Sunday, June 5, 2011

Lictherman Nature Center

On May 17th, Ben, Emmy and myself went to the free day at the local Nature Center with some friends. Even though the center is big, we spent most of our time in the children's area. The kids loved looking at the fish, frogs, spiders and other animals that you can find in your backyard. The kids also walked through the butterfly exhibit that had an absence of butterflies.

They really enjoyed playing a matching game with me with the wooden tiles. The kids also thought it was pretty neat to go down a few steps and be eye level with the fish underwater.

There was a kind worker there who Ben became best friends with. The man invited us to go to the top of the pond while he feed the fish. He even gave the kids each a handful of food to throw to the fish. Ben then went on to ask this man a large amount of questions about the pond, fish etc.

As we were leaving, the worker showed us a snake exoskeleton and a spider exoskeleton. He also got out a hissing cockroach and a snake for the kids to touch. Once again, Ben was there to ask lots of questions. He kept asking the man to put the snake down on the ground. His request was denied. Emmy loved touching the cockroach and the snake. She had no hesitancy at all and was one of the first to touch both the roach and the snake while Ben was a little nervous.

Overall, it was a beautiful day to go to the nature center. The weather wasn't too hot and the kids behaved (other than Ben being anti-pictures, but that is nothing new). We have already taken Brandon back with us and plan to Hyrum back to explore the Nature Center.

Friday, June 3, 2011

Hyrum's Kindergarten Graduation

On May 20th, was Hyrum's Kindergarten graduation. Hyrum's class, along with two other Kindergarten classes at the school performed some very cute songs that they learned in their music class during the school year.The program started with the students singing I Like to Eat Apples and Bananas. Next they sang Days of the Week and then went on a Bear Hunt.

The kids then sang the Months of the Year and did Macarena actions. The kids continued the Macarena actions into the Chicken Dance song that led into the Itsy Bitsy Spider and then Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes.

To finish the program, the kids sang a cute song about counting to ten in Spanish. It had a fun Spanish flare and Hyrum told me it was his favorite song.Each of the students from the three classes was recognized and given around of applause.The program was really cute and the kids did a fantastic job. I won't lie, I was an emotional baby watching Hyrum during the program.

I loved how Hyrum was trying to be so serious, but you could tell that his smile was just itching to sneak on his face. I loved how I was able to pick out Hyrum's voice out of the crowd.For the most part, Hyrum has enjoyed Kindergarten. He was able to go to an ice cream party towards the end of the year because he was noticed for making good choices and helping others out. Hyrum has grown so much this year. He does such a great job in Math. He is a fantastic reader. Brandon and Hyrum have recently started to read a chapter book together which Hyrum has loved. Hyrum has learned far to many things of the world this year, however as parents, we have had many opportunities to teach him and reinforce what he already knows.

We couldn't have asked for a better teacher for Hyrum. Mrs. Crossett walks on water in Hyrum's eyes. She also has great things to say about Hyrum including what a good student and friend that he is to others. Earlier in the year, she called him her honest student if I remember correctly. She also commented on what good manners he has. It made me feel so good that at least some of my teaching to him had an impact.Hyrum with his friends Cortney and Calvin and Mrs. Crossett.I wanted to take a picture of Hyrum and Brandon together since they both graduated on the same day.
Hyrum thought that it was so cool to be checked out from school and taken to a special lunch at CiCi's pizza that was just for him.We are so lucky to have Hyrum in our family. He is such a sweet boy. I can't believe he is going to be in first grade next year. He has grown so fast. Quite often I have to do a double take because it is hard for me to believe that he is my little boy who loved to play with cars all day long. Hyrum is very thoughtful and considerate of others. He can be quite the helper around the house when he wants to be. Hyrum is a fantastic older brother. Ben and Emmy think Hyrum hung the moon. We ALL love our Handsome Hyrum.

Preschool Graduation

On May 16th, Ben and Emmy had their graduation from preschool.Ben was quite the ham during the program. Emmy was a little shy and hesitant, however she did participate softly and quietly. I knew she knew the songs since she sings them all the time at home; especially the Spanish ones.

They started the program off by singing their song Hello, Hello that they sing every morning when they come to school.They also recited 12 Articles of the 13 Articles of Faith (they didn't practice number 13).

The kids also sang their holiday songs, 5 Little Pumpkins, Turkey Dinner, Albaturkey, Away in a Manger. All the songs, were completed with hand actions.
During the program, the kids also sang ABC's and As I Have Loved You in Sign Language.The kids also sang the Days of the Week and Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes, in English and Spanish.

The kids recited the months of the year, stated the vowels and counted to 100 during the program. The kids also demonstrated their pattern skills.Ben had to run and give me a hug in the middle of the program and asked me if he was doing a good job. I assured him that he was doing a fantastic job. He was too funny.

Ben and Emmy have loved every minute at school. I think going to school makes them feel like one of the big kids. They have loved their teacher and their friends at school. Ben and Emmy have each grown in so many ways. Both Ben and Emmy are great readers for their age and are smart in other areas. I am so grateful for my sweet Ben and my cute Emmy. I am so happy that I have one more year with them home with me before they go to Kindergarten. I am hoping this next year slows down.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

HOT, HOT, HOT

It has already been so hot lately here in Memphis and it is only the beginning of summer. Last Saturday, we set up the kiddie pool outside and turned on the sprinklers for the kids to play in. Brandon also went and got water balloons and we had a great time having a family water fight. It was perfect on such a hot day.
Also, earlier this week, I took the kids to the Sprinkler Park that we love to frequently visit during the summer. The kids had a great time and loved every minute. Ben insisted on wearing his goggles. Hyrum had fun waiting for the sprinkler to shoot his cup high up in the air. The kids were thrilled when there were some nice people at the park who shared a couple of water balloons with them. Even thought it was really hot, it was a great day. When I said it was time to leave no one complained and everyone was happy while we were there. I decided to stop by Sonic on the way home during Happy Hour and get a nice cool drink to help us cool off. It was a great way to end a super hot day!

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Hyrum's Fun Run

In the month of May, Hyrum's school did a fun run. Basically it is a fundraiser for the school. Hyrum was so excited to tell us about the fun run. He thought he was so cool when he called his Grandma and Grandpa T. and Grandma and Papa B. to see if they would contribute. He earned money for his school for each lap he ran.

Hyrum was so excited when it was finally the day of the race and he got to wear his fun run shirt. Brandon, Emmy and Ben and I went to cheer on Hyrum while he ran, we even made signs. Below is a picture of Hyrum and his class coming through the tunnel just before the race began.It was so much fun watching Hyrum run. He took the race very seriously. At the end of each lap, they would get a mark on their shirt. Hyrum almost filled up his shirt, he ran 34 laps out of a total of 35.It was a hot and humid day, but we had a great time supporting and cheering on our Handsome Hyrum.

The Mighty Mississippi

As many of you have heard, the might Mississippi river has expereinced record breaking flooding during the month of May. One of the nights, we grabbed a pizza and headed downtown to see the river and spend some time together as a family.I couldn't believe how much it had flooded. From what I heard on line, the flood reached record breaking levels of flooding. It was fun to hear the kids comments about the flooding and the concern they had about the water level. The Mud Island area I have taken the kids to in the past was under water as well as other historic areas of downtown. I was surprised to see people playing in the water when only a few feet down the river was a huge dead finish as well as other floating things in the already dirty water.It was a fun to spend time together as a family and notice the historic event.