Story Board Changes

I have found a way to publish this blog into book form. Therefore, my posts will be more book friendly and less computer friendly... as much as I can do it. I printed off 2006 and really liked how it turned out.
The kids sat for hours flipping through the pages and pictures and reading the stories about their antics of years past. So, I think I'll post stories and pictures of things that I'll want to read again and that the kids will appreciate reading years down the road.





Lyndsi Loo came to stay with us after Wednesday night church... so her bigger siblings could go to Six Flags the next day. We enjoyed our time playing. We also got to go to Thursday night dinner at the Hicks' house... jumped on the trampoline... hit whiffle balls over the house... and basically got dirty until the moon was up. A very large, orange, FULL moon. It was pretty!



I'm not sure where I was going with this post. I just ran across the draft version and realized I had started something and didn't finish it. SURPRISE??
Will add pictures shortly... must move to desktop.

More Pictures... Fun Times...

Courtesy of photographer Lydia!

The only 3 3rd graders to make it to the Million Word Club... those who read at least a MILLION words during the year. All 3 were from Mrs. Carney... she was proud! :)

Bennett receives his Super Citizen award from Mrs. Carney.

Ruth's kindergarten class.... Mrs. June on the left and Mrs. Smith on the right.

Back row: Malachi, Ruth,

3rd Row: Skylar, , Lexi, Katherine,

2nd Row: Kaitlyn, Gloria, , Caleb,

1st Row: David, Jenna

I'll have to add the rest of the names when Ruth is here to help!

Mrs. Hill gives Maggie her "Book Worm" award for always having her nose in a book. :)

The Sunday night rainbow after AWANA awards night.

Bennett with his 3rd and 4th grade TNT boys...

Maggie and her 2nd grade Sparks girls... Mr. Mark, Maggie, Abigail, Anna, Mrs. Laurie, Madison, Ella Randall, Jacey, Mr. Chris.

Ruth and her fellow Sparkies... Grace, Kinsley, Abbey, Sarah, and Ruth.

Lydia and her fellow Cubbies.... and a few Puggles mixed in. This is AJ just in front of her... um, they sort of like each other a lot these days. Not sure what 15 more years will bring. But we sort of like his family too.

Maggie is receiving her choir award for memorizing hymns and verses this year. She got a hymnal with her name engraved on it.

Ruth, receiving her hymnal and award for the choir verses and hymns too.

Bennett and Micah watching the laser show at Stone Mountain. They were mesmerized.

The crazy climber kids from our Stone Mountain Sky Hike trip... Carsen, Alex Anne, Meg, Maggie, Abigail, Micah, Bennett.

Last Day of School

It's the last day of school. Here's the proof.

See the joy? Maggie is actually physically ill... had fever tonight and got good drugs. Will be better by morning! Ruth has had sadness this evening for leaving her favorite kindergarten teacher ever. Tomorrow will be better! Bennett is emotionless. Yep... this is as good as it gets. :)

We've come a long way from the first day of school.

Maggie intentionally wanted to wear the same clothes and do her hair the same way on the 1st and last days.

Winding into Summer

As the school year winds down this week we party and play and start thinking of the fun things we'll do this summer. But first, we must say goodbye to our friends and teachers and schools. It's a fun week. It's a sad week.

Maggie is leaving her primary school to head to the bigger, older, harder, scarier intermediate school. We LOVE the primary school, the staff, the teachers, and it's a big step to go to 3rd grade. We look forward to it and yet we dread it as well. Maggie has had a terrific 2nd grade year. We LOVE Mrs. Hill and how she runs her classroom. Maggie has flourished. She received the "Book Worm" award... her nose is always in a book. She has great friends... Christie, Elvia, Maria, Samantha, Gracie, Nix, John Clayton, Archer, Luke... and more. I really hate for this year to come to an end. But we must. Oh - Maggie is also styling her own hair. She can make her own ponytails and braid them as well. She looks really cute and I always tell people it wasn't by my hand! I can't even braid as well as she does! :) Her plan is to cut off 10 inches and donate to Locks Of Love this summer, before camp. We'll see.

Ruthie is finishing up kindergarten. It seems like a pointless year in August... but then in May I see how much she's changed and what she's learned. She started the year knowing most things a kindergarten student should know. She finishes the year reading second grade material, memorizing math facts, and working on writing sentences. She is a bossy little smarty pants. She makes sure everyone is following directions and tends to repeat instructions to those who might not have heard or understood the first time! Good thing we have her. She has made some great friends this year too... Katherine, Jenna, Cheyenne, Brett, David, Caleb, Tanner, Conner, Skylar, Lexi, Bailey... I hope some of these will be around for several years.

Speaking of friends... Cheyenne is Ruthie's friend who had several strokes a few months back. She ended up in a pretty bad spot and is still in the Children's Hospital. The plan is for her to actually COME HOME next week and rehab. They are looking and asking for financial help to revamp their home to be wheelchair accessible. This is the kind of story you see on TV. I'm sure we'll have good news of great progress soon. We miss Cheyenne!

