Summer is here!

 We made it to summer!  We LOVE summer in the Lawson household!  Daddy is home a lot, and we love to have fun adventures, but first things first.  Both boys paid a visit to the dentist so we could get that out of the way and be ready for some fun!

This was Luke's 2nd visit ever to the dentist, and the 1st visit DID NOT GO WELL AT ALL.  I was actually dreading this trip, but he's definitely grown up a lot in the last 6 months because he was the perfect patient this time around.  Mommy couldn't be prouder!

 When you're the youngest of school-aged siblings, sometimes you get left out of the fun summer stuff the others are doing.  We didn't want that to stop us, so while the big kids were all with their daddies at basketball camp, I took Luke and Campbell to the zoo for their own adventure!

 We also saw some live animals too, but these were more willing to pose for our pictures!

 We took a family morning out at the Arbortetum and the boys got some painted faces and arms...

 Jake's face was adorable!

 and of course, there's fun at home.  Still can't beat a baby pool and the sprinklers to beat the summer heat!

 or staying inside and raiding the dress-up closet!

The Dish!I

 Some of best friends from Austin came to visit us over Memorial Day weekend for what we hope will be the 1st annual Dishman/Lawson weekend of fun! We really did life with this family and we truly miss them so it was great to have everyone together again.  The kids went right into playing...

The parents splurged and got a babysitter so we could have a night out!  Our night included dinner and some comedy...

 Nothing beats some sprinkler fun and some lemonade!

Luke's party

 The most fitting birthday theme for Luke was most definitely Paw Patrol.  Luke has loved the show Paw Patrol for quite a while so we knew he would love his party!  We asked many times "who do you want to invite to your party?"  EVERY time he just listed family members, so a family party it was!  We had some dress-up clothes to start everything off so that each kid could look the part of the Paw Patrol team, then they heard the call, "Ryder, needs us!" and the kids had a few tasks they had to complete as the team.  "Paw Patrol is on a roll!"

 First mission was to get all the balls into the soccer goal, but remember, they are puppies, so only on their hands and knees!

 Next mission was finding "pup treats" in a plate of whipped cream!  (Luke did not even attempt this mission!)  It's his party and he'll do what he wants to!

 The final mission was to gather enough sticks so that the pail will sink to the bottom of the water. The fun part was you had to go through the sprinkler to get there! These pups are great at playing fetch!

 A little relaxation in the sun!

 And finally, the cake!  Happy Birthday, Luke!

Piano

 Jake was interested in taking piano lessons this year, and one awesome thing about our school is that they offer lessons there!!!  We borrowed Nana's keyboard, and Jake has had a great first year of learning.  He had a very small recital where he played one short ensemble piece with the rest of his class and one solo.  He did great!

Mommy date

 Another Spring event at school was the musical "Into the Woods" performed by 4-6th graders.  I thought this was a great chance to enjoy a special date with Jake...

Every good date should end with ice cream, right?

School fun

 Spring brought LOTS of fun school activities.  First off, was the school carnival.  Being new, we didn't know what to expect, but were pleasantly surprised.  It was truly a great, fun family event!  Here's Jake after making his own hat...

Trying to get Coach Martinez with a wet sponge...

 Jake was super excited about the hair dyeing station, and he chose to get half of his hair red...

 Looking pretty good, except for the little spot on his forehead.  His scalp was red for about a week after the carnival!

 Next fun on the list was the 1st grade field trip to the Arboretum!  He also got to go on a field trip to some nature center, but parents were not allowed on that trip, so I just have pics from the Arboretum.  Here's my little group of 4 I got to hang out with for the day: Grace, Blake, Jake, and Esiah...

 Look at their awesome garden creation...

 These are some super kids!

 and more of the class joins in...

 a full class shot..

 The week of the field trip ended with field day!  Field day was really incredible!  It had an Olympic theme so every class represented a different country which they had researched earlier.  It was a full day of activities: morning of dry events, and the afternoon of wet events.  So fun!!

Misc. Spring

 We got to enjoy a fun visit from my college roommate and bestie, Carrie.  We took Carrie to the Arboretum to show off some of the beautiful flowers...

 Here's Luke with his fun giraffe puzzle Carrie brought him...

 Luke and I had several zoo visits, and during one of them we got to see some amazing Lego sculptures...

 When not at the zoo, all the boys worked hard at creating our own zoo at home...

 Finally, fun with Daddy outside...