Kindergarten drive-in...

End of the year means end of the year projects. Which means a whole lot of time going into those projects. The entire kindergarten makes cardboard cars and takes them to the Drive-in movie at school. We did the same project for Hallie and I was kicking myself for not keeping it and having Hunter repaint it.

My next thought was to build a car out of wood so I can use it for the next kids - but I couldn't figure out how to make it light enough that he could carry it on his own.

Hunter and I went to Home Depot to pick up some supplies. It was a Saturday and I was wondering how I was going to fit everything in. When I got home Steve was willing and ready to go. I've become so accustomed to doing everything without him, so to have him home on a Saturday and having the time to help was totally foreign. I let those two go at it and I'm so glad I did. I often get to help with school projects but Steve doesn't and he actually quite enjoys it.

They decided on a rocket as opposed to a car. Rockets go faster and they have more buttons than cars do.


Hunter painted the whole thing by himself, including the USA on the top.


He was pretty proud of the control panel. He explained what each button did - he really thought it through!

Last day of school...

Oh my, how they've grown. How is it already the end of school? There was so much excitement surrounding today. I laid in be last night next to Hunter, reminding him of the night before the first day of school. He was so nervous. What if he got lost on the bus? How will he know when its time to eat? Will he ever see Hallie? And three days into school and the nerves were gone and I saw confidence building each and every day. As we talked about it, he started asking about first grade and shared some concerns. This morning I overheard him asking Hallie, "What if I get the really mean teacher?"

So cute. So tender. And Hallie's coaching him through it was just about the sweetest thing.

We're looking forward to summer and we've got some fun things planned. Here's our annual first and last day of school photos. (Tutorial can be found here)

Preschool Graduation...

I'm not sure we can really call it a graduation since he's going back to the same school next year - but we had Bennett's end of the year program.

He was so excited - they had been practicing their songs for weeks. He was insistent that Steve be there and asked multiple times a day to make sure dad was coming. I would catch him singing his songs at home and one song in particular had him laughing every single time. It's called "Mama's Soup Surprise". I could never fully understand all they words he was singing because he would go through the song so fast and be laughing so hard. It's a funny song; here's the chorus:

Oh, chicken lips and lizard hips
And alligator eyes
Monkey legs and buzzard eggs
And salamander thighs
Rabbit ears and camel rears
And tasty toenail pies
Stir 'em all together
And it's mama's soup surprise

I would grimace and moan with each word he sang which made him sing louder and faster.

He was entertaining to say the least during his program - much more animated than many of his counterparts. I wish I could say he was just excited to perform but he has that energy all day, every day!



Cannon, however, wasn't amused with his performance. He should be taking notes, he'll be up there in just a few years.


Luckily, his anger wasn't anything a roll and cookie couldn't take care of!


The growth this little guy had this year was amazing. His teacher is loving and patient and just what he needed. Its going to be a long summer if he keeps asking when he gets to go back to school!

Master Steve...

You know what happiness, relief and achievement look like all rolled in to one?

This is what it looks like.


That is a man whose shoulders are 50 pounds lighter as of last Friday. He went back to school 2 1/2 years ago. The same month we found out we were pregnant with Cannon. Not only has our family life changed dramatically since that day, but work and church as well. It has been a series of constant change.

The stress, the worry, the time doing assignments, the tears of frustration (on both our parts) as there just was not enough time in the day. Taking tests while on vacation. Late Skype nights with groups. Saturday mornings locking himself in the office. Weeks spent away from us all in the name of learning.

He's a different man. More confident. More dedicated. And not to mention a diploma that claims he's smarter. There were days (or weeks...or even months) where it didn't seem worth it.

Watching him walk across the stage brought back a flood of emotions that we experienced over the course of the program but a new emotion surfaced - pride of achievement and pure gratitude that we made it. So grateful for all his learning...and so grateful that he's done!

Here he is on his first day of school with his friend and partner in crime.

And on their last day.


I convinced Steve that our two oldest kids should be pulled from school to watch him walk (the younger two were with my sister-in-law which allowed me to enjoy the ceremony). He was reluctant at first but he's glad they were there. They thought their dad was a celebrity. They oohed and ahed at his robe and silly hat. It was fun to have them celebrate with us. But more than anything, it's the example we hope to set for them. As we were driving home that afternoon Hunter said, "Do you think I can go here after I graduate college?" That's the hope!








