Cousin Debbie

Pete and Deb Pryor--aint they cute??

I have been on vacation in Idaho the last several days. My cousin Stacy, Debbie's daughter, got married on Saturday. It was a gorgeous ceremony and the venue was gorgeous too. Stacy and Matt were married high in the hills of Coeur d'Alene Idaho. One of their friends has this gorgeous home overlooking the valley. I saw all of my aunts, uncles, cousins, and their kids, and grandkids. Family is truly the most important thing. We had a BBQ at Pete and Deb's. Nummy hamburgers, melon, chips, and potato salad. The perfect American meal.

Sasha's First Dance

Austin and Jonah Hjelm ( back row)

Sasha Mathison and Kellyn Bennett at Sasha's first Church Dance.

Sasha and Kellyn: Two peas in a pod

Sasha went to her first Church dance tonight. She went with some friends from Church. We volunteered to do the driving since it was Sasha's first time. It was fun picking up the kids and taking them to the dance. We picked up Kellyn Bennett, Jonah and Austin Hjelm. It was Jonah's birthday today so it was special for him to go on his actual birthday.

No More Mathison's in Elementary School

Kathy Warczak, Safety Patrol Queen and friend from Church with Jayson

Selimar Ramos and Jayson holding their graduation certificates. Jayson is sweet on Selimar.

Mr. Joseph Brucklier, Jayson's teacher, and Jayson

Chrissy May and Jayson Mathison waiting for the graduation ceremony to begin.

Jayson entering the lunch room on graduation day.

A duplicate picture that I don't know how to remove

Jayson entering the lunch room from outside

It was bound to happen. Since 1994, I have had a child in elementary school. Yesterday, June 19th, 2009...was a day that I didn't think would ever happen. Jayson, the last of the Mohicans, left the doors of Lake Louise Elementary. This would be a day of happiness and tears ( yes, the Mom in me spills out thru my eyes). The school did a very nice job of the "graduation" ceremony. Jayson earned the "Most Reliable" award. We were extremely proud of him. Now it is off to Mann Middle School in September. Where does the time go???

Jayson Swinging at Steilacoom Park

Jayson getting ready to swing at Steilacoom Park

Today was Jayson's last full day of school. All of the 5th graders at his school walked from Lake Louise Elementary to Steilacoom Park. They took the shortcut by Pierce College. When all the students arrived at the park, there were already BBQ's cooking up a storm. They ate hamburgers, hot dogs, watermelon, baked beans, and pop. It was a lot of fun. I was able to go to the park too for almost an hour. Right before I left, I took this picture of Jayson getting ready to swing. The sun was blinding his eyes...so that is why he looks all squinty.

Two Very Lazy Dogs !

Mercy and Daisy resting on my chair.

Mercy and Daisy have got to be two of the laziest dogs on the planet. Every time I find them, they are snoozing, sleeping, resting, napping, and checking their eyelids for holes. It is so cute that they love to snuggle with each other. Generally where one is, the other one will be too. Anyway... I thought that you might like to see them in their "natural" state.

Dave in Moses Lake

As sometimes happens, Dave got the call last week that he would be working in Moses Lake, WA this whole week. I am totally bummed that he is gone. I HATE it when he is not here. Even Sasha and Jayson commented this afternoon, right about the time when he usually gets home, that "it feels lonely when Dad is gone". "When is Dad coming home???" I agreed with the kids and told them that he would be home before they knew it. What is actually happening is that Dave is going on a Boeing sponsored "vacation". He sleeps in a nice hotel that has a swimming pool, gets to eat out at every meal, and even gets paid mileage to go there. On top of that, Boeing gets to pay the whole bill. He sleeps in a bed all by himself with no wife that snores all night, he gets to eat nice fancy meals that he rarely gets at home, and most importantly.... there is no "Honey do" list in Moses Lake. Oh I wish that I could go to Moses Lake too. We all miss Dave when he is gone. Hurry Home, Honey!

Family Fun Day

Dave and I sitting and relaxing at Northwest Trek

Jayson and Sasha at Northwest Trek in front of the Barn Owl Exhibit. Aren't they super cute together?

Thursday was a terrific day because we all either skipped school or skipped work. We all took a "Mental Health Day". Since Heather and her hubby Mike and son we in town from Texas, we decided to take family pictures. We went to the Picture People at the Tacoma Mall. For some strange reason, all of the pictures actually turned out great. Kids always look awesome...throw the adults in there too and that is a whole other story. We ended up buying a few of the pictures and the CD of the session so that we could make copies as we needed them. After we were done with the picture, Red Robin was calling our names for lunch. We all ate our favorite burgers and then after than, headed out to Northwest Trek. This is a fabulous wildlife preserve that has an hour long tram ride. We saw bison, elk, deer, canadian geese, wolverines, beavers, eagles, and other animals that I cannot remember. It was a great day to be with family.