Bahamas Pictures

Jessica's 9th Birthday Party

Jessica's birthday is July 1st, but we celebrated her birthday on June 4th because we will be at Whiskeytown on her birthday. We had a swim party at Grandma's house with her friends.

These are her two best friends

Kylie

Megan

I'm so proud of Jessica. She is growing up so quickly. She loves animals and anything she can mother. She is SO smart! It always amazes me when I sit down and have a conversation with her, just how mature she is.

I love you Jessica! Our family would not be complete without you!

(To see more pictures, go to Rickards Family Photos)

School Awards

School is finally out! The kids had their awards assembly on Thursday. Jessica received the BEAR (Be Excited About Reading) award for her class. It is given to students who had read a certain number of books in a given time period. Jessica has always been an excellent reader! She loves to read and has incredible tone and voice inflection when she reads out loud. I think that is where she got her huge vocabulary.

Austin received three awards... I'm not sure what I think about all this. (Read My Momma Bear Moment) He was given straight As which put him on the Principals Honor Roll. He was also given an award for Outstanding Academic Achievement in Science and he was given the BEAR Award for Reading.

All this from a teacher who was "disappointed in his grades". I want to be so excited for him because I know he worked really hard, but I think he could have worked harder in some areas. I don't want him to think he doesn't have to put 100% effort into his school work and still be rewarded. I am proud of him for how much he has grown this year. He has become so much more responsible and has learned some really good study habits. I'm torn on how I feel...

Jason made him a deal last semester. He told Austin, if he got straight As, he would buy him a new motorcycle. Austin had outgrown his old one and wasn't enjoying riding as much because of it. Jason really hoped he would get the grades because he enjoyed riding with Austin. Last quarter he didn't quite make the the grades. He did make the Honor Roll though. Jason spent a lot of Saturdays a little bummed when Austin didn't want to go out the Ranch with him to ride.

When Austin found out he got straight As, he called Jason from his cell phone at recess! He was so excited! Jason called me and told me the good news and then asked what I thought. I didn't know. I know he tried really hard and I know he feels like he earned it. I'm not sure he didn't earn it. At progress report time, I wasn't sure if he could pull it off... He was close though. Jason really wanted to get him the bike, so we decided he earned the grades. :-) I don't have a picture of his new bike yet, but here is one of him on his old bike.

Memorial Day Weekend

For as long as I can remember, I have spent every Memorial Day weekend camping at Whiskeytown Lake. Some years it rained and some years it was so hot we rarely took off our swim suits! When I lived in Utah, I made the long drive back to be there. I have cousins at BYU that still drive all the way out for the weekend. It is a tradition that was started when my mom was about 14 years old. My mom is one of 5 children and they all still come with their children. We've grown into quite a bunch with every one's kids and their kids and so on. Some of my favorite memories in life are from there. It is one of those constants in my life. Well, a few years ago the campground came under new management and they keep changing the date we can make reservations. This was the first year that we missed the deadline and the campsites were all taken for Memorial Day weekend! It was kind of hard to imagine not being there and spending that time with my extended family.

We decided to spend the weekend camping at Dinkey Creek. It had been so hot the week before and we were looking forward to a little relief by being up in the mountains. I heard on the news that the heat wave was ending and we would "be seeing cooler temperatures by the weekend". I didn't think much of it. We picked up the RV from the storage unit early in the week so I wouldn't feel rushed to get it all packed up. (We bought an RV last year and if you ask anyone in my family, that isn't "real" camping. :-) I agree, but nobody complains when I pull a lasagna out of the oven!) I was loading some food into the RV when my mom came by and said she had checked the weather. She said there was a 40% chance of rain on Saturday with a high temp of 74 degrees and a low of 58. Hmm. Well, how bad could it be? It was 90 degrees outside and I was in shorts and a t-shirt. 74 sounded great and rain couldn't be that bad and if it rained, I was sure it would only be for a little bit.

We got in late Friday night and by Saturday morning at 6am we could hear the cousins outside trying to start the fire. Our kids woke up and couldn't wait to go out and play! Jason got up and took them all on a hike near the creek so I could try to get some more sleep. Ashlyn's first tooth broke through on Friday and she woke up a few times during the night.

By 8am, it was raining and COLD! Really cold. The kids came back played with the fire- yes, more "safe" behavior that I had to take pictures of. (If you are not a regular here, check out Brynne's birthday and the boys playing with the barbecue.) This time, I did give in to the worried mom in me but not until after I got a few pictures! :-) I wasn't as worried about them starting a fire or burning each other as I was about them thinking this was a great idea and doing it when we camp in July when everything is dry. Boys, boys, boys...

