Finally... a "manly" project!

Thank goodness for Dads!  Our mutual group just had a combined activity, and the boys were in-charge.  They chose to have a pinewood derby with the girls.  They purchased a car for everyone and decided that there were no rules. Whatever they wanted to do to their cars was fare game! Our girls usual requests for Adam around here are: helping put in (or get out) an elastic from a barbies hair, repairing a broken barbie or loving family toy, and sometimes even painting fingernails!  When Kourtney asked her dad for some help in building a car his eyes lit up and Adam had no complaints!  This was a new experience around our house! Adam and Kourtney worked over a few days getting her car ready for the race.  It was quite funny when Adam walked in the house with a sack full of objects.  I asked him what they were and he proceeded to explain as he pulled out weights, graphite, lead, washers, and a few other thing.  He was totally getting into this!  By the time they were done, the car weighed about 3 lbs.  Another dad must have had the same idea when it came to assembly time. Kourtney's and another girl's car were within 2 ounces of each other.  If the rules had been mandatory it could not have weighed over 5 ounces. 5 oz. and 3 lbs. is a huge difference! After all the races were complete, Kourtney's car came in 6th out of 23 other cars. She was pretty excited!  I was so glad that Adam and Kourtney were able to do a fun project together.  If I had been the one to help her, I am afraid to think of what the outcome would have been! Yikes! ;) Some things are better left for the dads!     

A Day at the Zoo!

 

I took my last trip as a Mother Helper to the Zoo with my Kindergartner! I have had the privilege of going with each of our girls, and I have to say it was a bitter sweet moment.  I guess it is the realization that my kids are growing up fast!  I'm not a real fan of the zoo.  I don't enjoy the constant smell of animal poo and watching animals do nothing more than sleep.  Are the animals ever awake and full of energy?  Maybe I just happen to go on the days they are resting and taking life easy.  Some of the day's events are not particularly ones that I want to remember!  It never fails that every elementary school has the same idea on the same day.  Hundreds of kids everywhere and they all look the the same to me!  Each adult helper was assigned to be in charge of four kids.  I just happened to get one that loved running off and getting lost! After getting lost twice, I "threatened" to take him back to the bus where he could spend the rest of the day.  I ended up holding his sweaty little hand practically the whole day!  I haven't had a stressful day like that in a very long time!   I was pared up with another Mother Helper. Wouldn't you know...after looking at the giraffes, we noticed one of her little boys was missing.  After frantically looking around we noticed this small boy on the  INSIDE the coyote exhibit! Talk about panic and have to change your shorts!  The both of us were hollering at him to get out and trying to figure out how in the world he got in there?  He quickly slipped back through the tiniest gap at the edge of the fence.  I kept saying to myself throughout the day, "If that was my kid, I would ...!"  The realization of how AWESOME our kids are was very prevalent that day!  Makell kept asking me why the kids wouldn't stay with us?  If I only had an answer for her. There were many positives throughout the day!  I loved spending the day with Makell and being able to see her excitement with the zoo. Makell and I had the opportunity to have a picnic lunch with our friends! Not too long after we arrived home Makell crashed!  She was so worn out that she fell asleep on my bedroom floor.  Trust me... I needed a nap too!     

Kourtnay's Native American presentation

One of Kourtney's final projects for the school year required her to give a oral report and presentation on Native Americans for her Utah Studies Class. Her Aunt Stefanie hooked her up! Stefanie is Navajo Indian and lent Kourt some clothing and her cradle board.  I was able to watch her give her report since I had to take everything to school for her because it wouldn't fit into her locker.  She did a fabulous job!  I wished I was more like her. She always seems so cool and collected.  Never shows a sign of nervousness!  She gave her report and explained what the clothing represented.  I learned quite a bit about all of her research.  

She is growing up so fast! She is getting so tall and developing into a wonderful young lady! I love this girl! She is awesome! Keep up the good work! 

