Merry Christmas!

The Pattersons wish you a

Very Merry Christmas

and

A Blessed New Year!

Patterson Christmas Project Grand Total

Our grand total for the Patterson Christmas Project was $315!!!

 

That's over three times our original goal, and over four times what we raised last year!

 

The kids and I were very touched with the amount of support and encouragement we received toward our cause.  With the $315 we were able to buy a goat, a sheep and some chickens from World Vision.

 

 

A big THANK YOU to everyone who participated and encouraged us along the way.  You've all made a difference for some needy families who now have a chance to earn income through these farm animals.

 

Merry Christmas!

Chef Graedon

Graedon is a master chef in training.  He's alway eager to lend a hand in the kitchen, and I try my best to let him.  It's an exercise in patience to have a four year old help out.  Sometimes we end up with an entire loaf of bread toasted and slathered with a pound of butter...and a very proud little boy.

 

On this day, Graedy and I made roasted root vegetables.

 

He cut the carrots and garlic, and mixed in the EVOO.

 

 

 

He helped fry up the fish, too.  He's a pro with the wooden spoon.

 

 

I'm hoping to have him fully on kitchen duty by the time he's 5....anyone want to come for supper?

Yes.

And, then, there it is. 

X

What's that saying?  If you don't like it, change it?

 

I don't think it applies to math tests.

 

 

See what I have to put up with?

 

 

 

A+ for originality, I guess.

Good Deals

I was at a yard sale this summer.  Amid the cowboy boots, dusty vases and slightly used bedsheets, I spied them...a set of Little House on the Prairie books.  Mint condition.  Nine of them.  They called my name.

I was hesitant to ask their price.  Everything in the garage was overpriced, likely the result of the owner spending too much time lingering over each item, nostalgic, sipping glass after glass of Pinot Noir (these were not Boones people). 

But, a Little House set!  How could I risk waiting much longer?

I nonchalantly stepped up to the seller, and asked the price of 'those kids' books over there'. 

Evidently, she had not been nostalgic for the Ingalls.  Probably more of a Twilight fan.  "Oh, a quarter each....but if you buy them all, you can have them for $5."

Um. 

And then came the awkward moment where she thought she was all that and a bag of chips, and I had to break it to her that nine quarters is only $2.25  . 

I got the entire set, and a pair of cowboy boots thrown in, just for kicks.

Why The Cha-Cha-Slide is Part of Our Curriculum

Yes, why indeed?

The Cha-Cha-Slide is a perfect example of overlapping lessons, as well as making efficient use of your time and resources. 

Among other things, it teaches:

*right from left
*sense of direction, namely front and back
*following directions
*working together as a group (Everybody clap your hands! clap clap clap clap clap clap clap)
*counting 1-6
*self-reflection and improvement (How low can YOU go? Challenge accepted!)
*rhythm and tempo
*classic ballroom dance moves (cha cha, yes?)
*copyright infringement and consequences of such

And now, it's time for you to get funky!

The Patterson Christmas Project

This year we chose World Vision for our annual Christmas Project.  The kids have been making Christmas cards and selling them, for a donation, to raise money to buy a goat for a needy family.  And guess what?  With 3 weeks to go, we've already exceeded our goal of $100!!  So far, the total comes to $136.

 

 

There's still time to order your cards...give me a ring to get yourself a piece of that!

 

Thank you to all those who have generously donated to our cause.  Together we can do great things!

Food, Glorious Food

This year I canned like I've never canned before.  Carrots, fruit, tomatoes, beets, cucumbers....

 

I love to gaze at my canned goods shelves in the early evening just as the setting sun's rays come slanting through the basement window, illuminating the shimmering jars of preserves like so many jewels nestled into the deep of the cellar...

 

Fiew.

 

Calm down, it's just a sweet potata (name that commercial).

 

 

 

Still, it is thrilling to see all that food lined up.

 

I've got approximately:

 

1 bushel peaches

1 bushel pears

21 pints carrots, plus frozen

5 cups jalapenos

15 quarts apple pie filling

10 pints applesauce (150 lbs apples in all, more to be done)

5 quarts cucumbers

5 quarts pickled beets

8 pints beets

5 pints cream corn

10 pints tomatoe sauce

10 cups salsa

12 cups jam

6 pints pickled crab apples

 

lots and lots of freezer veggies

a freezer full of beef, fish and poultry

 

We're not going to starve after all.  We're going to be okay.

