First Grade Field Trip

I was lucky enough to be drawn for the class chaperone for Ryland's first grade field trip.  Each class could only bring two, so I was thrilled to be a part of this fun day.  We headed to Denton to visit the Elm Fork Education Center. It was a day full of activities and fun on UNT's campus. We learned about all sorts of animals, and it was a great opportunity to explore.  We had a blast!

Spring Break 2016 - Thankful Thursday

Thankful Thursday was also St. Patrick's Day, so we all tried to sport a bit of green.  We worked on a science experiment and talked about rocks.  I remember these kits from when I was younger, so it was a cool walk down memory lane.

Every so often I would ask the children to name something that they are thankful for.  We really focused on non-material items.  It was a bit hard at first, but they caught on quickly.  

We headed to Main Event for some bowling fun.  Ridley loved rolling the ball down the dino ramp.

I have never seen Reed eat so much pizza!  He was tearing it up!  He told me he was starving and bowling was a lot of exercise.

Here is my crew - what I am most thankful for on this Thursday and everyday!

Geodes

We are enjoying every little moment of Thanksgiving break.  Today, the boys and I learned about geodes.  This fun kit provided hours of fun and education about these amazing "rocks".  It got a little messy, but that just made it more fun.  I love seeing their minds work!

Jiu-Jitsu Gets Real

The boys loved Jiu-Jitsu this evening.  Sensei had a Fort Worth police officer that he had trained and worked with over the years come to class.  The officer worked with the children about real world situations and how to take down a "bad guy". 

I loved the smiles on the boys' faces and their excitement tonight.  It was great that they had a blast and started connecting what they are learning to real world actions.  

Hugs

Ridley started giving hugs.  She puts both of her arms around my neck and squeezes.  I love it!  Truly one of the best moments.

Clapping

Ridley has learned to clap, and it is adorable!  She is so proud of herself and starts clapping when you say "Yay".

Writing

Reed is writing his name on everything.  He gets a little excited with the Es, but he is doing and proud of his new skill.

Recycling

Chapel Hill has focused some lessons on recycling in honor of Earth Day.  Students were asked to bring "trash" from home to use in a special creation.  A robot was made and her name was Rosie Ridley Robot.  

I think an Allison boy had a little input on the name, and I love hearing that he shares his thoughts with the class.  What an improvement!

Swim Lessons

After Ryland took an unexpected swim, we knew he needed to freshen up his swimming skills.  We were lucky enough to get into Mrs. Sue's swim lessons after a close friend called in a favor.  The first day was a little nuts but something clicked for Ryland.  He is in love with Mrs. Sue, and he can't wait to go back again.

 

 

After swimming like fishes, the boys were rewarded with a treat of their choice.  Today their selection was a Tootsie Pop.  Yummy!

 

 

We came home and had a light lunch, and we went right outside to practice. I followed Mrs. Sue's example, and I was shocked when the boys did exactly what I told them to do. Within minutes, I had convinced Ryland to jump in and swim with his face in the water all the way to the steps.  I even got him coming up for a breath.  I was amazed! 

We were having so much fun playing in the pool, we didn't even hear Daddy pull up in the driveway.  He walked out the backdoor to surprise us, and we surprised him.  The look of shock on his face was priceless.  He wanted to know what happened at swim.  He was so proud of Ryland's progress! 

Library fun

The Southlake library has a fun summer planned for the kids.  Today they hosted a Pirate Science demonstration that was all about buoyancy and ship building.  Ryland was very engaged and couldn't wait to get "hands on".  Who knew foil makes some pretty awesome ships?

 

Artistic expression

It was a beautiful warm day that was perfect for painting.  I had picked up a few little project items at Michael's in preparation for those long summer days.  Today we learned about the letter S.  Ryland painted a scorpion.  Reed painted a snake, and I painted a few stars.  We had a great time making the S sound and painting the letter S along with our wooden pieces.

 

The boys finished creatures.

 

A textured canvas was the perfect backdrop for our dry brushed stars.

