation Museum. It was a rare and beautiful spring day (at least for this spring!) and we had a lot of fun.
Just before leaving Cincinnati, our transmission seemed to lose a gear. It actually happened as we were turning onto Young St. after climbing Dorchester. We had that sickening $1200 feeling in the pit of the stomach, after wondering for some time about how long our transmission would last.
We drove back home at 45 mph. Talk about getting weird looks on I-75!
It ended up that the transmission was ok, and we only needed to have a part replaced. :)
Here are a few pics from the week. We weren't too camera happy..

Alli and Aubrey entertaining each other at IHC

Daddy's Girl

The Gang

Ryan had fun manning the camera...lots of dinosaur pics!

Kait loves animals

Mommy has been given lots of fresh bouquets this spring!