Kindergarten Graduation

 

Kindergarten has come and gone for Makell!  What a fun year! She has loved her teacher Mrs. Eckhardt!  I think that Makell is on the look out for her wherever we go.  She always seems to notice her teacher whether in a crowd or across a parking lot. She even notices her car when we are driving around town! If anyone is ever looking for Mrs. Eckhardt just ask Makell, she will tell you where you can find her.  Makell had become quite the little reader.  She loves books and going to the Library. She is still really quiet and shy.  He teacher said she is a perfect little girl.  The only thing she wished is that she could get Makell  to talk more.  That was so weird for Adam and I to hear her say that, because she is not a quiet little girl at home!  She can be full if it at times! ;)  It's hard for me to think that she will be in all day school next year.  I keep telling her that since she will be gone all day next year, I am going to meet her on the playground during her recesses so I can play with her. She looks at me with this crazy face and then doesn't dare say much for fear she will hurt my feelings.  Makell said to Kaitlyn, "Mom can't come to school to play. Only people that go to school can play there." Lol!  I love this little girl! She is awesome! Great job Makell! 

Kaitlyn's Fourth Grade Graduation

Kaitlyn graduated from Fourth grade! Can she really be that old?! This year has been great for Kaitlyn.  She had Mrs. Greene for a teacher and she really pushed her!  She has really excelled and we have seen a lot of progress in her.  I can't believe how fast the school years seem to go by. Highlights for Kaitlyn this year have been:  Studying Utah History, traveling to Camp Floyd, making a power point presentation on the different counties, and spending time with her friends! My little girl is growing up so fast! I sure love this girl! Great Job Kaitlyn! Keep up the good work!  

Family Night Activity...

 

The girls received kites in their Easter baskets this year so we thought we would do a fun FHE activity with them.  Our lesson was on how the kite is similar to the gospel standards. We asked the girls this question before we started. "Does the string hold the kite up or does the string hold the kite down?"  Then we asked the girls; "Do the standards of the church hold us back or do they help us reach our full potential?" No one said anything for a few moments. You could tell they were really trying to think about it.  We talked about For the Strength of Youth pamphlet and the protection and strength it can give us, if we live the standards that our Heavenly Father has put in place for us. Each girl was determined to be the first one to get her kite up in the air.  After moving around to different parts of the field, we found a good wind breeze and the girls were able to get their kites up in the air.  After they were worn out from running around and playing, we had them gather around the kite Adam and I were flying.  We asked them our original question again and also asked them if flying a kite was hard work?  One of the girls said no, and the other two made the comment that maybe it was at first, but the more they did it the easier it became.  Adam pulled a pair of scissors out of his pocket and had the girls watch the kite as he cut the string.  The kite quickly went out of control and crashed into the ground.  It was such a great visual aid to show the girls.  We talked about at times it might seem hard to follow the counsel that has been given to us. As you follow the counsel and are obedient to them, it will become easier! The standards and commandments of the gospel are really there to help us succeed and reach our goals in this life and eternity! It was such a fun activity that really made the girls stop and think about things!

Easter Egg Hunt at Great's House

 

Easter Sunday we all got together at Grammy Greats house for dinner and Matt & Nettie's annual egg hunt.   Megan had the kids find a few eggs hidden downstairs that were filled with objects that represented the Easter story.  After that, the kids were handed a basket with a list of colored eggs and the amount they were to find.  Matt told everyone that there was one GRAND prize egg hidden in the mix of everything.  The kids had a ball running around the yard finding eggs.  All the eggs had been found except the Grand prize egg. The kids were frantically running around looking for it.  The adults were skeptical and praying that our own kids were not the lucky ones to find it after last year's prize.  We did not want baby chicks!  The golden Grand prize egg was located in grammy Ann's purse. Wouldn't you know it...Kaitlyn was the "lucky" one to find it.  Adam and I's stomachs sank as we heard Kaitlyn was the one that found it.  It wasn't a surprise since that kid wins everything! She is one lucky kid.  Adam was saying a quick prayer under his breath that Kaitlyn would be kind and give it to one of the cousins. Our nightmare was coming true as the rules were that no one could open the egg before Matt told them something about it.  Little cousin Kaylee wanted to carry the egg and opened it with the contents spilling onto the floor.  Adam and I happened to walk back inside as grandpa was sweeping up rabbit pellets from all over the floor.  As Adam would say: "It's now a perfect time to panic!" We both looked at each other and said: "Oh crap!" We didn't need anymore pets!  Matt stepped out onto the front porch and brought back in a covered box.  Nettie reached in a pulled out a huge popcorn bowl filled with all sorts of treats!  Nettie always has our backs!  She said she wasn't about to let Matt give baby bunnies away. As you could imagine Adam and I were quite relieved!  We had just dodged a bullet! Kaitlyn was so sweet to share as she let everyone pick something from the basket to keep.  Fun evening with family!