Double Digits

How did my little curly-cued blonde, with the pretty blue eyes and sassy mouth become 10?  Every mom says "It just doesn't seem possible", or "It feels like just yesterday she was a baby".  It seems to me that it has been 10 years...a very full and busy 10 years!  Not only has this girl moved between KS and AR twice, she's made lasting friendships in both states.  She's also become a beautiful dancer, stayed a straight A student, and mastered the art of animal lover.  All in her short 10 years.  She still enjoys playing with her American Girl dolls, and can craft even her Momma under the table!  Her kind and empathic heart has faired her well, although she's learning that sometimes those traits can break her heart.  It's been a pleasure to watch her grow and mature into the young lady that she has become.  And although this Momma gets small glimpses into the future of what the teenage years may look like, I don't dwell there.  Because living in the present and soaking up the memories right now with my 10 year old are what is most important.  And my 10 year old will be the first to remind me of that!

Spring Break Part One

Our little family drove to KS for a week of spring break fun.  Our first few days were spent in Wichita with Nana, Papa and the Hoopers.  Playing with cousins, building shelves and eating, as well as chatting and playing ball made the time fly by quickly.  Here are a few pics of mine.  We are missing a few that are on Geoff's phone...

 Claire celebrated her birthday while in KS...two different times!  She was excited about all her gifts.

 Landon and Laney having a little screen time.

 Claire and Lucy having a little screen time too.

 Geoff and Landon having a little screen time...see a pattern?  Actually everyone played a lot without screens.  I could only get pics of them while they were being still!  Imaginations and games take over when these children are together.  I just liked this pic because they are both wearing green Under Armor shirts.  Like father, like son...

 Feeding the ducks...aren't they cute?

 More feeding the ducks...the ducks were all named by the end of this buffet!

Landon FINALLY lost his front top tooth just as we were getting ready to head to Pilsen.  YAY!

Spring Variety Show

The Fourth Grade presented a Spring Variety Show this week for staff and parents.  They children sang patriotic songs, played "boomwhackers" and recorders.  It was fun to listen to their success after all the hard work!

Rise and Shine

Landon's class had their turn at rise and shine right before Groundhog Day.  They each gave a tidbit of information about compound words or groundhog (notice it's a compound word) day.  Then, with the help of this Mommy, sang and danced to "Groundhog Style" i.e. Gangham Style.  It was so cute to watch, and they had the whole student body up and moving!  Landon did great!

And then it FINALLY snowed

We didn't get much of the white stuff this year.  I'm hoping that I am not jinxing ourselves by posting this!  What you see is what we got...not even a missed day of school (which is a miracle in these parts)!

Tanyard Creek

One of our favorite places to hike and explore is Tanyard Creek.  It's a lovely, privately funded nature area with trails, a waterfall and easy access to the creek that runs through it.  The kids and I enjoyed a Saturday afternoon in the warm, early-spring sun several weeks ago.

Playing Catch Up

So I am playing catch up.  These posts will be in no particular order...only the order I get the pictures off my phone!  Living life and enjoying the special moments...

Landon's Valentine box.  He got creative again this year, and we had fun putting it together.  I didn't get a pic of Claire's, she made hers into an iPad.  Surprise, surprise...  I helped with both classroom parties and had a blast.  It was a little bittersweet for Claire as she realized that would be the last classroom party she would have.  Growing up is a realization that has positive and negative feelings for her.  This was one of the negatives.

Claire's dance competition season is in full swing.  She is doing six dances this year, including her duet.   She is, of course, loving every minute of it.  And it makes a Mom happy to hear people say how obvious it is that Claire loves to dance when she is on stage.  Photos from top:  Claire in her duet, Claire in her lyrical dance (she's the one in front with perfect form), the whole ATD company after winning 1st overall for their production, several members of her musical theatre dance Wonderland, where she plays Alice.

Landon played basketball for the first time this winter.  Although not his favorite sport, as he will tell you, he learned quickly and improved throughout the short season.  Now that a few weeks have passed he says he would like to try again next year.  I love his spirit and determination.  He bounces right back (well, after he's had a couple days to get over it)!  Now we are moving on to baseball.  And maybe tennis.  And have I mentioned he'd like to try karate?  hahaha