Kindergarten Goes to the Zoo

Today, Olivia and I went with Grace and the Marion Kindergartners to the Dallas Zoo. The weather was fantastic and since we went on a Monday....there was no one there compared to our other weekend trips! On the trip to the Pumpkin Patch in the Fall, I rode the school bus with the kids but since I had Olivia with me today, I followed along in my car behind the buses - what a great option for a 7 month pregnant lady and her wild 3 1/2 year old!! Olivia wanted to be part of the fun the entire day, and even wore her sisters Marion t-shirt. Below is a rare moment when Grace and Olivia were together. We were very careful not to embarrass Grace tooo much with our being there!

Here (below) is a photo of Ashlyn, Grace, Cleo and Maddie....these are all of Grace's favorites from her class.
These are all the girls in Grace's class - the Armentrout girls!
(yes, the other 14 kids are all boys!)

The day ended too quick, but with enough time for a class photo. Mrs. Armentrout is in the middle, with all of the girls eagerly wanting to be "next to her"...yikes.

Olivia-isms....

Last week -

Olivia (age 3 1/2) asked me if she had the "swan flu" since she keeps coughing. I told her no, she has allergies. She told me she heard about the sickness on the news! when I asked her who got the "swan flu" she replied by telling me that princesses got the "swan flu". Oh brother!!

Yesterday -

Olivia just picked up the Wall Street Journal on the front walk and said, "mom, we have mail....it's from Obama" (Obama's picture was on the front page of the paper! Smart kid!

Grace the Toothless Wonder

Oh what a year this has been! Grace lost her first tooth last Summer, before Kindergarten even got started....she was almost 6 and delighted! As this year has progressed, Grace has managed to loose more and more teeth....oh my! Yesterday her teacher pulled the last of the front teeth - making her have a HUGE hole in the front of her mouth. She is just so darn cute, and has let us know of all the things she can no longer eat. (right, like she needed an excuse!) We love the new smile, and can't wait to get a few new "big girl" teeth!

Grace & Joseph

Last Summer we got new neighbors two doors down from our house. When we found out that 3 boys moved in, Grace was very disappointed. You would never believe that today! We soon learned that the youngest of the 3 boys, Joseph, was Grace's age and starting Kindergarten with her in the Fall. (this was last Fall) Since then, the two have become inseparable....hardly waiting after school until the other one has his or her backpack off to start their after school adventures. Joseph's mom Kim and I have become good friends and love that the kids are so like-minded. We laugh at Grace's desire to have Joseph play "house" or some other roll-playing game and Josephs patients at teaching Grace millions of video games! They compromise by playing "Star Wars", which means that Grace gets to be Princess Leah (this bugs Olivia who thinks she is the ONLY princess in this house!) and Joseph gets to be Luke Skywalker, or some other character that he loves.

Many afternoons the kids go from my house to Kim's house playing upon our sympathy and asking for snacks at each location. Friday night, Joseph stayed for dinner and a movie...the two were thrilled at the "bonus" time together!

The dynamic duo tired after a day outside....but not too tired to enjoy dinner and a movie together. Joseph had already seen the movie "Hotel for Dogs" so he was able to tell Grace exactly what was going to happen throughout the movie!

Joseph and Grace - taking time to pose for a picture!

Grace & Joseph - reveling in their new freedom to "ride in the street" out front of the house!

Spring Soccer.....Go Fireflies!

Grace is playing her fourth season of soccer this Spring. We have really enjoyed watching her from timid first-time player to being not so afraid of the ball! Most of the girls go to school together, and love seeing each other at practice each week. I have really enjoyed getting to know the other parents...there are some that we have become good friends with! Last Summer Grace went to a local soccer camp and she is showing interest in doing it again this Summer....argh. I could do without the camp even though I know it's fun. (Camp is in mid-July from 9-noon each day in the TX heat!!)

Girl Scouts Go Green!

In the weeks prior to Earth Day, Grace's Daisy Scout Troop worked on recycling projects, ways to make our home and communities more environmentally friendly and enlisted their families in a "Call to Action". I was so proud of the girls - really thinking about ways to help the community and the World around them. To celebrate the weeks of hard work, several parents, siblings and all the Daisy Scouts enjoyed a hike at a the local Wildlife Learning Center/Preserve. The hike wasn't as long as we had hoped, but it was one of the nicest days we have had this Spring! We brought lots of sunblock, trail mix and oranges for our party. Grace and I are just about to complete our second year of Daisy Scouts and I often comment that I have gotten way more out of it than the girls have! We look forward to next year...and being a Brownie!

Top: Claire, Taylor, Carly, Kelsey, Jackie and Kaileigh

Front: Ellie, Abbey, Maggie, Gracie, Grace and Emma