Kindergarten Growth

Well, kindergarten has come and gone.  I can't believe how fast the year flew by.  I can't believe how much the girls have grown.  Of course, they both learned all sorts of new things academically, but they both learned a lot socially and emotionally, as well.

They started the year as a "team".  They shared all the same friends, interests, and activities.  We put them in different classes hoping to change that.  We wanted them to find out who they were apart from one another.  It worked!  They signed up for different activities at VBS this summer and are taking different classes this summer.  Taylor is doing gymnastics and Emma is taking an art class.

Each of their teachers were absolutely perfect for them.

The last day of school they had a promotion ceremony.  It was the perfect little celebration.  It wasn't sappy or over-the-top mushy.  It was just fun!  I was only able to catch a picture of Emma as they came in.  They were both embarrassed by the hats, but they still had a good time.

Oh....and now we prepare for first grade.

Kindergarten Music Program

Since summer is finally here,  I decided it was time to document the end of kindergarten.  I'm starting with a post about their end of the year music program.  It was a big deal for several reasons.  First, the performance was at a nearby middle school that had a real stage!  Unfortunately, the kindergartners were on risers on the floor.  They were sad because this meant that the stage lights didn't shine on them.  Second, they got to ride a bus to the school for a practice.  This was their first ride on a school bus.  They were really looking forward to it, and thankfully, the ride didn't disappoint.  I think they'd rather ride the bus to school than me take them.

The concert was a big deal to me for different reasons.  Emma and Taylor love to sing, dance, and put on performances, but they tend to have a severe case of stage fright when other people are around.  I was pretty nervous about how they would handle the crowd.  I had nothing to be afraid of.

 Look at the joy on Emma's face.  This was a far different child than the preschooler who refused to sing last year.  You can read more about that here.

I was so proud of my little girls who didn't seem so little anymore.

Easter 2013

A few months back we celebrated Easter.  Yes, I realize its almost June.  In case you didn't know, I took a three week subbing job at the end of school.  I have a new-found admiration of you full-time working moms.  Now that summer is here, I have a little time to catch up on everything else in life.  And because Easter happened over two months ago, that's all I can tell you.  Easter happened.  Here's proof.

A Night at the Circus

We get a lot of free entertainment around here.  Music concerts, dance performances, fashion shows, etc.  On this particular night we were given front row seats to the circus.  The girls practiced all afternoon.  The show didn't disappoint.  The movement was so quick that I missed pictures of the juggling, gymnastics and the fire breathing.  I did get these amazing moments.

Here is the ring-master making the introductions.

In this photo Taylor is not only balancing on the bucket, she's balancing something on her head!  Oh, the skill!

The show ended with an original song from Emma Mae.

It was definitely a night to remember.

Tooth Fairy Surprise

I hope that the next few days bring a marathon of blogging.  Since being pregnant, I haven't wanted to do anything.  I'm serious.  I've become very lazy.  I'm  17 weeks along now and I'm feeling a little better.  Not great, but well enough to work one day a week and I'm forcing myself to do some things around the house.  Anyway...I've got a lot to catch up on.

Sometime in the beginning of March Taylor lost another tooth.  I was gone for the evening so Will got the girls ready for bed.  I got home and this was what I found.

An arrow pointing the tooth fairy in the right direction.  If you didn't know, fairies like shiny things.  That explains the pile of coins and jewelry.

This was just in case the tooth fairy couldn't remember who's house she was at.

 

The tooth fairy can have a very busy night.  The girls thought she may need to lie down for a bit to rest.  It turns out they were right because when they woke up in the morning fairy dust was found on the blanket!

 

I have to admit that I'm glad I wasn't home that night.  When it comes to bedtime, my patience grows very thin.  I think I would have stifled some of their creativity.  I would have missed their excitement the next morning when finding that the tooth fairy appreciated their efforts.

Snow Days

The end of February brought 4 snow days for our school district.  That is unheard of!  The first two days were pretty good, but what do you do when you run out of snow tricks?

These were the snowmen that Will made with the girls on the first day.  It snowed overnight on top of them, that's why they really just look like piles of snow.

Day number two, Taylor (really me) made another one.

I gave the girls some bottle of colored water and they made all sort of desserts.

Winnie loved the snow.  She even ate snowballs right out of our hands.

Okay, now on the last day I wanted to take the girls sledding, but we didn't have a sled.  I put out a facebook request for sled alternatives.  Here are a few ideas that were given.  Car hood (I didn't have one of those).  Car mat, trash bag, laundry basket, trash can lids, and cookie sheets.  I think the cookie sheet would have worked, but we didn't have one big enough.

I packed the girls into the van along with our assortment of sled items.  The hill we chose was full of kids on sleds.  Emma said, "what if everyone looks at us because we don't have a sled?"  Taylor, the eternal optimist, pointed out the two other people there who didn't have sleds and assured her (and me) that we would be fine.  

 

We tried all the items that we took.  Nothing worked.  The girls were real troopers - I was really proud of them, because honestly, I was self-conscious about it. The trash bags worked the best.  Not great, but the best.  After a while, someone gave us an extra boogie board that the girls took turns on.  It worked great.  When it was time for the other family to leave, they gave us another one and told the girls they could keep them.  Their kindness was very touching.  

Robber's Cave State Park

 A couple weeks ago we went with my family (minus a few) to Robber's Cave State Park.  It is located in Wilburton, Oklahoma.  I remember going there as a child and was excited to return.

 I think this place is so cool.  There is so much to explore!

Notice Will - he blends in with the tree.

 The kids had a great time.  Its important to keep a close eye on them, though.  They were all natural mountain climbers.

 I highly suggest this park to anyone who likes to camp or stay in a cabin.

My mom was always on the lookout for firewood.