I went for a run around 11am when the rain slowed to a drizzle. I love to run in the mountains! It just makes me feel alive and it makes me happy. When I was a teenager, I used to run on the trails at Whiskeytown with my dad. Love it! The place we camped was down a dirt road, tucked away next to the creek. (One of my favorite sounds is the water rushing over the rocks. I could sit and listen to that for hours.)

Jason, Jeff and Wes took their motorcycles out to explore the area while I took a shower and the kids tried to stay warm in the RV watching a movie. The rain came and went throughout the day and it was no where near 74 degrees outside! My brother Billy and his wife Jen came up to visit us for the day. She is due in a few weeks and I don't think camping sounded too appealing. Luckily, the campground isn't too far from home, so they could come hang out without feeling like they had to pack up and spend the night.

Stephen and Skyler arrived in the afternoon. We didn't have any cell phone reception at our campground. I was feeling really guilty that they drove all the way here to spend the weekend camping with us and it was SO cold and rainy. I was glad they came though. As we were unloading his car, I tried not to get emotional. There was just an empty feeling when Ronna didn't get out of the car with them. Sometimes it still doesn't feel real that she isn't here. I miss her. She would have been so excited to hear about Ashlyn's new tooth.

We helped set up their tent and unload Sklyer's bike. He can ride a two wheeler now! He is growing up so fast! Stephen is amazing with him.

We cooked ham and yummy potatoes in the dutch ovens, read the paper, goofed off in the hammock and around camp, and played games in the RV.

Ashlyn kept busy while we were playing a game by trying to get her new tooth into an orange! It was so cute! Jason took a million pictures. (To see more, click the link to the Rickards Family Photos and click on the Memorail Day Weekend folder. )

By Sunday morning, we were ready to go home. It was just too wet and cold to enjoy being outside. On our way home it started to SNOW!!!! Yes, I said snow. It looked like really slushy rain at first but then a bit of snow. Stephen and Skyler came back and spent the night at our house. They went out to the Ranch to ride the quads with Jason and the kids on Monday and then headed home.

My Momma Bear Moment

In the beginning of the school year Austin was forgetful. He would forget his homework assignments in the car or on his desk. Sometimes he would forget to bring home his math book and would have to call another student to get the information. He just wasn't really concerned about school. His grades always came easy for him. If you asked him what his favorite subject was, he would say "Recess!" His teachers have always loved him. They have always told me how "delightful" he was to have in class.

This year, we have had a different experience. His teacher just always seems so crusty and irritated. At first, it was a little hard for me to understand. I can be an objective parent, but Austin really is a good boy. He's not a trouble maker or the loud obnoxious kid in class. He has a quiet, charming sense of humor and always tries to do what is right. Really, I'm not just saying that because he's my son. He really is a great kid. Anyway, one day when he had forgotten something, she said, "Well that's no surprise now is it Austin?" right in front of the whole class. Austin was really embarrassed and it hurt his feelings. He had never had a teacher be rude to him. As he told me about it, his eyes teared up. "She just doesn't like me, Mom. She is always mean to me." I asked him more about it and he said he didn't want to talk about it. He asked me not to talk to her about it because she said "kids who have parents that complain have it a lot harder. That's what she told us."

It broke my heart to see him sad and honestly, I was really disappointed in his teacher. We worked with Austin to help him remember to put his homework back in his backpack the night before so it wouldn't get left at home. We also tried to improve his relationship with his teacher. We sent Christmas candy to her at Christmas time and sent friendly emails occasionally to check on Austin's progress. She always responded sounding short and less than friendly.

Austin has become so much more responsible and rarely needs to be reminded anymore. I still feel like she is really hard on him though. Any assignment that has a right or wrong answer, he gets excellent grades. If it is discretionary, the grades are not very good.

So, last Friday, I got a call from Austin's teacher. She sounded really upset. She said, " I just wanted you to know that Austin is just falling apart the last few weeks! He is forgetting everything and he isn't finishing his assignments!" Honestly, I was confused at first. "Really? Austin has been diligently doing his homework every night. I'm really surprised to hear that." I felt like he had really hit his stride. He had been so responsible lately. Just the night before he asked if we could buy some paint for a project they were doing in school. The other kids were using crayons and markers but, his teacher said the better it looked, the better the grade. He thought painting it would make it look more like a building. "Is he missing something?" I asked.

"Well, he just isn't finishing his assignments and I know you are just as disappointed in his grades as I am! Would you like to have a word with him?" she went on.

I'm not sure if it was the tone in her voice, or the fact that Austin was still able to pull off all A's and two B's in spite of her, that brought out the Momma Bear in me. I had bit my tongue for too long. "No, I wouldn't, but while I have you on the phone there is something I would like to talk to you about." I told her about the conversation I had had with Austin several months ago and that it brought him to tears thinking that his teacher didn't like him. "As a parent, it concerns me that my child spends most of his day with an adult who is rude and belittling and who makes him feel like he isn't liked. I'm not sure how he learns in an environment like that, but I am actually quite proud of Austin and his accomplishments this year."

