Our week in pictures....

School has been out for one full week and we have been incredibly busy the entire week. In fact, as we speak I should be finishing preparations for our Memorial Day pilgrimage to St. James and so I will keep this short and sweet....

In April we celebrated our 11th anniversary. Struggling to find the perfect gift for the man who has everything, I did some research and discovered the suggested traditional gift for the 11th year of matrimony is steel. Contemplating this, I decided a fire pit was just the ticket and boy was I right. Not only did Jason love it but the girls declared it to be "THE BEST GIFT ANYONE COULD EVER GET!"~High praise, indeed. We broke it last Friday as a summer kick-off activity and this may be one of my best gifts to date. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves and I predict we will be a houseful of professional marshmallows roasters before the leaves begin to change....

Saturday brought the conclusion of Grace's soccer season. They went out with a bang and played the best they have all spring. The stress and excitement was bordering on unbearable and just when I thought things couldn't get any more tense, the coach put Grace in as goalie. It was only her second turn defending the goal during her long and esteemed soccer career and don't let this photo fool you...

She was an animal! Maybe a timid little kitty cat, but an animal nonetheless. Even though nothing got by her, she maintains goalie is definitely not her position of choice. Medals were bestowed and another season is under her belt.

Monday morning was a morning Lily Jane has been anticipating for over a month~swimming lessons! Finally she gets to be like the big girls and really test her aquatic prowess. The first day went well....right up until shortly after this photo was taken...

For some reason with about five minutes remaining, Lily flipped her lid and wanted out. Out of the pool, out of the building and out of lessons. Day two was even worse with her begging me to let her sit with me instead of swimming. I finally got stern with her and used my best playground voice to let her know~A. These lessons are not optional., B. She will remain in the pool. and C. If she continues to flip out, I will have to sit in the hallway for the duration of the lessons and will not be able to watch.

She didn't like it much but did return to the pool and proceeded to follow the instructor's every directive, tears flowing down her cheeks and little shoulders shaking all the while. It was heartbreaking but she made it. Wednesday and Thursday were complete successes with her not only participating but enjoying herself. I'm not sure if this was because of my playground voice lecture, the fact that Grandma sweetened the deal with the promise of a treat if Lily was brave or if it was because the little boy who screamed the entire time on Monday and Tuesday wasn't there, but really, I couldn't care less. She swam, floated and blew bubbles with the best of them and it was awesome.

Grace, my little mermaid, started Monday in level four and by Wednesday was already in level six. She is quite the little fish. Ella was determined to move from level three to four and by Thursday, she was finally awarded that prized gold sticker indicating her promotion.

And finally, yesterday, Grace celebrated her 10th birthday (by the way, I truly cannot believe Grace is going to be 10 years old. That's double digits!) slightly early with some of her best friends.

They tie-dyed t-shirts, played, ate pizza, cake and s'mores and basically just ran wild for about 6 hours. Grace had an absolutely fantastic time and I think everyone else did too.

And now we are headed east, to the land of 10,000 lakes and a whole bunch of goofballs for what is sure to be a weekend full of fun and games. We are very much looking forward to having a few days away from the busyness and by golly, if you can't get away from it all and have an awesome time in St. James, then I don't know where you can!

Happy long weekend to you all!

Last Day Luau...

Yesterday was our last day of school and in the world of John Harris Elementary, that means an all day party. This year the theme was "Last Day Luau". We put on our leis, took a quick last day of school snapshot and we off on our merry ways~Grace, Ella and I to the school while Lily was delivered to the Whaler's for her own day of fun. As a member of the games committee, my duties for the day were to ensure the smooth running of coconut bowling, sand bucket grand prize game, tacky tourist relay, beach volleyball, hula hoop relay and the limbo. Unfortunately we ran into a bit of a snag due to the unrest of a grumpy volunteer and my hands were quite full during Grace's trip through the games and I was only able to get a couple of pictures of her enjoying her last moments of being a 4th grader...

Being as flexible and well-prepared as a committee could be, we quickly had things running like a well oiled machine and by the time 1st grade came through, I had plenty of time to track Ella down and annoy her with picture after picture of her revelry.... Ella and her bestie, Olivia...

