Last Day of Preschool 2014

on the left is the first day of preschool and the right is the last day! what a difference 9 months makes!

The Middle School Looms

2 weeks from today I will leave work early and go stand in the hallways of the elementery school and watch as my boys walk those halls for the last time. Next year they'll be going to the Middle School (how is that even possible). I won't have anyone in the elementery until Ryan goes in the fall of 2015.

Not that anyone has asked for my thoughts on elementery school but I'm going to offer them up anyway.

1. parents are being held responsible in the 4th grade (still) for their childrens homework. wrong answer. my 4th grader is responsible for his OWN homework. It is not my job to make sure it gets done, I will give them time to do it, and ask them if it's done. I should not supervise them getting it done, and should be able to ask them if it's done and if they need help. Make the child answer for his or her actions.

2. It is not the teachers responsibility to make sure the child does his or her schoolwork. The teacher should be able to give them time to do it (ample time), the tools needed to succeed and then assist if necessary. The child should be responsible for his or her OWN schoolwork. Supervision should be provided due to the distraction of other students. The child should be able to request assistance with the project. Make the child answer for his or her own actions.

3. Science fair is a lot of fun, the kids take a lot of time to study their subject, write their report, and learn about their chosen project. I would appreciate it if the school would allow other students to walk through the science fair and see what everyone has worked so hard on. Also require the 4th graders to stand with their project and explain it as the kids come through. We all know that if they can explain it, then they truly understand it.

4. Bullying is a real problem that does exist, however being called a name is NOT being bullied. The definition of bully is:
: a blustering browbeating person; especially :  one habitually cruel to others who are weaker
: to frighten, hurt, or threaten (a smaller or weaker person) : to act like a bully toward (someone)
: to cause (someone) to do something by making threats or insults or by using force
I think it's time for not only kids to stop bullying but also for our kids to stand up to bullies and let them work it out among themselves!

I see a lack of independence in our kids in all the wrong areas! Kids have free range of the internet at all hours (!!!) but can't be trusted to do chores and homework independently. What? I think we have it backwards! I think chores and homework (etc) should be independent work and the internet should be a supervised activity.

Continuing Contact

Little Miss and Girlfriend have been gone for about 5 months. Ryan still asks for them. Sending them home is hard and Girlfriend takes it the hardest. Their dad is still offering visits occasionally. I don't know if I can continue to put Ryan through losing them. At some point he has to be able to heal. Todd has to be able to heal....we all do. And I am afraid if we continue visits, no one will truly heal. I don't know what to do.

4th Grade Science Fair Projects

Lane Michael decided he'd like to study magnetic north, the most acurate way to find magnetic north and how a compass works. He showed a free moving magnet on a wooden frame moving to the north, showed a magnetized needle on a leaf in a bowl of water moving to the north and a compass. Obviously the compass was most reliable as it's designed to be. He learned so much and had a great time with it. A friend commented that his was so scientific and very mature and well thought out....very book smart.

Ethan wanted to build mouse trap cars and study if the terrain would affect the distance the car would go, however after 2 days of working on the car it simply wouldn't run. So Sunday night we gave up and changed horses mid stream and I'm SO glad we did! Ethan instead studied the pigs, took the 2 fair Hampshires and the 2 fair Durocs and studied their rate of growth, looking at if 1 breed would grow faster than the other. We thought the Hampshires had grown faster but actually the Durocs grow faster. After doing some more research it turns out that Durocs are known for growing faster, needing less feed and having a great carcass. He was able to explain that in 6 weeks we had seen an 89% increase from the Hampshires and a 93% increase from the Durocs. It was a fun project and something he could speak about knowledgably.

I was SO impressed with how these boys through themselves into their projects, did some real independent thinking and learned so much! They really enjoyed this project!

Mothers Day 2014

I traveled last week so we didn't have much time to prepare for Mothers Day ahead of time. I had such a wonderful weekend though. Friday night we played cards, one of my favorite things in the world. The kids played outside all evening and then came in for showers, we made dinner and just hung out...the guys worked in the fields and we just hung around the house...a good spring evening in our area.

Saturday morning I got up and went to the Mothers Day event at the church and watched my aunt present her apron show. Learned a lot, giggled through much of it, ate a great lunch and was able to go shopping with my friend...my Mom hadn't been shopped for yet (oops). Saturday evening we went to dinner at my Mom's house while Todd took our God Daughter to her Father Daughter dance since her Dad was in Reno for a bowling event. He was honored to be asked and had a great time watching her and her friends. And the boys and I got to spend some time with my Mom, Grandma and Cousin...tons of fun!

Sunday was a little hap hazard....we woke up late...I woke up to a text from the girls Dad...it said "Happy Mothers Day from your M____ and Y______ families" I appreciate that text more than he'll ever know! We got to church too late to sit in "our seats" so we sat in the balcony...awkward. grabbed a quick lunch and ran to Grandma's for a work day...worked all day in the yard, clearing leaved out of flower gardens, berry bushes, trees that were too close to the foundation and starting a small shed for storage. A good day overall followed by a whirlwind evening of scince fair  projects, research, changing projects and more research! It was good overall, and looking back, fun to see all my guys hunched over ipads, computers, notebooks, research guides and data reports. I see a lot of this in my future!

A good Mothers day to say the least!

Baptism

Lane Michael was baptized on Sunday. We are so proud of him! So proud to watch him take this step, to choose Christ as his Lord and Savior, to choose love, to choose salvation and dedication. A servants heart and sweet, loving spirit. Wants nothing more than to spend time with the people he loves!

This is the pastor who baptised Lane Michael (Pastor Bragg). We couldnt' ask for a better pastoral staff. Lane Michael's girlfriends dad is the worship pastor and lead the music so Lane Michael thought that was pretty special! Saturday night as we were talking to Lane Michael about how it'll all go down, our good friend was giving him a hard time and Lane was jazzing him and called him old. So Sunday while in the tank, word must have gotten back to the pastor and he announced that our friend had requested he hold him down a few extra seconds. Lane Michael cracked up! thought he was big stuff teasing with the pastor! it was adorable! He felt so special having most of his favorite people there, my mom was able to make it, his girlfriend came up for it and of course our friends. It was a wonderful day, one we won't soon forget!

Deciding What's Best

Everyone knows we moved to the country....but we still have our town house. and I've been really down lately about that house. Today I'm feeling much better and thinking more clearly. And I've come to the conclusion (for now) that we made a decision a year ago to do what WE FELT was best for our family. We over extended ourselves in so many aspects of our lives. We now have a feed bill nearing $200 a month, we pay 2 house payments, 2 sets of utilities, gas, supplies to fix up the Wapak house....we are so short on time, we spend so much time working in the Wapak house, and working with our animals, it leaves little time for down time, for relaxation, for...anything really. But we made what we thought was the best decision for our family and it's paying off. We're happy. We're active. Our kids are becoming the people we want them to be. There is nothing wrong with living in town, nothing wrong with town kids....it's simply not what we wanted for ours. So while we are SO thinly stretched, we're ok with it. God provides for our needs and so far it's working. I didn't know (since our renter isn't paying anything from rent to electric) where the money would come from to finish the house (her rent was what we were using to buy supplies for the house), well this morning I was reminded of the bags of concrete we need to return to the hardware store (left over from finishing the basement), we have the paint to finish the basement, all we need now is primer, ceiling pain, hall paint and new carpet on the stairs and upstairs hallway....things are really coming along!