Lesson Planning!

I try to spend a few extra hours after school working on lesson plans. This helps me stay ahead and gives Michaela and I some quality time together. Today one of her friends hung out with us during Crafts. I was so entertained by the two of them. They pretended to have "circle time." Michaela is pretending to be the flag holder. She has her little hand on her heart. Listening to the two of them say the Pledge Of Allegiance was priceless!!

When I came back into the room after making copies and her playing with my board. The students know that only the teachers get to play with the things on the "Helper board". The students get to put things on it with the teachers help. Miss Michaela rearranged the whole month of September!




Michaela called this a "See-Saw Bridge!"

A Great Ride!

It is so beautiful and peaceful were Taylor rides. We love it there. We were able to get her lesson in this week before the rain set in.

Sheena enjoyed her ride. We wish could have her in our backyard . She is the perfect horse for Taylor. She is our favorite. We know we will be moving up to more advanced horses on day, but for now, we are enjoying her!

Letter B

This week Michaela was on the letter B. Here is a bird she made. She took one of her sister's Barbies in for show and tell. We encourage the students to bring in something to show the class that starts with the letter of the week.

Green was the color of the week!

Happy Birthday, Johnny! We learned all about Johnny Appleseed this week. Here is her hat. It is a pot. She made a tree out of her hand print this week, too. It was the stages of an apple tree. Her teachers painted her hands and arms brown to represent the tree. Then she glued different colored tissue paper to her tree.

Emeril and Deen!

We still have two kittens left. They are boys. We have decided to keep them. I did attempt to take them to the animal shelter and didn't have the heart to do it. I put them back in the car and headed back home. Their names are Emeril and Deen. Their Mom, Chloe, goes in for surgery this week. Hopefully, we are done with kittens for a long time. The girls have done a great job taking care of them. We are animal lovers. Raegan is allergic to cat dander. So we spend lots of time with them outside!

Deen

Raegan and Tasha

Taylor and Emeril

Raegan and Deen

Soccer Stars!

Raegan and Michaela love playing soccer in the evenings. They enjoy playing with their Daddy the most. They love watching him kick the ball as high as he can. Sometimes the balls fly as high as the house...over the house...hit a car in the driveway!! I love watching him juggle 3 girls. He spins around kicking balls to them from all directions.

The zoom on the camera is awesome. I would never allow Raegan this close to the road. Check out the look on her face. She looks just like her father!






Great block, Raegan! Tommy and I have always encouraged Raegan to try team sports. She has never felt "comfortable." Maybe this spring she might be ready to give soccer a try. She is really coming out of her shell. Tommy and I will continue to intoduce new ideas to her. When she is ready she will let us know.

The princess is tired now!

A busy weekend!

The weekend flew by. We had Family Fun Night on Friday. I worked on the house Saturday and made a cake for a friend. I got up early this morning and made a huge crock pot full of chili before church. Headed to church for an awesome message! Tommy took advantage of an empty house and really got a lot accomplished around the house. He always does an amazing job. Stayed after church and worked on crafts from 1-5 for a Bazaar Workshop. Then got to Taylor to Youth Group this evening! The girls had some down time. Taylor and Raegan had a sleepover at Granny's. Taylor also went to a pig roast with a friend from her old school. Raegan and Michaela had a chance to hang out and play this weekend. It was nice for them to have a "home day." Our family really stays busy this time of the year. It is wild and chaotic, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Family Fun Night!

Family Fun Night turned out great. We had a huge crowd. The food was fantastic. The staff had so much fun meeting everyone's family. We even had a chance to see some of our former students. Their siblings are now in the program. We are going into our 10th year. I can't believe it. I am so proud of the preschool. God has blessed it in a way that I could have never imagined. We have a lot of fun things planned for this year. Taylor offered face painting for the students. We have a wonderful pavilion with picnic tables. The playground is the best part. We have a basketball court now for older kids, too. God is good!

Taylor and her face painting station!

Michaela showing off her heart!

Raegan and her best friend wearing glow necklaces!

She Landed On Two Feet!

This week during Taylor's lesson she fell! Thank God she landed on two feet. She was cantering and off she went. Sheena, the horse, stopped dead in her tracks. Taylor had learned the proper dismount awhile back and she remembered to use it. We were all proud of her. I actually saw it coming and didn't panic too much. Her riding instructor is a big prayer warrior. I have seen her on several occasions stop whatever is going on in the ring and pray with a child. She has done this before with Taylor and it has brought her great comfort. Her barn has scripture all over it. I am sure she shouted out a prayer on Taylor's maneuver, too! The angels were with her for sure. She really was not going very fast at all. Sheena weight is a concern, though. Cantering is a harder skill to master. She got back on the horse...laughed it off...and tried, again. That's our girl!






