The Skunk Mobile

Corey participated in the Cub Scout Pinewood Derby on Wednesday. We had never been to one before so we didn't quite know what to expect. There were about 12 other Cub Scouts competing. I just thought that you sanded out the block of wood they give you, paint it and then put on the wheels but it is a whole lot more. Barry and Corey cut out their car shape and then sanded it. Corey painted it black and white, hence the name "The Skunk Mobile", then Barry did a little "doctoring" to it. The car can only weigh 5 ounces when it is ready to race and they mean 5 ounces. They had a weigh in before the race and if you were over weight you had to make some adjustments. Barry strategically placed some weights on the car and sanded down the wheels to cut down on the friction he said. Well, I guess Corey and Barry did a pretty good job because Corey won 1st Place!! He was so excited. They handed out trophies and certificates and then of course had yummy refreshments. What a fun night! Tanner can't wait until next year when he will be a Cub Scout and he gets to race.

Before the race

One of Corey's races

I love this picture. Kannon was the biggest cheerleader for Corey. After winning one round, Kannon ran and jumped up on Corey and Corey spun him around. They both had the biggest smiles.

Pinewood Derby Champion! Way to go Corey!

Awards Programs

The boys had a great school year. All three boys were on the Honor Roll for the year. Dustin also received the Biology Award. He worked very hard this year and seemed to fit right in at Valley View. Corey did homework just about every night and he never complained about it. He would even take his books to ballgames sometimes and work on homework there.

Corey and his teacher, Mrs. Nelson.

Tanner received the Citizenship Award for his class. We were so proud of him!

I am very grateful for the great teachers that my boys had and for how hard they all worked in school this year. They all deserve a break!

Dustin also had his Sports Banquet this month. They handed out awards to all of the different sports participants. They also recognized the baseball team since they had just won the State Championship. Dustin received the "Best Defense" award in Baseball. He had a great year in sports.

The State Champion Baseball team :)

Field Days

It wouldn't be the end of school without the favorite "Field Day". We had a field day for Nursery School and Preschool so Kannon got double the fun. He helped me plan the games for the day which included tug-of-war, sack races, horseshoes, the sponge race and of course water balloons.

Kannon's favorite is the Sponge Race Game

Everyone loves popsicles!

Tanner also had a Field Day at school. They had sack races, bubbles, tattoos, water games and then had time to play on the playground. They also had a picnic and then watched a movie in the afternoon. Kannon had fun tagging along with Tanner for the games.

We are all looking forward to school being out and enjoying the summer together.

"Down Home Arkansas"

The first grade put on a program called "Down Home Arkansas." The kids sang songs, danced and share information about Arkansas.

The program fell on an extremely busy evening with everyone having ballgames. We went right after school to Dustin's game and then off to Coreys. I had packed dinner, uniforms, and clothes for Tanner's program. We got to all of the ballgames and then to the program on time but when I handed Tanner his clothes to change into I realized that I had grabbed Kannon's white shirt. Oops! We didn't have time to go home and change so we rolled up the sleeves and tucked it in the best we could. It didn't look too bad. Luckily Tanner had the part of the State Insect which is the Honey Bee and he wore a sign for part of the program. Small shirt and all it was a great program.

Good Job Tanner!

Field Trip for Corey

Corey went on a Field Trip to Little Rock this past month with the 5th grade. I got to go along as a chaperone. We left the school at 6:00 a.m. and returned around 5:00 p.m. It was a long day but a lot of fun. We visited the Old State House and the State Capitol. On the way home we stopped at Chuck-e-Cheese for lunch. I am sure that was the favorite part of the trip for the kids. Corey has been studying about American History and Government this year so it was great for the kids to tour the Capitol and hear about how things work in our state.

Corey sitting in the Old State House Senate Room.

Corey and his class on the steps of the Capitol.

D.A.R.E. Graduate

Corey participated in the DARE program this year in 5th grade. DARE is a Drug Awareness & Resistance Education program that the Jonesboro Police Department teaches to the area 5th graders. I asked Corey what his favorite part of DARE was and he said the pizza and soda at the end. That's our Corey! They had a graduation program where the kids sang a few songs and the police officer handed out the cerificates but Corey had a baseball game that night and he chose to play his game. The thing that Corey said he remembers most about DARE is "Don't be afraid to just say no!" Good job Corey!

