Sunday, June 15, 2008

Wonderful, crazy week!

I never cease to be amazed at just how quickly our schedule goes from empty to overflowing! This past week is a prime example:



Monday: Hannah and Sarah were absolutely tickled to have the company of M & E for a few hours Monday afternoon. These girls have been friends for coming up on 4 years and we've missed having regular playdates together as the girls have gotten older and school schedules have gotten more complicated. What fun they had playing dress-up and staging little plays.


Tuesday: Hannah's last official day of preschool. I went to work that day and Katie picked the girls up from school and took them to lunch.



Wednesday: Sarah's last official day of school til fall. I worked all day Wednesday and Super-Dad and Super-Oma manned the ship including drop-off for Sarah at school, lunch out with Oma and a super-fun shopping trip to Wal-Mart. (And they obviously did an excellent job, I love coming home to happy kids and family!)




Here's a picture of the completely installed swingset (note Hannah playing in the fort) and, in the foreground, the new tree I won at a silent auction at work. The swingset is getting A LOT of mileage. It was a very sound investment and the girls, especially Hannah at this point, use it a lot. She runs out there by herself quite often.

Thursday: Playday at Hannah's school for all the students in her preschool program and the toddler group that Sarah attends. It was a blast! The play area was filled with teachers, kiddos, parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, 2 bounce houses, face painting, bubbles, and picnics.

Hannah and Sarah decided on matching lady bugs at the face painting station.


It is a mixed crowd. There are students leaving for kindergarten, students who will be returning to the preschool program next year, toddlers who will move up to the preschool program, and toddlers who will be returning. There are also a few families who will attend a different preschool next year (although I cannot begin to imagine why!).


Here's a group of special friends: S, Hannah, Sarah, M, and E. Oh how we'll miss seeing those smiling faces each morning...


And Teacher Julie who has been Hannah's lead teacher in the Purple Class for the past two years. We love her and will miss her horribly until Sarah starts the preschool program there in a year!
The students who are moving on to Kindergarten get a special diploma in an informal ceremony during "Closing Circle" where we all gather together to share a book and a song. Here are S and Hannah with their diplomas. What big kids they're becoming!
Shad brought little balloons home to the girls on Thursday night as an end-of-school year surprise and we took them out to dinner to celebrate Hannah's moving-on from preschool. Hannah chose Matsukaze and we ate traditional-style at the low tables on the floor. Those girls can pack away the miso soup, chicken teriyaki, and rice!

I love this picture of Sarah just because it shows her absolutely crazy hair. I cannot believe how fine it is! It curls and waves every which way! ;)

Friday: Katie came to play ALL DAY while I went to work. It was a long day and it ended when I sprained my ankle trying to unload a bale of hay from our trailer (after Shad asked me not to, of course!). A trip to the Immediate Care and Pharmacy later and we were all tucked safely into bed for a good night's sleep. Shad is an excellent nurse and took superb care of me this weekend.

Saturday: Frog O' Faire. Hannah was heartbroken when we decided that it wouldn't be in the best interest of my ankle to traipse around the uneven ground at the park for this fun and exciting day. She's been anticipating it since the flyers went up over two weeks ago! Of course, Shad had an appointment scheduled and couldn't take the girls. We were very thoughtfully rescued by the P family who answered our call for help and took Hannah along with them. Hannah, E & M had a great time at the park. So much so that Hannah decided she wanted to go home with them for the whole afternoon and we didn't see her until almost 5! What a blessing- fun for Hannah and friends, naps for mommy, productive work time for Shad.

And, finally, Sunday: Father's Day! We slept in, went grocery shopping, took both girls to see Kung Fu Panda (Sarah's first movie at the theatre), and ended the day in the most appropriate way- eating barbecued burgers and corn on the cob on a blanket in the backyard, swinging on the swingset and in the hammock, and playing in the kiddie pool. Wahoo!
Yes, it is a strong a hammock. :) And no, I'm not actually laying on the ground, but I CAN feel the grass on my back! ;)Happy Father's Day Shad!! You Rock!!

And THE BIG NEWS is that THIS MORNING Hannah learned how to pump effectively. She keeps walking around (or swinging up high)saying "I am so proud of myself!" We ALL are! :)

So there you have it. More than you ever wanted to know about how we spend our time! I always heard that staying-home was all laid back and flexible schedule but I've got to tell you- I'm looking at our schedule in total disbelief at how the summer is filling up. Hopefully I'll survive these allergies (and all the meds I'm taking to try to alleviate the symptoms!) and update the blog again SOON- exciting times lay ahead!

Here's to summer adventures and time with friends (new and old!)- two of my favorite things!