Under Cover Agent-baby

She's not going to like that I am blowing her cover on the blog, but the undercover agent in this picture is actually BGM! Her sister sent us this picture of her (truthfully it was her photo editing job) with her mullet and sunglasses and apparently she is going by the name MacGruber.

Master Builder

This little guy has always been great at building without any instructions at all.  This barn with two horse stalls is very symmetrical and the colors are even in patterns.  Needless to say we have our money's worth out of these Duplo blocks - all three kids love to build with them.

Learning Fair 2013

Look at this crazy expression! This little girl is showing us her Learning Fair exhibit, "Float or Sink? What do you Think?" Abby had fun dropping things in a tub of water to find out what would happen and then learning why they did float or sink.  There were lots of great exhibits even though participation was completely voluntary.

Jaws...Kindergarten Style

The kindergarten classes have been learning a lot about the ocean.  What most people do not know is that an ordinary toilet paper roll can become your very own shark. ARM brought home this cute little guy that she made at school and I told her a little bit about a movie called "Jaws" after her dad "sang" the famous music from it.  She says she is not ready to see it just yet....

Messy Play Day at the Library

Whoever thought up "Messy Play Day" was a genius.  What a hit for the kids, and the parents, too! In this picture, EMM was having fun making designs on the table with shaving cream.  BGM was not as into this project because she does not like to be messy and kept asking to have her hands wiped.  Not EMM!

Good Find

Love seeing these two play together... On a recent trip to the craft store, they collected flowers that were on the floor of the store and tossed them in the cart.  The saleslady told them they could just keep them and they sure were happy! Now...time to make hats!

A Tiny Turtle

EMM has been hard at work again...and this was while his preschool class learned about the letter "T." They read a Franklin story to go with this and from an egg carton, came up with a tiny turtle!  I love those creative preschool craft projects.

Driveway Daredevil

What is one of the best things about the house we are renting? The sidewalks and long driveway! ARM, EMM, and BGM have been racing around on their hot cycles every day it has been warm enough.  And I think when a house is smaller, an outdoor space is so important.  When the house is smaller the kids run outside to play a little faster...or maybe it is their parents shoving them outside the door more often? Either way...the nice covered patio with porch swing and all the sidewalks are being enjoyed A LOT by our kids.  Just watch out when you are outside walking - you may get sideswiped by this boy who can really pick up some speed!

List Maker

I really like how ARM added #8 to this list.  Shouldn't we all?

A Trip to Hawaii

 

Pictured here is ARM wearing her lei from the Hawaii trip she just went on...at school. Their grade had the kids board the plane and took off to the gym, decorated Hawaiian style, and had a bunch of fun activities for the kids.  They loved it!

Egg-citing Day

All three kids had fun dipping and dyeing eggs today.  The youngest wasn't always very gentle when placing the eggs in the mugs, so we did have a few cracked eggs but they look really cool, too.  At the bottom of the PAAS box we found a few sheets of stickers that hadn't been used in years past so this year our eggs had an overabundance of them. 

Sidewalk Beautification Project

One of the best things about the house we are staying in right now is all of the great sidewalk space. The bikes, hotcycles and tricycles are cruising and no one runs out of room when creating chalk masterpieces!

Lego Plane

In his hand, EMM is holding a Lego plane he received as a birthday gift and put together.  This is one Lego loving boy.   

Blocks Rock!

Always building! If this guy grows up to become an architect, it would not surprise me. 

Three Funny Faces

Had so much fun with these little ones during our family game night playing a new game that Evan received for his birthday.  The game is called Funny Faces and we all know that these kids are good at making those!

When I Grow Up...

...I want to be a chef! Here is EMM at school on Career Day in the hat that was a group effort by Dad and Mom. Gram gave him this great apron and we luckily had a mini oven mitt in the house, so he was all set!   When asked why he wanted to be a chef, he said, "I think that would be a pretty easy job." Okay, so he is not extremely motivated at the age of five...we are hoping that changes!

   Another cool thing about him being a chef at school today was that his class was reading the stone soup story - so he really looked ready for the day.  All of the kids had to bring in a vegetable and then cook up their own version, which according to EMM, did not taste very good.

Cupid's Been Here

Yes, our daughter happens to have a major crush on a classmate of hers.  To her credit, she probably did pick the sweetest boy in her class. She told me she picked him because he is the boy that is "the nicest one and never gets in trouble."  Today she came walking out of school with this headband that she made in "art" class and I couldn't help but smile because she was so proud of it.  Her grand plan is to marry him after she finishes college so at least she is getting the order right.

UPDATE: Two days after this headband debuted, she amended this heart to say, "is NOT my boyfriend" since her crush apparently was playing with a different girl at recess!

Our Very Own Leprechaun

We are feeling very lucky that we have this wee little laddie for our very own leprechaun. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Grin and Bear It

"We're going on a bear hunt!"  EMM has LOVED learning this song in preschool.  He talks about it all the time.  In this picture, he looks a little "bare" himself!
Update: after learning this "classic" from Evan's preschool, I spotted the book in mint condition at a yard sale for fifty cents and Brooke loves it.

Brite Discovery at Grandma's House

Guess who found my old Lite Brite? ARM was having fun plugging in lights and it sure would be nice if this toy was still made! They do make them, but not the same.  Apparently the design they have now is terrible and all of the lights just fall out - what a bummer!

Peek!

Fun at the library with blocks!

I'd Celebrate Too...Would You?

March 2nd is a day recognized in many schools in our country because it is the birthday of one amazing author: Dr. Seuss!  EMM's preschool read lots of Dr. Seuss books, played games and made their very own versions of the Cat in the Hat. What is your favorite Seuss book? EMM's is If I Ran the Zoo and ARM likes Wacky Wednesday the best.

New Author's Club

Holding her book "The True Story of Hair" which she wrote and illustrated to tell about donating her hair to Locks of Love, ARM is awaiting her turn to walk up and get her certificate that makes her an official member of the New Author's Club at her school.  She did a great job on her book and we are so very proud of her!

What a Ham!

"Don't play with your food" are words that ARM has never really taken seriously.  At least she eats....

Lego Club

Our library is just the coolest! Ask our kids.  They were there today for Lego Club and they really enjoyed building with several of their buddies (before one of them got sick on the carpet - bummer!). Here is EMM showing off a vehicle that he built at the display table.