Thursday, August 30, 2018

End of the School Year Fun

Always a highlight of the school year is the day trip to Camp Newaygo.  While we enjoy all the field trips, my kids and I agree that, in this case, their school saves the best for last.  I spent the day going back and forth between Claire and Henry's groups, trying to catch the best of both.

Henry started off the day with "Shelter Building".

Then I bounced over to Claire's class where they were doing their rock climbing.

A quick class picture.

From there, Claire's class went right to archery.


After that, back to Henry's class where they were doing yoga.
Good form, Buddy!

Then outside to the campfire.

What better way to wrap up a good workout than with a gooey s'more?

Henry was particularly anxious about the climbing tower.  If you know anything about Henry, you probably know that "Danger" is not his middle name.  His middle name should be something more like "Play it Safe".  So this was a stretch for him.

I was so proud of him for trying it.
He made it about 4' off the ground and was all smiles!

Henry's class then went to archery, another first for him.

I then scooted over to Claire's class so I could finish out the day with her.

Best Friends

Shortly after that, I received word that Henry had tripped and fallen on his way out of archery.  
Nothing serious, but a skinned knee and bruised ego.  So I ran over there to bandage a knee and wipe some tears.  It was a rough way to end the day, but on the bright side, we were preparing to head home anyways, so at least he didn't miss any of the fun.

It really was another great day at Camp Newaygo.  I remember last year, being pregnant with Joshua at the time and feeling so sick throughout the day.  This year, I was just into my second trimester with this pregnancy, so thankfully, I was feeling much better.  I definitely got my workout in going back and forth between Claire and Henry's groups, but I am so grateful to be there for such special memories.  

In other "End of the School Year Fun", Claire's class participated in "Take it Apart" Day.
The students pick an old electronic (i.e. printer, blender, radio, mixer, etc.) and spend the morning taking it apart, studying to see what goes into making their machine work.  It's messy, but the kids love it.

After helping Claire's class destroy some electronics, I joined Henry's class as they walked to the local ice cream shop.  After a year apart, Henry and Gryffin were already looking forward to being together in class again in the fall.

George's last day of school.
Ms. Dee in the center; Ms. Lisa on the left.  Oh boy, did they love George!  Every day was a good day for him in speech class.  Literally, his teachers never once told me that he had a difficult day, which I happened to know was not typical.  It was a perfect introduction for him to school. 

And yet another fun day to wrap up the school year: FIELD DAY! 

Always a good idea to start Field Day with a little sugar buzz.

A family favorite: Ms. Sybil
She had both Claire and Henry, and is now excited to have 
George for preschool and kindergarten.

Face painting: a kitty, unicorn and dog 

The boys took advantage of this Field Day game to pelt Claire
 with wet sponges.  Something tells me that she will get her revenge.



And finally...the last day of school!
Here comes Summer!

Saturday, August 25, 2018

{ May - June }

Well, you may find my { May - June } pictures to be a bit incomplete.  It turns out that when I got a new phone, instead of transferring my pictures, I accidentally deleted them for all eternity.  Good thing we still have the memories.  I was able to round up a handful of random pictures from our camera and my mom.  Thanks mom!

A couple more Pokagon Pictures

March Madness Awards Ceremony
Grandpa won the Adult Bracket, and Henry won the Kid's Bracket

Game Room and Craft Room


Hanging out in our rooms: 
chatting, playing games, solving puzzles

Making our trek to the Nature Center

Top Left corner: notice a glimpse of my baby bump?
Wow, that seems like a long time and several sizes ago!  
Let's just say my baby "mole hill" has grown to a "mountain".

Plenty of pool time with the cousins

Our "Joshua Tree" in full bloom

Henry dressed as Booker T. Washington for 
his school Mystery Guest presentation.

His visual aid: a lego replica of Washington's childhood home.
His teacher was so impressed, she told me that she took it
 to the teacher's lounge to show it off.

For her mystery guest, Claire was Misty Copeland.  
Neither of us knew much about Misty, so it was  very interesting project. 

3rd Grade Pictures

Sharing a Frosty with George.  

Spring Choir Concert

A big group of kids.  Claire and Henry are circled in green.

Monday, August 20, 2018

{ February - April }

I dropped all three kids off at school today.  They did well, but it is way too quiet over here.  So this mama is drowning her sorrows in pasta and memories.  That being said, here are pictures from February through April.  

Will and George, destined to be buddies from the beginning.

Laid down for two minutes to take a nap before George decided to join me.  
This little guy has zero understanding of personal space.

Unearthed six layers of different wallpaper in the kitchen -  
all of which had to come off before we could have the drywall repaired.

A week of drywall mess to get our kitchen walls up to par.  
Totally worth it; they turned out great.
On the right: that's me under the plastic, preparing dinner at the stove.

Rollerskating Party

Mama's glasses

Grateful to have had the chance to attend the Festival of Faith and Writing.
Jen Hatmaker was just one of the great speakers I had the chance to hear from.

Bookworms

Art Open House at School.  
Claire shows off her artwork (to the left) with her teacher, Ms. Ambsury.
These two were peas in a pod this year.  So grateful for a teacher who not only invests in our daughter's education, but also cares about her soul.

May 2020

First bike ride of the year! And George's first time without training wheels! Such a champ! Enjoyed lots of bike rides during quarantine...