 

Little Boy Growing Up

Don't be fooled!  That's Graedy.  He's just wearing fake glasses and hand-antlers.

 

The girls' schoolwork often gets highlighted on the blog, so I thought I'd show Graedy, hard at work, learning his letters.

 

This was for letter 'F'.  He had to glue felt on the shape of an 'F'.

 

Gen had her own collage to do, too.  Mostly, she does aerobics at the table.  That's good schooling for 2 year olds, I guess!

 

 

Casting

Well, in reference to my last post...my belly casting supplies arrived today!  I ordered them all the way from Israel, and the delivery was still faster than from western Canada.  Amazing.

Also, folks, I strongly endorse buying local.  Or from Israel.  Be prepared, though, that if you don't buy local, you may have absolutely no idea of the instructions for your casting supplies.

The Little Blog That Could

Every once in a while I enjoy reading through my blog posts.  I don't keep baby books, although I've tried.  Maddie's is pretty complete, but by the time you get to the 4th child, you just don't have the time to fill out the pages.  In these days of technology, though, that doesn't mean that their babyhoods and childhoods haven't been recorded.  My blog is my very own online baby book. 

Reading through the posts I have re-experienced their first teeth, injuries, funny conversations, school projects and frustrations.  I can pull up a post from 4 years ago and remember how fine and long Graedy's hair was, compared to his no-nonsense buzz cut now.  I see Maddie learning her letters and Eva's vocal development. 

I hear that you can even have your blog printed into a hardcover book.  How cute would that be instead of photo albums? 

I see my own growth, too. 

Originally this blog's job was to keep everyone updated on our move to the Philippines so that I could go to Newlife International School of Midwifery.  God closed that door, for the moment.  Five years later, the desire for midwifery creeps back in every once in a while.  Doula work ebbs and flows, depending on our family situation and social trends. 

Though I don't see us moving away anytime soon, and NB doesn't seem to be destined for any midwifery progress in the near (or far) future, I still wonder what my role is in birth, in my town.  I could continue as I am, as a birth doula.  I've considered taking courses and expanding my repertoire to include services as a postpartum doula, monitrice, belly casting or childbirth education.  Honestly, I don't know that Woodstock has interest to balance out the cost and effort for the classes.  It's not about money, but, well, it is.  I can't very well borrow grocery money to pay for lessons I may never use. 

And so, the question begs to be answered:  Heart or mind? 

Story of the World

Several years ago, I bought the complete curriculum (including photocopies for 3 children - yay!) for Story of the World.  Patiently I waited for the kids to be old enough to properly enjoy the stories and activities.  Finally, it happened!

 

I LOVE Story of the World.   More importantly, so do the kids!  History presented chronologically, in story form with loads of extra activities...what's not to love?

 

Here's a few photos of our first month of Story of the World:

 

Recording our history with cave drawings

 

The white crown of Ancient Egypt's king

 

 

Another white crown.  Originally I wanted them to have a red and a white crown so we could have both Upper and Lower Egypt represented, but no one wanted to be the loser Red team.
 

Oops, this is nature study.  Somehow I snuck that in with history.

 

 

 

My little Nomads dressed in animal skins, next to a shelter they constructed and eating roots they gathered.

Quebec Trip 2012

We made the annual trek to my old stompin' grounds in September.  I wanted the kids to experience an agricultural fair with real animals, jam and baking competitions.  Carleton County doesn't have anything like that, so the fair I thought was tiny when I was a teen filled the gap quite nicely.

 

First, we had to get there.  Luckily my mom agreed to come with me to help with the kids.

 

The best thing about traveling with my mom is that we both believe that the journey is just as important as the destination.  Though we have our favourite pitstops on the 6 hour drive, we aren't afraid to take new exits and explore a bit of the countryside. 

 

We took a wrong turn and ended up here. There was a marina and a little play park.  I believe it was Notre Dame du Lac.

 

 

 

We meant to get off at Cap St Martin, but found this place instead.  We had lunch on the bike trail.  This is my mom and Eva, with the Saint Lawrence behind them.
 

We went looking for bathrooms and this is what we found!  A restored seigneurie!  This is the old mill.
 

There were acres and acres of paths, oak forests, gardens and little surprises.  The pictures just don't do it justice.
 

Someone had carved seats from stumps.
 

This is a centuries old house, maybe used by the seigneur?  My mom loved this scarecrow.
 

Grammy and girls.

