Our month of June is always full of fun and celebrations! End of the school year, my birthday, Poppi's birthday, Kiki's birthday, swim team parties, and always a fun vacation!
Brooklyn has now finished 3rd grade very strong and Colson finished 1st grade with a bang! Brooklyn did so well on her very first STAAR test, which thrills us as teachers! She got an A on the Reading and a high B on the Math...both very strong! She was voted by her friends as "Positive Pal" and received that award the last day of school. I am so proud of how the kids continue to excel academically and behave exceptionally around their peers.
We had a great family end of the year party with my team! I am truly blessed to teach with some of my dear friends. 4th grade is the best!
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| The kids! |
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| Emily and me |
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| The bald guys! |
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| Richelle has a beautiful pool! |
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| Just missing one from the team |
We had a wonderful end of the season in swim! We had several more rain delays and called meets but that did not stop the Cuda spirit! We love the team. Brooklyn was one of the oldest in her division and she did phenomenally! She qualified for invitationals, Trinity Gold, in all 4 strokes. She is so proud and is seeing how hard work all year long in swim is making a difference. Colson was also one of the oldest in his division and was awesome! He qualified for invitationals also, Trinity Gold and Trinity Silver. He placed 1st in Trinity silver on his back stroke! So amazing!
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| Selfie stick fun with the Sanders! |
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| and the Hancocks! |
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| and the Pegueros! |
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| and Troop 13680! |
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| John came to watch the kids swim! |
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| These are the time sheets that have results on them from various meets. They are so fun to look at to see if the kids improved their times! |
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| Movie Day with the Cudas! We saw INSIDE OUT with the whole team and it was a blast! |
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| This is how Colson wakes up for a divisional swim meet! |
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| This is how Brooklyn wakes up! She was born ready! |
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| Our awesome 6 and under relay team! |
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| Brooklyn still has 30 minutes until practice, but....she was born ready! |
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| End of the year Party! Super Cudas! |
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| Brooklyn was HIGH POINT!! |
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| Colson and his buddy Jackson! |
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| Great year for both kids! |
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| The Cudas won divisionals!!!!!!!!! 1st place!!!!! |
Our vacation started at the end of one of the swim meets! We ran home, showered, changed, and hopped in the car headed to the Smoky Mountains!
First stop:8 hours Grandma's house
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| Grandma teaching Brooklyn how to make jewelry |
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| Time at the park! |
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| Lookin' good for 85! |
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| Eggs in a mug |
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| We <3 grandma="" td=""> |
Next, we headed to Chatanooga! It was a beautiful city with so many things to do both natural and in the gorgeous city. The weather was warm, but truly not too bad. It is so dry that you never sweat!
Second Stop: 6 hours
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| First night meal in the city |
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| Great hotel breakfast |
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| Tennessee Aquarium--it was beautiful! |
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| Chatanooga City Wall |
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| Walnut Bridge |
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| Colson's face touching the sturgeon |
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| I love this picture! |
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| Looking out over Chatanooga |
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| Calvin Coolidge Park in the city |
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| Battlefield |
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| Our little hole in the wall! |
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| Alford Hill!!! |
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| Ruby Falls was phenomenal! |
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| Hike down to Ruby Falls |
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| It was truly phenomenal! It was breath-taking! |
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| Inclined Railway |
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| Looking over the city |
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| Ice Cream at the bottom of the Inclined Railway! Famous Clumpies! |
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| Fairyland Caverns in Rock City, Georgia |
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| Lover's Leap |
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| Needlepoint Cavern |
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| I love this picture of them in Rock City |
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| Fat Man's Squeeze |
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| Lover's Leap |
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| So gorgeous |
Next stop was the Smoky Mountains! We drove, stopping on the way to white water raft in the Nantahula River in North Carolina, before our mountain destination! The kids had a blast...it was the perfect trip for them...class 2 and 3 rapids. It was a blast!
3rd Stop: 3 hours
The same day, we drove through Smoky Mountain National Park to where we were staying in Gatlinburg. We were truly in awe at the beauty that was surrounding us. Everything as small as a lightning bug and as huge and the tallest mountain was breathtaking. We loved hiking, exploring, learning, and spending time together!
4th stop:2 hours
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| Mingo Falls |
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| Gorgeous Look out |
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| My babies and me |
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| Tom Branch Falls in the rain |
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| Farm on the south end of the Smoky Mountain National Park |
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| Brooklyn loved learning about how they lived back then! |
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| Cade's Cove is a huge driving loop in the Mountains. Full of wildlife, old homes, churches, and beauty! |
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| Old Baptist Church |
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| A working mill |
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| See the little bear cub in the tree....his momma is below him hiding in the bushes. |
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| Momma is moving! |
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| Bear on the side of the road |
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| Hike up to Laurel Falls |
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| Kitchen Sink Falls |
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| Laurel Falls was gorgeous |
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| The kids got to play in it and even had a few spills in the water! |
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| Hiking to the Grotto Falls! |
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| Mr. Salamander |
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| The kids were like little monkeys on the rocks! |
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| Enjoying the gorgeous view and watching people on the water |
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| We loved that you could walk behind the falls |
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| Such an awesome daddy! |
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| We hiked to the top of Clingman's Dome for the view! |
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| It was a paved hike, but very steep very fast. We were all huffing and puffing! |
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| Colson had to go off on the Appalachian Trail to go pee! He was so proud! |
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And of course my monkeys on the rocks!
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| I know this looks like nothing....it is a dead firefly that Brooklyn picked up and just loved on! |
One evening, we were able to go watch the truly amazing fireflies during the firefly season. We journeyed into this area where people had chairs and blankets set up, we waited until about 10 and the fireflies started lighting up. They light up in sync with each other which is so amazing. We were just in awe of the beauty of one of God's littlest creations!
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| All around Gatlinburg |
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| Smoky Mountain Taffy was Brooklyn's big purchase! |
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| Lunch at an old General Store called Big Dad's |
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| Relaxing at the pool! The kids loved the slide!!! |
We went to the pool while Daddy did a rough hike of the chimney tops trail!
