Kindergarten Field Trip

I got to chaperone Anna's Kindergarten field trip to the Imagine It Children's Museum in Atlanta. It was a really fun day with Anna and her friends! The museum staff put on a cute show for the kids, they had lunch and then played! There were several cute things for them to do from "planting" gardens and fishing to playing in the sand and painting on a wall. They were smiling and laughing the entire time! I'm glad I got to share this with Anna...her Kindergarten year has gone by much too quickly!

Spring Break - GA Aquarium

The GA Aquarium is really nice, but wow, was it crowded during Spring Break! We liked the jelly fish, seahorses, sharks and the Beluga whale...the otters were sleeping much to our dismay. We had a fun afternoon watching all the sealife, petting sting ray and starfish. Austin was quite intriqued by the dimensions of the glass aquarium and how it was all constructed...it's really pretty neat. The boys were so sweet to take Anna through the play maze and down the whale slide...even though it wasn't the highlight of their day, they made it a great time for Anna...they can be really sweet to her. It was a full day and I enjoyed this time with the kids...wish Spring Break didn't have to end.

OM State competition

Connor's team advanced to the State Odyssey of the Mind competition in Columbus, GA. It was a GREAT day! Connor and his team was so excited and ready for the day! We went down on Friday night...the kids went swimming and out to dinner before going to the college to check out their assigned space for their problem presentation. Saturday morning we were up early for breakfast, then off to Columbia State University for a fun-filled day of competition. From opening to closing ceremonies, it was fun! Connor and his team had an awesome performance and placed 4th. They had a FANTASTIC spontaneous score that was far above most teams! I'm so proud of Connor and all of his hard work this year!!! It was wonderful to watch him and to see him smiling and having so much fun! After the performance, all the Grayson teams gathered for a cookout and the kids played all afternoon...baseball, frisbee, red-light-green-light...it was all fun! Connor - I need Salsa lessons!! :) Connor was the BEST tomato!! It was a great day!!!

Charlie Elliott's - Fishing

After hiking, the boys went fishing...the girls were into listening to their music and playing...not fishing! After a little bit, Kackey took all the girls home to get cleaned up so we could go out to dinner with Mom. I stayed with the boys and watched them fish...they did not want to leave! It was really fun and they were having a great time. They were short 1 fishing rod, so Connor made his own "survivor-style" fishing "pole". Austin loved catching them, but not to into taking them off the line, so Connor helped him with that...good thing, that is not my favorite part either. (ick!) But, I was cracking up at their humor...look Mom...OH NO....don't get it that close to your mouth! They were laughing and having fun. I think Noah thought they were really going to eat it! haha. It was all in fun and a great day together!

Spring Break - World of Coke

The kids and I had a great spring break, but we missed Jeffery since he had to work in NJ all week. We spent a day downtown...it was alot of fun! We went to the World of Coke first. We saw the Coca Cola Bear which we had not done before...he's usually very busy and the lines are usually long, but this time we timed it perfectly! We ended the visit in the tasting room...everyone's favorite!! The 3 boys had the Beverly Challenge...$1.00 to all who finished their 1/2 cup and $2.00 to the one that finished first. Connor WON! He drank it so fast, I'm not sure it even hit his tongue! If you have never tried this drink, it's a one of a kind experience!

Spring Break - Charlie Elliotts

First Monday of Spring Break...a great day for being outdoors!! We met Aunt Kackey and the crew for hiking and picnicing at Charlie Elliott's. It was a perfect day...relaxing and fun! We took Riley for his first real outing...he was so funny because he was wiped out! The kids had to carry him part of the way...he is way too spoiled. The kids had fun exploring in the woods and poking around the fallen trees, floating docs and creeks. I was paranoid of turning over a snake, but I survived and we didn't spot any...thank God for that! I have an intense fear of snakes...ick!!!!! After hiking, the boys went fishing...everyone caught one...I enjoyed watching them...they don't need help any more...they are growing up so fast. Seems yesterday, I had to help bait hooks and cast lines.

Easter Egg Hunt

Our family tradition is to get together after church for lunch and a big Easter Egg hunt...this year was no exception! It was a beautiful day...the kids all had such a great time together! Jeffery got to eat with us, but then missed the egg hunt as he had to head back to NJ for work. Missed him! I think this year we found all but 2 or 3 eggs...we hid SEVERAL dozen! We took Riley with us this year and he loved running around with the kids. It was a beautiful day...thank you God for giving us new life and the joy of Jesus!

