Back to School 2012!

Morgan, age 5 (birthday 1/22/07) First Grade 2012-2013 school year

 

Jaden, age 8 (birthday 8/5/04) Third Grade 2012-2013 school year

 

I had to photograph the girls for their Friday School badges, and this is what I got.  Though we do home school all year long, many activities are only available to us during the school year.  We are starting back in all of the school activities.

 

Friday School starts on September 21st, and will be every Friday until the end of November.  Morgan will be taking kindergarten classes there with her friends.  Jaden will be taking Character Traits class, Team Building, and Alphabet Arts.  Their classes were very picked over by the time we got to pick because we took a 2 year break from the cooperative.  Next semester, they will have more choices. 

 

GEMS girls' club starts back up this coming Wednesday.  Morgan is still not old enough to attend, but Jaden will be a part of the group.  She is very excited for it to start,

 

AWANA starts back on September 10th.  Jaden will be in Truth and Training and Morgan will be in Sparkies.  They are both a little anxious to start because their friends will be in the groups younger than them.  Most of Jaden's friends will still be Sparkies and Morgan's friends will still be Cubbies.

 

We are ready to get started with all of these activities.  Looking at the schedule exhausts me, but it will be fun. 

The Butterfly Whisperer

Jaden is not afraid of insects.  In fact she is in awe of them!  Butterflies are especially a treat to see for her.  I love butterflies, too, don't get me wrong... But, I don't love them enough to not be grossed out by their thin legs moving around on my skin. 

Jaden can spend the whole day tracking and catching butterflies.  It is amazing because they don't fly away from her, and she knows just how to approach them. 

Here are a few photos of her with 2 of the butterflies she befriended.  They are all still in the wild, but she spent a few minutes with them =)

On a regular day, butterflies flock to her.  They must know that she loves them and will treat them well.  They just land on her out of nowhere, and she silently watches them.  I love to watch her watching them.  Gorgeous!!

Sensational Seven-Year Old

Jaden is 7 1/2 now!  She will turn 8 on August 5th this year.  I feel so blessed to have such a beautiful soul in my life!  Here are some things about Jaden that make her sensational:

*She loves to sing and dance. 

*Her favorite animal is a pony because they can have different colored manes and tails.

*Her favorite animals at the zoo are the bunnies because they are so soft and have cute ears.

*Her favorite color is pink because it is so pretty and sparkly.

*Her favorite t.v. show is Good Luck Charlie.

*Her favorite family vacation was Tyler, TX because of their children's museum.

*Her favorite food is macaroni and cheese and chocolate cake.

*She goes to gymnastics 1 to 2 times a week, and she can do flips and jumps.

*At the playground, she likes to go down the slides.

*At GEMS, she likes seeing her friends and making things like crafts and baking pretzels.

*At AWANA, she likes her Sparks class, where she likes store night best.

*In home school, she likes crafts the most.

*Her favorite subject is science because she likes to write up her field trip reports.

*Her favorite Disney princess is Princess Aurora.

*Her favorite movie is The Lion King.

Cheeseburger Cupcakes

These are the cupcakes that the girls ate at FNO.  Tamra's sister makes all kinds of fancy cupcakes for the FNO events.  This one was no exception.  Aren't these cute? 

They were wrapped in paper, just like you would get a real cheeseburger.  I could tell that a yellow cake and chocolate cake were used.  Then, there was "ketchup", "cheese" and "mayo".  I did not get the recipe from Tamra's sister because these seem easily re creatable just by sight.  However, here is something I found online, for those of you who are unsure of how to make them and wish to do so:

Glorious Treats

Two Performances in One

Morgan wanted me to videotape her jumping (it looks a lot like her dancing, but she said she wasn't dancing).  She always makes me smile.  I could watch this all day long.

Also, in the background, you can see Jaden getting coached by her friend Troy. 

You may want to watch this video twice to you can see Morgan and then Jaden (or vice versa).  They are each impressive =)

Balancing Act

One of Jaden's friends, Troy, taught her how to get on this foam cheese wheel.  If you sit just right, you can stay balanced and the wheel won't turn.  Here she is practicing.  She did actually get the the point where she could sit on it withour falling, but with all of the children running around she kept being knocked down.  =)

GEMS Service Project~ Assisted-Living Center

The GEMS girls did their semi-monthly service project at the assisted living center this week.  They sang to all of the residents, and then, they sang "Happy Birthday" to all of the people with March birthdays.  They have a special happy birthday song they sing.  It goes like this:

"Happy Birthday to you,

We thank God for you,

May the Lord bless and keep you,

This happy year through!"

After the birthday song, it was time for cake and juice.  The girls ran around to all of the tables to make sure everyone received a piece of cake, and then cleaned up afterwards. 

We sat around chatting with the residents, and then a few people hit the dance floor while a resident played the piano.  Great times!

