Last Day of School, First Day of Summer

Yesterday was my girls' last day of kindergarten. They had such a great year! It seems like just yesterday they were posing for their photos on the first day. They both loved their teachers, learned a lot, and made some great friends. I cannot believe they will be in first grade next year!

Hannah and Leah (and Lucas) on the last day of kindergarten.

After the girls got home yesterday, the Oklahoma weather turned severe and we experienced an outbreak of violent tornadoes in and around Oklahoma City. There was a constant grumbling sound of thunder in the air, like the growl of an unseen beast. The sky was an eerie greenish-gray color and the clouds looked ominous. Our local weathermen were all giving out warnings and nearly shouting through the screen to "Take Cover Now!" So we did. We got all the kids' bicycle helmets fastened on their heads and grabbed pillows and blankets to cover up with in the bathtub. Thankfully, the tornadoes turned their course a little bit north of us and missed us completely. Unfortunately, the town of Piedmont (where I taught school for eight years) was in the direct path of the storm. Several of my friends there lost their homes. I am devastated for them, and will post soon with some information about how we could perhaps all come together to help.

Today, we woke up to start our first full day of summer. It was a busy day! It started out with me taking the kids to the gym for my cardio/strength training class. Afterwards we headed to a nearby playground to run off some energy until lunch. After a quick lunch of pb&j sandwiches, I left to go pick up Mike's aunt from an outpatient surgery she had done this morning. I made sure she got home and in bed to rest, then came home to put Lucas down for a nap. While Lucas slept, Mike took the girls to a doctor's appointment and later we headed to another park to meet up with some friends to celebrate a birthday! It is our friend, Reed's 39th, so we had a picnic complete with lemon cake and sliced watermelon. The kids ran and played their little hearts out while the adults chatted. The only thing that put a dent in the evening was the wind. It was wicked windy out. In fact, several times our picnic nearly blew away.

Several of the kids at the top of the "spiderweb"

Lucas in the spinning wheel

Yay for Summertime and Good Friends!