Beka and Jared participated in Choir at their school this year. One day a week, they stayed after school to practice. They both really enjoyed doing this. At the end of the year, the choir put on a concert for parents and volunteers. Beka had the special opportunity to play the bass metallaphone. I was very proud of how both of them did.
The Past week at the kids school has been carnival week. The school holds a carnival near the end of every year as one last fundraiser. The theme this year was Cowboy Round-Up. The kids could buy cowboy hats and bandanas. Everyday leading up to the main even on Friday night had a different theme. The kids could dress up in different ways for school that day. Monday was school pride day and I didn’t get a picture of that one.
Tuesday – Crazy Hair Day
We tried to dye Jared’s hair with green kool-aid but we couldn’t get it to work.
So we just bought some of the spray hair color which turned out great!
Wednesday – Pajama Day
Thursday – Inside Out and Backwards Day
Friday – Carnival and Western Wear.
The kids had a lot of fun at the carnival. It was a great week.
Friday of Spring break, the family visited the Indianapolis Art museum. Walking around the museum and grounds was a lot of fun. Jared surprised me by really being into the art and all the exhibits. Exploring the outdoor art was the best part for Jared and Andrew. One outdoor exhibit made the kids think of aliens ready to transport us into space.
Climbing around on the basketball themed art entertained both Andrew and Jared.
Beka enjoyed the gardens. The greenhouses and gardens all had flowers blooming.
Mom just enjoyed the family time best. Although all that walking exhausted me by the end of the trip. So we had Fazolis for supper.
The family happened to be outside the other evening and we saw the most amazing sight. Now, we live next a grass airport field. Small planes, hot air balloons, and parasails take off/land there all the time. We are used the the noise and the sights now. We love to watch the hot air balloons take off and they have wonderful fireworks on the Fourth of July. But we had never seen a hot air balloon quite like this:
It was amazing! We had so much fun watching it fill and take off. We are hoping to see it again.
Jared is now 9 years old. He is growing so much and is so responsible. He is a great brother and a wonderful helper. For his birthday we went to BD’s mongolian grill for lunch and had a lemon creme pie for dessert. He loved it.
Also, we have the results from IREAD. Jared not only passed the state test that determines whether he could go onto 4th grade, but also he passed with a 100%. He didn’t miss one single question. I am so unbelievably proud of him.
Yes, I am now too many hands to count. Anyway, I just wanted to post a picture of all the cards I received for my birthday. That day was also Platypus Day which I also celebrated. Perry the Platypus is the coolest. Beka drew a platypus in her card.
Yes, I know all of these are mixed up and backwards. It happens. Beka turned two whole hands in January. She was excited all day. We had cheesecake for her birthday cake. She received many cards from her classmates which pleased and surprised here. It was not a teacher initiated idea. The kids did it all on their own. Andrew picked her up during her lunch hour and took her out for sushi. I think that was her favorite part.
I know I put this on facebook, but for the rest of you all. Jared’s class had a superhero day at school. We had one night to come up with the costume. Jared decided to be Chick Magnet. He and Andrew cut out the coloring the chicks and then we used velcro to attach the chicks to his shirt. At school, Jared had to write a story to go along with his superhero. If/when I get his permission I will post it.
ISTEP (round 1) is done for 2012. The kids were oddly restless last night. I don’t know if it was the relief that the testing is done or that stress finally caught up to them. But neither of them could sit still and focus on anything and the whining was out of this world. Ugh! I hate whining. So what did we do? Excellent parents that we are, we beat them with pool noodles. Actually, it turned out to be stress relief for everyone. The kids had fun and so did Andrew and I. No children were actually harmed in the beatings. 
Pinterest is my lastest time sink. I may be finding good ideas, but I lose track of time rather quickly when I am on there. On the up side, the kids and I are trying lots of new activities. We have made a marble track and straw planes. And I have more ideas pinned for this summer when we have more time.
The weather has been lovely here except for today (it is raining). The beautiful weather has allowed us to run off all the stress from ISTEP testing. Beka and Jared doing well on the tests and know that the tests are nothing to stress about, but the whole feel of the school is stress. Running around outside, stomping through woods, and splashing in mud have really allowed the kids to de-stress and relax after school. I just love it.