Easter Activities

It was a beautiful Easter...great weather too! You never know if it will be cold or warm, but this year was perfect! We enjoy the tradition of dying eggs, getting easter baskets and finding easter eggs. Dressing up isn't as popular with the boys anymore, but I think they are as handsome as ever!

Spring Tennis

The spring tennis season has started and Austin and Connor are playing on the Wheatfields Tennis team together. This was the first match they played doubles together. They played well and it was great to see them playing together! They are really improving their game and enjoying learning a new sport! Connor has played a couple of seasons and you can really see the tremendous growth in his game. They are inspiring me to get out on the courts...got an outfit...maybe I'll make it on the courts and they can teach me some things!

Brandon Soccer

Brandon is really enjoying this Spring soccer season...it's nice to see him excited about going to games and practice and playing his heart out! He is such a talented soccer player and a joy to watch on the field...even if I am biased! Gooooooo GSA!

Anna Katherine

Anna is loving spring and getting back to shorts and flip-flops! She hasn't wanted to sleep in her own room alone, but has decided she is big enough and now that she can do lots of other things that were scary, she can do this! So, we redecorated her room...she picked out all her new bedding and was especially excited about the butterfly door beads....her favorite! They are quite the challenge to keep untangled, but she sure does like them inspite of that. All that is left is to hang the curtains. She had fun shopping and decorating her room and has told me 100 times "Thanks, Mom, for my new room" followed by a big hug! She just makes me smile!!

School is Great

The kids are enjoying school. Anna is loving Kindergarten and has learned so much...she's reading well, learning her sight words, spelling and doing great in math. Austin is an awesome student...self motivated, works hard and cares about his grades. They have some great specials classes...science, art, music, pe and a couple of others. Their teachers do such a great job instilling the love of learning. Here are some samples of their art work. We are so proud of Austin making the Principals Honor Roll all 3 quarters this year...and he's working hard to make it 4 for 4!

Anna's Art

I want to save everything that the kids bring home...especially those things they create or write that I think they would like to see when they are older. You can sure see how much they've grown when you look a the changes from year to year. This is Anna's Kindergarten story about a funny character. She loves school and she is soaking it all up like a giant sponge! I especially love her art doodles that she does in "free choice centers"!

Austin's Solar Cooker Science Project

Austin's school is having a Science Fair and he chose a project related to solar energy. He wanted to construct his own style of solar cooker to cook hotdogs. He had a good idea and good rationale for the process. He even had a great plan to test his solar cooker. He decided to monitor the temperature and check it every 2 minutes. After 20 minutes, he let it cook for an hour. He was somewhat disappointed to find that it takes alot of patience to cook with solar energy and that cooking food that would spoil was best left to the microwave or grill. He is compiling his data and putting his board together now, so more to come on his project....

Life with Braces

The boys survived their first day with braces! They came home excited, but a tad bit sore and STARVING! Their friends and teachers loved their new styling braces! Their mouths are both sore...probably from that extender they had to wear for so long while getting the braces placed...it didn't hurt (they said), but it didn't look so fun! They are bound to be sore after an hour in that! But, as you can see, they are all smiles...aren't those some cool braces? I'm going to admire them daily and be sure to get our moneys worth! LOL They were in search of soft foods...ice cream, pudding, soup, ramen noodles and cheese toast (lightly toasted). Since they are only 20 months apart in age and only 1 year apart in school, it seem like having twins. I thought we would have at least a year in between braces, but apparently that plan didn't work so well. Thankfully when college starts we'll get 1 year in between...the baby years are nothing compared to the teen years!! But, it's all GREAT and we are so thankful for our kids and the new things they teach us every day! I'm glad they like their braces and I can't wait to see their smiles when they get them off. SMILE!!!!

