SCHOOL'S...OUT...FOR...SUMMER!

Were you singing the song with me??? Aside from Christmas, I really think the last day of school is one of my most favorite days of the year. Why? you ask. Why in the world would I want to have all 5 of my kids home for 3 straight months? Well, the truth is, I LOVE when my kids are home for the summer. I miss them when they are at school...yes, I really do. I think about them all day long and wonder if they are okay, wonder if their day is a happy one, wondering if the other kids are being nice to them, wondering if they are doing well on the test they were studying for, wondering if maybe they miss me, too. :)

And I guess I'm just the kind of mom that is not completely content until I know all my kids are home, safe and sound, where I know where they are and what they are doing. So, summer is great that way because I get to spend all day, every day with them. Well, maybe not ALL day, EVERY day...they ARE getting older and they want more freedom to go out with their friends and cousins (especially the teenagers). But for the most part, I get to be with them every day. That is really cool. :)

Sure, it's messier, noisier, crazier, and almost every day I hear "I'm bored. What are we going to do today?" from somebody...but it's SO worth it. Plus, no more homework, carpools, and school projects for 3 months for ME!! Hooray! Yes, I'm celebrating because I thought when I graduated from college in 1993 that I was done with homework...boy, was I wrong. I became a Mom and now there are times when I feel like I'm back in school all over again. All you Moms out there with kids in school know exactly what I'm talking about. :)

The other really cool thing about summer for me is that all the "extra" stuff aside from school are done, too. No more piano lessons, sport practices, choir performances, etc. All that stuff goes on hold for our family for the summer. Sure, I totally LOVE all that stuff, but it's nice to take a breather, too. And, there's really no routine whatsoever. No particular bedtimes (within reason, of course...9:00p.m. for the little ones is about my limit), no ridiculously early morning rising (like 4:30a.m. for Chelsey...and me, to make sure she's up!), no real schedule at all.

Sure, there are cons to not having a routine...like the endless "slumber parties" in my living room because the kids don't have school the next day so they want to watch t.v. every night before bed...I don't think they sleep a single night in their actual beds. Or the fact that some days they never even get out of their pajamas! But in general, summer days are priceless in my book. I am SO, SO blessed to be a stay-at-home mom and enjoy these long summer days with my kids. We get to just enjoy each other. :)

So, I leave you with pictures of our "end of school and everything else" celebrations...until the madness of school and all that other stuff starts all over again in September! :)

Kainoa's tackle football team ended a great season on Saturday. It was a winning season for them, for the most part, and that was a great accomplishment considering that their entire team were "first-time tacklers". Way to go!


Kaylee and Tiani had fun playing flag football together for the first time. It was fun to see them playing on the same team. Their team made it to the Superbowl and took home second place. Woohoo! (Tiani took home both trophies that day while Kaylee missed the big game because she was in Disneyland for her 8th grade trip. Lucky her!)


Chelsey finished off her Junior year by sharing her beautiful voice. She's in Madrigals at her high school...the most "prestigious" choir group you can get into. She loves it and, if you ever come to see one of her performances, you will agree with me that Chelsey was born to be on stage!


Kaylee graduated from 8th grade. Holy Cow! She's heading off to high school next year. Yikes. Where have the years gone? Look at her cute little friends. They'll have so much fun as Freshmen next year. :)


"Kainoa Gonzales...A/B Honor Roll"....that was music to our ears. Math, especially, has been quite the challenging subject for Kainoa this year. And well, he worked REALLY hard to get those C grades up, so we were EXTRA proud of him! Way to go, bud! You made it back into the Honor Roll club with your sisters! :)

Well, there you have it. A recap of our "end of the school year" highlights. What about Maile, you ask? She got an entire post all to herself below! Yup, she's the baby all right. :)

I'm looking forward to a fun summer with my kiddos....

...even though my son just came to me and said "I'm so bored, Mom. There's nothing to do." And he's only been out of school for all of what...2 and 1/2 hours! Oh my. :) (I may be rethinking all the comments I just made in a week or two. Aaaaaah! I better think of ways to keep them busy FAST!)