school

spring program

We are in the home stretch. Only days left until summer vacation. It feels like we were just counting down the months and then down to the weeks and now we’re in the final days of this school year. Woah! And let me tell ya, middle school is not for the timid. We’ve had out shares of up and downs this year and we are quite ready for summer! 
Tonight we are headed to the school for the Spring Art and Music concert. The girls were looking lovely for their performance and I managed to get them to pose for a few pics for me…
Gwyneth still likes to get her picture taken, thankfully
Her hair is getting so, so long. She was pretty happy with those curls tonight.
Annabelle on the other hand is always irritated with me for the pictures. I like to take photos like this so I can’t understand why…
Ha! All that middle school emotion in one face…directed right at her mama. 
She got a good laugh out of it though and did smile for one picture for me. 
Tell us what you think about getting your picture taken Annabelle….
These girls…
These are my favorites. I love how they are together.
Gwyneth adores her sister…unless it isn’t obvious. 
And then off to the concert we went. 
The girls don’t like to make eye contact with me when they are on stage because I always make them giggle…
Taking a bow: 
That girl is not to be missed. She’s a tall one and I love it. 
And then it was time for the singing. You can see Annabelle made the mistake of looking at me during the song. I may make some fun faces at them. Just to ease the tension. Their friends find it hilarious. They think I’m annoying. Fine by me.
After the performances with their buds. 

field day

I have volunteered to be the yearbook coordinator for the girls’ school this year. I basically have to attend important events, take pictures, and with the help of the yearbook crew (students grades 5th -8th) compile the yearbook at the end of the year. 
This seems like a perfectly good fit for me, because I like an excuse to be at the school that doesn’t bug my children and I clearly enjoy taking pictures. Seems like a pretty fit for my service hours. 
This morning was field day so I hopped on over to catch some photos of the action. I took tons more of all the students, but here are a few of my favorites of my girlies and their friends. The girls had a great time and Annabelle’s team ended up with the 1st place win!

happy halloween

Annabelle’s team had their first volleyball game on Halloween. She has been really loving the practices but was really nervous to play in the game. She sat out this game, which she was relieved about, but we hope to see her play next time. She really does great in the practices. Let’s hope she can get past those nerves at the next game. 
We made it home in time for our traditional chili dinner and to get in costume. 
Happy Halloween from our Pink Flamingo….
…and our Zombie Prom Queen!
The girls had a blast trick or treating together and even though it was pretty cold out they hit a lot of houses! 
Quite the stash!
Let the candy sorting and trading begin…
Annabelle wanted to go “scary” this year which was a departure from the sweet costumes she’s worn in the past. I think she rocked it! 

conferences

We are all finding our groove and after a few rough weeks things seem to be coming together with the new studio. The girls had the day off for conferences and I was able to take the day off as well to spend with them.
The girls woke up bright and early and got themselves ready for those conferences. They got extra credit for dressing nicely for their conferences. The teachers requested they not wear jeans and tshirts or athletic wear since they were presenting during the conferences. Our children took this as “we should dress for Morton’s”. Yes, those were the words that were used. They looked pretty snazzy…even to just run a few errands for the day.
We had to hit the girl scout store so we grabbed a quick lunch at Wahoo’s.
Then it was off to conferences were we received such positive feedback on both of our little ladies. They are having a great year and we’re very proud of them.
Gwyneth wanted to show us her locked which is pretty much a holder of fabulous trinkets and snacks! That girl!
We grabbed some celebratory slushies after those wonderful conferences.

last week of school

The last week of school was filled with spirit days which included themes and out of uniform days. The favorite was the Book or Movie Character day. Gwyneth dressed like Moana with fabulous wavy hair and Annabelle was fierce in her Wonder Woman shirt. 

And then just like that the year was over. We celebrated both girls’ summer birthdays with Popsicles with their classes. It was crazy hair day, yearbook signing day, and the last day all at once so it was quite the celebration. 

I love how these little ladies signed each other’s yearbooks. 
And we now have a 4th and 5th grader. I’m still trying to figure out how that is even possible!