 

 

Poutine - the real kind!  Squeaky curd cheese, poutine sauce (not gravy) and deep fried potatoes. 

 

We climbed the lookout and looked out. 

 

Very cool metal horse sculptures.

 

 

 

Very cool tiny horse that Graedon got to ride.

 

Graedon was put in charge of helping cousin K on the rides.  It was so cute.  He held her hand and everything.  Can you say "aw!"?

 

 

On our way back we stopped at the Chutes Montmorency park.  Gorgeous.

 

 

 

 

 

We walked the suspension bridge, which was a tad scary for the vertically challenged.

 

 

Another detour we took was to the space observatory on the way home.  It was closed for renovations, but still cool.

So there you have it!  What are your family trips like?

Co-co-rico!

My children occasionally act like animals, but this is the first time one of our animals has acted like  a human.  I caught this rooster sneaking in for a nap on Graedon's bed.  Then, he pooped on it.

 

The kids were beyond thrilled!  Having a rooster in a bedroom made a cool story, but the poop part?  Now that was way more than they could ever have hoped for in terms of plot development.

 

 

 

He was chased out of the house pretty quickly, but only after scaring Gen out of her wits.

 

BTW, the title of this post?  That's what French roosters say instead of cockadoodle-doo.

To Be a Doula...

I struggle with answering people when they ask me what it is that I do.  A doula's job description is not cut and dried.  There is no pat answer to give, or list of duties.  If they had time and interest to listen, I'd tell them this:

Being a doula is being there.  It is sharing coffee on the couch while a mom finally allows herself to grieve a past birthing experience that left her defeated and angry.  It is validating her feelings, and hoping with her that this new birth will be empowering and strengthening.   It is rejoicing at the news that a baby daughter or son will join the family.  It is explaining pros and cons of AROM, delayed cord clamping and circumcision, and then trusting the parents to make their own choices.  It is confidence that yes, Mama, you can parent this child.  Yes, you can birth this baby.  It is urgent phone calls in the middle of family dinners that cause me to frantically motion the kids and husband into the van so I can get to a labouring mom in time.  It is my duffel bag, packed weeks ahead, waiting by my bed, by the door, in the van, wherever I go.  It is the car window open at 2 am in February, radio blaring to keep me alert on the way to the hospital.  It is the silence in the parking lot where I take a minute to sit and pray for health, wisdom and strength.  It is double hip squeezes for hours, literally.  It is water boiling, for tea, for the hot water bottle, for comfort.  It is bendy straws held to dry lips, and reminders to pee.  It is discussing the consistency of mucous plugs, and the colour of amniotic fluid.  It is fetching coffee for dads, and letting them know that it's okay to be tired.  It's okay to rest.  I will stay, and you can nap.  It's reminding them to stock the freezer ahead of time, to clear the air, the make it right.  It is excusing myself during a slow early labour, and sending the couple to their bed to encourage things along.  It is translating for a mother, fresh from Quebec, who can't understand the nurse, who can't understand her.  It is recording a daughter's entrance into the world so that her father can see her birth from all the way out west.  It is catching a midwife's eye and smiling when we both recognize the telltale breath catch grunt when the mother is finally dilated.  It is showing a Dad how to hold his wife in a supported squat,  and where to press for counter pressure.  It is smiling at him while he struggles not to cry as his daughter enters the world.  It is goofy grins that you just can't help when the baby finally slips out, covered in vernix and lanugo, and gives it's first lusty cry.  It's "Oh my baby oh my baby oh honey oh baby oh I did it I did it I did it I love you Baby I can't oh God thank you!'  It is congratulations, and sorries, and laughing and crying, because it is life. 

It's what I do.

In Memory of Spot, the Pig

We got a pig.  We, who years ago would never have thought to even get a bird, got a pig.  We named her Spot. 

Can you figure out which one is Spot?

My friend, T, graciously gave me Spot when she was just a wee thing.  We bundled her into a dog carrier, drove her home (fast, to get ahead of the smell), placed the carrier in the pig enclosure and opened the crate door. 

Bam.  Gone.  She lasted all of 5 seconds before she ran off like a shot.  She sprinted across our yard, across the road, through the neighbour's yard and into the woods.

We searched high and low.  We set a live trap, and checked it every day.  Spot continued to be lost. 

Finally, after two weeks in the wild, Spot was caught!  And she was WILD!!  She thrashed and charged in the trap.  We set up a dog kennel as her new home and made it tighter than Fort Knox. 