 

Of course there was a ton of silliness too.  These boys figured out how to turn their shirts over their heads.  What am I going to do with these little messes? 

 

 

Tooth Fairy at school

Ryland's class was surprised by a super cool visitor.  The Tooth Fairy stopped by to talk to the children about brushing and flossing to keep their smiles healthy and beautiful.  They all got a new toothbrush and tube of toothpaste.  Ryland shared the message with us, and we practiced the new tips. He is very interested in teeth all of a sudden. We may have a dentist in the making - or a tooth fairy.

 

Writing his name

While Ryland was out of school for Christmas, we focused on learning letters and numbers.  He also practiced writing the letters in his name, and today he put it them all together. 

Twister

 

Santa brought a couple of really fun games, and since it was cold out today, we opened Twister.  I explained the game to the boys and demonstrated how to play.  Needless to say, we didn't go by the rules for long.  It helps teach Ryland left from right, and it helps Reed with his colors.  Who knew Twister was so educational and fun?  Wow, Santa, you did a great job!

Museum

 

Ryland's school was closed for Columbus Day, so we decided to visit the Ft. Worth Museum of Science and History.  I have heard wonderful things about the museum, but I had never dared to take both boys.  This was the perfect day, and it would give me time with Ryland since Reed went to school.  We met some friends for a play date and spent the morning wondering and exploring a cool new place.

 

Ryland was all grins the whole day.  I think we could spend an entire day in just the dino area.  He loved seeing the "bones" and playing in the large footprint on display. 

 

The Cattle Raisers exhibit is upstairs and had an interactive horse to round up and drive the cattle into the pin. 

 

The children's museum was an awesome place to play.  Ryland loved watching the snakes, and he had lots of questions.

 

A kid sized grocery store was the biggest attraction for our group.  They could have played there for days.

 

We had lunch in the cafeteria and checked out the Energy exhibit/movie and the other children's rooms.  We learned how to create an awesome paper airplane and coffee filter fliers.  It was a full day of fun that we are already excited about returning to very soon.  Ryland loved it!

First day of school

The boys started school today at Stars Academy. It is a fabulous mother's day out program that Ryland has been attending the past two years, and now Reed is joining the fun. Reed actually has two of Ryland's previous teachers.

Ms. Nan and Ms. Margo hold, cuddle, and love on Reed in the monkey class while Ms. Holly and Ms. Amy teach Ryland colors and numbers in the owl class. We all are really excited about going to school and playing with friends.

Afternoon fun

One of our new favorite places to play is Reed's room. Ryland is drawn to Reed's basket of baby toys and loves to empty the basket in the floor. I told him that he can play with Reed's toys, but he has to show Reed how to play with them. Ryland is really great about showing the toys to Reed and telling him what they are. I ran to grab the camera and capture the fun moment. I know it looks like just a bunch of toys on the floor, but the boys are all there.
When Ryland saw the camera, he decided it was time to play photographer. He started snapping a few shots. This is the floor shot of Reed, Cooper, and some toys.

The toy basket, camera strap, and part of a soft animal book.

I asked him to take some pictures of me and baby Reed.

Mommy and Reed posing for a photo.

Mommy reading Reed a book.

Mommy showing Reed a rattle.

Thanks Ryland for snapping some great shots. You proved that I really do exist, at least partially.

Stars Academy

Ryland loves going to Stars Academy. His teachers, Ms. Nann & Ms. Margo are absolutely wonderful. How do you even begin to express your appreciation to the ones that help take care of your son? It was a big deal for me to choose a place for Ryland to go to "school", and I am so very happy with my decision.

When I picked Ryland up today, he had a little book for me.



I knew I couldn't hold the tears back if I even peaked inside while we were still there, so I waited until we got in the truck. I flipped the book open and saw this picture, and the tears started flowing. My little boy is growing up too fast!

Every month had a little picture and some artwork Ryland had created. (With much assistance I am sure.)

That's our boy. Screaming like a mad man.

Nice mohawk!