Wednesday, April 29, 2009

We Have Baby Canadian Geese!

Spring has definitely sprung on our lake. The kids discovered these little furry babies the other day and it was very exciting! There are 5 of them and we have enjoyed watching them play. We have been told there are some duckling sightings, but we have yet to see them.





Tuesday, April 28, 2009

April has been busy - look what we have done!

April has been a very busy and fulfilling month. Here are some of the highlights...

We are very proud of Sarah for winning the PTA character award for the Month of March - the character recognized was cooperation! She was nominated by her classmates and then was selected to represent the entire school. Way to go Sarah!


Drew and I heard about a US Air Force rescue demonstration at the beach and we headed over there after school. We were a bit late, and then struggled to find parking, but we were able to catch the last half of the show. I just love being so close to the beach! There were of course lots of jets, and also some helicopters.





After school one friday we got to go to Miss Steph's barn and play with her kids while Miss Steph got the horses ready for a show the next day. We got to watch the horses getting groomed, plus there was a pond nearby with hundreds of tadpoles - seriously they were all over the pond! No riding the horses this time - maybe next time! Abby is thinking she might like to take riding lessons from Miss Steph - we will see!




Drew's best buddy had a pirate party for his 5th birthday. It was lots of fun - so much fun Drew wanted to do it again the next day! Ahoy Matey!


The big siblings got to attend too, and even had a role of being the pirates guarding the hidden treasure (a pinata). Drew's friend has older siblings with the same ages and interests as ours, so it is great when they all get together!


I don't remember any teacher ever taking me to dinner, but that is what Sarah's teacher did this week. She paired the children together and ran a competition to see which group got the highest scores. Sarah and her friend won, so they got to pick a place to go eat with their teacher. They had a student teacher this year that was able to come back and go with them. It was a very special treat for Sarah. We have been so blessed with great teachers - I continue to be impressed!


Our month came to a close with Drew attending Kindergarten Orientation. Yes, he is old enough to attend Kindergarten in the fall and he is so ready! The highlight of the morning - riding the bus!! The cookie and chocolate milk at the end was pretty popular too! I have to say I was a bit disappointed to be left in the cafeteria to fill out forms while Drew got to tour the school, see a classroom, and ride the bus. I guess I need to get used to him being so independent. He had a great morning, and was so proud to tell me that he knew where the orange hall is (the different grade level halls are all a different color). He is growing up so fast!

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Spring Break in Memphis TN

We had a great Spring Break in Memphis with Magi and PopPop. We got there just in time to decorate eggs and celebrate Easter. While there we decided to take the kids to Graceland - they loved it! The kids got a special day out with Magi and Pop Pop - the girls went to a pedicure, lunch, and shopping and the boys went to ChuckECheese - while Steve and I got lunch and a movie! Very nice! And of course you can't visit without a trip to get Catfish - the best Catfish there is! Washed down with some sweet tea of course! There is nothing like the south!

Monday, April 13, 2009

Happy Easter

We had great day - nothing like a Southern Baptist Easter service. I was very impressed to see a full orchestra - needless to say the music was fantastic! We also were witness to a full immersion baptism. Easter service is one of my favorites - it is what going to church is all about! I love to hear my kids say 'Jesus is Alive!'.

We spent Easter this year in Memphis, TN visiting Steve's parents (aka Magi and PopPop). It was a good old fashioned road trip, complete with 3 kids and a puppy! The first hour was very tense as the kids fought over which 2 would be able to play playstation first and the dog threw up. We tried telling them they should just be grateful to even have playstation in the car but that didn't really work - we had to turn it off for the night. Thankfully after that everyone settled into the fact that we still had 14 hours to go and I have to say that (all things considered) they all did very well. We played a lot of the alphabet game - remember that one?! A classic! We left friday after work, and made it to Memphis by Saturday late afternoon (yes we stopped overnight at a hotel - sleep is too precious so driving all night long was not a viable option). We had a great visit with Steve's parents. Here are the pictures from Easter day...



Sunday, April 5, 2009

Happy Palm Sunday!

DD and Pops came for the weekend to celebrate both the girls birthdays. Everyone was healthy and we made it to church for Palm Sunday! What beautiful weather we had - and a great weekend!








Happy 10th Birthday Sarah!

What a celebration! DD and Pops were in town and the weather was beautiful! On Saturday everyone had soccer throughout the day and then we went for a great Chinese meal - Sarah's choice of course. Sunday was the actual birthday, and after celebrating Palm Sunday, and playing a make up soccer game, she met some friends for laser tag and pizza. She requested a triple chocolate birthday cake! She had a great day! Tomorrow Drew and I get to bring her a special birthday lunch to school, along with treats to share with the class. I love that we are able to eat lunch with our kids any day we would like, and we can even bring in Chick-Fil-A. Cool! Sarah requested "soft" chocolate chip cookies to share - wish me luck!


Look at me I am 10 years old now!!!


Triple chocolate cake!


The laser quest gang. Ok, so Abby and I didn't play, but Drew did. Apparently the vest was down below his knees. He had a blast! Definitely a birthday to remember!

Homemade Music

I am very impressed with the schools here! They offer so many extras to enhance the kids education. Bob Zentz is a artist in resident that has been at the school for a few weeks teaching the kids all about instruments and music - he calls it Homemade Music. They made an instrument in art class, and put on a program for the parents on what they learned. Bob Zentz is an amazing musician that plays 50+ instruments - and still learning more. Sarah made a didgeridoo (Australian instrument - how do you spell it???). Abby made a Chinese drum. He is quite entertaining - the kids loved it! (Too bad Drew was too tired to stay awake for it!) Even DD and Pops arrived into town in time to see the last part of the show!











Fun on the piano with Pops!