Silly Girls!

 The other day was a pretty warm day, but Camille found a pair of mittens and insisted on wearing them. I told her she didn't need them and she said, "NO!" and laughed and laughed. It was realy cute.

 Then, for Easter the older girls got these bunny suckers. Audra and Claire looked so cute with them!

Last Day Of Pre-School!

Today was not actually Claire's last day of pre-school, but it was MY last day of teaching pre-school! Wahoo!!!!!

I went into this co-op not really knowing what to expect. But, it has turned out so wonderful! I am SOOOO glad we did this! It really could not have been better. Each mom taught a total of 14 days, but we all got a full year's worth of pre-school. I was a little worried that it would be too hard switching teachers every week, but the kids did GREAT with it. They just called all of us moms "Teacher" instead of our names, and it was fine. The kids all got along super well- they play incredibly well together. I had minimal discipline issues (though admittedly there were some), and it really just went super great. I couldn't be any happier with how well it turned out!

Teaching only 14 days was a good amount. Granted, by this time of year all of us moms feel a little burned out, but who doesn't at the end of a school year? I think having 6 kids was the perfect number- small enough to avoid discipline issues, but also a good number to divide into small groups when needed.

Here's a few pictures of our little co-op:

 Pajama Day:

 Santas:

 Halloween:

As great as it has been, the best part is that my turn is DONE!

Happy Easter!

The girls were all sorts of excited for Easter. So excited, in fact, that even Claire anxiously cleaned her bedroom without being asked in order to get on the Easter Bunny's good side (we never said anything, but I guess there are some lingering Santa rules?).

They prepared for EB all on their own- it was super sweet and cute. I will miss this age- such a fun, magical, time.

 Claire was very worried that EB would hide the real eggs that they decorated instead of candy eggs. So, she worked incredibly hard and wrote on her card: "I want my eggs to open."

 

 The girls also debated about whether EB was a boy or girl. Thankfully, EB clarified in his letter:

Dear Audra and Claire,

Thank you for the carrots, water, and cards. I loved your pictures- you are both wonderful artists. I gave you eggs that open. Be nice and have fun today.

Love,

The Easter Bunny

P.S. I am a boy, but my wife- Mrs. Easter Bunny- comes with me to help out.

 They mostly got toys from EB.

 But, they did get candy eggs for the hunt:

 My attempt to get a nice picture of the girls in their new Easter dresses didn't turn out great. But, we make do with what we can:

 Camille's face here explains it all:

Egg Decorating

I have been in denial that I need to try and do cool things like decorate eggs with my kids, but today we did it- the annual dying of eggs. It is not my favorite tradition, but one I think my kids should get to enjoy. I know I always did when I was a kid. And, miraculously, the older kids did great and didn't spill a thing. Maybe the older girls are at an age where destruction doesn't follow them everywhere anymore? Well, one can hope.

 Camille was banished to the outside with Dad. Don't worry, she was perfectly happy at this arrangement. She LOVES playing in the backyard, and Daddy is her favorite person in the whole world. I need to do an entire post all about Camille's love for Dad, but just know that I am nothing compared to Dad. When she is hurt, she will only go to dad. Unless he is not at home, in which case she goes to Audra. If Audra is also gone, THEN she will come to me. In one way it is cute. In another way, it is not so cute. Either way, having her outside was a brilliant move on my part.

 

 With the backyard now the kids' paradise, Ben discovered almost all the girls shoes downstairs by the back door which goes to the backyard. We need to figure out how to get the girls to bring their shoes upstairs after playing outside!

Field Trip

Today our little pre-school group went on a field trip to the local historical museum. We had a blast- and we realized something: Claire is the ringleader of chaos! The kids spent the entire time running around, jumping up and down, and screaming as loud as they could. And who instigated all of it? Our little Claire-Bear. It was a side of Claire we had never seen- and it scared us a little bit. We will see how this unfolds as she gets older.

Anyway, the weather turned out perfect and we had a great day. It was a lot of fun.

It is hard to believe our little pre-school co-op is coming to an end. It has been GREAT! It turned out far better than I ever could have hoped. Perhaps when Camille is ready for pre-school I will be able to be a part of another one. We'll see.

 Ben had the day off of work so he came to help with Camille- thank goodness he came! Chaos Claire along with run-away-from-adults-Camille added up to two busy parents!

A Change For The...Better?

By far, the biggest news of the week is that we finally upgraded to this:

For those of you that know us well, you should know that this is a semi-big deal. We have faithfully used our flip phones (the ones "Specially designed for the novice and elderly") until about 4 days ago. We have not had texting or data, and believe it or not: We still were able to function in society! I know, I know- you are surprised.