Coconut bowling using perfect technique...
Intense focus during the sand bucket grand prize game...

Preparing for her run in the tacky tourist relay. That's quite a game face there...

Hula hoop relay...

Limboing...One additional activity for the Last Day Luau was a coloring contest. All of the students were given a coloring sheet and were invited to enter. Ella was quite certain she would be selected as a winner and was extremely hopeful. Grace was not as sure in her talents and was not expecting a win. The committee members met to choose 1st and 2nd place for each grade. I bowed out gracefully as I knew I would not be an impartial judge and as it turns out, my vote wasn't needed and Grace and Ella's thinking was correct. Ella took first place for first grade and was just thrilled to pieces. She said, "When they were pronouncing the winners, I was all shivery because I was so happy." Here is the proud artist accepting her 1st place sand bucket and shovel...

Following the sand bucket ceremony and water balloon toss, it was time to close up the surf shop. Our committee posed for a quick pic...

Ella wanted pictures with her favorite first grade teachers....

We stopped for one last photo opportunity...

And then went to collect this little hula girl....

A great end to a great year and a fantastic beginning to what is sure to be a fantastic summer...

Aloha.

Endings and beginnings...

Tis the season of endings...the end of soccer season, the end of school and the end of my sweet little Moocher being 3 years old and it seems almost unbelievable to me that we are already at this point.

Soccer is winding down just as the weather finally starts to improve enough to make sitting there and watching extra enjoyable. Grace's game on Thursday night was by far the coldest game to date but we Kolbs are tough and cheered the Red Hots on to near victory. Grace played another great game and then smiled like the champ she is for her team photos...

Sunday was the much anticipated 4th birthday of Miss Lily Jane. I was awakened by tiny little feet pitter-pattering rapidly across the floor. She burst into our bedroom with a great big smile and hugs for Jason and I~her excitement palpable. We convened to the living room so she could open her gifts and begin the day of celebration.
The sheriff badge clip-on earrings were a nice touch to compliment the Horse/Cowboy Girl theme she had selected for her party...

After the girls had been tucked in for the night on Saturday, Jason and I transformed the garage into the Wild West (***or just hung up some wanted posters and balloons to make it mildly more interesting than a regular old garage but far from the Wild West Saloons of yore) for Lily's party on Sunday. This was a complete surprise to her and she was thrilled with the results.

However, before the festivities could begin, we had church to attend. I stole a moment for a quick photo, staring directly into the sun, with my wonderful birthday girl.... And of course, the birthday girl and her two most favorite people in the world...

We rushed home after Mass to put the finishing touches on things and finally, Lily's 4th birthday party was kicked off!

Her horsey cake was fit for a cowboy girl and turned out just as adorable as you would have expected...

And it was finally the big moment Lily had been anxiously waiting for~time to blow out the candles. On two different occasions while out to eat, we have informed the waiter of Lily's birthday and both times Lily has been seriously let down. One time she did not receive a dessert of any type and the second time she was granted a dessert but no candle. I was the slightest bit annoyed when the dessert arrived and instead of happiness, Lily began crying. It was sort of odd as she isn't really much of a whiner but she was just devastated that there was no candle. She implored us to get a candle from the waitress and we just weren't able to and promised her that at her party, she would be able to blow out her candles. That seemed to appease her but her sadness over the missing candle was somewhat mystifying to me. Finally on Sunday, it dawned on me. Lily truly believes that your birthday doesn't occur and you don't actually age until you blow out your candles so this moment was really a big deal to her. Patiently, she posed for the requisite pictures...

And then slowly and very purposefully she blew out each of the candles individually. When the candles had been extinguished she looked up at me with the most wonderful look of happiness, satisfaction and relief. How a little person's mind works is so great!Once the hot cha-chas, cake and ice cream were out of the way, everyone pretty much just enjoyed themselves. The kids played, the adults chatted and Lily was very much in birthday party heaven.