People came from miles around to admire our pig.  My dad took one look at Spot and declared, "That pig is male." 

So Spot was not a she, but a he.  And we had to castrate it.

Thankfully, Dad has lots of experience and he offered to do the deed.  This was very handy for us.  You can't trust a scalpel to someone who's been wearing gumrubbers for less than 6 months.  That's just foolish.  The ear-splitting squeals brought the neighbours peeping over their fences, but it was soon over.  Spot's grunts took on a slightly higher pitch from then on.

We fed that pig thrice daily and he soon became very grateful and friendly.  He'd spot us across the yard and come galloping to the fence, snorting and wagging his tail.

Then, one day, Spot developed the hiccups.  It was so cute!  At least, we thought it was cute.  If only we'd known it was a sign of things to come.  Bad things.  Sad things.

One evening, I brought some beets and cucumber peels to Spot.  He wasn't well.  He shook, stiff-legged, foaming at the mouth, unable to open his jaws.  We called Dad, we called the vet and we waved over James, our neighbour.  It was confirmed. 

"That pig's got lockjaw!  Yessir!" said James.

Thankfully, our farmer neighbour had some Penicillin on hand and was able to spare a shot.  It was too late. 

Spot died that night.

Although we lost the pig (in the permanent sense this time), it was awfully nice to know how far our support system extends.  Dad, James & Jimmy - you're gold.

And, if we're going to get even deeper on the issue, how great is it that we are able to prevent such a thing in our families?  My kids are exposed to basically the same stuff as Spot (tetanus is not just rusty nails, but also dirt, dust, animal feces, etc).  Thank God it was the pig, and not one of them. 

Why I Don't Do Nurse-Ins

World Breastfeeding Week is about to end, and Facebook has been inundated with links, articles, posts and pictures of happily feeding babies and toddlers.  My mother's heart says, "Aw!" whenever I see those photos of serene mamas and nurslings, with their chubby cheeks and butterfluttery lashes.  And, my mother's heart cringes a bit (a lot), at the comments that always accompany those kind of pictures.  There are always the comments.  When online articles and Facebook posts started to allow public comments, it seems that all of a sudden people decided that any opinion was worthy of posting, and that sarcasm, bullying and personal attacks were all okay, as long as you ended it with "Just sayin'".

This isn't about comments, though.  Despite how it may seem, the Internet does not have to belong in our lives.  We have the liberty to leave a website, or to slam the laptop closed if we don't feel like dealing with a stranger's flack.  In REAL life, though,  it can be kind of tricky to deal with snarky comments when feeding baby.

Thankfully, I haven't dealt with very many rude people in my breastfeeding experience.  Yes, I've had some people ask me if I'm *still* breastfeeding Gen, at the ripe old age of almost two.  I've never been asked to cover up (I'm discreet, I think), or told to leave a store.  There have been a couple times when men have walked into the room when I was nursing - and keep in mind, I chose that particular room because it was quiet and out of the way - and immediately remember a certain very important thing they forgot in another room, and leave, tripping over themselves.  Over all, though, it's been pretty good.  I've breastfed in malls, parks, restaurants, church, cars, deck...you name it. 

But what if I had received a comment?  Or, God forbid, been told to cover up?  What if?

Nurse-ins are very in vogue lately.  They make the news pretty often.  A mom gets a rude comment.  She tells her friends.  They rally up, set a date and time and show up at the offender's business to nurse their babies in protest.  The more moms the better!

I've been asked to some nurse-ins, and I've never been to one.  I won't be going anytime soon, either.  Here's why:

Am I still nursing Gen?  Yep, I am.  We've nicknamed her The Child Who Refuses to Wean.  When she is tired, hurt, sick, anxious or stressed out, a cuddle and a drink fixes it for her.  If she is lonely, nursing is her refuge.  When she nurses, she and I have our quiet time, together.  Those 5 minutes of nursing mean so much to her.  Breastfeeding, for Gen, is quiet, happy and safe. It is peace. 

Peace. 

Nurse-ins, to me, are the opposite of peace.  The loving act between mother and child becomes a weapon, an attack.  I am not willing to compromise my baby's sanctuary in order to give a business, no matter how breastfeeding un-friendly, a symbolic, passive-aggressive up yours.