She was really quite for a moment and she said she would talk to Austin about that. We hung up the phone, but I was still upset. I sat racking my brain trying to think of what Austin could have forgotten. I called Jason, like I always do when I am upset about something. He said he was glad I finally said something too her. Jason wasn't a fan of Austin's teacher either. I asked him if he had any idea what he could have forgotten. "Yeah, his spelling homework," he said. I told Jason that I saw Austin working on it. "The one where he had to write the coordinates for each letter of every word? I told him he didn't have to finish it. It was lame, busy work and it would have taken him forever." he said. "What!? Really, you did? Honey..."

When Austin came home from school, I asked him how his day was. "Fine," he said. I asked him if his teacher talked to him. His eyes lit up. "How did you know?" he asked. I told him we had talked on the phone earlier in the day. He gave me a hug and grinned. "Thanks, Mom." He said she apologized for being rude in front of the class and for hurting his feelings. She told him that she was glad he was in her class. I told him I was glad, but he had to finish his spelling homework.

We left to go camping evening, but I couldn't get it off my mind. I felt bad for my Momma Bear moment. I probably could have handled it better. I felt guilty for not being nicer about it. Then I started to worry because Austin's final grades hadn't come out yet. He really wants to play football in the fall and we told him he could only have one B and the rest had to be A's. When we got home, I was going through his backpack and found a note from his teacher. She said she had apologized to Austin and would give him class time to finish his assignment. Wow! I guess she was feeling bad too.

The Hat Parade

The title of this post is The Hat Parade, but it should probably be called The Mommy Project! Our elementary school doesn't do the traditional Kindergarten Graduation. Instead, they have a Hat Parade. Each student is sent home with a flat, circular piece of poster board to be made into a hat! I think each year they have become more elaborate. It started with stickers, string and markers and has graduated to star wars figures, real footballs, barbies, feather boas and leopard print, and yes, now flowers.



It was so funny to watch the mom's as they dropped off the kids in the classroom to get ready for the big event! "Be careful!", "Don't touch that!", "Oh no! You can see my glue spots!" "Don't take the football off!" "BE CAREFUL!" They were so proud of their little creations. I can't say I was much better! "Lauren, don't jump on the couch with your hat on! Please, don't play with your hat! If it breaks, I don't have time to fix it!"

The kids were adorable! A red carpet was set up on the stage in the school cafeteria. The kids walked the carpet with a partner, stood and smiled, bowed or did a curtsy. We all took pictures of our kids and admired each other's hats. The mom's smiled at their friends as their hat's were revealed. Whispers of "Good job on that one!" and "You are so creative!" were exchanged. After the little red carpet parade, the kids sang a few very cute songs with hand motions. It was one of those moments that makes you so glad to be a mom.

I was glad to share the moment with my mom and my grandparents and of course the rest of my family. Ashlyn loved it! It is crazy that she is so big already! She loved to watch the kids sing. My grandpa was holding her as she kicked her legs and squealed with delight! We kept turning around to look at her because it was so funny! We tried not to let her steal the show!

Pictures From The Hat Parade

Take Me Out To The Ball Game!

Monday was the last day of baseball! For the last two years, Austin's uncle Jeff coached his baseball team and Jason was one of the assistant coaches. They both decided they were too busy this year to commit that much time. I was a little surprised when Austin said he still wanted to play even though he probably wouldn't get a team with one of his cousins. (They think they can't do anything without each other!)

I missed sitting in the stands with my sister, cheering on our boys, but it was fun to watch Austin grow so much in his abilities this year. He is so much fun to watch when he gets on base! He is so quick and loves to steal. I love his grin as he crosses home plate!

He has a great arm! He never did get to pitch though. (The coach's son did.) He missed 2 Saturday practices in the beginning of the season. If Austin ever asked if he could pitch, the coach told him he would love to have him pitch but he had to be at practice. It was kind of frustrating for me because I felt like it was a game of who do you know and who are your friends with. He was at every other practice. They did put a lot of emphasis on learning and the kids changed positions constantly. Well, except for the pitcher. :-)

This was also our first year of doing Cal Ripken instead of the River Park League. I think next year we will go back to River Park. I love the big stadiums with the lights and the snack bar! (I love those ball park nachos!) Our games were at the same time and on the same nights, which was nice in some ways. BUT the time was terrible. Austin had to be there at 5pm to warm up and the games started at 5:45. We wouldn't get back home until 7:30pm. We ate a lot of sandwiches and take out!