happy birthday mr. w

Happy Birthday my love! We had a fantastic day driving around with you, playing frisbee and lacrosse at the park, and let's not forget the delicious carrot cake. 

You are everything I wished for, dreamed of, and hope for forever. We love you.

celebrate... and tears

It has finally happened. My girl has 2, yes not one but 2, loose teeth! (she thinks 4, as you can tell by her art sketches above) She has been waiting since preschool to lose her teeth. All of her first grade peers have permanent teeth, my poor girl had to take my wisdom teeth in a jar to show her friends. I'm sure next school year she will proudly write her name on the "lost tooth" chart with all of the others. (I think she will feel more proud than any second grader in history to participate in this ritual)

++

The blessed aphid guy "Bobby" passed away today. He was a trooper for surviving 4 days in a rubbermaid container. Missy shed many tears and tried to look at his little carcass under her microscope. This process resulted in losing him somewhere on the desk or in the carpet. I guess that is easier than trying to bury an aphid. 

first piano recital + nervous girl = new bird skirt

L had her first piano recital Thursday evening. I am so proud of my girl. A few weeks ago she signed herself up to perform in the primary talent show, but an hour before decided that she was too nervous. I wondered if this would be the case come Thursday evening, but she followed through on her commitment and proved to have nerves of steel. 

All day she kept saying, "I wish I could play my recital now and get it over with." So, we came to the decision (or was influenced to the decision) that perhaps if she had a skirt filled with bird friends they could accompany her to the recital, and help to at least slightly, calm those nerves. It is after all, much more fun to play a recital for a flock of birds rather than a room full of people. (and sewing serves as a great way to distract an anxious little girl) We quickly pulled out the $2.99 Ikea stash and set to work. Happily, the skirt was a success by way of distraction, company, and consequently matched the gray top I made 2 weeks ago. 

summer stills

Boy it has been fun around here! We LOVE summertime, even when it is 61 degrees at swimming lessons. We did make it to Lagoon on Saturday. fun fun.  

Each day has brought with it fun (and messy) projects. Once again...I'm thankful I kept the "Kids" magazines around. We've made cornstarch quicksand and play-doh. Yesterday we made this lunch chart, which is a huge hit. L was so excited to choose her lunch for today, I was so excited that I didn't have to search through the pantry and wait 10 minutes for her decision.

day #1...butter

I have been giddy with excitement all day long! I L-O-V-E summer with my girl. And my man. (he's out of school too!)  And the Sugar City quarterly is available here.

Day #1 so far:

exercised together as a family (L did her yoga stretches)

fruit and spinach smoothies together

cleaned together

(there seems to be a "together" theme)

L watched her birth video for the first time. It was all about seeing the medical equipment and instruments.  (nothing inappropriate to be seen)

we made BUTTER!

I am so glad I kept all of my Martha Stewart Kids magazines. They are a treasure trove of summer activities. Today she chose to make butter.  Easy and delicious!

Pour into a jar:

half pint of heavy cream

pinch of salt

1 marble

Screw lid on and pull out those muscles. Shake and shake and keep shaking for about 15 minutes. After cream separates, pour off the buttermilk and you have BUTTER! L was amazed it was so simple to make, and it is really yummy.

it's here!

We've made it to summer! The "see you next years" have all been said and hugs given, so off we go. It almost feels like Christmas. I feel like I have been given this great gift I've been anticipating all month long.

Yesterday was field day. The water games were definitely the crowd favorite. 

Today, lots of recess and each child was presented with a certificate of achievement. L's was for being an "outstanding student." It was kind-of sad walking out of first grade for the last time. Driving to and from school each day, reading groups every Monday morning, helping switch reading books and saying the pledge every morning, and being a room parent. All little memories I will forever cherish. 

 As I am always looking for any excuse to make her a new outfit, the last day of school was a seemingly appropriate occasion. A gray top with culottes was the request. I used this tutorial for the flowers on the top.

 

So, now we move on to summer. We're off to a good start. When we left school I asked missy if she wanted to go out to lunch, "no thanks, let's go home and rest." Oh I loved that answer. It made me feel good that given a choice, home is where she wants to be. We are going to see the movie "Up" in 3D later, and Saturday we are planning on going to Lagoon. I am looking forward to what each day will bring. I hope for reading, recreating, cooking out, creativity, projects and anything that will fill our hearts and minds with joy and sweet memories.

finally finished

This shirt has been hanging around, waiting to be sewn since the beginning of May...it is finally finished. What's not to love? Used up scraps, cute nesting birds, and a new shirt! I think it inspired a little creativity too.

 What are you doing little girl? Why not. Wrap your cute feet with plastic and tape them all up. Be my guest. I love your creativity.

school endings

With summer break officially 3 days away the tune has gone from, "only 5 more days of school, hooray!" to "only 3 more days of school. I don't want 1st grade to end." It doesn't help that the last 2 weeks of school are jam packed with parties and fun. My little girl despises change. (I don't know where she gets that from.) She worries about not seeing her friends, if her next teacher will like her, and if she is smart enough for the second grade. Oh man, if only there was a way that she could see her life the way I see it. She has NO need to worry. It leads me to wonder how much stress we place on ourselves unnecessarily. If only we could see the B I G picture. 

Anyway, the first grade party agenda for today: drive-in movie. Each child makes a car out of a cardboard box and parks it in the gym for the afternoon theater. Somebody was so excited she could hardly wait for the day. We had a great time on Saturday creating her "safari jeep," (I have no clue where she came up with that idea) after which she and Max went for many drives around the kitchen. She went all out creating the dashboard, license plate, and her drivers license. I wish I could be a fly on the wall