Jeep Time

Now that Brody has his license he needs a vehicle that he can drive around most of the time. Lucky boy gets to drive Brad's Jeep. The only downside is that it is a stick shift and Brody still needs to practice. He caught on really quickly and I'm sure he will be cruising around town in no time.

 

8th grade promotion

Colt had his 8th grade promotion a few weeks ago.   I wasn't all that excited about going and was a bit boring.  But I am thankful for these in person celebrations and it was great to see so many parents and classmates of Colt's.   I think it is slowly preparing me for Brody's high school graduation. 

Colt and his friend Griffin.

This is the two of them when they were babies. 

A teacher insisted on getting a picture of me and Colt!

They had a slide show so I snapped this picture as they were scrolling through the photos.

 

Bird's Nest

 We had the garage door open for part of the day last week and discovered a bird was trying to make a nest on top of our ladder.   Brad and I took the ladder out and removed the nest.   But the birds keep trying to come into our garage so we are trying to remember to keep the garage door shut. 

First pedicure

 Darby's softball team had a team bonding event involving pedicures.   I have had one in my life and there isn't much about them that is all that appealing.   So I have never taken Darby.   This was her first time.  And the verdict.....she is my daughter.   I don't know if she will ever get one again.  

All-Stars

A parent took these pictures at Darby's softball tournament for her All-Star team. 

 

In this first picture she is turning away from the ball because it is about to hit her.  

Before she went up to bat her assistant coach said "Darby is going to get hit again".  On the first pitch, Darby was hit again. So she ran to first base with a smile on her face. 

Can you tell she has brothers?

 

Ellis Soccer

We went down south to go to one of Ellis' soccer games. It was fun to hang out with Eva & Ellis and watch some bumblebee soccer again.

 

Fort Time

As soon as Brad leaves for his fishing trip the kids get to work on building a fort. They know this is a time they can have the fort out for a few days without it driving Brad bonkers. (It drives me a bit bonkers but I am also thankful they get to do this).  It took a few days to build and it wasn't quite perfect but it was still a fun work in progress.  (This was also another reason I didn't get much cleaned or organized over the weekend).

Watching a movie.

Sleeping

 

Bruiser

Darby was hit by a softball thrown by a pitcher on her team. It was during a practice and this pitcher throws really hard.  Thankfully with some ice and a little attention she recovered. 

 

NJHS

About a month ago we received a letter in the mail inviting Ollie to join the National Junior Honor Society. I was excited about this idea and told Ollie he should join.  He didn't like my idea.  I decided to try a few more time but he was adamant that he didn't want to do it. 

Fast forward a few weeks and he calls me in a panic wondering where the application was for the National Junior Honor Society.  I asked him why he changed his mind.   

"I thought it was for nerds, but all my friends are joining."

So here we have it, the newest inductee to the National Junior Honor Society. 

Thank goodness for these friends, who aren't nerds, but are also part of the National Junior Honor Society.

Ollie even agreed to wear nice pants.  A true sign he is committed to this. 

 

Profile

 We had to take another profile picture for Darby's soccer.  She is so cute! 

Spring Band Concert

 Ollie had his last band concert for his 7th grade year.   It's always fun to watch him play and listen to the music.  It is getting so much better. 

College Roommate

One of my college roommates (Melody) was in town again for a crazy boat race. She needed some help getting to the airport so I was able to pick her up and then we got to hang out for most of the day.  We went for a hike and then we met up with Mary for some lunch.   

After that I made Melody give all the kids a little concert because she is an amazing piano player.

 

Softball Championships

Darby had her softball championship game last week. Darby's first at bat was a home run! It was a fun game especially because we were able to pull off the victory and add another ring to the Barquist house.

 

Softball Sliding

For one of the softball practices the girls worked on their sliding. Since it was so hot they were able to use the slip n slide.

 

Hydroplane

On the way home from Darby's softball game Brad spotted this hydroplane parked in a nearby parking lot. So they got out of the car to take a picture.

 

Culture Fair

The school put on a Culture and Heritage Fair a few weeks ago. We went last year and it was great so Bo & Darby really wanted to go again. Darby wasn't happy that she had to miss because she had a playoff softball game. I also had to take Colt to his baseball game so it made getting Bo to the event a bit tricky. I ended up hiring Brody to babysit Bo and also take him to the event at the school. Thankfully Brody took these pictures of Bo singing in one of the performances. And I had no idea he was involved with that part of the event.