A Few Extra Bits of February Fun

In case our month didn't look fun enough already...we also...

Jumped. A lot.

Build with Brad at the Home Depot workshop.

Had a blast at glow night. These kids love to dance with music blaring. The pics are hard to get but they looked cool with just the colors too. 

Celebrated National Bagel Day so we had an excuse to eat at Panera for breakfast.

Wrapped up winter Soccer Shots.

We have about a month until our spring session starts.

Makin made himself the goalie during the scrimmages and is still really enjoying the sport.

Built a "camp fire" at the park with the Hughes kids (and a few new playground friends).

Enjoyed Penguin Days ($5 admission) at the Dallas Zoo.

While we probably won't go every winter, 

Lorelei was in definite need of a zoo fix and had been asking for months.

Makin was thrilled they had elephants, one of his favs. Feeding the giraffes was another highlight.

There was currently a Lego exhibit which was one of my favorite parts.
To see such amazing and huge Lego creations was just so special. It also listed how many Legos they used on each display and how many hours it took to build. This is just a glimpse of a few of them.
The kids loved a chance to build at a Lego station.

There is a section called the Children's Zoo which includes an outdoor play area and stream with water.
It was a bit chilly to be in the water, but since there were 100s of other kids enjoying it and we are never at this zoo when its warmer, we decided to let the kids join the fun.

Florida Visit

Although we have a very strict "vacations" budget in 2016, Brad decided it was important I visit my grandparents in Florida. And soon. We found the cheapest tickets we have ever purchased and it was officially decided. Grandpa passed away before we made the trip, but we were glad to go and visit my grandma.

So, Heather, Mom and I flew out together and had a girl's trip.

It had been a while since we took a trip just the three of us. ;)

My grandma's memory continues to deteriorate so it makes each visit hard and happy sad (my sister's appropriate wording choice). We are happy to spend time with her, but it reminds you how much has changed. She is very lonely and missing my grandpa, so we were glad we got a few days to bring a little cheer her way.

When you get together with Mom's family, its lots of talking and wine. My aunt and uncle are so used to being host and hostess and he prepares feasts every night. Cannot complain one bit. ;) We enjoyed lots of time catching up. One of mom's cousins happened to be visiting Florida at the same time so it was great to see even more family.

Arrival evening fun. Vanessa (my youngest cousin) takes piano and loved a chance to see mom play.
Top right: Mom is showing Grandma a video of my uncle's dog.

My amazing, talented sister with our luggage.
It took a trip to Vegas without us. She is the reason we got it back!
Spend your money on a carry-on if you fly Spirit. The rumors are true.

Evening two, fish fry by Chef Brian, beautiful piano music (my grandma loves hearing Mom play)
and evening with a fire pit.

We fit in two beach trips. This is #2, both times I got to read a book. Pretty awesome. :)

Family time with more cousins. :) Afternoon/evening #3.

Smiles with one of our favorite ladies.

Fitting in a quick pizza supper before Aunt Heather and Nana headed back to Edmond that night.
Super-Dad survived his time juggling kiddos/school/gymnastics/work and they all had fun. :)

Valentine's Day

Feeling Loved
I have had this idea pinned for years and never got around to it. You add a heart each day starting Feb 1st saying one thing you love about them. This year I finally made the time for it and the kids loved reading their new heart each morning. I loved how it made them smile. (While the single pink heart may look like I was trying to be artistic...it was really because both Hobby Lobby and I ran out of pink!)


Celebrations At School

I was quite proud of myself for just ignoring all the home-made ideas on Pinterest! Trying to be wise in how I spend my time and efforts!

I just loved how excited the kids get for their Valentine's Party. It was Makin's first-ever, so that element was special! We sent the box to school for them to decorate during art, which made this mom extra happy! He loved picking out his valentine's to pass out, and they were sports themed and could turn into a game, just his style.

His party: From what I can tell they basically just exchanged Valentines, no extra treats. :) There was a lot less candy, including stickers and a few other fun things. He did seem to enjoy it though! It was hard for me because Brad was in charge of drop off and pick up that day, but I did love the report that the teachers decided to take away the ipad option so he played train tracks and said he became better friends with a classmate during that play time. :) Woo hoo!

Lorelei made her bag at school too! She gave out Frozen valentines.

Her party: These kids work hard during the days they are at school, so they love any chance to be social. We had ice cream cone cupcakes for snack. (Made by Brittany thankfully!!!) Then they took turns getting their pictures taken in the "photo booth" with props we set up. Brittany had a camera that gave them their pictures instantly, and they loved seeing them develop before their eyes, along with posing goofy for the camera. They also had time for a quick game of Valentine's Bingo. Since art was at the end of the day, we got to stay for art and help. It was fun to see her in one of her favorite classes! :)

L's table this semester (L, Savannah, Rhett, Lydia, Christopher and Nayeli)
Lorelei and Savannah get along well, and S has a little brother
that will be going to kindergarten with Makin next year!

Extra Celebrations:
We had an extended Valentine's party on Friday. Since there isn't room for the parents at the classroom party, one mom organized a 1st grade get-together at a jump house location. Close to half the class made it. Lorelei loves any extra time with her classmates. Makin didn't spend any time jumping, as the games were included with the entry free, and this kid is a "gamer" as much as this mom deters him from it! Along with jumping and games, they had a little snack picnic outside the building with treats.

Lorelei and Jayden hung out a lot at this event.

