Our very first week out of school, we went over to our friends house to house-sit for a week while they went on vacation to Hawaii.
Now, normally I would be totally jealous of a trip to Hawaii. But this time, we felt like we had our own little paradise! Surfboard and all!!
We didn't waste any time making use out of the pool and all its amenities. The kids couldn't get enough out of the slide or
the diving board (Addie actually did jump off the diving board. Just once, but she did it!).
Ashton is all geared up ready to go! By the end of the week, she finally was able to stay afloat without the extra help of the ring... finally!!
And as an extra bonus... the HOT TUB!!! It got great use morning, afternoon,
and night!!
And we also had the privilege of riding their four-wheeler!
So we divided up our time between the four-wheeler (only when daddy was around),
the pool (here with one of our good friends, Kaleigh), and of course
the hot tub!
In case you didn't catch it the first time, the four-wheeler
the pool :)
and the hot tub!!
Everyone took their turns and had a blast!
The surf board was a lot of fun in the water.
Even Randy got up on it!! Very impressive! I never attempted. I did get in the pool a couple times, and the hot tub even more. But after watering all the plants, but favorite spot...
was right here!! Relaxing on the side with a good book!!
We rocked the sun all week!!
But we also learned to rock the shade! Doesn't Avery look so relaxed!
They have an amazing back porch where we could still enjoy the beauties of outside with a little comfort of the shade when needed. And a speaker system to listen to some great tunes!
To help us stay outside, we would cook-out on the grill.
Addie is waiting for her hot dog!
We also did other things, like sidewalk chalk. This was Austin's masterpiece that I loved and had to grab a picture of. The whole John family!
And us girls painted our toenails!
But there were also jobs to be done! Randy was back in his element, mowing 20 acres on this bad boy!! I watered the plants, fed the cats and (prepare yourself) a rat. But for us it wasn't like chores at all. It was a great way to start our
John Summer '11!! :)
Avery was so excited for her first track and field day. This is when all the 4th and 5th graders from Bartlesville Public School District get together and race each other.
Randy took the day off, which made Avery (and Ashton as you can see) very happy! We started up in the bleachers, but for picture purposes we ended up coming down onto the field and staying there.
Avery's first event was the obstacle course. They started down on the ground....
and went through a series of obstacles until she got to the finish line. Everyone who raced in this went through twice, and took their best score. Avery got the second best time out of the fourth grade girls! She was so excited.
Her next event was the 200 meter dash. I was glad she did the obstacle course first to kind of get warmed up for this one. It was a doozy! We took her out the night before to make sure she knew just how long of a sprint this was. I actually raced it with her and almost died! :) But once again, she did great! She got second place in her heat, which made her eligible to run in the finals.
So we stuck around to watch the finals. I was nervous for her, this included the top two of each heat. As you can see, she is pretty far behind the person in first. That is Kiera, one of the girls Avery has played soccer with. She is FAST, and that is who beat Avery the first time around.
So basically everyone else was racing for second place. This was much closer....
but as you can tell from the smile on her face, she pulled it out! The number 2 was lucky for Avery this year!
Here is a picture of the top three girls in the 2oo meter dash, who all also happen to be soccer buddies! Kiera, Kaylin, and Avery.
Up until now, I have been very critical of my dear sweet husband. I think my thought process was "ok, so how much do you really appreciate me... and you better show it all to me today." But this year was different. 
Growing up all I wanted to be was a mother. Everything I did, my thought process was always directed to if this would help me be a good mother.
Even dating, I found Randy quite early... poor guy! He never had a chance! I knew he loved kids and he was fun and always took care of me so I refused to let him go. And I was right!
And when it came to college, I graduated from BYU with a Bachelors of Science in psychology because I thought it would help me be a better mom.
My kids mean everything to me, and I have now decided that my Mother's Day is about celebrating them and not me. And celebrating my wonderful husband who makes it possible for me to do the one and only job I've ever wanted to do... being a mother.
We had such a fun day resting, playing and just enjoying one another. I did get a few sweet gifts... jean capris from Austin, Addison and Ashton and shoes from Avery that she bought with her own money. 
Ashton told Randy she wanted to get me a Happy Meal for Mother's Day! 
This year Avery was on the Ladybugs. She's been with a great group of girls and a great coach, Woody Morgan, this year which has really helped her focus and learn more of the skills needed to be a good soccer player.
Austin is still on his original team, the Storm. They mainly have the same group of boys with a few changes here and there.
With three kids playing, we spend pretty much all day Saturdays at the fields. Ashton has been a great sport! She is just as much into it as everyone else! She grabbed Avery's socks, shin guards, and shoes after her game and put them on herself!
