African Market and Mini Park

One of my favorite 2nd grade traditions was African Market.  Now that I'm no longer teaching, I can take the girls!  They were very excited to bring their money and make purchases...mostly all treats- cookies, brownies, rice krispie treats, and lemonade.  They had a blast!  They didn't want the fun to end so we walked down to the mini park right next to school.

Chillicothe Trip

The girls and I made a trip to Chillicothe trip to see all the grandmas and great-grandmas before Mother's Day.  Unfortunately, Granny was babysitting a sick Gwendolyn, and we couldn't see her.  So we got three out of four!

We took lunch to Great-grandma Alice.

The next day we had a picnic lunch with Great-grandma Velma in the park.  

I'm late for my nap!!

Farewell to Soccer

Soccer season is officially OVER (after us thinking it was over...only to be told we had one more practice and game!)  Hannah had an absolute blast with soccer this spring.  There were serious tears at the end of the season.  Her team, the T-Rexes, showed a lot of improvement.  They played the same team for their first and last games.  The first time they lost...and the second time they won!  Hannah's coach said she was a great goalie and we agree.  She was fearless about grabbing the ball even when other players were coming at her.  We are so proud of her!

More on soccer here and here.

Andrea's 30th Birthday

Andrea had a luau-themed surprise party for her 30th birthday.  We missed the surprise, but still had a blast.  First of all, the girls are very excited about any party where they get to dress up in a special theme.  Hannah even chose my skirt.  I wish I had a picture of all of us together.  Joffroi had lots of decorations for their house and backyard.  The girls loved it.  Plus all the water toys, sand box, train table, and basement full of toys.  We stayed for a few hours and then we had to leave for Hannah's soccer game.  Then the girls wanted to go back to the party, so we did.  Hannah said it was "the longest party ever!"  She convinced our friend Paul to pitch her balls so she could play baseball for about an hour.  Then Wendy taught her how to play volleyball for another hour.  What a great way to spend a Saturday and welcome another member into the 30 club. :)

 The girls also drank their weight in pink lemonade.  With umbrella straws of course.

Awesome Saturday

It was the first day of really nice weather and we jam-packed that day with fun!  Steve ran the Corporate Challenge 5k in the morning and placed 3rd in his division and 12th overall.  The girls and I were there to cheer him on!  (No pics because my camera battery was dead.)  Then we were off to the Brookside Art Fair.  But before we even got there, we found a free BOUNCY HOUSE and PONY RIDES!  The girls were in heaven.  No one else had stumbled on it, so they were first for everything!

Did I mention free snow cones, too?!

 woven glass!!

We had a picnic lunch in the park.

 my sand man sculpture

I told Hannah to make a wish when she blew on a dandelion.  When she saw a field of dandelions she said, "Look at all those wishes!!"

Then back to our house for naps and then off to Hannah's soccer game.  Dan and Wendy watched it with us and they even made a sign for her.

Then we all drove to Olathe for dinner and game night at the Vroomans house.  No pictures there because I was lazy.  Or maybe it was because I was busy making a seven layer dip (my first).  Who knows.  It was an awesome Saturday.

Skate Class

We did another skate class at Skate City.  Olive was excited about it and woke me up with "It's skating day!" but once we got there she wasn't so thrilled.  Again, she spent a lot of time on the sidelines.  Hannah loved it.  Notice, she wanted to wear the exact same shirt as the last time she went skating. 

Zoo Classes

This spring we tried out some zoo classes.  Hannah went to a morning flamingo class for 5-8 year olds.   They talked about flamingos, did a craft and coloring sheet, and visited the flamingos in the zoo. Olive and I walked around the zoo while we waited for her to get out of class.  We spent most of our time with the penguins.  We saw Hannah walk by with her class!

A month later we went to a giraffe class for kids 3-5 (and parents, too).  They learned about giraffes, read a story, did some movement activities and a craft.  

We went on the Sky Safari to see the new baby giraffe, but he wasn't out.

almost stepping on a zebra