Mud Pies

This takes me back to my younger days, too.  Jaden and Morgan have been making mud pies, salads, and cupcakes.  They put together a whole buffet in the back yard =)

What Happened to Pac Man?

Jaden had to go to the dentist to get her dental work done.  While we were there, I noticed that there were 2 video gaming systems set up for the kids to play.  It reminded me of when my brothers and I went to the dentist.  We had been so excited because our dentist had a Pac-Man machine!  Now, look what the kids get!!  Jaden even got to watch a video of her choosing while she got her teeth worked on.  She chose High School Musical 2.  I feel like I must be from the Stone Age!!

AWANA Store Night

Strawberry Shortcake doll and accessories set above, and kite and chapstick value pack below

Scrapbook kit above and purse and accessories below

Littlest Pet Shop set below

At the end of AWANA, they had another store night.  Jaden had earned over 850 bucks (she got over 1200 bucks for the year).  She was the HIGHEST earner in all of the Sparks classes.  Because of this, they allowed Jaden and one other child (he had over 700 bucks) to get to the store first.  All of the items in the store were priced extra high for them.  In fact, the prices were cut in half on all of the items once those two kids were done shopping.  Jaden was so excited until she saw that the other children were able to purchase more items than she was because they only had 500 and some bucks.  I was disappointed for her as well because she worked so hard.

Of course, the most valuable things she got out of AWANA are things that can not be bought- knowledge of God and the Word.  That is priceless!

AWANA Awards Night

Jaden with her Sparky buddy Eliana above and Morgan standing next to her Cubbie buddy Joey below

Morgan holding up her Cubbie bear award and attendance patches above, and Jaden holding up her awards- the 1st year ribbon, 2nd year ribbon and the Sparky plaque in the box behind it below.

Jaden below holding up her Sparky plaque

I am so proud of both of my girls!  They both did their best and acheived their awards from AWANA.  They worked hard memorizing verses and learning about God and people in the Bible.  We all had a lot of fun and made several new friends. 

Jaden met Eliana there, and they became instant friends.  Jaden cried the last day of AWANA because she thought she wouldn't see her for a whole year... But, actually Eliana is a part of our old Friday School coop (her family started the year we left to take a break, so we never met there).  We will definitely see her again.

Morgan met Joey, and they became inseperable.  Every Cubbie day, Joey would save Morgan a seat next to her.  Morgan is sad that Joey will be in Cubbies this fall because Morgan with be in Sparks.  They will still see each other, but not like before.  Morgan has other good friends that are moving on to Sparks with her, so at least she will have them in her class.

Kookaburra

They now have laughing kookaburras at the Dallas Zoo.  I had never seen them before in my life, so it was interesting.  They have a unique call and when gathered together can make a lot of ruckus.  Their call sounds like a laugh.  This particular kookaburra is native to eastern mainland Australia.

Girl Scouts Earth Day 2012

Recycled CapriSun purses

Craft- making UV beaded bracelets

Picnic snack of Sun Chips and water

Solar watch

What a fun Girl Scout event!!  Jaden and Morgan had fun with LeCount at the area Girl Scout Earth Day event. 

*They had a toy and book swap, so they each brought a toy and book and came home with a "new" toy and book. 

*They made UV bracelets that change color in the sun. 

*They made purses out of CapriSun pouches. 

*They had a sun snack of Sun Chips and water.

*They made a solar power bug.

*Then, they heard from an expert on the environment, and got to view the sun through a telescope.

And... Of course, they got a cool patch to go with it!!

Pottery

This is Jaden's first pot the made out of clay using the pottery wheel.  She decided to add a spout to it so that it would pbe kind of like a pitcher.  I think she did an awesome job!

Koala Walkabout

Another new addition to the Dallas Zoo- koalas!  Koalas don't do much, but they are so sweet and look so cuddly.  These koalas are in class cages =(  That made me sad to see because most of the other animals are in open air cages.  I am wondering if they are caged this way because they can not handle Texas weather... It just seems so sad to have them in a small totally enclosed space like a pet fish. 

Lorikeets

Have you ever seen a Lorikeet?  Jaden saw a few at the zoo this week.  Jaden is never one to be afraid of birds.  She loves when they land on her (Morgan and I are the opposite).  When we make a trip to the zoo, she goes in with the birds for a few minutes.

Now, the Dallas Zoo has an Australian area.  In this area are some new birds- the Lorikeets.  Jaden jumped at the chance to go in.  The birds LOVED her!  Unfortunately, one bird loved her a little too much- You can actually see him here in the picture taking a chunk of skin off her ear.  She started crying right after I took this photo, and we got her ear treated with alcohol.

She says she is NOT going back in!  We'll see how long that lasts =)

In Charge

I love to watch animals- their behaviours especially.  While we were out visiting the ducks and geese, I saw this little guy strutting around.  He wanted to make sure that all of the animals around him knew that he was in charge, and he would be taking all of the food.  It was a funny sight.  I had to take a picture of him with his neck and head feathers all stuck out.  I have seen this same behaviour in humans as well.  Not a very attractive pose.  LOL

Nature Box

The girls decorated a shoe box to turn it into a collection box.  Now that the box is decorated, they are adding things from nature. 