Her instructor, Sam, is great about explaining what she can do to improve. She is very encouraging and uplifting. She is big on responsibility. Be there early,put things back where you found them, etc.. She is awesome!

Taylor takes her lesson with another friend named Taylor. It gets confusing . They are really good buddies. They go to church and school together, too.

Look What We Have Been Learning!

Raegan has been learning about odd and even numbers this week. She also started her apple unit. This is a project she made about all of the things she likes. There is a rainbow full of questions about her on the shirt. What color is your favorite food? What color is her eyes?,etc... I don't see many projects come home anymore. Things are different now that she is in 1st grade!

One of Michaela's classmates celebrated a birthday. They gave her a goodie bag full of stamps and stickers.


Michaela was on the letter "A" this week. She painted with apples.


This is Michaela apple. It has a worm coming out of it.

Check out Michaela's paper. She traced the letter A with the blue marker. Pretty impressive!


Taylor is taking Spanish this year. In Alegbra she has been learning about like terms and un-like terms. In history she is learning about Native Americans! One of our favorites. In English she is learning how to narrow her topics in writing. In P.E. she is learning about FOOTBALL!!

Michaela's First School Project!

We are having our Family Fun Night this weekend for preschool. We invite the entire preschool program and their families for a covered dish dinner at our pavilion. The staff provides drinks and hot dogs. It is a great way for everyone to get to know each other. Michaela's class had to decorate a box about their family. She loved cutting and adding the tape. It was a battle! She wanted "to do it herself." Tommy was very concerned when he saw her operating the scissors. She added monkey stickers to our box. Michaela loves monkeys. We are very impressed with her work. We think it is beautiful.

They still play together!

This evening the girls got their homework finished up and headed outside. They dug out a game Raegan got for Christmas. I had so much fun watching them play it. It was called Hullaballoo. You bounce,high-five,dance,etc.. You just get to act silly! It was nice because Raegan and Taylor had a chance to "play together" without Michaela! They adore her, but board games are almost impossible with her around. Michaela and I worked on project for her school while the older girls were spending some quality time together. I just ran in and out of the house snapping pictures and trying to praise everyone and everything I passed !!!

Raegan is acting like some type of animal here. Sophisticated Taylor is trying not to laugh.

Raegan is DANCING here!!!

Family and Friends!

Our church had their Open House today. The steamy weather didn't spoil our fun. We had a great turnout. My Grandmother would have been proud. My family took up a whole row. There was no doubt Grandmother Childs was there today with us. She would have loved the music and seeing everyone. She used to always comment on other families and how many pews that took up. "The more pews you used...the more blessed your family was." I was happy to have all of my family there. My sister in law, Brandon, brought two of her kids with her,too. It was wonderful seeing them.

Taylor and some of her friends were in charge of face painting!

Taylor's first customer!

Michaela and two of her best buddies! She had a smiley face on one side and a heart on the other. Next stop was the moon bounce!

Jacob was a great sport. After seeing Jacob's face, Cassandra decided to pass on face painting and play basketball instead. I think they all had a good time.

How beautiful!

Horse Back Riding After School!

Michaela is watching Taylor ride her "worsie." She is so impressed with Taylor. She wants to ride so bad. She loves petting the horses.

This was the first lesson in a few months for Taylor. Her instructor took a break over the summer. Taylor was thrilled to get back into the saddle. She would ride everyday if we would let her.

Taylor and Sheena!


I always bring entertainment for the girls while they watch Taylor ride. This week it was books and blocks. What a fight that caused. They even have their own separate blankets. This was the only time during the lesson when the younger girls got along. Michaela has been so tired in the evenings since she started preschool.

"Here Kitty, Kitty!"

Our cat, Chloe, had 6 kittens. They are now 7 weeks old. They are adorable. The girls and I play with them every chance we get. We have found homes for half of the liter. We still have a boy and a girl left. The girls seem to understand that we just can't keep them all. Michaela's old babysitter took one. Raegan is thrilled she can visit the kitten. Two boys left yesterday. The girls and I are animal lovers. I am praying we will find a good home for the other two. I am trying to avoid the animal shelter.

This is Deen. Named after my favorite cook, Paula Deen. Paula doesn't like to call herself a chef. I just love that woman. She reminds me of my Aunt Shiela. Deen is my favorite. He is a boy...so he gets to stay.


How sweet. We love watching them play with each other. It is amazing. I am so thankful Michaela hasn't squeezed on to death. She can't keep her hands off of them.