Steve's parents were there to help us celebrate and we enjoyed lunch together afterwards.

Part of the agreement of leaving the two younger ones behind was that we would get a picture with the whole family when arriving home. It will be fun to look back and remember just how crazy our life was while going through school and how many little cheerleaders he had along the way!


Although he doesn't demand it - we are getting in the habit of referring to him as Master Steve!

The long tunnel...

Tomorrow is a special day. A day that we have looked forward to for 2.5 years. A day of celebration and relief. A day of excitement and achievement.

Steve graduates.

We've been hanging on to a glimmer of light that we've seen at the end of the tunnel for a while now. But it was a long tunnel. And now he's done. He took his last final today and he walks tomorrow. We did our happy dance when he walked through the door this afternoon but it will sink in next week when he doesn't lock himself in the office to do homework after the kids go to bed or next Saturday morning when he doesn't have a test to take.

This picture was taken 2.5 years ago when he left for his first day of campus and I'm gearing up to take a slew of pictures in his cap and gown tomorrow. What can I say, I'm a proud wife.

Now if you'll excuse me...it's time to celebrate!

You are enough...

Hallie brought this note home from school today (which has been shared on the internet before).

I love great teachers who look at their class and see individuals. Individuals who are unique and think differently. We need more teachers like this.

My Dearest students,
Next week you will take your Criterion Reference Test (CRT) Exam for Math. I know how hard you have worked, but there is something very important you must know:

The CRT test does not assess all of what makes each of you special and unique. The people who create these tests and score them do not know each of you the way I do, and certainly not the way your families do.

They do not know that some of you speak two languages, or that you love to sing or draw. They have not seen your natural talent for dancing. They do not know that your friends count on you to be there for them, that your laughter can brighten the darkest day, or that your face turns red when you feel shy. They do not know that you participate in sports, wonder about the future, or sometimes you help with your little brother or sisters after school. They do not know that you are kind, trustworthy, and thoughtful...and every day you try to be your very best.

The scores you will get from this test will tell you something, but they will not tell you everything. There are many ways of being smart. You are smart! You are enough! You are the light that brightens my day! So while you are preparing for the test and in the midst of it all, remember that there is no way to "test" all of the amazing and awesome things that make you, YOU!

Flat Stanley...

Everyone is familiar with Flat Stanley, right? The boy who was flattened by his bulletin board while sleeping. Random, I know. But all the schools seem to do a unit on Flat Stanley which gives students the opportunity to send their colored Stanley to anywhere in the world. Hunter wanted to send his Stanley to his cousins in Colorado. And I'm not sure there is a Stanley who received better treatment. Here's the letter Hunter's teacher received:

When you tucked me away in the envelope tight,
I left for a day and maybe a night.

I waited and waited to see where I’d go,
When they opened me up, I saw Colorado!

What a wonderful place! I had so much fun!
Who knew they had trains in eighteen eighty-one?

Denver is known for mile-high elevation,
and trains at mile-high, park downtown at the station.

And you’d never believe, but to my pure elation,
While touring the station, I met a Dalmatian!

While wagging his tail, he explained his vocation,
‘bout fires and ‘bout trucks...now, back to my vacation!

I drove to the hills and went out for a jog,
and stumbled upon a few “prairie dogs.

”The “prairie” had cactuses all around,
and “dogs” where we’re from, don’t live underground.

Before I left home, I stopped for some treats,
and I’ve never, no never, seen treats near this sweet!

In the picture, can you see the joy in my eyes,
and the “Nerds” and “Sweetarts” that are two times my size?

Love,
Flat Stanley











When they read Hunter's Stanley letter to the class he was elated. He came home so excited and was so excited to show me at his open house.

Thanks Jandi (and kids) for showing Stanley a good time, thanks Nathan for writing the poem - Hunter thinks you guys are pretty great!

Show and teach...

I love how kids long for show and tell at school. In fact I think more time is spent picking out their show and tell item than doing their homework. They're being taught at a young age the art of presentation - they stand in front of their classmates and shyly talk about their item with a few prompts from their teacher. And by the time they're able to stand up and talk for five minutes on their item without prompts the schools don't do them anymore.

