First Day of First

These three kiddos are ready for first grade!

These are the photos that REALLY show their personalities ;) Jon just got wet from the water dripping off the tree, Ben is being Ben, the last picture was my mistake: I asked the three to stand together and smile.

I'll admit, I was looking forward to a couple quiet hours. I planned on running a few errands, but I was surprised that I could do all of it in less than an hour (including grocery shopping and putting all the food away!) I spent the rest of the morning a bit lost -- I didn't have quite enough time to start a big project, and the small ones I didn't think about until later. I got my paints out and started a painting that I've had in mind for awhile, then I read for awhile, then I went to get Will. Hopefully, I will soon find a routine that works for me.

Meeting Our First Grade Teachers

Today, Ben, Maddie, and Jon got to meet their teachers for the year. Ben and Jon both have Mrs. Sharp, but they are in the morning and afternoon classes, respectively. Ben is in her class in the mornings to do math, reading, spelling, and more, while Jon rotates through different classes like P.E., library, science, social studies, writing, dance, Spanish, and art. In the afternoon, Jon does academics while Ben is rotating. Maddie has Mrs. Lightfoot.

I am excited that we have two teachers who (I have a feeling) are going to be great teachers for the kids. I already can tell we will be working together as a team, and I love that! We went to the school this afternoon to meet their main teachers, but we made the rounds as we dropped off the many, MANY bags of school supplies. We met the kids' teacher for their special classes and they are looking forward to taking Spanish, science, social studies, and dance this year. They will also be going to PE, library, art, writing, and theater.

These three kiddos have been jealous of Will getting to go to school for the last three weeks, and they are so excited to get started. Just a few more sleeps to go!

Quick Clicks for Late Stories

The summer has rushed by and I am quite behind in blogging. Though we've "been home" for the last six weeks, I struggle to make time to write the stories down. I am slowly chipping away at my list, but my Uganda posts will take awhile -- especially narrowing down the pictures to just my favorites.

In the meantime, I am really wanting to keep the stories in the right order, but back-posting means grandparents and aunts may miss a few. So, here is my current list. You can click the links to take you to the story. I will update this post as I post more stories until I get caught up.

Church Camp (by Will)
Farm Camp
Williams Family Photos
Annual Family Snapshots (4th of July)
Great Wolf Weekend
Early Sunday Scene
A Museum Trip with Nana
Picking Berries
Just readin'
E.M.A. Monday
E.M.A. Tuesday
E.M.A. Wednesday

First Day for Will

Will started fourth grade today. Yes... August 5th! That IS early compared to most kids around here, but his school is moving to a ten-month calendar this year. Although he isn't so happy about getting up early now, he will be excited to have several one-week breaks throughout the school year. AND... he really IS excited about school. I was able to get our normal first-day-of-school pictures, but since I got such great smiles, I couldn't decide which pictures to share... so I'm sharing all of them.

 

Will's homeroom teacher is Mrs. Bailey. She will be one of the constants for him at this different type of school. Right now, his class is made up of fourth and fifth graders and one teacher. For the second project, he will be with third and fourth graders and rotating thought three different teachers. He is definitely excited about a new year and seeing his friends from last year.

Just so you don't think he was completely cooperative with the camera ;)

Exploding with joy!

Hey, Ben? Smile if you are happy to get your Christmas gift volcano painted.

Are you REALLY happy about it?

 Are you ready to make the lava flow?

Everyone gather around so we can watch Ben make his volcano "explode".

 Ben was REALLY excited to finally get to the volcano project. He received it from Maddie for Christmas, but he always seemed to ask about painting it right before dinnertime, so the answer always seemed to be "no." The box got pushed out of sight, but when he found it recently and asked to paint it, we finally were able to help him. He painted it one day, then the next day, he was so excited to make it "explode" with the vinegar, baking soda, and red dye.

E.M.A. Friday

Ever since Allen and I went to Caddo Lake and Jefferson last summer, I have been wanting to go back with the kids. This time we made it happen! Thursday evening we headed for Marshall to stay in a hotel so we could be at the lake early. Allen took a vacation day for Friday and I found a guide who would get us out on the lake and in the swamps to see some wildlife.