Austin's Orthodontist Visit

And it's Austin's turn...while (thankfully) too young for braces and still missing lots of baby teeth, he did need to get a space maintainer appliance to keep his teeth from shifting into the space left by his missing baby teeth. It's funny how the boys are all so different...Brandon lost his late, Connor lost his early and Austin practically lost his all at once! So, here we are in the Orthdontist office all at once...that's one hefty bill! So, today Austin got fitted with for a space maintainer and they put in spacers to give a tiny bit of extra room between his back teeth to make it easier to put in his new appliance in about 4 weeks. He is most worried about all the things he will have to give up...you would think they eat nothing but gummy candy, but I guess the thought of not having it for 18 - 24 months is crisis to a 10 year old. Afterall, I would NOT like to give up dark chocolate, so I guess I can relate! LOL They made molds of his teeth...that was the worst part...didn't hurt, but sure tasted gross! But, he was a great patient! The spacers look like tiny rubber bands and they use dental floss to place them in...interesting little trick I think. He is so funny...always making funny faces! He thought he would get a reprieve on the candy ban since the appliance takes a few weeks to make, but since he got the spacers, that didn't work out so well. More to come on the dental progress in about 4 weeks....

Brandon's Braces 3-18-10

Brandon's turn for braces...he was pretty excited...then he read the "do not eat" food list...what...NO GUM??? No doritos??? Maybe he is rethinking the braces...NOT! Thankfully, in today's world braces are not geeky, they are cool! They come in all colors and are very small compared to the braces or our generation. He was a good patient and everyone was in great humor during the "installation". Jeffery and I were in sticker shock, but it will be worth it to see those perfect teeth in 18 - 24 months...it was worth it just to see their excited smiles this morning! Brandon chose blue(blue-green I think) and black...braces are a fashion statement to todays teens I found out while in the Orthodontist office. They really made it a great experience for the boys...can't wait to hear how they did at school this afternoon!

Connor Gets Braces 3-18-10

Today is the big day! Connor was excited to get his braces...I don't ever remember kids being excited about this teenage rite of passage, but he sure was! He was so funny talking about all the foods he would have to give up...gummies, sour patch kids, popcorn, gum and so on. He made sure he got his fill the night before...he ate so much he was about sick, so he shouldn't want any for a very long time! Braces these days are very cool and you can pick from a rainbow of colors...they will even change colors at every appointment if you want to...that makes it fun. He was a very good patient...as he always is. He chose red so that they would match his Tomato costume for his OM performance that is coming up in a few short weeks. I thought they looked awesome and he was ready to surprise his friends at school...he kept his braces a secret for the big reveal! We will see if he loves them as much after wearing them for a while, but for now, they are cool and in 18 - 24 months, his teeth will be stunning!

St. Patrick's Day 2010

It's St. Patrick's Day! Green, rainbows and a pot of gold!
Austin and Anna made cupcakes for their classes...Anna and I made the rainbow cupcakes and she and Austin decorated them...Austin made rainbows out of twizzlers and Anna used Jolly Rancher jelly beans...both topped with a gold coin at the end of the rainbow. I think they did a super job on them! The were all decked out in green for school...it was sure to be a lucky day! Anna came home excited to share all the havoc the leprechan reaked on the Kindergarten classroom! She wanted to know if they destroyed anything at our house while she was gone! Well, it wasn't the leprechan's that made the mess in our house. LOL Brandon and Connor indulged me (sort-of) by wearing the hat for the picture...St. Patrick's Day is not a big deal in Middle School. Wishing everyone the luck of the Irish today...

An Irish Prayer May God give you...For every storm, a rainbow, For every tear, a smile, For every care, a promise, And a blessing in each trial. For every problem life sends, A faithful friend to share, For every sigh, a sweet song, And an answer for each prayer.

May your blessings outnumberThe shamrocks that grow,And may trouble avoid youWherever you go.- Irish Blessing

Connor - Regional Om Competition

Connor and his Odyssey of the Mind (OM) Team competed at Davis Middle School in Flowery Branch on March 13, 2010. They worked really hard and created a very clever skit! They had to write the script and make the props and costumes...without any adult help. They have such fun together and did a FANTASTIC job!! There is also a spontaneous portion to the competition...that part is top secret. The Team scored the highest in this category out of all the age groups competing at this Regional competition...that is something to be extremly proud of and speaks highly of our kids...their coaches have prepared them well. I am so proud of Connor and his team!! They are all such good friends...it's been fun to watch them having so much fun together. Connor is the BEST tomato..."fluffy in the front and sundried in the back" as he says! It's on to Columbus in April for State competition!! Teams that place in State go to World competition at the University of Michigan in May. I know they will do an awesome job and will have fun doing it! Goooooo 7th Grade Grayson Cluster Team!!!!