Live'in the Life.......

Well summer is here and the river is once again our domain..... so watch out if you decide to canoe the Caddo .... 3 little pirates may try to shoot you with a water gun, hitch a ride, or merrily yell things at you! The 3 Oosterhous boys were very excited to have their buddy William join them for a weekend of fun on the Caddo (and daddy Tim was glad daddy William was along for the adventure too)! We all floated the Caddo which was crazy crowded but we had a bunch of fun. Then the boys all spent the remainder of the day playing in the river; cooking over a campfire and setting up camp for the evening! Naps were skipped that day so I know all 4 little boys were exhausted come bedtime! However, I think they were up by 6:30 the next morning and back in the river! We love it when William and William come to visit and can't wait until Charlie and Shep are old enough to come join the fun too (then Mary & I may have to slip off for dinner and some shopping)!!!! Good times on the Caddo!

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Run Like the Wind....

Well the boys ran their first sanctioned race at the Caddo River Festival.... a 1K! Blink and you missed it! They had fun and were really fast! Nate finished 2nd and Zac finsihed 4th (behind a third grader and two second graders). Next year Ben Ben will be out there running too! Go Team Oosterhous!

END OF SCHOOL: Zac - My Graduate!

Zachy graduated kindergarten from Glenwood Christian School! Zac has had a wonderful year this year and has amazed me with the progress he has made this year academically. He is a good little reader and has done really well in math thanks to Mrs. Mitchell who is a really great teacher. Things don't always come super easy for Zac but he is a hard worker and accomplishes everything he sets his mind to. Zachy is also my, "Mr. Social"! I mean this kiddo loves the girls and the girls love him! He also gets along great with the boys and has some really great "guy friends"! He's been kissed several times this year by the girls and informs he "he likes it" and he has had a couple of different girlfriends (Carley and Kendall seen later in this post)!

Ben and I got to go with Zac on his field trip to the Alligator Farm at the end of school and we had a wonderful time. We also went with Zac to the State Capitol earlier this Spring (not sure if I posted pics but it was a blast too)! Zac had a wonderful class this year with a great group of kiddos. I know he is really going to miss them next year when he goes to Centerpoint.

I cannot say enough good things about Glenwood Christian School, they have laid such a wonderful foundation for my children academically and spiritually! Zachy, I'm so proud of you and all of your accomplishments and I know you are going to take first grade by storm next year! I love my Zac attack your daddy and I think you are pretty special!

END OF SCHOOL: Ben - He rocked K3!

Ben Ben had a wonderful year with the greatest K3 teacher ever... Mrs. Kelly. Mrs. Kelly has taught all 3 of my kiddos and she is a mama who successfully raised 3 kiddos herself and always makes me feel better about my kiddos and my parenting abilities! Ben LOVED Mrs. Kelly and his little K3 class this year. He only went 2 days a week and was really supposed to be in the K2 class but they were full so he was in K3, and we are so lucky because we will get to have Mrs. Kelly for K3 again next year! Ben learned so much on the days he was there. What I am most impressed by was the bible stories that he learned at age 3 that he can tell you about, it really is amazing to see what these little ones can soak up! He is still very fascinated with the story of the Crucifixion and the part where Jesus was nailed to the "crossbow"! The following pics are from Ben's end of the year "musical" program! He and Zac were in it and it was precious!!! Great job GCS!

It was a great school year and it was uneventful.... UNTIL THE LAST 3 WEEKS! Lets see, Ben dropped his pants in class, bit a child, and licked the chalkboard.... lets just say it is a good thing school ended when it did! He was absolutely adorable in his end of the year program and did a great job. I love you Ben Ben and you are such a joy. You've grown up so much this year but you are still my baby! You go to Sunday School all by yourself with no tears; AWANA, without coming in my room; and school without tears (for the most part)! This mama is very proud of you and wishes that time would stand still for just a bit! Love you little man!

END OF SCHOOL: Nate - So long second grade!

It seems like the last few weeks at Nate's school have been filled with constant parties, award ceremonies, and a field trip to Mid-America Museum, end of the year AWANA awards! Constant chaos and a lot of fun for a great group of kiddos who worked really hard this year in AWANA and school!

I was so excited that I got to go with Nate on his field trip this year, every year it seems like something prevents me from going so I was thrilled that I made it this year! It was fun to watch Nate interact with his friends and classmates. He had a wonderful group of kids this year in his class and a spectacular teacher! Below are some pics from Mid-America Museum!

Nate had a wonderful year and is such a smart cookie (must get all of those smarts from his mama.... O.K..... 50/50 daddy too)! His academic accomplishments were so many that I'm going to list them: Principal's List All Year (all A's); Math Award; Reading Award; Social Studies Award; Science Award and he got two medals for having second place in the highest AR Math points and AR Reading points for his class (received 2 medals)! Go Nate! Nate is a hard worker and really does enjoy school; he makes his mama and his daddy proud. Nate-man, I hope you know how much we love you and that we consider it a great privilege to be your parents and that we love watching you learn, grow, and rise to the occasion when it is called for! Love you buddy!