Summer Vacation: Day three is just as busy as the last two!
Today we started the day off at home. We shared breakfast together and then we got cleaned up to face the day of activities ahead...
Once we were all presentable we hit the road! First stop was to our friend's house, The H's. I mentioned them a post or two back. They are currently in the process of moving three hours away from Spokane. Over the last eight years our families have gotten so close. It's hard to believe this season of our lives are coming to a close. That said, we are taking advantage of spending anytime possible together....even if that means on a day such as Father's Day. The kids played inside and out throughout the afternoon, while the adults took advantage of table space to play a board game. It was a good morning/afternoon spent with our family-by-choice.
After our visit there we headed over to our friends The K's. We have much history with The K's, but this was the first opportunity we had to share dinner with them at their home. We had a good meal (BBQ boneless ribs, salad, and veggie kabobs) and then got to visit for a while. It was so fun to see the nursery they are putting together for the little peanut they are expecting this fall. He is going to be filled with so much love from his mommy and daddy! All four of us enjoyed our visit with The K's and home it happens more and more now that the good weather looks like it might stick around!
By the time we got home we were pooped! We loved spending time with people who mean so much to us, but being gone ALL DAY for two days took it out of us. We look forward to the rest of summer and all the adventures it is going to bring!
Cheers,
Andrea - The Mommy
Day one of our summer vacation was not one for sleeping in. In fact, I was up earlier than I typically was on most school days. You see, today we were having friends over...
Our family has been friends with The H's for years and our kids have grown up together. One of their five kiddos had a doctors appointment and they are moving three hours away in a week, so we took advantage of an opportunity to play together.
Despite summer vacation starting today - weather wise, summer is nowhere in sight. So, we hunkered down inside for the few hours that they were here. The boys (4 of them) played wild and crazy games while the girls (2 of them) played quietly - for the most part - in The Princess's room. Then towards the end we all sat down to make a mess crafting Father's Day cards.
It will be hard to say good bye to our dear friends next week. They have been such a consistent part of our lives for the last 8 years. We are so grateful for their friendship, love and support. Distance will not tear us apart - we are looking forward to our bi-annual traditions of spending New Years and a summer weekend together.
Here's to making summer memories,
The Phifer Four
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So here's the deal....this is not my first blog and/or website. In fact I've started several and most have found their way to a cyberspace graveyard. I get so busy and wrapped up in living that I find it hard to put in the time documenting it all. This might be evident in the fact that I haven't added to this site for over two months. That being said, here's an update!
The kids wrapped up their school year yesterday. It was a half day - quick, easy and fun! It's been a long year for our family, so the kids were more excited than sad. They left with smiles on their faces ready to jump into summer adventures.
Little man did great in school this year. He got along great with his classmates and learned a lot. He brought home a dozen or more "Character Counts!" awards and was recognized as a "Pillar of Character" which only about a dozen kids were recognized as each quarter. The only challenge that we had this school year was with handwriting. He's a 7 year old and a boy - I'm not stressing about it yet. However, we will work on it more this summer since he can't properly be tested for accelerated programs if he can't legibly write out answers.
Our Princess has basically the same report. This was a wonderful school year for her. She had such a positive experience and her teacher was a huge part of that. Princess's teacher had her hands full, but worked hard to provide each of her (50 - AM and PM) students the love and attention they needed and deserved. Little miss brought home Super Bee on several occasions and earned Mystery Walker almost weekly. She's going to miss Kindergarten, but is looking forward to 1st grade. She's most excited about being able to have lunch at school!
As for us, The Mommy and Daddy, we just wrapped up an insane season in our lives. First and foremost, Troy GRADUATED from ITT Technical Institute with an Associates in Visual Communications. Anyone have a Graphic Design job they are wanting to fill?? Not only did he graduate, but he did so as the valedictorian. The kids and I are so proud of him. As of yesterday, I am done with my school work until the fall. Yay! With that said, we are all out of school for the summer and ready to spend some much needed quality time together.
Since we are so excited about the adventures this summer has in store for us be assured there will be many more posts coming up!! Stay tuned!