I was surprised to get a note from Hallie's school for a variation on show and tell; show and teach. One time during the year she would be assigned a day and she would need to present/teach something to her class for 15-20 minutes. At first her thinking was really limited to things she had already seen other students do. But the more presentations she saw the more creative she became with her idea. She chose to teach her class the "cups song". A short rhythmic song in which you tap, move and hold your cup, staying on beat.

It's not hard, but rhythm in general is hard for many people, especially kids. She worked for 20 minutes teaching them the song. The majority caught on and were able to stay on beat by the end. I wish I had video footage of her little voice trying to project out above all her classmates who were playing with their cups! She did a great job and I appreciate the school's push to get these kids leading in front of their classrooms.

Easy kids science experiment...

I'm not sure why our school chooses Kindergarten as the year to present science experiments, but they do. (See Hallie's experiment) I would much rather have it when they're a little older but it is what it is. Because these projects are for six year olds they are extremely simple and take very little effort (which is maybe why they do it this way, keeps the parents sane!)

More or less, they want the kids to make a prediction and see how close they were to the results.

Hunter soaked Easter peeps in five different liquids that I poured for him: Water, apple juice, Diet Coke, bleach and vinegar, for five days.



He predicted that the water would turn the peep white. The apple juice would turn it yellow. The diet coke would turn it white. The bleach would do nothing and the vinegar would make it blow up (he's seen far too many baking soda volcanoes!)

We had it sitting on the counter with a pan over the top and every day, he would lift up the pan and see the progress. There was very little progress for the first several days, except the bleach immediately turned the peep white and the liquid stayed clear. By day four, fruit flies were starting to swarm, especially in the vinegar and apple juice. So we put plastic over the top and held it with a rubber band. The next morning we woke up to an unexpected bloated apple juice peep.

Something happened when we covered it to make it expand. Hunter thought that was pretty cool.

The bleach ate away at the peep the most and vinegar was next in line.


I thought for sure the diet coke would have more of an effect, but it just turned the underbelly of the peep brown but it kept it's shape.

Water left the peep the most unchanged which just goes to show water is the best for you!

Valentine's day at school...

The kids came home from school with their boxes/bags overflowing with goodness. Bags were dumped on the table as they sorted through the valentines.

They looked over each card to see who brought what, and then they separated the candy from the cards. Some trades took place and everyone ended up happy. What we saw the most of: spiderman/batman and Frozen of course.

Brunch for Lunch predicament...

My two older kids take their lunch to school every day. Once a month, the school serves "brunch for lunch" and they eat school lunch on those days.

Last Friday was that special lunch. We weren't aware of it so both kids made their lunch for school. Of course during announcements they hear what is being served for lunch and both are bummed they brought their lunch. Here's where our kids personalities shine.

Hallie - our rule follower - decides that even though she'd really like brunch for lunch, she would eat the lunch she brought. It's the safest decision.

Hunter on the other hand, decides to keep his lunch in his backpack and enjoys a delicious school lunch. To cover his tracks he hurries and eats his sack lunch on the bus ride home.

This situation couldn't describe these two more perfectly!!

Christmas Programs and such...

Catching up on Christmas programs that seemed to clog the schedule the week before Christmas.

Bennett had his first preschool program. He had practiced those songs for a while and although he didn't know all the words, he was ready. He was animated and did all the actions just as he was taught. The costume changes were the best. The elf hat...too funny.




And of course he would ask Santa for a ghost!


Hunter had his first Kindergarten program and I thank those blessed teachers who work with these rambunctious kids and who are wise enough to keep the program to 15 minutes and include cookies for dessert!




We gave all the kids teacher's the same gift this year, made life easy.


I got to be in Hunter's classroom to help make gingerbread houses. I love that this has become a school activity and not a home activity! They also had all the houses pre-built when we got there. They had a group of parents come the day before to build them. They used hot glue and piped on the frosting. Not a bad way to go!



Each kid was asked to have an adult there to help them - many of which were dads. It just so happen that the two kids that didn't have adults show up were both at Hunter's table. I could see they were sad and it was breaking my heart. So I offered my gingerbread decorating services to one of the little boys. He kindly rejected my help and said, "That's okay, I'd rather have a dad help me, they build better than moms." I wanted to shake my finger at him and say, "Oh no you didn't." But instead I said, "Oh boy, you don't know how wrong you are. Right, Hunter?" Hunter gave me the thumbs up in agreement!