My sweet girl had a fabulous time at her very first birthday party devoted entirely to her. I cannot properly express the love and happiness this perfect cowboy girl brings to my life. There isn't a day that passes without me realizing what a gift Lily is to my life. Her sweetness, kindness, sense of humor and beautiful heart radiate from her and makes every moment brighter and every day more special. I love you, Moocher.

Monday brought another "event", this time involving Ella. Her class has been studying different countries and prepared group presentations for the parents. In addition to the country presentations, we were treated to the vocal stylings of the class. As you can see in the picture, they were all super comfortable and stoked up about singing for us...The poem about eating a worm finally brought a little smirk to Ella's face...

Ella's country was China and she had her information down pat. She was extremely proud of her poster and not so proud of the cookies her group had made. Jason and Lily each tried the cookies and agreed, they weren't quite the flavor of cookie we are accustomed to.

Overall Ella and her group-mates, Eric and Zach, were fine ambassadors of China and Jason, Lily and I highly enjoyed our visit.

The remainder of the week is filled with school year end activities and fun. Today the girls get to meet their teachers for next year, Thursday is the Last Day Luau and both Ella and Grace have the final soccer games this week.

All of these endings bring us to wonderful things...the beginning of sleeping in, lazy days, free time and fun. Summer is coming and we couldn't be happier about it.

Mother's Day...

Since becoming a mother almost 10 years ago, I've had many ups and downs. I've had my eyes opened to a whole new way of living that involves less "me, me, me" and more "you, you, you". My life no longer belongs to me alone but rather to me and my three little duckies (well, and technically to Jason too but he's a big boy so I'll let him claim his own life). For some, the thought of sharing your life so completely is daunting. For me, a person who craves a sense of belonging and purpose, I couldn't love it more. I belong with these wonderful girls and they belong with me. As draining as having three little people depending on you for their basic needs as well as their not so basic needs, the rewards and happiness are immeasurable.

And so, in honor of Mother's Day, I have created a list of things (in no way an all-inclusive list) I love about being a mother:

1. Pinkie swears-A pinkie swear from a child is far more binding than any "You have my word" from an adult.
2. The unadulterated innocence, purity and faith all children are born with. They are a clean slate that you know eventually will be marred but being able to experience that for even a short time can restore your own faith in the good of the world.
3. Messy faces and mismatched outfits that reflect a lack of self-conscientiousness that is enviable.
4. The extraordinary privilege of experiencing events and situations, even the most mundane, through my little girls' eyes is a gift like no other.
5. Bedtime, theirs and mine, holds a whole new level of appreciation in my life.
6. Being able to legitimately use the phrases, "Because I said so, that's why!" and "Moms just know stuff like that."
7. Walking through Hy-Vee and having one of them slip their little hand into mine makes me feel more proud than any thing I have ever accomplished in my life.
8. Having a shopping partner, an outfit approver, a lunch date or a board game player always
on hand.
9. There are three little people out there that completely believe in me and trust that when things aren't going well, I can make things right and I can make it better.
10. Having three perfectly reasonable excuses for always having homemade baked goods on hand, why I am sitting on the couch watching Suite Life of Zach and Cody, knowing all the words to all the High School Musical songs or being excited over coming across one of my old favorite books at the library.
11. Daily glimpses of the goodness of life and endless supply of hope only little children can provide. In a child's mind, there is always a silver lining.
12. Learning that I am more brave than I ever thought I could be.
13. Finding notes that say things like, "I love you 100%." or "You are the best mommy ever."
14. The broadening of my horizons and how being a mother has taken me out of my self-contained shell. I have met new friends, joined into activities I would not have otherwise participated in and become a better person so as to be a better role model for my mini-me's.
15. The love that I am given every single day that most of the time, I don't even deserve.
16. And finally, the appreciation I have gained for all mothers, but mine in particular. It is impossible to understand the level of sacrifice, unconditional love, fortitude and effort it takes to be a mom until you are one yourself.

Mom~Every day could be Mother's Day and it still would not be sufficient to celebrate the job you have done and continue to do. As I navigate this extremely rocky path of parenting, there are no other footsteps in which I would want to follow. I love you.

Happy Mother's Day to all of the mothers who happen to read this. And, Happy Mother's Day to all of the children for without you, there would be no mothers.