April...gone in a flash!

This month has been jammed full of exciting happenings in our house!

April 2nd we started teaching our first classes at STARBASE.  Our days are jammed with science experiments and learning.  Each day, I am completely exhausted and happy happy happy!

Our ribbon cutting was April 19th and we had some very prestigious guests including Montana's First Lady Nancy Schweitzer and Brigadier General Quinn.  Both KRTV and KFBB covered the day!

Over the last several months the girls have been preparing a science experiment for the STEM Expo.  That same weekend the girls set up their displays and joined hundreds of other kids in sharing their science discoveries. 

Last Monday they auditioned for the Missoula Children's Theaters performance of the Tortoise and the Hare.  They both got parts and spent every night last week rehearsing after school until 8!  It was a tough week but it was all worth the time and effort.  The neighbor's son had the lead role and all of those involved did an amazing job.

Now it's raining and the girls want to go out for a bike ride!  I guess I need to roll....

Amazing Racers

I learned a lesson today...

I learned that it takes about 20 times more effort to plan an Amazing Race Birthday Party than it takes the racers to finish!

First of all, the race had to be indoors because of the monsoon we were having. 

We had fun walking home from the last day of school.

Thank goodness for good sports and great help !

We got right to it.

Explained the rules, handed out team bandannas, and started running around the house.

We had detours, roadblocks, and challenges.

I even had an extra challenge for the older kids, thinking it would slow them down some.

What a fun crew! 

The only problem is that they finished in under a half hour!

Now what?

My wonderful neighbor Dyana was Simon for awhile...

then she made a scavenger hunt for them and we sent the teams out in the rain.

They had to find different leaves, lilac, "banana seeds", etc.

Somewhere in there we had cake and ice cream

It was a blur...kind of like my photos...a bit blurry from running around trying to keep up!

It was wild, 

crazy,

fast,

fun,

and it's over!

I think its time to retire from the big birthday parties!

Girls Sharing Day

Every other week the girls get to share in Kyndra's class..and every other week the boys get to share.  Last week Kyndra informed me that she wanted to play her fiddle for sharing next time.  I was surprised, and honestly didn't think she was serious.  By Monday she had it all planned out...which songs to play, when I should bring her fiddle, and what she was going to tell her classmates.

Anybody who knows my little girl knows what a big step this is for her.  She has played for her classes ever since Kindergarten but Landon and Peg have always been with her.  Even as I was walking into her classroom today I had a knot in my throat thinking of all the times she hid behind my legs and wouldn't talk. I was scared for her!  You bet I was!  But she did it!  She told a little about her instrument, lessons, and practicing then began to play.  The video is bouncy because I was watching the other students' reactions and giving her a thumbs up every now and then...grinning from ear to ear the entire time.



It's a brave new world for this brave little girl.  I'm so proud of you Kyndra Lyn!

Gingerbread Houses

Mom and I met in Kyndra's classroom today to make a gingerbread house with her.

Can you believe that pile of candy?

This is one brave teacher!

Cool idea or what?

Somebody made a huge tub of home made icing so there was plenty to go around.

I put a glop into a plastic bag and we used it as a funnel.

I love the milk cartons.

Kyndra was very organized and clean...shocker.

I should have taken some more pictures of the other masterpieces.

Some of the boys creations were hilarious.

Finished product.

I'd say about 1/3 of the candy was left.

She said they eat on it until February....um....eewww!

Wallowa Fiddle Tunes...First Days

Our week at fiddle camp is over already. As I was looking at over 300 pictures tonight I realized it may have been a good idea to make daily posts.

It's not that I didn't have Internet access.

It's not that I wasn't taking pictures.

There were plenty of stories to tell.

I was just too dang busy!

When I wasn't busy I was too dang tired!

Our first couple of days days looked a little like this:

Around the camper getting ready for the day's work.

Avery had a nice small class that seemed to be just right for her skill and personality.

I was chewing my nails after seeing Kyndra and Landon's class...

the size

the age

the level

scared me a bit.

I waited until lunch...

and chewed more nail...

and watched with amazement.

I can't wait to tell more!

Kyndra's Amazing Birthday Race

I am too tired to tell the story...I'll let the photos do it for me.