Bittersweet walking our baby up the sidewalk on the last day of school. She started the day as a first grader and is now officially a second grader. According to her second grade is not just more work it's more responsibility and it's upstairs which is cool ;)
She did excellent on her awards. Most improved in one area, citizenship, science fair and a couple others. Best of all was her smile of happiness for having such a great final report card with the comment "Very good student. Caring and enthusiastic. Was a pleasure to have in class and she'll do great. She is promoted to second grade" :)
Of course after the awards she got to leave for the day which meant lunch out before dropping her and Daddy off so I could head to work and finish my day out.
Second grader....man alive...where has the school year went!!!!
The entire primary and intermediate school gathered for the Great Hike! We volunteered to help keep an eye on K's class and we had a great time. It was hot and we had some kids that thought for sure they'd croak lol but overall the kids had a blast, got to see a police drone fly by and see their pics on it, walked a mile of the trail and was greeted by Smokey the Bear at the halfway mark. Coming back to the school up the big hill we all slowed down but ...we made it!
Glad we got to have the chance to be with the class and we also snapped off a great class picture. We sent one to each of the kids in the class...which was a hit :)
We volunteered for games day...and it was a blast! We got put together on the Hula Hoop contest and I think we laughed as much as the kids. All the classes had some excellent hula hoopers and some of the contests seem to go on forever because the whole class did great. I can say more girls than boys did well but they all gave it their best. We only had one class that would not follow directions, would not behave and stop talking....but their teacher did not set a great example by ignoring them while chatting with an aid.
K's teacher Mrs. C got in on the action as well and the kids loved that.
There was a total of 9 stations and it lasted right up until lunch time :) We then got to set in on lunch with our favorite girl. We got all caught up on first grade gossip and lunch meals that are the best.
We managed to get roped into recess duty as well and then headed out to run errands until the school day was done.
Very thankful we got this time with K and her class!!
Anyone that knows me ...knows I try very hard to never be nervous before S's checkups. But..it's hard not to.
Today was a basic check up. We were hoping to move to a yearly check up but..that wasn't in the game plan. S is stepping down funny on his one foot and they want to watch that to make sure it's not a muscle issue etc. The dr is also hoping if he's low in iron then maybe they can put him on a supplement to increase his iron and decrease his leg pains (his legs ache all night...almost like when you sit on your hand and it goes to sleep...that tingling goes on all night). He tries hard to stay away from serious drugs for side issues due to his age and he wants to keep the door open later for such things without a tolerance being the issue.
All in all a nice visit and we go back in 6 mo.
UPDATE: welllll the iron tests came back fine. One test was to see if his liver was holding iron and not releasing it and if his iron level was low. All came back fine which is great...but knocks the idea of trying simple iron to ease his legs :( On to the next step....
Warm weather and cake often don't go together but with cold ingredients it's a hit!
This cake recipe is super easy and tastes great
Recipe:
1 chocolate cake mix
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 tub cool whip
1/2 pkg of Heath baking chips
chocolate syrup
caramel syrup
Mix up cake by box directions, bake by box directions. Poke holes across the cake using the end of your mixing spoon. Pour the can of sweetened condensed milk across the top of the cake using a spoon to spread it out. Let cool. Top with container of cool whip. Swirl chocolate syrup and caramel syrup over top of cool whip. Top with desired amount of Heath pieces (you can use bits or milk chocolate pieces...I think the milk chocolate style works the best). Refrigerate.
K really enjoys the local history festival and dances almost every year in the powwow. The head lady is a friend of ours and K really enjoys spending time at the event. Last year she asked to have a shawl like the other ladies have. At a gathering or powwow girls and women often carry either a folded shawl over one arm or they wear it around their shoulders. K picked the colors she wanted. I hand sewed the whole shawl including adding each tiny string fringe at the bottom! She loved it. Next year though I am thinking I will downsize the overall size so she doesn't have so much material to work with while dancing but this year it was sooo cold for May that it worked out well.
S saw this recipe in a magazine and asked me to give it a try. It is definitely a keeper! Easy but more "manly" than a regular grilled cheese lol
Recipe:
Texas toast style bread
butter
Italian seasoning
brisket (fix your own or get it from your fave bbq joint)...1 lb makes 5 thick sandwiches with enough meat left over to use the next day
bbq sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray's original)
three types of cheese shredded (any type you like) *next time I will try sliced or chunked
Get your skillet very hot. Butter one side of the Texas toast, sprinkle Italian seasoning on the side and put butter side down in skillet or on griddle. Add 2 types of cheese and desired amount of brisket. Add bbq sauce over top of meat. Add remaining type of cheese. Butter second piece of bread, sprinkle Italian seasoning on it and put butter side out on top. Cook apx 3 mins on one side then flip and cook on other side till done.
**You can add grilled onions, mushrooms etc to your sandwich on top of the meat
*** I do think next time I will mix the meat and bbq together and then put on the sandwich.
Mother's Day this year fell on the 8th but we decided to celebrate on the 7th. We drove a few towns over and had a delicious meal at an Amish restaurant overlooking the lake. We treated Mamaw W and she loved it. K LOVED the lake, walking out on the boat dock, watching the boats and the weather could not have been any better! Nice breeze, sunny and just beautiful. K made me an adorable stone coaster and decorated it with her first grade fall picture in the middle and decorated a design around it. I'm very thankful to be called Mama and I really don't know what I'd do without my wild child! Being a Mom is more than just if you stay home as a stay at home Mom (which is hard work) or if you work outside the home at a job you have to clock in at (which is hard work as well) it's the way you lead your life, the things you do and the time you take. I'm blessed with one of the finest Moms a person could ever ask for and I hope when K is my age...she will look at me as I look at my Mom. My Mom is beautiful, funny, strong, smart and has one of the biggest, kindest hearts you will ever find. She'll stand her ground when needed and gives unconditional love always!
Well...finally after getting everything squared away with insurance we have a new to us car. Gotta love winds that knock tree branches out...down...and onto the back of your Jeep :( Thankfully the Jeep is built rather well and even though it crunched down the roof and broke out the back glass it didn't bother any working parts. Since we only had maybe 5 payments left we decided to keep the Jeep (Eth said he'd help work on it) and take the pay out money and get an extra vehicle. I can say we love it.
Kaya's requirement for a vehicle was two things: moon roof and cup holders lol This has both ;) I can say it was like Ma and Pa Kettle goes to the City when I drove it to work the first time. I had the heat seaters on instead of the window defroster...you name it.
But I do like it :)
I love sunsets. Few things in life truly make you stop and pause like a beautiful sunset. Our crew has always had a special fondness for sunsets and sunrises ever since my brother enlisted. We always said as long as we could see the sun coming up...we were together and that every night if we could see the sunset we were all thinking of each other. It was something that helped K tremendously when she missed her uncle and it helped my little brother when he felt so far from home and alone.
Sunsets also remind us that if the day has been terrible...it's almost over and at 12:01 you start anew. If the day has been wonderful then you have another day to do it again!
