Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

A couple of weeks ago, we made a trip down to Colorado Springs to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. I have been wanting to go for years, and I'm so glad that we finally did. We went on a weekday, so Tony wasn't able to go along, but my sister, brother, mom and nephews did! We all really enjoyed the zoo, and can't wait to go back sometime!
You can get up close and personal with the giraffes at this zoo, and can even feed them, too!

Hailey was a little freaked out by their long tongues!

The zoo had so many fun little areas for the kids to play!

Hailey loved how close she could get to some of the animals!

But, our most favorite part was the mountain sky ride! We rode it 3 times to the top and back down again. The kids really loved it. It was such a beautiful view of the surrounding area, and it was fun to see some animals from above while riding over.

Last day of Kindergarten

June 10th was Hailey's last day of kindergarten. I was pretty sad to see the day come, honestly. I know how quickly the time has gone already, with the baby/toddler/preschool years. Now, kindergarten has come and gone as well. It's full day school from here on out.

I just can't believe my baby girl is a BIG first grader now!

They had a small ceremony at the school for all of the parents. They sang songs in the gym (yes, I totally cried!), and then they all went back to their classrooms. When we joined them in the classrooms, they did a little presentation of a medal to each student, and a photo of the kids in a graduation cap. The photo was a surprise, and it made me cry again! Hailey looks so big and grown up in the picture, and it made me flash forward 12 years and think about how she will look in that cap and gown when she graduates from high school.

And, that made me cry...again!

I know! What a crybaby I am. I just love that girl to pieces!

We are so proud of Hailey and all that she has accomplished this year in kindergarten. We have been able to really see her flourish this year, and learn so much! I feel so lucky that she had such a wonderful teacher, Mrs. Hardy, to "show her the ropes," and introduce her to school.

She can read just about anything now. Gone are the days where we could spell something we didn't want her to know about!

Well, I guess that mostly ended a year or so ago, but we really can't get away with it now!!

She enjoys doing the simple math, too- addition and subtraction; and greater than, less than, etc.

Her writing is unbelievably different than it was when she first started the year!

I was really surprised at how far things came along for her this year!

Here she is getting her medal (and a hug!) from Mrs. Hardy

One last hug and photo with her kindy teacher!
And, of course, it wouldn't be complete without a pic with her sweet little man! :)

I took this one first, and then another (where Hailey was looking), but I actually liked this one better! Sometimes you just can't beat those candid moments! (I love how she is looking at him!)

One of the cakes the kindergarten teachers ordered for the picnic!

School Carnival

Hailey's school had a summer carnival a few weeks ago.

They had a snow cone machine, and a cotton candy maker,Lots of fun inflatables,Carnival Games,A gigantic slide,& friends!

(hailey and her boyfriend, brendan- who had just come from his baseball game!)

FUN!

Kindergarten Field Trip to Hudson Gardens

Hailey's class took their first field trip to Hudson Gardens. They had been studying frogs, so we were on the hunt for frogs while we were there. Even though we only saw ONE frog the entire day, we still had lots of fun!

It was Hailey's first trip on a school bus, and she was super excited about that!My group of kiddosLunch Break/Picnic time!Hailey and Brendan... the kindergarten romance continues!

Who wouldn't love waking up to this?!

Hailey greeted me with this one morning when I was on my way downstairs for the day.

She can be such a sweet little girl...sometimes! ;)

Mother's Day

We celebrated Mother's Day with my parents, and sister's family this year. We had everyone over to our house for a casual get together. We had a cookout, and played, and just hung out. Hailey and Tory had tons of fun on the trampoline, and driving her Jeep around! Even Granny took some turns jumping on the trampoline! The weather was beautiful, too! What a fun day with some of my favorite people!

Papoo with 2 of his sweetie pies! Love them! <3

New Chair!

I know most people wouldn't really be that excited about this... but, my birthday gift from Tony arrived last month, too! I have been coveting (is that a word?) this chair for quite some time. I am in love with it! It's so perfect in the corner of the family room, and is exactly what I wanted for that space. Thanks, Tony for allowing me to order it for my birthday gift! LOL!

(and, there will be an ottoman joining the chair very soon, too!)

Hailey's Birthday lunch & American Girl outing

For Hailey's special birthday celebration, Granny took her out to lunch (with the boys and my sister and I in-tow!) to the Cheesecake Factory. Then, we went on to get Kanani from the AG store. Hailey has been begging to get this doll since the first time she saw in the catalog. She has always had a love for hula girls, and things that are Hawaiian. And, since visiting Hawaii in the fall, her love has grown deeper. Ever since she was little, if you asked her what she wants to be when she grows up, she always responds "a hula girl!" So, it seems fitting that her first real, AG doll is the Hawaiian girl, Kanani!

Walking into the restaurantWho doesn't love a piece of Reese's PB cheesecake? YUM!

I loved how they wrote a birthday message on her plate! Granny giving Hailey $ to purchase Kanani. She had never seen a one hundred dollar bill, before! (for those of you who know us, Tony and I never carry cash!)Kanani!! When we got home, Hailey took all of her new goodies out of their boxes. Then, she laid them all out, and took this picture with my camera. (She placed the cat in the photo, too! Funny girl!)

A big thank you to Granny, Pappoo, Aunnie, and Uncle Nik for contributing to her doll and accessories!

Hailey's 6th Birthday!

We had Hailey's birthday at Pump it up this year. Between Hailey's friends from school, the neighborhood, and our "regular" friends, we had a pretty good turn-out!

Before we went into the party room, Hailey led everyone in a game of Simon Says Birthday Girl!

Shooting some hoops with Daddy

My bro coming down the slide with Kaleb

Then, my Mom coming down with the boys! (This pic makes me laugh!!)

Most of the kiddos before we went into the party room

(I think we were only missing a couple from this pic)

And, with silly faces!

We all had so much fun at Pump it up! Hailey has been talking about how great it was all week long! Thanks to everyone who came out to celebrate with us! We are so lucky to have such wonderful friends and family!

Jump Rope for Heart

Thank to you everyone who helped support Hailey with her Jump Rope for heart donations. She had so much fun at the event with her classmates and friends! She raised over $200 for the American Heart Association!