Hailey Joy

 Hailey participated in her very first piano recital last Monday.  She has been taking lessons since the beginning of January and really enjoys it.  She played two pieces: Indian Song and In His Care.  She was not nervous at all until we arrived at the church and she saw the grand piano up on the stage.  She played the pieces beautifully!

Here is Hailey with her friends: Olivia and Sonja.  They were part of our GEMS program at church and had a great year.  They earned 6 badges this year.

Grandparents Day

 Grandparent Day at CCS was a success as the girls were able to take Grandpa and Grandma to school and show them what they do everyday.  

Find the hidden Carter toy.

Kindergarten Field Trip to the MN Zoo

Our home away from home.......

 Here is a sneak peak of the home we are moving to in Newton, MA.  (Newton is a large suburb just west of Boston.)  It is a two-family home in which we are leasing the front view of the house.  In the above picture you get a glimpse of the double garage in the rear and our entrance.  On the picture just below, you can see our patio door and a small deck.

It is a four story home.  The basement is not finished and will be used only for storage. The main floor has kitchen, dining room, living room, and laundry.  The second floor has two master bedrooms.  The third floor has two bedrooms and a bathroom.

We are very pleased with the location and feel like it is perfect for our family and guests!

Our lease begins on July 1st.

Mariah and Mike

Mike and Mariah

I love this picture!  Mariah was visiting because of the dance competition here in town and Mike was all ready to go for his fundraising event at the University.

Together they looked like the perfect pair.

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.