A nice Saturday

Today was a nice Saturday.
Cooper was out of town with her Girl Scout troop visiting the Kansas Cosmosphere.
Chad was golfing in the Polar Open. (not very Polar outside this year)
Campbell had a birthday party to attend in the afternoon.
I enjoyed the peace and quiet, a good movie, and some alone time.
Today was a nice Saturday.

Spoiled?

I like to spend my afternoons doing a little of this.
Does this make me spoiled?

Hunger Games Movie

I have read all 3 books in the Hunger Games series. My friend Michelle has also read all the books. So it was set that we would go see the movie as soon as it was released. We thought it would be a girls night out, but our husbands surprised us by tagging along. It was nice to have a double date out for dinner, drinks, and a good movie. The movie was good, long, and filled with scenes your imagination couldn't possibly have created. Though I thought it left out a few important details, it was still good to see it come to the big screen. Now to wait for the next movie.

Dr. Visit

Today was Campbell's dr. visit to prepare for Kindergarten. Although she said she didn't want to go, full knowing she would have to get shots, once we were there she was fine. She is such a funny little girl, full of inquiries, stories, and silliness. She is quite bright and loves to show her skills. She passed everything with flying colors. She then listened intently to the nurse who was going to give her the 3 shots she needed. Campbell did exactly what the nurse asked of her and didn't shed a tear. She was my brave girl that day! Now she is all set to go to Kindergarten this Fall.

Old Town in Abilene, KS

Spring Break 2012

With a rainy forecast, there wasn't too much the kids could do to keep themselves occupied over Spring Break. So today Michelle and I took all 4 girls to Abilene to Old Town.

Old Town being the old western cowboy way of life from yester years. We ate lunch at the Hitching Post. (Chosen for the great name, thus the last name of Michelle & her girls.) We then took a ride on the CW Parker Carousel. Which is a hundred year old hand carved wooden horse carousel. We shopped the cute small town shops and made our way to the Bankes Drug Store. In the back of the drug store is an old fashioned ice cream/soda fountain shop. The girls got a kick out of the 7 stool counter. They watched intently as their sweet treats were being prepared in 50's & 60's glassware. It was a fun afternoon, doing something different than the norm, and making memories with the girls.


Cooper and her cookie dough shake.


I can see these 4 girls hanging out at the ice cream shop a lot!

St. Patrick's Day apart

St. Patrick's Day is usually spent down in Aggieville, amongst the crowds of people gathered for the parade. Our girls getting many kind compliments on how they must be irish cuties with their red hair, fair skin, and blue eyes. This year though, things were different.

Chad and Cooper ventured out on their father/daughter trip (their last father/daughter trip was to Germany when she was 3 to visit his parents) to San Francisco. Cooper wanted to go there for her 10th birthday (Nov. 2, 2012) but with a free schedule and a gift voucher to use up, we decided Spring Break would be the best time. They had their 4 day trip all mapped out and were filled with excitement.

Meanwhile, Campbell and I set off up north to Iowa to visit my dad and Marie. We enjoyed the weekend helping unpack, shop, and just visiting about life. We shared the pics and texts we received from Chad & Cooper with dad & Marie. It was fun to hear what they were doing.

Campbell and I returned home on Monday afternoon, but Chad and Cooper weren't arriving home until Tuesday night. Upon their arrival, we got to hear all about the fantastic trip, see all the photos and videos, and hear all the stories they had to share. I know it wasn't our usual St. Patrick's Day together, but it was a great weekend making memories the girls will have forever.


On our rainy drive home Monday afternoon, we came across this horse and carriage mode of transportation out on the lonely Kansas highways.

Getting ready for Kindergarten

Today Campbell had an appointment for an eye exam. Always a good thing to do before starting Kindergarten. We had no idea when we took Cooper (4 years ago) that she needed glasses, so it came as a complete surprise. This time around we were prepared for anything. Campbell passed with flying colors! No glasses needed. Check one thing off the list.

Sneak Peak

Campbell has been taking dance class once a week for 45 minutes. The end result being a dance recital. There are 2 songs the girls (ages 5-6 years old) are to perform to. Now at home Campbell loves to sing and dance. She gets her "shakin her booty" from her dad. But at dance class it seems to be a different story. The girls in the class all seem to have the gift of gab and for 2 college student teachers it isn't easy to contain them. But nonetheless, they have taught the girls the routine to both songs. Today was a sneak peak day, where parents could watch and take photos. We can't wait for her recital in April.

Butterflies

A special opportunity came to Manhattan, it was a butterfly exhibit. It set up shop in the mall. Classrooms could take field trips there, watch videos, do crafts, and of course see real live butterflies. Best part was you could purchase the caterpillars and take them home and watch the butterfly life cycle.

I decided to teach my homeschool student, W, about butterflies at this time and Campbell's preschool class took a field trip to the exhibit. One afternoon I thought it would be great to have Campbell and W both go to the butterfly exhibit and check it out. It was a huge success and both kids enjoyed holding the butterflies.

Cooper's Science Fair Project

Cooper's teacher required everyone in class to do a Science Fair project. This project would be submitted in the Wamego Science Fair for judging. It was a well thought out plan and a lot of scheduled deadlines. Much work on everyone's part (mom & dad included.)

Cooper chose the question: Does the temperature of a tennis ball affect it's bounce? She researched the topic at school. She learned all about each part of the experiment. She purchased her supplies. She performed the experiment and recorded the results. She graphed the results and typed all her information. I helped her put her Science board together. She was thrilled with the outcome. So was her teacher and judges. She won a purple ribbon - highly superior - at the first night of judging and then won a red ribbon - second place - on the day of judging. She also received a medal for participating. It was a very rewarding process and she learned a lot and was very proud of herself. We are so proud of her too.

Concert (take 2)

When George Strait canceled his concert last Saturday night, it was a huge disappointment. Thankfully, he rescheduled for tonight. Problem was Chad could not attend the concert with me. Luckily, through a lot of work & rushing around, my sister was able to go to the concert with me.

It was a fun (hysterical) night of sisterly fun. The concert was fantastic! Martina McBride played again. George Strait was feeling much better and put on an excellent performance. The crowd was pleased and I was happy to be able to make it back.

Thanks for going Kelly. It's always fun hanging out with my lil sister.