State Champions

Dustin's High School Baseball team won the State Championships on Saturday. The game was played in Fayetteville at the University of Arkansas Baseball Stadium. They played the Rivercrest Colts which is a team from our Conference. It was a great day! Barry's parents and my parents were able to attend the game. Dustin had quite a big cheering section. The game was very close and at one point we were down 4-1. But they kept playing hard and got ahead 5-4 in the bottom of the sixth inning. In the top of the 7th inning, Rivercrest had the bases loaded and only one out. The second baseman fielded a ground ball, tossed it to Dustin who stepped on second and then threw it to first for a double play. Game over! Wow, it was awesome.

Lining up for the National Athem - Dustin in on the far right

Looking to score from third base

Game over - Blazers win 5-4!! Look at the poor Rivercrest player on 1st base.

The trophy

We are all very proud of Dustin! Great Job!

Corey's New Room

Corey is enjoying his new bedroom. His bedroom was made when we closed up the sitting area in the Master Bedroom. His door is right next to Dustin's room. He has his PlayStation II in his room along with his keyboard.

Corey sure loves having his own room.

Baseball Update

The boys have all been having a great time playing baseball this spring. And Barry and I have been having a great time watching them.

Kannon, Barry, Corey, and Dustin watching Tanner play.


Kannon is on the Dodgers t-ball team and loves all of the attention he gets when we cheer him on. T-Ball is very non-competitive but Kannon takes it pretty serious. He can field the ball pretty well and then likes to run to the base to get the runner out. He is very quick to look our way and give us a thumbs-up when he makes a good play.

Oops, missed that one!

Tanner plays on the Giants machine pitch team. This is his second year of machine pitch and he has really improved. He plays first base and makes a lot of good catches. This league keeps score so it can get pretty exciting at times.

Corey plays for the Giants Kid Pitch team. Corey can really hit that ball. His team had a slow start but has started winning the last few weeks. Tanner and Corey play catch in the yard every day after school and they are both doing so well.

Dustin's high school team continues to win! They won the Regional tournament last week and Monday they won in the State Semifinals so they are headed for the finals on Saturday. They get to play at the University of Arkansas stadium which will be great. Dustin hit a grand slam in the first round game of the State tournament - wow that was exciting. He continues to play short stop and does a great job.

I took this picture right after they won the State Semi-finals game 5-4 in the 11th innning. What a game!

Dustin was being congratulated for scoring a run.

This picture was in the Jonesboro Sun the next morning along with the headline, "Blazing Toward a Title". The first three rounds of the state tournament were played at Valley View. Barry was the Tournament Director so he was busy on the golf cart running here and there making sure everyone had what they needed. The boys thought that was pretty fun. We are all looking forward to our weekend in Fayetteville. Good luck Blazers.

A Trip to Utah

Kannon and I took a trip to Utah at the beginning of May. I planned the trip around BYU Women's Conference which I love attending. This year was especially fun because my good friend, Katie Calvin, went also. We attended the Thursday session and had a great day.

Kannon boarding the plane in Memphis.

The day we arrived in Utah it was snowing lightly but other then that the weather was wonderful and the tulips were beautiful. Jamie picked us up at the airport and then we walked around Temple Square and had lunch at the Lion House.

Kannon on the steps of the Salt Lake Temple.


Tracey and her kids came up to Salt Lake that night and we had dinner at Jamie's and also played with all of her kittens.

Then we headed to Pleasant Grove to Tracey's house. Kannon was so happy to see his cousins, Brooke, Maia, and Owen. Thursday, Tracey babysat Kannon all day so that I could go to the conference. Friday, I went to the Temple and the church bookstore which are always on my list of things to do when I go to Utah. I also got to meet with three good friends who used to live in Jonesboro for dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. It was great seeing Karla, Katie and Rachelle. We had the best evening eating and talking.

Saturday we went to watch Maia play soccer. She is a great little player. We had such fun cheering her on.

On Monday, we met our good friends Katie and Rachelle and their kids at the park for a picnic and playtime. Kannon loved seeing Emma and Tate. It was a beautiful park with lots of Tulips.

What a great trip we had. Kannon loved played with friends and cousins.

He really enjoyed the Wii on the big screen t.v. :)



Thank you Jamie and Tracey for driving us around, feeding us and letting us stay with you. We had a great time and will miss you.