Last Day of School and Work

I have not written about our pending move yet, but now is as good a time as any. We are moving! It is so not a surprise to most of you (or any of you really... does anyone even read this anymore?). Lewis received a promotion about 9 months ago and started working from home. He is working for the same company but he now has his own area which is located in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia.

So after working at Channing for over 7 years this was finally my last official day of work. I had Lyndie (my lunch lady turned replacement) take some pictures of me at my desk and with my action figure. It was a surreal moment, turning in my keys, passing my computer on, and washing my hands clean of all of the stress and worry that this job has brought into my life. I fell into this job and was given the responsibility and I feel like I did my best.

Here is Abi with her teacher. Melissa taught not only Abi but also Haley and Jason. Having the same teacher 3 times has been amazing. Abi had a great year!

Abi with some of the girls in her class. Cute girls!

It is crazy to think that our time at Channing Hall has come to an end. On to new adventures!

Jump Rope Club

Abi participated in a jump rope club at the end of the year at school. They practiced once a week and put together a routine for the parents to see.

She enjoyed herself and got a little exercise in the process. We are going to miss these fun little activities at school.

Hiking Doughnut Falls

 As you can see there was still a lot of snow up there. It started out really cold but by the time we were walking back the sun came out and it got very warm.

Everyone had a good time and I just think we might go hike again soon.

Volleyball Pics

Haley played volleyball again this season. She was by far the best server and returner that they had on the team. Next year we are going to sign her up to play on a competition team. Finally a sport she enjoys!

Mother's Day

For Mother's day we had the whole Balmanno family come over to our house for a lunch on Saturday. I forgot to take out my camera so there are no pictures to document the family activities. The boys played Cornhole and the ladies sat around  and talked while sitting in the sun.

That night Lewis and I went with our friends to Wendover to gamble. We came home a little richer and a lot tired.

So for Mother's Day I got to take a nap, watch a movie and I got these wonderful gifts. Adam gave me an I-Tunes gift card, and the girls gave me some wonderful homemade items. Jason gave me a hug and told me he loved me.

It was a great day. I felt loved :)

Adam is 15!!

First I am going to say that I am not sure how I got to this point. My oldest child is 15. I was 15 like 3 years ago, wasn't I? All he wanted for his birthday was a new I-Pod, done. 

We also let him have a party considering this is the last birthday that he will be having in Utah. Oh have I not mentioned that yet? I will save that for another post. He had his buddies come over for air soft wars and lunch. They are an interesting crew but they had a great time. Here are a few of the pictures.

 here they are getting ready to kill Plank Face. He survived the day, but "disposed of" a few weeks later.

Haley's Project

Haley had to read a book and do a movie poster project in class. She choose Kingdom Keepers (thanks to Katie for the book suggestion!). She liked the book so much that she went on and read a couple more in the series immediately after she was done with this one.

She did a good job considering we waited until the night before it was due to make the poster. It was a wonderful mom moment when I was yelling at her to hurry up but to "make it neat". She got an "A" of course. She is a great student. If only her mother wasn't such a procrastinator.

My Baby Turned 4!

My littlest baby turned 4 on April 1! He celebrated with a spoonful of peanut butter and enjoyed himself by having a nap.

We are so lucky to have this little guy as part of our family!

Easter!

Our last hallway picture of the kids waiting to get their goods! I promised the kids no more pictures in this hallway after this Easter. Adam and Jason are too big (or they say). I love these kids, even though they are party poopers.

The bunny brought very few items but what he brought was good. Money, a little candy, The Hobbit, and a Settlers of Catan expansion pack. Everyone was very happy.

Family Easter Egg Hunt

This year we decided as a Balmanno family to do our family Easter celebration on Saturday afternoon instead of Sunday due to differing church times. At noon everyone came over for an egg hunt and lunch. The kids got right to it and had a good time. We all brought eggs so there was a variety of fillings; candy, toys, money, and prizes.

Adam found 2 out of 3 prize eggs so he threw one into the grass and Haley snatched it up. Adam took the candy basket and didn't let me take his picture. Haley chose the garden basket with gloves, tools, and seeds to plant a flower and vegetable garden (we put this basket together thinking of Michael my nephew who was unable to attend due to trouble during a wild night of fun the night before):

Abi found the other prize egg and she chose the "girly" basket with nail polish, hair bands, bobby pins, and other Easter stuff:

We had sandwiches, chips, fruit and vegetables for lunch and then the men played corn hole for a couple of hours while the kids ran around and the woman sat in the sun.