wax museum.

I forgot to post about this back at the end of school. 

Our 4th and 5th graders worked super hard on this big project... a wax museum. 

They each had to choose a famous person, who had some kind of positive impact on people. They researched them, wrote a report about them, created a backdrop and gathered costumes and props, then memorized their speeches for the big day. 

Sophie won a pretty intense game of rock, paper, scissors and got to do Princess Diana. 

Her entire costume came from Grandma's collection of dress up clothes. Thank you, Grandma! =)

Parents, grandparents and friends were invited and K, 1, 2 and 3 all took our classes down at different times. They got to wander around and listen to the different speeches. (My mom and dad happened to be keeping Gretchen that day, so she got to come, too!)

See the red button on his hand? When you push it, they "wake up" and start to talk.

This was one of my favorites... Jesus! =)

{Don't try and tell me that Jesus isn't in public schools. He is. Maybe not as obviously as Christian schools, but His presence is there and He is influencing hearts and lives. Awesome to see.}

Just one more reason to love having my kids at my school. There is no way I would be able to attend something like this if they were at a different school. 

You did a great job, Sophie!
I was so proud of you!

family. {memorial weekend}

We got to spend Memorial weekend with some people we don't see nearly enough...

My niece is "listy," like her aunt. She assigned everyone to different tables and made namecards... 

 She likes to label, too. =)

Fun twin dresses after a garage sale. (Sophie had her daisy dress, but Grandma found an identical one for Mary.)

This little miss is hilarious. She really is.

Matching boys...

They visited their other grandma and grandpa, then came back for a full week of cousin fun!
They left today for their long 14 hour drive home.
Lots of cousin pictures to come! =)

farmhouse: sheetrock

Gretchie's little playhouse under the stairs...

Lawson's door is on the far left and the room my mother-in-law is standing in is the utility room (water heater, furnace, etc.) There is a closet to the left of the stairs.

Sophie's room is straight ahead (with the window), then the kid's bath and Gretchen's room are down a little hallway behind the stairs. The opening to her little playhouse is off that hallway.

Mudroom (and a bath and little office area) are the little roof in the middle, garage is the roof in the back.

Living room... our bedroom is behind all the sheetrock leaned against the wall. (I'm standing in the breakfast nook.)

Kitchen... (sink will be right under that window)

Corey was really glad he wasn't one of the guys that had to get these huge pieces of sheetrock downstairs.

We're officially "locked up" now.

Standing in the breakfast nook... kitchen on the left, door goes into the dining room.

Our bedroom door is on the right and the door to the left of the stairs is my craft room. =) (It was going to be Gretchen's bedroom for a year or two, until she got a little bigger, but she decided she wants to go straight to the basement with Sophie and Lawson. We figured it was less furniture to move if we put her straight down there.) Yay for a craft room!

Master bath... (the blue sheetrock is something special for being near water)

Standing in our bedroom door, looking towards living room, kitchen and breakfast nook. Corey is standing in the doorway to the office/bathroom/mudroom.

It looks SO different in there with sheetrock!
I've almost got my paint colors figured out. (No builder beige for this girl!) =)
We're meeting with some flooring people tomorrow to try and figure out wood and tile.
(I told Corey awhile back that tile was going to be my hardest decision. Turns out that's the decision our builder needs first! Yikes!)
Fingers crossed we find some things we love tomorrow!

bookmobile.

There were a lot of changes, coming from a bigger school to a smaller school. 

My old school had an enrollment of 300-400 most of the years I was there. 

(It changed from K-5 to K-4 the last few years, which obviously dropped numbers.) 

My school now has just over 100 students, K-5. 

This was one of the biggest changes... 

Early in the year, I posted something on Facebook about not being able to find all my Eric Carle books. A former co-worker said, "Uh... don't you have a library at your school?" =)

Well... not really.

Twice a week, the bookmobile comes. It's a big ol' school bus, but this is what it looks like on the inside...

There's a driver's seat, but that's pretty much the only resemblance to a school bus...

My kids get to come once a week, usually in groups of 6... they turn in their old book and check out a new one.

So while I do still have access to library books, it takes a bit more planning on my part. (Something I'm not always great at. I do really good last minute planning sometimes.)

{We also walk to the little local public library once a month.}

chicken butt.

It's a favorite joke around here...
{may take a minute for the video to load...}

"Guess what.... chicken butt."

"Guess why... chicken thigh." 

That laugh and those giggles, though... tell me that doesn't make you smile. =) 

teamwork.

Corey and I make a good team.

I am the "sit on the couch and snuggle with you and cuddle with you and just BE with you" parent.
He is the "chase you around the house and roll on the floor and wrestle with you" parent.

He's definitely the louder parent.
But he's probably more fun, too.
(Although our snuggling sessions don't often end in tears...)

Kids need loud and crazy and wild sometimes.
Good thing they have their daddy.