New Hairdos for the Summer

Maddie & Will decided (after a few VERY warm days) that they were ready to have shorter/thinned out hair....here are the before & after pictures.

Another School Year Has Come to an End

We celebrated the ending of the school year with Field Day this past Friday.  It was a very sunny day which was perfect for the kids.  There were lots of water activities to keep them cool.  Here are some shots of the fun they had. 

We all said goodbye to friends and teachers - until August.  It was a bittersweet day for Alex as she said goodbye for good.  After "working" in the school for the past 6 years, I shed a few tears as I said goodbye & good luck to our retiring teachers and principal.

Will - second from left

Alex - 2nd from left

Will - holding his own at the end of the line

Maddie just got a cup of water dumped on her!

 Let Summer Begin!!

All About Alex

Alex has had a very busy month of May!  There were a lot of End of the Year Activities - esp for the 5th graders as they prepare to bump up to the middle school next year.

First was the All District Academic Meet.  While her team didn't fare to well, I am proud of her for stepping outside her comfort zone and giving it a try. 

Another activity was the Student Council trip to the Animal Shelter to donate items they collected.  Alex really wanted to bring this "vampire" cat home with her.  It was easy to say no!

The last two weeks have proven to be absolutely crazy - esp. in 5th grade terms!  3 big projects due, the 5th grade day long picnic/field trip, the patrol day long field trip, a day at the Wax Museum (see below) and 5th Grade Recognition!  After tomorrow, we can breath easy again!

 

Alex chose to be Bethany Hamilton for the Wax Museum.  She enjoyed getting to know her better through research.  We had fun putting together the simple outfit - thank you to Aunt Debbie for supplying the wetsuit.

Camp Abe Lincoln - a day of fun activities for the 5th grade class.  Archery, Ga Ga Ball & Canoeing!

 We ended our 5th grade year with the 5th Grade Recognition.  It was a lovely ceremony with little fanfare. 

Alex & Lena - What wonderful friends!



Being honored for academics

Receiving her certificates

Listening to Mrs Watts list her activities

Alex with retiring principal, Mr. Ghinazzi

Alex with her teacher Mrs. Watts

Another school year come and gone.  Two kids in Middle School next year, two at Roosevelt.  I am so proud of Alex.  She struggled greatly at the beginning of the year between "new math" and her best friend moving to a different school district.  Thanks to her wonderful teacher, Alex has gained a confidence that I still can't believe some days!  I pray that this confidence carries right over to Wilson next August!

The Charlie Brown Soapbox Car

Matt decided to step out of his comfort zone this past winter and take on a huge job...building a soapbox car. 

We bought the kit / supplies in March and Matt went to work on the project a few weeks later.  There were detailed instructions and he sat and read them a few times before each next step.  He was overwhelmed a couple of times but trudged ahead...making mistakes at times but doing really well all things considered.  Due to work constraints, weather and other commitments, Matt had very little time over the past 2 months to really work on the car.  He put in many hours after the kids went to bed. 

While he joked that he would name the car, "Flames of Glory" (because he hoped it wouldn't go UP in flames of glory)!...he secretly prayed that the tires wouldn't fall off or the frame would fall apart after a run or two.

The week leading up to the race was full of activities for end of the school year stuff...as well as a LOT of rain!  Matt had to call in the race coordinator to help with a few things.  Greg saw the car and told Matt that he was in great shape, especially considering this was his first car.  The kids helped him sand down the sides Friday night so he could paint the next morning.  Saturday morning was VERY humid and VERY wet.  This rather put a damp on the paint party.  In Matt's words, "Painted the whole thing this morning . . . 5 coats of spray paint in 2 hours -- wet coat on wet coat on wet coat on tacky coat on tacky coat -- that's how I roll. The thing is probably still sticky to the touch."  When Matt took the tape off to reveal the black stripe, Will says, "No offense Dad, but this looks better than I thought it would".

We loaded up the car and headed over to Homewood Evangelical Church to finish up a few items (steering column and front axle) and to weigh in.

We left the car there overnight...

The next day was a beautiful, sunny day!  We headed over after church to participate in the 5th Annual Soapbox Car Derby. 

All of the racers took a practice run.  Will was ready for his first run.  Unfortunately, he was "sitting" on his brake to give him leverage to stay in the seat.  When the stake was released, Will's brake was dragged across the ramp and broke off.  In Matt's words, "After joking for days that I would be happy if the wheels and/or sides wouldn't fall off Will's soapbox car, it was a little disheartening to hear, "His brake fell off!" on his very first trial run of the car."

Notice the piece of wood at the bottom of the ramp...his brake!!

Looking backwards when told his brake fell off!!

After some frantic calls by the announcer...Yelling at Will to face forward and go straight....yelling at those at the finish line that Will had no way to stop...Will made it safely to the finish line and he was soon brought back up to starting zone.

With the help of a few friends, they quickly got to work on putting the brake system back together and Will was able to race in the remaining heats.

Ever a good sport - shaking the hand of the winner

The girls got a bit bored by the end of the day (we were there for 5 hours).  Luckily, they had friends there to hang out with and cheer on. 

Racing Will's car!

 While it was a very long, tiring day...it was also a very rewarding day!  Will & Matt did a wonderful job with their car and they really enjoyed their time together on race day as well.  They already have ideas bouncing around in their heads for next year's race!  I am very proud of my boys.  They did something they thought they couldn't do...and did it well.