4th Grade Rendezvous 2015

In 4th Grade, students learn all about Utah. To end a year full of Utah history, recreation, sports, culture, and more the 4th graders get to have a mountain man rendezvous. They kids all dress up as the character from their oral report and they get to play games, shop at the trading post, throw axes, make crafts, and eat dutch oven food. Finley's report was on Osborne Russell who was a trapper and mountain man who wrote about like in the Rocky Mountains. Here are some fun pictures from the day. Glad that I took work off to help out at the trading post and with cleanup. The best part of the day was when Finley ran up to me all excited because he was the only one in his group that threw the ax into the tree and it stuck. A true mountain man if you ask me.

This (above) to this (below) in 60 seconds. We need to work on arm strength.

He fell so hard his pants started coming off.

Finn was loving this guy below. He has a powder horn just like the one the mountain man had and was excited to show him.

End of school year pics 2014

School is out. Let the fun begin. Here they are at the beginning of the year...

 

Here they are at the end of the year...

 

Love these stinkers!

Outstanding Student of the Week

Finley came home a few weeks ago with an Outstanding Student of the Week award for getting 100% on his YPP (who knows what this is) exercises. That meant he got a free meal at Cafe Rio. So, the other night we packed up the kids and headed over for dinner. Not that we need an excuse to eat there, but YAY for a free meal. He chose steak tacos and shared them with Berlin. So sweet. 

School Christmas Programs

With having been sick, I am very behind on some posts. I am going to be catching up over the next few days....


Both Finley and Berlin had Christmas programs this year. Of course, they  had to be on the same day and so I had to rush from one to get to the other.


First up, we had Berlin's Polar Express Pajama Party. All the kids got to wear their warm winter pajamas as they sang Christmas Songs, danced, and shared their holiday traditions with each other. I made Berlin a new nightgown for the event which she loved. Her tradition that she talked about was decorating our annual gingerbread houses. She was so happy to show the one she had made a few days before. It was such a cute program. She has the BEST preschool teachers ever. 

 Here she is with her dancing partner. They were so cute.

This was her favorite dance. I have it on video, but it's too long for the blog, so this will have to do. They got to dance around in a circle with the princess dolls. 

Waiting patiently for her turn. She was wiggly the whole time and for whatever reason refused to look at me. She was very focused on looking at her teachers. Silly girl.

As soon as she was done I rushed off to Finley's school where his class sang a couple songs in the gym. Here is the only photo I got. Sorry, I was pretty far back so the lighting was bad - hence all the possessed reindeer eyes! :)

I love all the school programs that holidays bring. I remember doing them as a kid and it makes me smile just watching them put on a show.

Halloween Loot

Looks like the kids are going to be eating candy until the cows come home this year. They had so much loot that after filling 4 gallon Ziploc bags with the good stuff, I threw away the rest. Shhhh - don't tell them!

Berlin (She-rah - the modest version) at her school party.

Her teachers are so cute. Here they are making a potion and then drinking it. It was pretty tasty!

Finley (Link from Zelda) at his school parade.

 

We missed the neighborhood Trunk or Treat last year so I promised to take them this year. I don't think we'll do it again - way TOO much candy. I'd rather just go door-to-door.

And just after getting all sorts of loot. They are SOOO happy :)  Isn't Finley such a hoot!

 

  

 

Here's the inspiration. I sewed both costumes in 1 1/2 days. Crazy ... and never again! I was so exhausted that I bagged the wings for Berlin's headband and the brown leather armbands on Fin's. Guess I should have done it all BEFORE our vacation like I had originally planned. Oh well. They turned out great and I can add those pieces later for when they dress-up. 

Our pumpkins this year. The kids drew faces on paper and then we cut them out and use that as the pattern. Finley was having a tough night (aka meltdown) and instead he found his Lego jack-o-lantern face and asked for that. So, Berlin's is the skeleton and Fin's is the scary jack-o-lantern face. 

Here they are with all their candy, right before choosing the 50 pieces they were allowed to keep. The rest was put away to use on our Gingerbread Houses next month (I borrowed this idea from a friend).

 

Berlin's Big Day

Berlin had a big week this week. She started her 2nd year of Preschool and couldn't be happier. Especially since her best friend is in her class this year.

Here she is at home. She wasn't very happy with me in forcing her to stand still and smile for one picture. Really, is one happy picture too much to ask? Apparently so.

I wish I looked this cute in skinny jeans.

I have to say her fit makes me chuckle. This is a common look from her. I get it about 10 times a day. Basically whenever she doesn't get her way. 

So Very Fun!

Here she is waiting for the other kids to arrive.

 With her two AMAZING teachers.

With her Best Buddy.

Her teachers, Miss Palmer & Miss Suzy were both kindergarten teachers and right now they only do the Pre-K year. Even though Finley was on the waiting list for his Pre-K year, he didn't get in. So we made sure to get Berlin on the list WAY early, like over a year early. I never thought I would be one of those moms. But after meeting the teachers and seeing their school, we are SUPER excited for this year.