Bennett had a pretty good 3rd grade year. We all knew it would be new and different and difficult before it ever started. He has a great teacher. I like her style... her structure... her expectations for the kids to DO. I doubt he would agree today, but maybe a year from now. He's gone through some pretty tough spots this year but has worked through it all and has come out a stronger person. I hope it's the last of the overly emotional times... but I doubt it. He is such a sensitive kid... everything bothers him. He's so very literal. We have NO idea what 4th grade holds for him. We know no teachers. We know nothing to expect. I guess that's a good thing. I just need to keep him motivated over the summer. ARGH! Oh, his end of year accomplishments... perfect attendence, Million Word Club (1 of 3 3rd graders), excellent work in Social Studies, and good citizen award for his class. His teacher ROCKS! :)

Lydia is preparing herself to start school in the fall as well. She has finally mastered singing her alphabet and will write her name in her own sort of fashion, when she feels like it. She doesn't identify very many letters or numbers... but she's certainly making progress. She'll be 5 next month. She's planning a swimming party with her friends. I guess I need to work on that!

We took a trip to Stone Mountain Park with a group from our Sunday school class. Lydia and Curtis were still fighting bugs and germs and fever, so they stayed home to rest while I enjoyed the day of playing. The kids got to do the ropes course... Sky Hike. We all rode the tram to the top of the mountain and checked out the view. There was a storm brewing so our sight-seeing was haistened by the conductor's "last call". We all rode the Duck ride on land and water. It was entertaining... but not that exciting. The same "storm" shortened our water part too. We picniced on the lawn and watched the classic Laser Show and fireworks after dark. It was a late night... but the kids had a great time. We were able to take cousin Micah since Bennett would have been the only boy there. We also enjoyed Abigail Butcher, an old school friend. The Jennings, the Baumgardners, and Rebecca all shared in this experience. Good times!!

In this picture... Abigail Butcher, Bennett, Micah, Maggie, Carsen Baugardner, Alex Anne Jennings, Ruthie, Meg Jennings, Sydney Baumgardner.

Stories from Ruth

I am not an organized person. I have never claimed to be an organized person. I will never be an organized person and I am perfectly ok with that. Over the past 4 years, as we've started the whole school thing with one, then two and now three kids, I've collected their goodies. Pictures, paintings, stories, report cards, certificates, crafts, handprints and all those other cute things teachers feel the need to send home have accumulated in this house. I think naturally, we collect and record more of the first child's accomplishments than the kids who follow, but I think I've done a pretty good job of collecting the girls as well! They each have a box where their special papers go. Once they are out of the backpack, looked over and praised... they go to the box. If they aren't in the box... they go in the trash. It's hard to put them in the trash, so sometimes those things happen when the eyes aren't around.

Tonight I was adding to Ruth's box and found lots and lots and LOTS of papers in there. Most of the time I crack the lid and slide in whichever paper was deemed worthy of the box, but tonight I actually lifted the lid and looked. It seems Ruth is proud of ALL her work! Even the Weekly Readers had been placed ever so carefully in the box. So, I decided to thin it out while she was in the tub. What I found were a bunch of papers I don't remember ever seeing to begin with. She has some pretty cute stories. I shall write them here to remember them forever!

The dinosaur livd a log tim a go. Som dinosaur eat met. This story is illustrated with a single green long neck dinosaur. They were studying dinosaurs that week. She even made a paper mache one to go in the box!

She studied plants and flowers several weeks back. This picture has 13 colorful flowers at the top of her page. Each flower is labeled "stem" and "petals" and "roots". The directions under the picture read... Plants need sun. Plants need wotr. Plants need dirt.

Here's another step by step instruction from Chef Ruthie... First, mix the cake. Next, bake the cake. Last, eat the cake. They must have talked about writing steps or instructions because all the words are spelled correctly and the punctuation is there as well.

Here's one from Christmas... a picture of Ruth and Santa (someone who has never really been involved in our family celebrations), Dear Santa, I have been very good. Please bring me a present. Love, Ruthie

If I were a gift, I would be an American Girl doll. I believe this was aided as the last line is written in big girl handwriting.

Christmas is a happy time. Rutie (yes, the 'h' is missing)

My favorite animal is a dog. Ruthie

one of my favorites... I like me! Ruthie and there's a self portrait as well.

Penguins can swim really fast. Ruthie

I am thankful for Jesus. Ruthie

I love my Gramo and my GraPo. I love my mommy. (there was an "and" after mommy that was erased. I'm thinking she realized there wasn't enough room for daddy's name and decided to be done instead of trying to squeeze him in.)

If I had 100 dollars, I would buy a Puy. This has a picture of a spotted puppy, so that's what I think Puy means. :)

The Circus is Very old. The Clowns Came from harseback riding. Ruthie You should see the picture of the clowns on horseback!

My favorite animal is a dog. It is a Mammal. Ruthie

I Want to Ride a ElePhant. - not as exciting as seeing the picture she drew of herself on an elephant.... a pretty good one too.

more instructions... First, put on socks. Next, put on shoes. Last, tie your shoes. Again, the pictures are cracking me up. 3 pictures of herself, the first with dangling "socks" from her hands. The second, dangling socks with strings. And the last... really does have little bow ties on her feet.

Today is Monday. It is almost Thanksgiving. The weather is sunny.

I can see a red dog. Ruthie - 4 dogs in a line- red, blue, spotted, and green.

The mice jumped in the jars to paint.

And my very favorite story I found... My mommy wit on a croos. My daddy wit on a croos. I wavd godbi befor they left.

I have got to figure out a way to scan in the picture!