Our boat captain was the only one on the boat with the six of us, and it was nice to not have to worry about the kids' questions bothering other people. We LIKE for our kids to be able to ask questions, but sometimes, they can dominate conversations and not let others have a chance to ask. This was a perfect set-up for us since they could ask, we could all talk, and I didn't have to be TOO embarrassed when Jon laid down on the floor and shut his eyes (because "it was too calm to stay awake".)

Scenes like this really got their imaginations going. They pretended to be captaining their ships through strange lands. Their make-believing interrupted the frogs and crickets, but, again, it was nice being the only ones there.

We saw herons, egrets, cormorants, warblers, hawks, ducks, and geese. We saw a beaver den and some moving bubbles that were likely from a gator. The best part was right at the end when Allen noticed something weird moving through the water toward an area of trees. Out popped a raccoon who waddled up the shore followed by four miniature ones. We watched the masked family for a few moments as the little ones waited for Mama to catch some lunch.

Driving away from the marina, we saw a couple deer. Next, we headed around the lake to find a letterbox. The box was pretty well hidden, and Jon and I had to work together to get it without losing our balance and going down the hill. Allen, Will, Ben, and Maddie did the stamping, and we all read about the history of a brave woman who had a monument dedicated to her memory. Jon and I returned the box, then we all got back in the car for the next part of our early morning adventure.

The next stop was one of the top 50 barbeque places in Texas (according to an article in Texas Monthly.) Allen has all 50 marked on a map, and when we get close to any of them, we usually try to stop for lunch or dinner. Jefferson, TX, was just a few miles from Caddo Lake, and it had a BBQ place that made THE list. We headed there for a tasty lunch, then we headed back to the hotel for a short rest and some swim time.

We got up Saturday morning, and though we talked about heading to Shreveport for another adventure, we headed home. I wasn't feeling great, and we had had a busy week. Even though most of the week did not go as I originally planned, I think everything was a hit. I exhausted myself, but I think it was worth the special memories and learning experiences we had. I am mostly glad I have about a year to save up the energy for the next EMA week :) and I think all four kids are used to waking up early.

E.M.A. Thursday

Hooray! We did get out today, but we stayed local. Our first stop opened at 7:00 am and turned out to be quite a hit for the kids. We got to the farmers market and I gave each of the kids five one-dollar bills to spend however they chose. It wasn't crowded, so I was able to relax as the kids wandered to the different tables and figured out what they wanted. Once the farmers figured out the kids were the ones spending a limited amount of money, they tried to help. Some of them offered to do smaller quantities than what they had marked -- especially when the kids were just wanting enough to see what what one eggplant tasted like or when they only had a dollar left, but really wanted a peach. I enjoyed watching the kids. Will and Jon were very independent; they confidently spoke with the vendors and counted out their money for their purchases, then walked over to show me what they got. Ben and Maddie preferred that I stay close, and that was okay with me, too.

 

The peaches smelled divine and seemed to be calling all our names. When the kids saw that they had to have $6, I suggested to do some problem solving to figure out what to do. Without me prompting more than that, they considered putting their money together or asking if they could buy less than a basket. In the end, Maddie and Will put part of their money together to get part of a basket. Later, Ben and Jon each purchased just a dollar's worth. Altogether, the four of them spent $4, but I'm pretty sure we ended up with more peaches than a $6 basket held. ...and they tasted SO amazing!!

Maddie carefully counted out the bills for a $4 watermelon -- not because she didn't want the $5 melon, but because she didn't think the bigger one would fit in the fridge -- smart kiddo! And the melon she got was REALLY heavy.

Before our second stop, we headed home to drop off all our goodies. The kids posed with their produce so we could remember who chose what, but, in the end, we all shared all of it.

1 watermelon - $4
3 peaches - $1

2 onions - $1
6 cucumbers - $3
1 eggplant - $1

Lots of okra - $4
2 big peaches - $1

4 big tomatoes - $3
5 peaches - $2

A lot of healthy, tasty, fresh fruits and veggies that the kids were excited to tray - $20
A successful early morning adventure that let us practice math skills, experiment with bargaining, and reinforce healthy eating habits - PRICELESS!

Our next stop was the dollar kids movie. We watched Alvin and the Chipmunks while munching on kid-priced popcorn, a small candy treat, and sipping sodas. So much for healthy ;)

We headed home for lunch and naps, and the kids played in the afternoon. I'm just thankful Ben seems to be better now. As for next week, the kids have already asked to go back for more produce. They talked all day about how much fun the farmer's market was.