Little Webelo

Quinn graduated to the next level in Cub Scouts today!  We now have a Webelo in the house.  I have always thought that Webelo was an odd name for a rank considering that the previous ranks were Lions, Wolves, and Bears so I looked it up.  Apparently, it stands for We'll (we) - Be (be) - Loyal (lo) - Scouts (s) 

~ Webelos

Here the boys were lined up receiving all of the awards that they worked so hard on all year.

They were just given the medal for earning the SuperNova award, this was a pretty cool one.  They worked a long time on it.

At the end of the award ceremony, the Den leaders applied face paint to signify the advancement of the boys to the next rank. 

We are really happy that he decided to stick with Scouts another year.  Quinn's favorite part of Scouts is being outside and once Winter rolls along and the days become shorter and colder, the weekly den meetings move indoors and can get pretty boring for the boys.  It is right about then that he declares that he doesn't want to be in scouts the next year.  

But...he made it through another year and is looking forward to his new rank and 4th grade!

Date Night

 We went to a wedding...in Iowa...without the kids.  If you know us, this NEVER happens.  Jeff's longtime friend Cliff Smith got married so we had to go, even though it pushed us out of our 'stay at home' comfort zone.

The invite said "Formal" so we actually had to be super fancy.  Jeff went out and bought a really nice suit, who knew he could clean up so well. ;)  I had a great time trying on dresses that had no place in my normal routine,  it was fun!

We made sure to get to the hotel with plenty of time to spare, mainly so I could figure out my hair and Jeff could learn the right way to tie a tie.  It sounds so silly, but when getting this dressed up isn't something you do literally ever, we needed all the time we could get.

I was excited that my hair turned out despite the humidity, it was the rainiest day ever.

The wedding had to be moved indoors because of the weather, thankfully the accommodations were gorgeous!

 

We were so FANCY!!!!!

The Ceremony ~ Cliff & Lia Smith

Old Friends :D

Wedding Selfie

Track & Field - 3rd Grade

This is a whole day event for the kids at McKinley Elementary and I am pretty sure all of the parents are here.  All. Of. Them.  Literally, you have to park blocks and blocks away and there are just as many parents as there are kids standing around.  I will say, this school knows how to make Track & Field day a ton of fun for the kids.  The only thing missing is ribbons, oh how I loved winning a 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th or even 5th place ribbon as a child.  At least they can still win, it is just as a class rather than on an individual basis. 

I was able to watch for about 2 hours this year and showed up just after Quinn's class won the Tug-o-War.  You could hear the cheers and yells as far as I was away (remember...blocks and blocks).  Here is Quinn posing with the plaque that his class will hold until next year.

This is Mrs. Magee, Quinn's teacher.  He spends half of the day with her focusing on Reading and Writing and the Arts and the other half of the day with Mr. Hirte (who he LOVES) and they work on Math, History & Science.

I thought that I had taken a lot of pictures of this day, but as it turns out they were mostly videos.  This is a still shot of Quinn getting ready to do his part of the relay race., (The video will not play).  As it turns out, Quinn's class won the relay as well and earned a Golden Shoe that will keep the Tug-O-War plaque company in their classroom.  Way to go 3rd graders!!!

Quinn earned a BLUE in ALL events!!  Way to go Quinny!

It's fun to think that next year Luke will be here too and I will have to split my time between both boys!

Mother's Day 2019

We took my Mom to the Landscape Arboretum this year on Mothers day.  We had a nice time.

The plan was to get there early, long before they were open to the public because the parks are still open for walking...but you aren't required to pay for admission.  But...Google maps led us on a 1-hour detour around Lake Minnetonka.  It was insane and by the time we finally made it they were officially open and we had to pay for access.  That was fine but then we also realized that the detour was completely unnecessary, had we just taken a left rather than a right an hour earlier.  We were happy to have finally made it and eager to get out of the car.  

Also as soon as we entered the park, we realized that we did not take the late Spring into account when planning this day.  Nothing was in bloom except for the daffodils and a few varieties of tulips.  But there was enough color for a few photos!

Inside the conservatory, there was an orchid garden and this funny plant lady.

Paige photo-bombed our selfie, and it made the picture THAT much better.

We still had fun though exploring some new trails in the wetlands and came across a whole bunch of turtles sunning themselves on a log.

Paige insisted that we walk a loop that had the word Duck in the name, the wood duck I believe.  Because she loves ducks.  It turned out to be the highlight of the morning when Grandma sunk into the mud and got her shoes super dirty.  We couldn't stop laughing, she was so sad.  We were trying to cross a muddy part of the path and she decided to hop on logs to avoid the mess, it did not work.

The woods were really pretty though even with the mud.

On the way out, we found this cool art-like garden sculpture that was being built.

