Ty's Kindergarten Graduation

Today was a monumental day for the Vanker Family. Our oldest, Ty graduated from Kindergarten! It is hard to believe he has already finished Kindergarten. Where did the time go? I have heard mothers say that time really flies once your kids start school and it is absolutely true. It was a great ceremony, a little long, but great. Ty was a bit nervous as we were on our way to school this morning because he was asked to give the opening prayer in the ceremony. We prayed through his fears and asked the Lord to allow him to be confident and to remember that he was just praying to God and no one else. He did a great job! The students sang a bunch of songs, did songs in sign language, said all of there ABC memory verses and got their awards. It was such a sweet time for our family, aside from the fact that the ceremony went for an hour and a half and my other kids got a little bored.:) I'd say it went quite well considering the circumstances. We are so thankful for Eastside Christian. It is truly a blessing to be apart of this school. Here are some highlights from the ceremony and Ty with his amazing teachers, Mrs. Bell and Miss Anna.

Ty's last Kindergarten Field Trip

I have had the great privilege of going to all of Ty's field trips, but this last field trip was by far the best! Ty and I went to the Museum of Flight 2 weeks ago and it was amazing. It was such a sweet time learning about old planes, walking through one of the old Air Force One planes (that Kennedy, Nixon, and Roosevelt used) and making a plane with straw, tape, and paper. Ty even got to fly a mini Blue Angel plane. It's hard to believe just how quickly kindergarten has gone by. Next Tuesday is Ty's graduation ceremony, which will be tons of fun. Ty keeps telling us how excited he is to move up to 1st grade and be like all the other big kids.:) We are so proud of him! By the way, that is Rachel in the photo's, too cute!

Take Me Out To The Ball Game!

Last night we went to a Mariners game with Stef and Alex (pretty much our second family out here). We had so much fun! Who knew baseball could be so much fun? I still think baseball is pretty boring, but who really cares about the game when I get a night out with my man and our great friends! But, don't ask me who won, because I don't know. However, I can tell you they were playing the Angels. Remember that's what I'm here for- you:)

Best Mother's Day Ever!

This Mother's Day was super special for me. Donny got up early and made me breakfast in bed (which was super tasty), he gave me the best flower arrangement (from our local farmers market), and to top it off he gave me some presents, one of which was a necklace with a picture of all the kids holding their Mother's Day signs. I love it when D makes crafts with the kids, it makes Mother's Day so special for me. I tell him every year all I want is something crafty from the kids and each year Donny delivers:). This year was one of his best! I did not get a picture of the flowers, but trust me they were amazing! Thanks for making me feel so special D. I love you my sweet children. They are my greatest joy and accomplishment. Here are some highlights from the day.

We Are All Walking!

In these last two weeks Bailey stopped crawling and is now officially a walker. Hudson in these last two weeks started walking by himself while pushing a toy :) We couldn't be more proud of them! Here are a few pictures and videos of them in action. God is so good to us!
Kristi

Bailey Belle's 1st Birthday!

We celebrated Bailey's 1st Birthday a couple of weeks ago. Her actual Birthday was March 24th, but I wanted to wait until my mom was here to celebrate with us. Thankfully, it doesn't matter to Bailey when she opens her presents:) It was a great night with tons of presents, cake, and chaos! Bailey did not understand our tradition of wearing the Birthday Hat; she just wanted to take it off, so we couldn't get any good pictures:( Here are some highlights from her party. She is such a love.

Happy St. Patty's Day!

We had an amazing St. Patty's Day party, filled with great friends and endless food! I am so happy to continue our family's Irish traditions out here in Seattle. I made tons of corned beef, mashed potatoes, cabbage, carrots, Irish beer (Kyle and Amy brought it straight from Pike Place Pub), green salad (it was actually an Asian salad from Ligaya- she wanted to bring a little of her flavor :), and shamrock cake. Along with the food, Phil read a classic Irish toast and blessing--amazing and hilarious. I look forward to having many more St. Patty's Day parties with our great friends. Here are a few of the classics from our party.