Poetry Cafe

Hailey's class hosted a poetry cafe where the kids show cased their poetry unit from school.  They learned about several different types of poetry and were able to do their own interpretation.  They then incorporated it into their computer class as they were learning how to use power point for presentations.  Here are some samples of Hailey's poetry from her folder.

How to be an Eraser
Only erase with one corner so the rest of you doesn't get dirty,
Shrink every day,
Turn pink when you make a mistake,
Don't talk to the pencil-he's the reason you're dirty,
And finally, when you get short and can't be used, hide in a desk!

Snowflakes
Snowflakes white, great, fluff
Beautiful icy crystals
Intricate treasures

Just one more time
Just one more time I'd like to dress up at my old home and have a tea party with my friends.
Just one more time I'd like to lay in a blanket while my mom would hold on two corners and my dad would hold on to the other ones. Then they would swing us around.
Just on more time I'd like to sit in my desk and do math before I move to Boston.

I have a dream
I have a dream that our school would unite with God
I have a dream that our family will stay together
I have a dream that everybody had freedom
I have a dream that everyone will believe in God
I have a dream that God will always love me

Dream Catcher
Oh puppy who I have loved longer than I can imagine!
Oh, soft dreamer who kisses my dreams goodbye.
Oh comforter,
Oh lovey who's eyes comfort me.
Oh, snuggle pup who knows I love it!
Oh, dog who plays with me.
Oh, friend who brought back memories of my old home.
Oh, one who hugs me inside.

Taylor's Special Week

 Taylor is "Star of the Week" in kindergarten this week. 

She picked out a bunch of her most favorite pictures that describe her life up until now.  The kids in her class are so very sweet and asked really cute questions about all her pictures.

Taylor has had a rough time with going to school the last two months.  She is very sad when I leave her and asks to stay home with me every morning claiming that she has a tummy ache.  The teacher states that she does well in school all day and seems to really be happy with friends and during class time.  We are not sure what has caused the anxiety, but I am hoping that this phase will soon come to an end.

Taylor is starting to read more easily and write in cute phonetic phrases in her weekly journals.  I love how they spell things at this stage; it actually makes a ton of sense to spell things the way that they do.

She places great value in friendship at school and also in her snacks.  I know that sounds a bit silly to say "snacks", but she has such a sweet tooth that it is getting a bit out  of control.

The latest craze at our house is the rip stiks.  They tried them out at their cousins and have been asking for their own for months and finally received them for filling charts for reading and practicing piano.  Taylor can do it really well already and always has a pretty easy time with large motor skills.  I think it may be because she is always up for the challenge of keeping up with her older sister.

She loves games, wii, jumping on the tramp, and Candy.

Happy Easter! 2012

 Spring Break this year was full of adventure this year.  The pictures only tell the end of the story.  The break started last week when I brought the three kids to my parents in Leota.  They spent the night at Grandpa and Grandma along with the next day.  I drove back to the cities on Tuesday morning to join Mike on a flight out to Boston, MA for Mike to finalize his research requirements for his upcoming fellowship and for us to find a place to lease for the year.  

Our time in Boston was a roller coaster ride!  The opportunities and adventures that await us are so very exciting, but the the city was very unfamiliar and overwhelming to navigate.  We made some great progress in the end and found a great place to live come July 1st. (more details on this later).

The kids then left for Auntie Ginnie in Sioux Falls on Wednesday, then off to Sioux Center, IA to stay with the Walhofs and then went back to Leota where we met them on Saturday morning.

The kids had a fun Easter party in Leota on Saturday morning complete with an Easter Egg Hunt and a real bunny.  When asked what the Easter Bunny has to do with Jesus being raised from the dead Hailey replied, "Nothing, but we still love the candy."

 Craft time with Grandma.

 Kensie getting a free ride

 The Vis cousins in their matching dresses.

Fun Stuff

 Above is Carter all set to ride in the St. Jude Children's Cancer Research Bike-a-thon.  Carter raised $37 dollars and rode with his classmates to support children who are not as lucky to be as healthy as he is.  He was so very proud during the race.

 Hailey was a prairie girl today at school.  They went to a country school all day to mimic the life of prairie children.    She was pretty excited about using slates, chalk, and packing her plastic free lunch with a tin cup.

 A good captain never abandons his ship.

 Friday night was Creative Expression night at Taylor's school.  We were lucky that Grandpa and Grandma were in town for the state tournament that they were able to come and hear her poem called "Smiling".  She did a spectacular job!

 Taylor and some of the girls from her class.  They were all quite shy during their presentations, but afterward they all wanted the microphone.

Macey and her family were also up cheering on SWC in the state boys basketball tournament.  It was fun going to a couple games.

March

 The ice rink next door didn't get much use this winter, but oddly enough my kids had the best time ever helping Josh take it apart.  The worked so hard and really stayed focused for over 2 hours.

The next day they were surprised when Josh showed up with cash to pay them for all their hard work.

 The tramp is up and the kids started where they left off last fall with their skills on the tramp.

Above is Taylor after a few "super jumps" from daddy.

 Hailey and Taylor had Hawaiian Day at school.

 These next couple of pictures are of our trip to NW Iowa to visit family.  While we were there, we enjoyed some 5th and 6th grade basketball tournies of their cousins.  It was so fun for the kids all to get together; it was the first we had seen of everyone since Florida.

Science Club

Hailey and her friend Sonja decided to start an "All Girls Science Club" last month. They decided to alternate houses and do some experiments each time. This past Saturday was at our house and Hailey chose to do "the Volcano" and the "mentos in diet coke".

Wrase Cabin Weekend

We left town President's Day weekend in order to find so winter fun. It is so crazy how little time we have spend bundled up for some snow.

Our neighbors have a cabin on the lake in Wisconsin and the ice on the lake was plenty thick for some "skidding" as they call it. We hooked up the tubed to the four wheelers and off they went all over the lake. It was like tubing behind the boat except perfectly smooth.

The kids loved it! Carter was asking over and over for a four wheeler by the end of the day.

It is hard to tell, but the above picture is Hailey all geared up.


Taylor gave her ride a "thumbs up!"


Daddy and Carter

Mike W. was showing off his four wheeler for the kids.

Mike helped the kids build a huge fort out of brush around the lake. They were all so proud of the fort and then Mike just had to tell the "Lake Monster Story".

Our Own Rubio

Team Carter and Isaac Rubio

With Coach Daddy