Carnival

Living in a small town,

it's not too often that there are

new and exciting things to do.

So, when the carnival comes to town,

we go.

That big ferris wheel

drew us in first thing.

So we jumped on there

right away.

The 3 older kids

rode the swings,

they loved it.

However, you won't see me

riding any of those ones

that go in circles.

Not a good idea.

London was dying to ride

the merry-go-round.

But not those horses

that go up and down.

Just the seats

that stand still.

She was happy.

The hall of mirrors.

This one was
London's choice.
She rode it all by herself.

It was a great diversion and
a fun way to spend an afternoon.

Building Hogwart's

Austin got a set of

Harry Potter building cards

for Christmas.

He has built a couple of different

castles

with them so far.

He did this one on Sunday.

Maybe we have a future architect

in the making!

Fishing field trip

On Friday,

the 3rd grade classes

went over to the local pond

and got some pointers on fishing

from the Division of Wildlife officer.

He gave out free fishing poles

and helped them all

learn the basics.

Lots of parents

took the opportunity

to go fishing with their kids.

Sydney's getting to be a pro

at casting.

London really gets into it, too.



And we have to laugh
at some of her comments.
When she saw this,
she pointed down at the water
and said,
"Mom, look!
Someone dropped their hair
in there!"
Totally serious.
(I think.)










There's nothing better
than getting that

tug
on the line.
She quickly hands it
over to dad to reel in.













A little rainbow.
We had to pet it
before we let it go
back into the pond.

Hilarious comment #2
from London:
"Mom, look!
Someone dropped their
fluffy stuff in there!"
Again, totally serious.
(I think.)

It was a beautiful day,
perfect for spending some
quality time together
fishing at the pond.
Hooray for living
in a small mountain town!

Folk singing

The first graders had their music program

last Wednesday night.

They sang a variety of fun folk songs

to the teacher's guitar-playing.

Songs like Kumbayah,

She'll be Comin' 'Round the Mountain,

This Old Man, Old MacDonald,

Mr. Tally-Man, and The Man in the Woods

were fun to listen to

and sing along with.

And when the kids were done,

proud parents gave them

a standing ovation.

The kids did really well.

Just one more sign

that another school year

is rapidly coming to an end.

(Lots of field trips coming up!)

A beautiful spring day

It was a perfect

bubble-blowing day.

Bubble guns

are even better.

More action.

A perfect fort-building day, too.


And a perfect roller-blading evening.

The kind of day
you wish would last forever.

It's about time!

For the past few days,

Jordan has been working on her front tooth.

Wiggling, worrying,

twisting, trying,

pleading, pushing,

fumbling, fretting,

crying, coercing

pulling, prodding. . .

until today --

she came home from school

and it was turned sideways in her mouth.

Still in, but looking quite freakish.

I told her, Jordan -- it's time.

She refused to let me pull it out.

So we just waited.

And then,

finally

she came in and showed it to me.

It just fell out,

on its own.

How about that?

I think kids look so cute with their

front teeth missing, don't you?

Such a fun age.

GIrls on the run 5k

The past few months,

Sydney has been participating in a program

called Girls on the Run, for 3rd-4th grade girls

at her school.

They would meet after school,

and the coaches would spend the first hour

teaching the kids about such ideals as

self-esteem, positive self-image,

healthy physical habits

and developing good relationships.

The last 30-45 minutes, they would run,

in training for a big 5k run

at the end of the season.

Yesterday was the big day.

We met at a park, where all the girls in the program

in our area came together

with any other girls or women who

wanted to participate.

I think over 1,000 people had registered to run.

Pre-run warm-ups.

Group pic.

It was so much fun!
Sydney did awesome, I was so proud of her.
She ran almost the whole thing.
Once we got into a rhythm,
she didn't want to slow down much.
Having a crowd cheering for you was motivating, too.
It felt great!

She's amazing.
It's a great program, and I know she's already
looking forward to next year!