Summer has begun!

Summer has officially started!

Sebastian and Zane had their last day Friday, June 4th.

Cody & Graham are "supposed" to have a week of school this coming week. It is a required "Community Service" week - it seems like it should really be called "Community Service/Cultural Experience" - Graham did his week in the Bahamas during spring break - so he doesn't have to go to school next week & Cody is going with a group to China tomorrow for 16 days!

Here are the latest photos that I just downloaded - they span a while as I am just not keeping up-to-date with downloading my pics!

We start with pics from Zane's class play. It was Sadako Sasaki - if you don't know the story it is a powerful one. Sadako was 2 years old when the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. She was also 2 kilometers away from where the bomb exploded. Most of Sadako's neighbors died, but Sadako wasn't injured at all, at least not in any way people could see. When Sadako was in the 7th grade she found out she had lukemia - at that time it was called the "A-bomb disease". While in the hospital she started to fold origami cranes - she planned to fold 1,000 in hopes of it making her feel better. When she died she had a total of 644 cranes. Children from all over the world still send folded paper cranes to be placed beneath a statue to honor Sadako and many others of died from the "A-bomb disease." One of Zane's classmates in traveling with her family to Japan this summer and they are taking all the cranes to kids folded. Like a said, it was a powerful play. Especially for a group of 1st, 2nd and 3rd graders.

Here is Zane and classmates ready to sing the opening song.


Zane & Chole.

Here are Slade and I as "Sid Vicious & Nancy Spungen" - our school's auction theme this year was "Great Great Britain"



And now, finally pics from Cody's junior prom.

Here are all the boys - the girls never made it to our house for the planned getting ready for the prom - they took so long getting their hair done, the boys had to meet them at the dance. They all did come back afterwards, but it was so late and I forgot to take some pics then. A couple of these are from the dance.


Very James Bond - don't you think?




Next in the camera were pics of the big Winchester vs. Rhodes water fight. Our neighbor, Pete, loves to play with the boys! It is snowball fights in the winter and water fights in the summer! This year our boys were asking early to have water fights with Pete. A date was set and the fight was on.






We should of had Seby & Zane in shirts too so you could see how much water they took on as well! It was a good fair fight!

Next in the que is our trip to the Lake House for Memorial Day weekend



We didn't end up taking many photos - none except for the beauty of the lake!

Today we set up the "pool" for summer swimming!



I know it doesn't look like much, but this was a great buy at Target one year at the end of the season - there is a filter and a cover - without the cover we would have so many leaves in the pool! It is quite refreshing to take a dip on a really hot day - or my favorite after doing some gardening!