The thing is, it was very hard to justify the increased monthly payment to get a Smart Phone- no matter how hard people tried to tell us it was worth it for the convenience. Plus, I have a lot of friends who are constantly tied to their phones- it's like they feel like they have to be attached to their phone 24/7 and can't enjoy a meal at a restaurant or a GNO without texting the entire time. I don't want to be like that! I like that my phone sometimes gets forgotten in my pocket for 3 days at a time and I don't even notice (my mom, however, does not like that I do this). So for those reasons we have been slow to change.

But then A T & T came out with a phenomenal new plan. For only $10 a month more, we get unlimited talk, text, and 1 GB of data to share. I can handle $10 more a month! Ben had been researching the different carriers and plans, and he actually discovered this plan and we signed up for it the day BEFORE AT & T started advertising the plan. Ben is good like that!

I went on Craigslist and found an IPhone 4 for $140 (the plan doesn't come with a phone- which is fine by me). My mom had given us her old Smartphone so Ben could use that one for free (Thanks, Mom!). So in the end, it was a cheap way for us to start out on our Smartphone lives. I am certain we will never go back (another reason we were hesitant to change: Once we got them, we knew there was no going back).

Here are some pictures I have taken with the Smartphone:

 Above: We went to my favorite ice-cream  place on the planet, MaGill's, to celebrate the girls' reading success. They completed a reading program at the library, but we turned them in too late for them to get the library prize, so we took them to ice-cream instead.

Below: This is Camille enjoying some Nutella.

You will notice that my IPhone 4 is not taking great pictures. Is it something I did? Or, do you think it is the case? I did buy an Otter Case (the one that makes my IPhone indestructible- I have kids, it seemed like a smart idea), and I wonder if that makes the pictures turn out fuzzy? Or, are IPhone pictures just not very good?

Also, any good, free kid Apps that I just need to get? Actually, I don't even mind paying for an app for the kids if it is educational and will truly keep the kids entertained. Let me know what you guys have all figured out!

See, one good thing about being so late to jump on the Smartphone bandwagon is that I get to learn from all of you!

Are Ben and I Made For Each Other?

I was rummaging through a box of old things and I came across a magazine I made for a class back in 1992. That would have been 8th grade, I believe. The magazine was called "Desire" and featured a cover story about Christian Slater. Yes, at one point I was a typical teenager.

On the front cover a headline struck my fancy: "POP QUIZ: Are You And Your Boyfriend Made For Each Other?"

Of course Ben and I had to take the quiz!

Here it is, in case you are concerned about whether you and your significant other are made for each other:

1. For dinner your boyfriend takes you to:
     a. a gourmet restaurant
     b. McDonald's
     c. A picnic

    For dinner you would rather go to: 
     a. a gourmet restaurant
     b. McDonald's
     c. A picnic

2. When you go to a movie, your boyfriend takes you:
    a. Mystery/suspense
    b. Comedy
    c. Cartoon

    When you go to a movie, you would rather go to:
    a. Mystery/suspense
    b. Comedy
    c. Cartoon

3. These characteristics best describe your boyfriend:
     a. Serious, with no sense of humor
     b. Jock, handsome, popular
     c. Druggie, doped, messed up
     d. Handsome, shy, loving

    You would like your boyfriend to be:
     a. Serious, with no sense of humor
     b. Jock, handsome, popular
     c. Druggie, doped, messed up
     d. Handsome, shy, loving

4. When you go to a party, you would prefer to:
     a. Dance
     b. Get drunk
     c.Talk with friends

     When you go to a party, you would rather:
     a. Dance
     b. Get drunk
     c.Talk with friends

5. When you're at the beach, your boyfriend likes to:
    a. Swim
    b. Eat
    c. Play sports

     When you're at the beach, you like to:
    a. Swim
    b. Eat
    c. Play sports

SCORE:
First of all, these points do NOT mean you and your boyfriend are gonna get married and live happily ever after, or that you and your boyfriend should never talk to each other again. This is just so you know kind-of where you and your boyfriend stand. Don't do anything rational when you see what you got.

All your answers were the same: You two are perfect for each other!

4 Answers were the same: You are such a good couple!

3 Answers are the same: You two need to talk.

2 Answers are the same: Are you two really going out?

1 Answer the same: How did you guys manage this long?

0 Answers the same: You haven't killed each other yet?

So how did Ben and I rate? Well, according to my 13-year-old self, Ben and I need to talk. Good thing 13-year-old me put in the disclaimer to not do anything "rational." I'll take that into advisement before we have "The Talk."

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