We ended up staying so long that we missed the farmers market and just went to Panera for lunch and shopped a little at Bachman's Nursery.  I guess we will have to go flower shopping (a Mother's Day tradition) another day.  

Happy Mothers's Day!!

We did it!

Well, we made it through our first full school year after our move and I have to say it went so much better that I anticipated.  Paige has made so many new friends and is really growing into her new middle school role at Roosevelt.  She was able to make the "B" honor roll consistently for the entire year too!  Quinn has also had a great year at McKinley, found a few new friends and has adjusted seamlessly in his new school, great grades as well!  We are so proud of both of them.  Luke has spent his year at a new preschool, White Pine Childcare, and it has been great to have him go to a place that he loves and has lots of friends.  Of course if he can't be at home, his favorite place to be is still at his Granny's house.

Here are pictures of Paige and Quinn on the first day of school last Fall. (Paige in 6th grade & Quinn in 2nd grade)

 

 

And now on the last day.....

 

 

 

 

 

Quinn's teacher this year, Mrs. Overbo, was so wonderful.  She actually lives in Shoreview and Paige went to elementary school with her son Will.  It turned out to be a really nice bridge into a new school, almost like we brought a little piece of Shoreview with us.  She sent us this poem yesterday, and it is so very true and a great reminder to enjoy the time we have with our kids while they are small because it won't last forever.

~~~

You spend a lifetime trying to get them off the ground.

You run with them until you are both breathless.

They crash, they hit the rooftop.

You patch and you comfort, 

You adjust and you teach.

You watch them lifted by the wind and assure them that someday they'll fly.

Finally they are airborne, and they need more string and you keep letting it out.

But with each twist of the ball of twine there is a sadness that goes with the joy.

The kite becomes more distant and you know that it won't be long before that string will snap and the lifeline that holds you together will no longer be the same.

A child, as a kite, must be prepared to soar, 

As they are meant to soar, free and alone, 

To the greatest extent possible.

And only then can we collectively say that we have done our job.

--Anonymous

 

 

 

Aveda Child's Garden

When Luke was 2 1/2 it became time for him to attend a real preschool in addition to his loving care that he had been getting so far from his Granny.  Lucky for us, Aveda had room and I was thrilled!  Since Paige attended and Grandma of course worked there, we are so comfortable with their incredible care and teaching.  I tried and tried to find a spot there for Quinn but it just never worked out, I guess 2 out of 3 attending at a center reserved only for employees isn't too bad?

 

Like I said, Aveda was such an easy choice and Luke did so well there.  And he was able to stay there until he turned four, so for nearly a year and a half.  I know we will both miss it. On Luke's last day emotions were high, his teacher Kamaria was so sweet and stayed strong so I could too...Luke was oblivious.  It sounds crazy, but this was my last baby, moving on from a wonderful place that he had simply outgrown.  We knew it was time, but it was still hard.  A few days after we left, Kamaria shared with me a few pictures she took of Luke at school and I am so happy that she did.

 

 

Kamaria, Luke's teacher.

 Lorie Dahlheimer, the director.

 

 

Trick-or-treating on Halloween with the employees.

End of an Era

Today is June 8th, 2017 and it is the last day that my kids will attend Turtle Lake Elementary.  Bittersweet to say the least.  It feels like yesterday that Paige started kindergarten, and today she has completed 5th grade and will be moving on to middle school in the Fall.  If that isn't a big enough of a transition on its own, we are also moving to Ham Lake this Summer so a new school district all together. There are so many emotions, at least for me.  I think Paige feels them too. 

Quinn has attended Turtle Lake for only one year since his kindergarten was at the Snail Lake Kindergarten Center...his roots don't run quite as deep.  I asked him if he was excited for today or sad.  He said he was sad because he wished school was already done for the Summer.  Well then.

I volunteered today at the school to help in the 5th grade fun day and final send off.  In fact I have to leave again in just a few minutes so I can see the entire school clap them out.  I guess that all of the children and staff from all of the grades and departments step into the hall and applaud the 5th graders as they parade the school for the final time as 5th graders.  I honestly am not sure I can handle it but I am going to go.  It is good to feel all of this, its just so important.

I am quite emotional about today, it really caught me off guard.  I just came across this little photo in my Facebook feed of Paige's last day of Kindergarten.  She is still the same kid, yet so very different.

 

I was limited today at the photos that I could take due to the district photo policy but I was able to take a few to capture some memories for Paige.  The school did an excellent job of making these kids feel special and celebrate their accomplishments.  Here are a few of the photos from the gym, the PTA and parent volunteers did a great job decorating for the beach bash theme!

 

 

Yearbook signing with her friend, Kate.

 

Tug-o-war!!!

 A quick selfie with me before my time was up.

 

Now it's time to go so I can get to the school in time to cry some more, the final clap out.

 

To be continued....