First Day of School

Finley started 1st grade today! Crazy to think my baby boy is in first grade and will be gone all day long. But, I wasn't as sad as I thought I would be. He was so ready and excited to go back to school. He sure does love a good routine, and school provides that for him.

Bringing his own lunch was a big deal to him. He thinks that's the greatest thing ever. So we planned it out last night and I made it this morning after I got home from the gym. He kept saying, "Mom, I don't want to be late.... Berlin, hurry up, get dressed already, I can't be late..... Are we late?... We should start walking now mom. I just can't be late."  Yeah, I think he's ready. Hopefully his enthusiasm lasts all year long!

Can't wait to walk home with him and hear how his first day went. 

Preschool Jungle Party

Berlin's preschool graduation was a few weeks ago. It's just taken me this long to get the video on our flip and onto the computer. 


The class had a jungle safari party to celebrate. They had the cutest costumes for the kids to put on when we got there. Berlin wanted nothing to do with them at the party. However, when we got home I caught her in the kitchen all decked out looking at the birds in our Japanese maple tree.

 

Here she is getting her graduation certificate and singing some songs. It's kinda hard to believe that her first year of preschool is over. 

She has had such a fun year. Her favorite things in preschool were the field trips, music time, and making lots of cool crafts & art projects. She is sad it's over, but she's already looking forward to going to preschool next year with her good friend Abby.

The ups & downs of school

With two weeks of Kindergarten under our belt, here are a couple of things we love & some we don't ....


Thumbs UP:
The best thing ever just might be morning kindergarten.  SHOCKER huh. But, in all honesty, getting up at 6:45 hasn't been all that bad. In fact, it's been great. After walking Finn to Kindergarten I usually keep walking for another hour. And by the time I get home, I still have a couple hours to run errands before I have to walk back over and get him. My days are definitely more productive and I'm lovin' it.


Oh, and I finally got a cute pic of him in front of the school (due to Ryan's concern I edited the school name).



Thumbs DOWN:
Finley had his first visit to the nurse's office last week. Apparently he got pushed down pretty hard at recess and split his knee open pretty good. Because there was blood, he had to go to the office. He was not loving the cleanser they put on the knee nor the band-aid. Of course, he's tried to milk his wound for all he can get, "Mom, I think McDonald's is one of the things that will help me be happy today."


Thumbs UP:
Finley loves going to school with some of the best kids ever! It's like having a play-date every day! Here he is lining up with his buddy W.

 

Thumbs DOWN:
Me: Finn, how do you like Kindergarten?
F: It's long, and the playground is stupid!


Apparently Finley hates the playground. I guess the kindergarten kids have to stay in a certain area where there are no swings, no slides, nothing really to be honest. Just an old metal dome, an old metal caterpillar, and an old metal monkey bar. These things were around well before Ryan went to school there, so they are easily 30 + years old. Seriously? No wonder Finn said recess was "stupid".

Thumbs UP:
Getting to have a back-to-school party with friends, a bounce house, bubbles, popsicles, food, and 2 piñatas full of candy goodness.

First Day of Kindergarten

Today was Finley's 1st day of Kindergarten - which starts at 8:15am. Despite the overcast weather we decided to walk to school. 1/2 way there, it started to pour rain on us. Thank heavens the school is close and we had umbrellas. I didn't get pics in front of the school rock & sign due to the rain. Maybe tomorrow. But I did get some cute pics of Finley's morning before the big day.

Here he is groggily eating his breakfast. I know, I know, if I were super-mom I would have made pancakes or something fancy for breakfast. But I'm not, so he got cereal & V8 Fusion juice. Besides, I think getting up at 7 am is harder on me than it is on him. I haven't been a morning person since I quit working and had kids.

I'm lovin' the bed-head! I gave him a haircut on Sunday and I love the way it turned out.  

It's German tradition to give a "Schultüte" to children on the 1st day of their first year in school. It's a cone filled with school supplies. Not like you really need much in elementary school, but he got some folders, crayons, markers, pencils, and of course a pair of new school shoes & pj's. Lucky duck. Here he is with the cone that I made myself.

Berlin really wanted in on the action, so I pulled out her lunch tote and a new book that we were saving for her first day of preschool (she doesn't start for 3 more weeks). Oh well. She carried this while we walked to school, apparently thinking that she too was going to Kindergarten. Unfortunately she cried when she realized that she couldn't stay & had to go home with us. Aw, the enthusiasm. 

Berlin giving loves to her big brother.

Me, snuggling my baby boy who's not really a baby anymore.

All ready for what the day brings ...

Braving the ominous clouds as we walk to school ...

Having lunch at McDonald's with one of his best friends, Logan. 

What a great way to celebrate a successful first day right?

more to come tomorrow - if the weather holds out :)