They collected shells from the Dallas Zoo- In the children's area of the zoo, they have a swap spot called The Nature Exchange.  Every time you visit, you can choose a free item from the bin, or you can purchase items as well.  You can, also, bring natural things to the exchange for points.  You can use the points to purchase items in the exchange. 

The leaves were collected from walks.  They have quite a collection already.  They have enjoyed making note of the similarities and differences of the leaves as they add new ones. 

What a beautiful world!!

The Hunger Games

Have you read The Hunger Games trilogy?  I had to start reading it because I was hearing such great things about it.  I am in the middle of the trilogy, so I am still undecided about my overall thoughts.  Mostly, I am saddened and disgusted about all of the tragedy... Too much negative until at times I just wanted to chunk the story in the trash! 
The book The Hunger Games was a quick read.  The only reason I read it so fast, though, was because I wanted to know that something good was happening next.
On the bright side, this is just a story and not real life- Thank God!  Additionally, there was a lot to be gotten from the book as far as a literature goes- symbolism, and all of that English class stuff.  I could relate to some of things in the book and see how though my life is different than theirs, our worlds are similar.  Hunger, yes, we have hunger here... privileged upper class, yes we have that here, too... I could relate to the hunger games themselves because I feel like I enter the arena every day I head into work- where my boss and other key players prod the rest of us, until one or more of my fellow coworkers takes their frustration out on another coworker.  Every one fighting for hours, fighting for the best demo cart, fighting to be next to their friend, etc, and it all plays out in front of a live audience.  Maybe they do not kill each other with arrows and knives, but they do attack with words and actions.  We even have staged catastophes more or less.

I guess I will be able to give a better review when I get through the other 2 books.  Right now I am in the middle of the 2nd book called Catching Fire, and I am mad!!  I am mad that the author would put me through this AGAIN!  If you have read the trilogy, you know what I am talking about.  Life better get better for these people, or I may lose it. LOL!

Ducks and Geese

I love these girls!!

This is the park across the street from the high school I graduated from in 1992.  The park looked nothing like this in the 90's.  I was surprised to see a beautiful pond with a nice bridge.  There were lots of ducks and geese as well.  The animals were quite comfortable around people, and they walked right up to us.  I love to see progress like this- beautiful scenery!

Jaden's Video: Drinking Ducks

Here is the first video Jaden has taken.  I have been practicing photography tips with her.  She decided she wanted to do videos, too.  This is the result.  I could not explain to her just how unsteady her shooting was.  She will need more practice.  She stayed focused on the ducks, but her hands did not hold the camera steady enough. 

4-H has several specialized training manuals that teach just about everything!  Jaden is working on the photography curriculum.  =)

Awana 2011-2012

Pie in the face day.  What fun!!

Wow the AWANA school year passed by so quickly!!  Jaden and Morgan have grown immensely in that time.  The AWANA at our church goes from September to April (with several days off during the season).  That means it will be over until September!!  How sad =(

Morgan finished her entire Cubbies book.  That means she memorized 25 verses!  She will officially start kindergarten in the fall, so this means no more Cubbies for her after next Monday.  This past Monday they had a pizza party.  Morgan has enjoyed the class a lot and made a bunch of good friends.  Her favorite part is snack time and crafts.  She likes to see Cubbie Bear and sing the Cubbies song.  She is going to miss Cubbies, especially since only the soon to be kindergartners will be advancing to Sparks with her. 

Since this was Jaden's first year of AWANA, she did not get to experience Cubbies nor did she get to experience kindergarten and 1st grade in Sparks.  This left her starting her Hang Glider book, when she would have done it in kindergarten had she been there.  One big opportunity opened for her: Since she missed the 1st two years of Sparks, she had the opportunity to go as far as she wanted to, to make up for lost time.  She finished her Hang Glider book in 4 months and went on to her Wing Runner book.  She finished Wing Runner in 2 months and went on to Sky Stormer.  She finished Sky Stormer in 2 months as well!!  She, also, did the review of each of the books. 

Last day of AWANA in this coming Monday.  It is awards night and store night.  Jaden will be receiving 3 awards (1 for each book).  She earned a total of over $1200 AWANA bucks, so she will be buying a few things at store night as well. 

Overall, AWANA has been a wonderful experience!!  (..but, can I just say, after Jaden's Olympic feat of completing 3 books in one year, I am ready for a little break... That wore me out!!)

Play Doh

We went to hang out with some friends last week, and I brought the ingredients to make play doh.  This is the same recipe I used to make the play doh for Morgan's Wiggle party back in 2009.  For Morgan's party, I used Koolaid for the coloring.  This time, I just used food coloring. 

Here is what you need:

2 cups flour

2 cups warm water

1 cup salt

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

1 Tablespoon cream of tartar

food coloring (liquid, powder, or unsweetened drink mix)* mix last

Just mix the items together.  I added a little bit more flour as I worked the dough and noticed it was too sticky.  Just go by feel as you knead the dough.  After the dough is to the right consistency, divide it into separate parts depending on how many different colors you want (We did 4 colors).  Make a little indention in the clay with your finger.  Then, add a few drops of food coloring.  Knead it some more, and add food coloring until it looks the way you want it to. 

Store in Ziploc baggies or in an airtight container.