3rd grade celebration

We have had a wonderful experience with the girls’ school, but many of the kiddos are moving on to new schools next year. We have really enjoyed getting to know these families and will be sad to see this great group of kids split up. 
We hosted an end of year 3rd grade celebration for Gwyneth’s class. Unfortunately not all the families could make it, but we had a pretty good turn out. It was so nice to have the opportunity to catch up with the parents and all the kids played so sweetly together. A good time was definitely had by all! 

triathlon

The girls were pretty excited for the triathlon this year because they decided to be on a team! It gets pretty intense and can get very competitive, but they just take it all in stride. 
Annabelle did the swimming, Gwyneth did the biking, and their friend Karsen did the running.
Annabelle was nervous about swimming. She doesn’t realize how good she is. She was all nerves and chewing on her nails, but she hoped right in the pool for that race. 
There she goes.

She rocked it! She came in 2nd place and 3rd overall for the entire school. Her teacher came over and made a big point that the first two swimmers compete and practice several times a week so it was pretty darn good that she came in behind them by only seconds. I’m so impressed with this little lady! She has the swim bug and luckily we found a swim team for her this summer.

Gwyneth’s turn!

She did awesome. I didn’t take any more pictures, because kids were wiping out and the biking portion just gives me a ton of anxiety.

What I love most about watching Gwyneth is that she took is slow and steady and she never lost her smile. Her smile is contagious! I love watching these kids root for each other.

Gwyneth’s friends were showing off their injuries…and since Gwyneth didn’t have any she ate watermelon. 

Time for the running portion. My girls were happy their part of the triathlon was over and they could just cheer for their friends.

More watermelon
My little shorty pants and her buddies. 

The girls finished in 3rd place overall and were pretty pleased with themselves.

first assembly and first aid

Annabelle’s choir group was asked to sing at the First Friday Assembly. The girls were a little nervous in front of the whole school, but they did great. 

 We are working on the exterior of our new location for Color Me Mine. I wanted to get some before and after pictures. Here’s before: (stay tuned for after)

 Tonight a few girls and moms from Annabelle’s troop helped Gwyneth’s troop learn about First Aid. They learned so much and had a lot of fun.

Learning about 911: 
 Making first aid kits: 
 Wrapping up their wounds: 

 The Juniors…and a photobombing Brownie

holiday parties and botanic garden lights

The last day of school before winter break…and it’s all about the parties!
Lots of celebrating going on in both the girls’ classrooms. The kids were full of happiness, joy and a bit of madness with the anticipation of a long winters break. 
Gwynethy’s party theme was The Grinch and the parents really went all out on these festivities!
This game is one of my favorites and always gets such laughs. 
The theme of Annabelle’s class party was…
well, Christmas and Tweens and Candy I guess, if I had to name a few. 
The played lots of games and you can see they were very enthusiastic and excited
I’ve said it before, this group is fiercely competitive and even at parties there always seems to be someone with hurt feelings. It makes me a bit sad, but I try to focus on my little bundle of joy and make sure she’s always being a good sport….at least we’re trying anyway! 
The silly face pictures are always my favorites. 
After filling the girls with cookies and candies and treats galore, we decided to head downtown to Botanic Gardens for the Lights of Bloom. You really gotta love this family of mine. They sure do go along with some of my wackiest plans. 
I had it in my head we were going and then I checked the weather report. The temps were forecasted in the single digits and there was also a slight chance of snow. I wouldn’t let that deter me. I wanted to take them to see the Lights and I didn’t care about a silly ol’ weather forecast. We  were going to make some jolly holiday memories, damn it! 
We got there and it was COLD! Not a little cold. It was no joke cold! We all bundled up, walked around and enjoyed those beautiful lights and had a grand time. We made record time through the exhibits and our noses and feet were all frozen. 
At one point Annabelle looked pretty miserable and I asked her “What do you think of the lights?”. She simply stared at me and B responded “She’ll see it later honey. Her eyes are frozen.” You gotta love a well-timed Christmas Vacation reference. 
B and I joked on the drive home about these type of adventures. We dread going, we are miserable during, but we create great memories and can’t wait to do it all over again next year! Ha! 
Gwyneth’s friend Ruby joined us for this frigid adventure
Annabelle is turning into quite the little photographer.