February Fun

Girl Time
I had two Friday nights in a row out. It was definitely a change for this mom! We had a Mom's Night "In" at Courtney's house, where we had appetizers and desserts and played a game of Taboo.









The following Friday didn't quite go as we had hoped. We had already ordered tickets to the school fundraiser event before finding out our sitter situation was not going to work out, so it turned out to be another night out for me while Brad took care of the kids at home.

Sidenote: Brad working hard on the video for the gala. I shot the footage of the students and he edited the videos and put them all together. It was a bit hit that night! So thankful for his willingness to help the school

So thankful I get to spend time with these ladies every week! Sonya, Brittany, Mrs. White

1st Grade Moms (7 out of 12 of us anyway!)

Creativity

It must have warmed up just a day or two (it has been mostly cold and rainy this month) and the kids enjoyed a chance to turn the patio into a Lego City. This was their compromise when two (Lexi was over) wanted to play Legos and one wanted to go outside! :)

Art Field Trip
Our beloved Mrs. Britton was willing to come back and have an "art day" field trip for us at school. The kids were so excited to see her and loved having a Friday afternoon to work on a special art project with friends.

Olympics
We did watch some of the Olympics, but not as much as Brad and the kids would have liked. The kids had a couple of Olympic competitions at school that were fun.

Reading Olympics for 1st Grade (This boy doesn't just go off and read for fun at this point, but anytime there is a challenge like this he hits his minutes goal as quickly as possible.)

P.E. Olympics

Dates

It basically hit the last Saturday of the month and I thought...oh we need February dates! So, Makin opted for an at-home Wii date with Brad, while Lorelei and I headed out for ice cream. :)



The Cold
Well I was quite proud we made it through this crazy flu season without the flu OR a cold. until about a week into February...then my pride was cut down when I (the one who rarely gets sick!) was the first one to catch the worst cold I can remember having, at least in quite a while! Brad and Makin were next. (As in at least a couple of days of being super tired/body hurting...yes, I went to a quick care and the doctor said it wasn't the flu!) Lorelei stayed strong...an apple a day really does seem to keep the doctor away! She is eating like the rest of us and drinking our vitamin drink but somehow she stayed strong...the only known difference...she eats an apple almost every day!!! :)

Destination Imagination

Brad and I definitely had a learning curve on this first year of DI. We got a late start and then we realized that we just would not have the 3rd and 4th group ready to compete mid-February. This wasn't a huge deal for my K-2nd group because I had already decided not to compete, but it was a tough decision for Brad and Courtney to make for the older kids. I think they made the right call. We didn't want our group going in unprepared, so we decided to just present this year's DI project to the parents. Next year we plan to get started the first week of Sept and should be ready to compete by February!

That being said, the kids have really enjoyed meeting each Tuesday. At each meeting (K-2 meets in a diff room than 3-4) they complete an instant challenge. My group always did one task-based and one performance based challenge. This works on their creativity, quick thinking skills, ability to work as a team...we are happy to have the program going and our kiddos have really loved it. I will say that the Sr. Stahls will be happy to know Brad commented to me the other day, "Man I didn't really realize how much time my parents put into this..."

Speaking from getting to observe my own kiddo...I love getting to see him in action with his peers and see what a leader he is of the group. (My apologies on there being way more pics from Makin's group...Brad doesn't think to take pictures as much as I do!!!)

Leaders learning to share ideas. :)

Reverse Charades

Building a bridge that needed to hold golf balls.

Group Huddle

Proud of their creation which was strong enough to hold all the marbles I brought!

Performance Instant Challenge

DI work day at our house...
working on the maze traveler proved a little harder than they thought when they chose this challenge!

Practicing his maze driving skills at home.

Brad and the kids went to the DI competition in Frisco.
They were able to watch Karsyn (friend from gymnastics/church connection, now family friend) compete!

Makin drove his Lego robot through the maze for his team.
This is at the presentation for the parents. A few families from school came to watch too.

Lorelei was a sand unicorn who helped Brody escape "The Land Of Sand".
(Parent Presentation)

3rd/4th Group
Nayeli, Lorelei, Becket, Cooper, Savannah, Shaeden and Jaedynnn

Valentine's Day

We covered the doors with hearts again this year, which the kiddos always appreciate. This year even Brad's office door got covered with hearts as well. :) The kids were also reminded how much they are loved with mail from both amazing grandparents!

We baked cookies...

And enjoyed class parties...

And overindulged all day with too much sugar. We had our home-made Red Lobster meal and had to finish off our day with our tradition (4 years strong) of chocolate covered strawberries. :)