Girl Scouts Daisy: 3 Cheers for Animals Part 4

These are just a few of the animals we saw at the Dallas Zoo on 2 seperate visits.  We fed some of the animals including the goats, birds and giraffes.  Many of the trainers were available, so both Jaden and Morgan were able to ask them questions about the animals.  The trainers of the big cats, elephants, giraffes, birds and goats were all available.
They tried to figure out on their own whether a particular animal was a predator or prey. 
They took note of what the animal eats and how they live at the zoo. 
Overall, the two visits were rewarding academically.  Many of the things that they learned led to further discussion at home in their Zoology class.
I was surprised to hear Jaden talking to the keeper of the goats on both trips.  Jaden noticed that there were some young kids helping out at the zoo- feeding and cleaning up after the animals.  It turns out, they are volunteers.  The keeper told Jaden that you have to be 11 years old to volunteer, and some days you may clean up poop during your whole 4 hour shift.  Jaden was excited, and she asked me if she could be a volunteer when she is 11. 
Later in our Zoology class, the text told us that there are only a few veterinary schools, so it can be difficult to get into them.  However, if a potential students has experience working with animals there is a higher chance they will be accepted.  =)

Awana- Sky Stormer

Jaden has been working hard at AWANA,  She completed her entire 1st level book (Hang Glider) in just 4 months!!!  Each level book is made to last 1 year, so 4 months is amazing!! 

In January, she began her 2nd level book (Sky Stormer).  She plans to finish it this month!  The only things she has left to do are recite the books of the Old Testament, and recite 5 more verses by memory.  Then, she will do her review of the same level book and will move on to her 3rd level book!! 

She wants to finish all 3 books this year.  It is not such a far-fetched dream!  She will have completed the 2nd level book within 2 months, so I don't see why she can't finish the 3rd and final book by May. 

A superstar!!!

Don't take my bone!!

Jaden and Morgan decided to try to take Chica's bone from her.  That led to a bunch of cute growling =)

Snow 2/11/10~ Evening Snow Videos

Jaden Turns 6 yeas old!!

Jaden turned 6 on August 5th, 2010. We had fun all day long. Grandma Leslie came by with cake and gifts, and LeCount and I gave Jaden and Morgan a bunch of things. Jaden's gifts from us were fun homeschool things and plenty of crafts and other items so they will always have something fun to do. Grandma Leslie brought clothes for both girls and play food for their kitchen. After celebrating all day long, LeCount and I sat down with Jaden with yet another surprise. We asked her what she would like to eat. She said macaroni and cheese, so we went to Olive Garden. Jaden was on the verge of tears when the staff brought her a cake and sang to her (I was actually crying)! She said it was the best day of her life! I am glad she feels that way because we are so blessed to have her as our daughter!

Morgan's Top 4

We were sitting around the dinner table eating chocolate cake. Jaden said, "Mommy, you make the best cake ever!"

Morgan decided to add to what Jaden said and came up with this:

"who makes the best cake? Mommy!

who makes the best maccaroni and cheese? Jaden!

who makes the best toast? Daddy!

who makes the best hugs and kisses? Morgan!"

There's Always Something to Learn

No matter where you are! At the neurologist's office, the girls enjoy drawing pictures of brains and putting a brain together.

Do NOT Make Morgan Mad!

Morgan is so sweet, but she is a 3 year old afterall- As such, she gets frustrated every now and then with her limitations. This is what happens when she gets frustrated...

Jaden and the Snake

Every day I learn something new. Every day I learn at least one new thing about my girls. I took them to another Earth Fest and found out that Jaden likes snakes! Eeeeeeewwwww!

Mother's Day Crafts at Friday School

On the last day of school, I read books about mothers, and the kids made gifts for their mothers. The girls painted ladybug picture frames and the boys painted snail frames. Then, every one made a bracelet out of beads.

I am going to miss my class, and I know Morgan will, too. All of the children will be moving up to the PreK group this fall. I had the option to teach that group. I was going to instead teach the elementary students... However, after more thought, I have decided that we will sit this next school year out.

Instead of going to Friday school, the girls are going to pick an activity or two of something that they would like to learn to do at the community center. There are all kinds of classes. Morgan really wants to play soccer, so that may be one of her classes. Jaden loves art, so she might have some kind of art class.

Drawing at Friday School

At the Friday School showcase, the drawing teacher displayed 1 drawing of each child. Jaden had one of her practice sheets up. Just like "open house" in public school, all of the kids were proud to show off what they had been doing this semester to their parents, grandparents, etc.

Woodworking at Friday School

The Spring 2010 semester has come to an end, and we went to the Friday School showcase. Jaden got to show off the different items she has made this semester in woodworking. The most fun one is the game above that she made as the very last thing in class. I think she is going to miss this class- Especially since we aren't returning next semester.

Little Entrepenuers

You have to stick your tongue out when you pour lemonade or you will spill it! LOL!

The girls wanted to have a lemonade stand... So, I decided it was time for a garage sale. I did the garage sale while they sold lemonade and muffins. They sold quite a bit of lemonade in the morning, but the afternoon was pretty empty. When people stopped buying lemonade, they got bored with the idea and went on to something else!