At Home

Yummy sweet treats for breakfast. Brad picked out a giant Hershey's kiss for their treat this year.

After church, lunch and quiet time we headed to the park for a bit.

Then we had our special meal of pesto stuffed shells, and kept our tradition of chocolate fondue! :) Sooo yum!

School Update

The kids had parent/teacher conferences in January and February and we haven't really had a school update in a while, so here we go!

Proud he now wants to be dropped off in the car line
 instead of me walking him in..

Makin's teachers had great things to say and said he is "very, very smart" and "good at math" and "ready for Kindergarten." I was sad to verify that the closer friend from his class did move away over Christmas. While he doesn't seem to have any close friends he ever wants to have a play-date with, he really enjoys the school element. I'll often hear him say, "we have that at my school" or sing a song from school. I love hearing the little tidbits and he loves having something that is all his own. He enjoys playing "Catch The Book" which is a game he and his classmates made up similar to tag he plays at recess. He chooses the ipad most of the time for centers and yes he knows his mom does not approve! :) At home he loves learning how to add. He has lost some momentum on his sight words, but I'm not pushing it. (Which is hard for me with this guy, because I know he COULD be reading more by now...) His creative side is coming out a bit more! I love that he seems to finally like drawing, and is writing on his artwork and spelling words out phonetically. It is sooooo much fun to see.

Both love the math "Wrap Ups" (addition)

Hot Wheels page shows more detailed coloring, plus he added the logo at the bottom, asking me to print it special for that page. Top right is a horse, Bottom right is a car with rocket boosters he drew at preschool.

Special School Time At Starbucks When
 Makin had preschool and she had off for conferences.

Lorelei's teacher (who I love and just want to keep FOREVER) said Lorelei is "so sweet" and I loved chatting with her about our girl, who she seems to just adore. (I have to say, I'm glad the sweetness is out full force at school, but I would like her to save a little more for MOM too!!!) As I was talking to Brad about the conference and reflecting, I think "sweet" is a word I should feel very happy is how a teacher is describing our daughter. She really enjoys having her in class and had many positive things to say, so that was great.

General Overview...Lorelei has beautiful handwriting and great journaling skills. Unfortunately, we are still trudging through reading and math. She is technically on-level with reading, but we definitely can't slow down our pace and will be working hard this summer to make sure she is at 2nd grade level in August!

I am feeling like she has grown quite a bit when it comes to both math and reading. She finally said, "I actually like math now." This was so good to hear. We have not been a fan of the math she has been doing, and Mrs. W switched to having them memorize their facts. I thought she would absolutely hate it and hate the timed tests, but she seems to like to be able to see she is making progress! (Now that we have started subtraction she is expressing she is NOT fan of these timed tests...) With the other math she just felt she was always struggling with each new concept. Soon they are moving on to "fun math" which will be a breath of fresh air for us. Reading is coming along well. Although she is on-level, much of her class is above-level, so that stresses me out a bit, but I know it shouldn't! She really likes journaling and can easily fill her page (spaced) in less than 20 minutes time. It seems like many of the subjects are clicking better for her lately. Of course, her favorite thing at school is recess. She loves writer's workshop (journaling) and she especially loves art on Thursdays.

Loving the freedom to work various places around the house, and in her pjs. ;)

You can see some hints of 3D art work here. She described the chalk drawing to me asking if I knew why I was smaller than she was in the wagon. She told me one day in class her classmates were complimenting her drawing a backdrop and that she made it look 3D, so I think that has really made her excited for this type of artwork.

She made a salt dough map of the United States when they were learning about land/water. We always love a creative, hands-on project!

I forgot to get a picture of it finished before she went to school, so thats why the top left of her map has a piece missing.

They both really enjoyed learning more about volcanoes. (Makin loves to get in on these lessons too and asks almost every MWF, "When can we do science?") They made a picture to explain how it works when it erupts and we also did an experiment with a home-made volcano.

After school snack and chat time on a Tuesday, which actually rarely happens although I wish it did!
Usually I start preparing supper and the kids play, but this afternoon we were eating from the freezer so we had some extra chill time and it was so fun having the kids talk about their days with me and each other a little more than usual.

Grandpa Heinz

Kind, considerate, sweet, hard-working, sharp minded and sharp dresser, humble, grateful, joyful, serving, dedicated, witty, funny, full of fun little sayings, gentle, encourager, infectious smile, lover of Snickers ice cream bars...How do you put into words how special a person is to you? It seems the impossible task. I'm so thankful for the years we had him in our life and he will always have a place in my heart.

"Heinz. Like the ketchup." That was his go-to saying when telling people his name.

He still had a pretty thick German accent, so it made everything he said a little more fun and distinct in our minds. My uncles do pretty awesome "Heinz" impressions.

As I read over the few notes I have saved, I'm always amazed at how he just felt so appreciative of what he had and the life he had.

I was around six when Grandpa came into our family. He married into a fully-grown family, including, at the time, roughly seven grandchildren. One of my favorite pictures is of him putting his head into the kiddie pool in the backyard. :) He never had children of his own, so that kind-of made him a unique type of grandpa.

He was an "acts of kindness" kind of guy. He taught me how to ride my bike without training wheels when visiting one Easter. He brought us donuts every single morning when we visited Wisconsin in the summer. He always filled my Grandma's car with gas. He would do anything for her, and that extended to her family.

He ate bread, butter and honey every morning for breakfast and lived to the age of 92.
He will be dearly missed.