Summer 2008

This summer has been so busy for our family! Our first big thing was that Jack got glasses. He looks super cool in them and is so great about remembering to wear them. They finally seem to be working, too.



Grandma and Grandpa S came to help us finish some projects around the house, and the big one we got accomplished was re-doing Jack's room from a little boy room to a big boy room. Sue and Stan let us use Michael's old curtains, we got new blinds for his windows, and best of all, we framed up some posters and some of Jack's own dinosaur drawings to hang on the wall. He worked so hard on them, and it really shows.



Next up was Jack's preschool graduation. Both sets of grandparents came to see Jack and his class sing together, walk across the stage wearing mortar boards, get their diplomas, and throw their hats in the air. Miss Steph really goes all out for the kids to make it a special day.



But Jack wasn't the only grad in the family. I can hardly believe it, but Allison graduated from high school. Heck, to me, she's the one who's supposed to still be in preschool. But here she is all grown up and ready to move out on her own.



At the end of June, Rodger called and asked if we would like to take Jack to Shawnee Mission Park for a family campout. We supplied the food, and they supplied the tent -- and what a tent it was. Jack had the best time ever eating hotdogs, flying a kite, pitching the tent, and most of all, sleeping in a pup tent INSIDE the big tent. He loved every minute of it, and is hoping we can go again soon.





When we got home from camping, Jim tackled cutting down the giant overgrown bushes in front of our house. This doesn't seem like such a big event unless you'd actually seen what they looked like before he worked on them.



Jack's been working on lots of projects this summer -- the biggest of which is his artwork in the garage. Using the cardboard from our new entertainment center, he's been working hard on a whole dinosaur mural with a volcano, a lake, and a variety of kinds of dinosaurs, especially the "famous ones".



At the end of the summer session, Jack invited Miss Steph over to see his house and his room. She's so sweet to Jack that she spent over two hours here just chatting with Jack and looking at all his things. They got out his rock collection and some of his stuffed animals, they looked at all his artwork, and they just had a great time. Miss Steph has been a real friend to Jack and we're both going to miss seeing her every week.



Jack loves to watch animal shows on tv, most especially Zoboomafoo and Jack Hanna's Wild Animal Adventures. Jack even wrote his first fan letter to Jack Hanna to tell him how much he enjoys the show. Here's the picture we included in the letter that we sent.



At the end of July, we went with Jim's family to Beaver Lake, Arkansas for our yearly vacation. Jack and Jim went boating, JetSki-ing, and lots and lots of swimming. It's really beautiful there, and it was hard to leave after only a couple of days.

Kindergarten is just around the corner, and I know lots will be changing for our family, so it was nice to have this fun and busy summer to remember.