Hope it's warm in your neck of the woods because it isn't here,
The Phifer Four
Lately I've been feeling conflicted about having a "blog" (and/or website) and sharing so much information about my family....especially the kiddos. We live in a crazy, mixed-up world and they are only young once. I want to protect that and cherish it.
So, for now, I've decided to change everyone's names. It is a given that I am "The Mommy"and hubs is "The Daddy". I've gone with "Little Man" for he who shall not be named. I'm sure this will need to be changed in the future, but it's what we've called him since he was born. Until he's completely mortified about it...it's gonna stay that way. From time to time you may see it abbreviated to "LM". As for little miss, we're going with "The Princess", again, for now. I don't really want her labeled that because she is so much more than that. So, I'm open to suggestions on her alias.
There aren't many of you that actually read this, but for those of you who do....I'm pretty sure you'll know who I'm talking about. For as long as possible I want to protect them. This is just one way of doing that.
If you have a family website/blog do you conceal identities? If not, I challenge you to think about it. The internet is this vast, limitless space, but when we start listing our names and where we live it become small very quickly.
Keepin' it real,
The Mommy
Tyler with his trophy for Shows Respect.
Award show season has come and gone for the television and film industry. The beautiful ball gowns and tuxedos have been tucked away for other occasions or returned back to the designer that loaned them out in the first place. All the glitz and glam put to rest.
However, the award season is just getting warmed up here at the Phifer Four. Within one week, Tyler, was given TWO awards.
The first was a classroom award. This one (shown in the picture to the left) is for Showing Respect. This is not a huge shock. My boy is our social butterfly and he especially loves interacting with adults. He's learned over time that the best way to do this is be respectful. His actions are genuine and love driven. His kind heart always puts others first and shows people how much he cares for them.
Secondly, Little Man was given an award last night for being a Pillar of Trustworthiness. This award is given to students throughout the school who exemplify that attribute. He was honored at the school's PTA meeting and will be honored in front of the student body at an assembly.
Up next on the horizon? Little Man hopes to be awarded with a belt promotion at jiu-jitsu, March 25th. He's currently a yellow belt and is looking forward to earning his first white stripe. This is an opportunity that happen every 3 months or so, depending on attendance and skill competency.
Little Man is such a great kid! We are so proud of him, award or no. Although, it is a blessing that other recognize in him what we've known all along. Way to go son!
On Sunday, March 6th, The Princess was able to attend the 13th Annual Beyond Pink Barbie Party. This annual event is put on by Spokane's North East Youth Center (NEYC). They really do a great job of putting on productions for the children of Spokane. This was The Princess's 2nd time attending the Barbie party and Tyler has gone to a Star Wars Jedi Training camp through the NEYC.
This year, for the Barbie party, they joined forces with Finders Keepers. Finders Keeps is a local boutique specializing in unique dresses, hats and accessories. They put on a fashion show showcasing their dresses - the girls LOVED that.
In addition to the fashion show the girls also were able to have their nails done, make-up applied, create their own handbag, and take a limo ride around downtown Spokane. After the limo ride the "Kens" gifted the girls with flowers and a CD of all the day's music selection. They wrapped up the event by having the little girls strut down the runway with their life size Barbies.
Kailey gave this year another seal of approval. She loved having a friend with her this year and hopes that she can go again in the future. Thank you NEYC for putting on another awesome event for the youth of Spokane!
Drawn in China Marker by Andrea J Phifer
Yesterday Kailey brought home "Super Bee" from school.
Who is Super Bee you ask? Well, to the untrained eye Super Bee is just a Ty Beanie Baby. However to a kindergardener in Mrs. Baltzell's class it means you were caught BEEing Super.
The Princess is always so excited to bring Super Bee home with her. Yesterday he helped her do homework, read her daily chapter, and kept her company at bedtime. This morning Super Bee hung out with her while drawing, watching a movie, and eating lunch.
It is true that this is The Princess's 4th time bringing him home, but we think she is pretty super all the time. This is just one small indication of her greatness!
Love that girl!
