June-ificence

I want to be a part of it, first grade, FIRST GRADE!

Charlie graduated from Kindergarten when school finally ended for us here in the C-squared (Clark County,) the second week of June. This concluded Will's seventh year teaching band at TWMS, and even after this long, I'm still not used to a school year that extends almost halfway into June. Where I come from (Idaho) June is NOT a time for learning. It's a time for taking tennis lessons and swimming in the canal, OK?

Moving on. Charlie's Kindergarten graduation program was, as I anticipated, fraught with weepiness, mostly his teacher and other parents, but I confess that I did get a little teary when they sang "each of us is a flower, growing in life's garden."

Charlie and his buddy, Jake, the one who can "twist around and twist around with all of his might."

I needed Lori to come and hold my baby because I needed two hands to take a million pictures and wipe away the tears of laughter (and sentimentality.)

Charlie's teacher, who set the bar pretty high for all the other teachers who will come after. Just about any time I walked into her classroom full of kindergartners, it was a calm, happy, not loud place. Kindergartners. Calm. Happy. Not loud. Pretty darn impressive.

Another day, another delightful surprise from the diaper-wearing contingent of the family.

Soooo happy to be waiting for her double-double (animal style) at In 'N Out.

Lorraine and I decided to make a joint venture into the high-stress world of entertaining socially, something I generally try to avoid. But it wasn't actually all that high stress, as a matter of fact. I do believe that the largest chunk of time spent in preparation for the evening was when we were wording the invitations. Which is only to be expected, being the Halls that we are. The event was a get-together of ladies from our ward; we called it a Patio Party, and I'm almost positive I'm going to see Patio Party ideas cropping up all over Pinterest any day now because we're trendsetters, and it really was that legen...wait for it...dary. We ate some delicious, quasi-healthy quasi-gourmet food, which was really more quasi than healthy or gourmet. Oh, you want to know what we ate? OK, I don't usually care about that stuff, but I'll indulge. We had caprese spears, veggies , a savory dip and a cookie dough dip, assorted candies, some edamame, and also this. We chatted and played some games and got a little crazy and it was a larruping good time.

The Spread

Normally, the excitement I just described would have about satisfied the usual allottment of fun we allow ourselves to have in a month, but some friends suggested we rent a kayak and a paddle board and have a little trip to the lake. So we cancelled our plans to putter around at home and let the kids stay in their pajamas all day while Will did yard work and I spray-painted assorted household objects.  And we were so glad we did! It was great fun, even when the harbor patrol guy passive-aggressively implied that I am a bad mother. But never mind about that.

These two were born about a week apart. I don't believe they have yet realized the extent to which their destinies are intertwined.

Wait, now I think they're starting to get it...

The kids play in the "sand."(If you've tried to build a sandcastle at this beach, you know that quotation marks are totally justified)

"Just eatin' some raspberries, Ma!"

This little girl loves thrills, so I was a little worried she would maybe try to have a "Titanic" moment at the bow of the kayak, but no worries.  

The favorite activity was for all four kids to stand on the paddle board and jump off together.  Yes, they all had life jackets on.

This is the Red Rock hotel pool area, as it may have appeared in 1979, according to Instagram.

Will and I celebrated our 10-year wedding anniversary on June 8th, which was celebrated with a little staycation at the Red Rock Resort. I have to say, I love LOVE visiting new places, but I am perfectly content with being in a phase of my life where that doesn't happen very often, as long as I can stay in a hotel every once in a while. I guess I live in the right town for that, because there are definitely some steals to be had on hotel stays and restaurants in Las Vegas. We hit happy hour at LBS Burgers and everything was 1/2 price, so Will was able to, in good conscience, order what he wanted AND what I wanted him to want. Happy Anniversary to us!

Did you know that being at the pool in a town like Las Vegas can be an uncomfortable business? It's true. There are young ladies, employed by the hotel, who wear very skimpy bikinis and then who come very close to you, ostensibly to find out if you need a cold beverage. Anyway, that has nothing to do with this picture, (Will wouldn't let me take any pictures of those ladies) I just thought you should be warned.