Last Day Of School!

Our girls' last day of school was June 7th.  That seems pretty late, but I kind of like it because it's not that summery until June anyways.   They start school later in the year too, which I also love. 

Of course, the last day of school is always a blast.  They pretty much spend the entire day playing and signing each other's year books.  I think each girl had a few friends they were sad to say goodbye to -  they promised to get together throughout the summer.  They were also given their teacher assignments for next year, so there was a lot of comparing with their friends and worrying about what next year will be like.  But mostly, they were just excited to be done with school and its regimen for a while.  Me too, honestly!

Our first summer celebration was that very night!  Grandpa Smith and Brian Holt share the same birthday and my mom hosted a party for them.  Grandma Church, Aunt Sue and Bob and Uncle Mike's family all came too.  Mike's son, Steven (one of the twins) lives in Italy with the military.  He just got married this past year to a beautiful woman named Daniella whom we'd never met.  They were visiting America, so we all wanted to see Steve and meet his new wife.  We had a great night.  As you can imagine, we ate unbelievable amounts of extraordinary food.  We also had fun watching the birthday boys open their presents and many MANY funny cards.  Then we played a few games in my parents back yard.  It was a great night. 

Look how cute Megan is!

Mom and the birthday boys!  Uncle Mike and my cousin, Mark's daughter, Lindsay are in the background.

Cute little birthday present.

Me, Katie, Steven, Daniella, Kristin, Ken, Scott, Mark. 

 This game is affectionately referred to in our family as "the bouncy ball game."  It is the butt of many a joke because the whole point of the game is to keep a ball in the air for as long as possible.  It seems simple and maybe even a little silly, but once you get going and you reach a high number, it gets pretty intense.  And there is always plenty of laughter while we play.  When we started playing, Mike's kids sad, "Hey.  This is Grandpa Church's game!"  I don't remember if this game came from him or not, but I wouldn't be surprised.  Grandpa was the kind of man who could take a ball and make a simple game that everyone, no matter age or skill level, could play together and have a great time.