A Long Time Coming!

A few days ago, I realized that not only am I VERY behind on our blog, but I totally forgot to post the cute pictures from Hattie's choir program at school as well as her last day of school!  Those were big, big days for her!

Classmates and siblings...had to take a picture!

Hattie and her bestie, Alyssa!

Singing!

We cheered Hattie on from the audience!

Hattie got to show us her great artwork she entered in the art contest!

We had so much to do before summer started...Hattie's choir show at school, and then the scripture memory celebration at church!  She worked hard all year long, memorizing scriptures and reciting them to her Sunday School teachers every week, and she completed her book!  We were so proud of her!

This was the day Uncle Buddy and I realized that I was exactly half his age when I turned 36 on my birthday! :)

Then I celebrated my birthday again with these fine folks!

Jeremy and I celebrated both of our birthdays at the DSM to see Ragtime!  It was wonderful!!!

Then it was the LAST WEEK OF SCHOOL!!!  Hattie got to wear her own clothes to school and made lots of great memories in those last few days!

Last chapel as 1st Graders!

Mr. and Mrs. Medina on the LAST day of school!  Hattie got the "Optimism" award.  We were so proud!

Then we FINALLY began our summer in the sun!

The picture below is a side-by-side of Hattie (on the left) from 2 years ago, and Georgia (on the right) now...two years apart, doing the exact same thing, in the exact same location, shining the same amount of sunshine and joy! Love this picture!

We celebrated Memorial Day in Longview, as usual!  The girls were precious in their new dresses Gramma got them...we took our annual picture on the porch rocker!

This year, Nonnie and Grandad came along, because Grandad's band was invited to perform during the crawfish boil at Woodland Hills!  We were so excited!

Nonnie was ever-so excited to hold baby Charlie for the first time!

We all had prayed so long and hard for him, it was such a sweet reward to see him in great health!

Such happy times playing and swimming in Longview!

We eventually planted our zinnias from seed, and they grew and grew!  Hattie and Georgia loved checking the progress and watering them (until it got hotter!).

Here they are before they had blooms...

Then they grew to be almost 5 feet tall with tons of blooms!!!

I've decided we will plant them from seed every year.  They're so happy!

Then I decided we needed a gardenia in our front yard, like Gramma has!  Here it is!  The blooms smelled sooooo good!

Then...in true "almost a three-year-old" form...this little girl...

DECIDED SHE LIKED PEAS!!!

This was a moment to remember!  She was so excited to realize that not everything I feed her is cruel and unusual punishment!  She really...likes...peas!

Parenting sometimes has sweet rewards...

And this was one. :)