Breastfeeding, the loving, healthy, maternal act, should not be used to bully a person, business or community.  It should not be used to shove them into accepting our comfort zones as their own.  If we want to be respected as mothers, then we need to extend that respect to others.....even those who don't hold the same views on breastfeeding as we do. 

Bees, Please!

 The apiary is finally up and running!  Despite getting my nuc almost a month late, the bees seem to be doing pretty well.  They took a bit of a hit at first, though, since the original queen was MIA.  Thankfully, the bees had the good sense to rear a new one. 

Here are some pics of my bro, D, and I.  We're trying to find the new queen.

The frames are surprisingly heavy.  When they're loaded with honey, it takes some serious muscle to lift those suckers!

Us, in our spacesuits.  We're searching for the queen.

There she is!  See her?

The Mountain

The man, the kids and I went to "The Mountain" to visit some friends yesterday.  I had, of course, forgotten to confirm that we were coming for supper but our hostess is one of the most easy-going, hospitable ladies I'm acquainted with and so I figured we were still welcome.  I was right.  We were.

The 45 minute drive was beautiful.  There's a certain peace to the St John river, and it only gets better as we drive further into rural New Brunswick....if you like trees and brooks and rock cliffs and the occasional wildlife.  Luckily, I do.  Oh, I do.

We turned into the driveway, eased the van over the plank bridge (awesome!) and were finely greeted by swimsuit clad children.  My little ones darted off pronto, to splash in the brook.  Over the evening we checked out the HUGE garden,  the bee hives, the pigs and the tadpoles.  I learned how to identify Lamb's Quarters, which are delicious.  I can't believe I've been weeding them out of my garden.  We talked, we ate, we talked, we ate...

T & J are beautiful together.  They just mesh.  It's so easy to feel at home when we visit. 

Finally, we loaded up in the car.  T sent us off with sprigs of chocolate mint, homemade soap and reassurance that, yes, we could properly raise a pig. 

It's friends like T that make me realize:  I am blessed.

Happy Birthday, Eva's Baby!

Eva has been having babies like crazy lately.  It seems like I'm gaining a new grandbaby every other day.  She goes through the whole bit every time:

Eva waddles up to me, patting her swollen belly, and joyfully announces her pregnancy.  Of course, I exclaim, "Oh!  How wonderful!  When are you going to have it?"

Very soon after that - her pregnancies are always much shorter than mine - she plunks herself on the couch.  She grunts and moans and pushes and POP!

"Mama!  Look!  I have a new baby" and she proudly presents me a swaddled baby doll. 

And, as most  babies do, they grow up too fast.  Barely an hour after Eva's Baby (that's her real name) was born, we celebrated her first birthday. 

Eva taped posters to the wall to make sure everyone knew about the party.

I made lemonade and Fake S'mores

We all took turns holding the baby.

We followed Eva's instructions and made cards.

We wrapped some gifts.

We also danced the "Cha Cha Slide".  Sadly, I don't have any pictures of that.  Sorry.

How great is it that we can celebrate our children's births, even the plastic ones?  How great is it to watch your daughter love and care for her dollies and know that somehow, that love she is showing is really your love,  given to her, and re-distributed to her own loved ones?  Even better - the very same love that she gives really first started through my own mother, and her mother, and hers.

It's amazing. 

Look, Mom!

He's every bit the boy, that one!  Rubber boots, muddy hands, black eye and handling toads.

I asked him what he was going to name his toad, and he said, "Toad."   Very good.  It's an obvious, no-nonsense moniker.

Shortly after, Toad wriggled out of Graedy's grasp and squeezed himself through a crack in the deck, never to be seen again.

No problemo!  The kids raced back to the toad spot and Maddie caught herself another one.  When I asked her what this one would be named, she said, "Toad.  Toadda.  Todd.  ROBIN!!"   So Robin it is.  The first thing Robin did in her home/tote was to explore all the sides by frantically jumping and trying to scale the walls to freedom.  The second thing she did was release some bubbles.

I believe it might have been toadstool.

PS - At the time of this writing, Robin is now named Speckles.

Prom Night

My sister, L, is graduating from high school.  Prom was tonight, and we were able to go see the Grand March. 

Here's my baby sister, all grown up and lady-like.  J, her date, is very dapper as well!

It's Summer Time!!

School's out for summer!  Yay!  The kids are excited, and so am I.  Bring on the sunshine, cuz we are in dire need of some maxin' and relaxin'. 

We were going to have our last official day of school on Wednesday, but after weeks (it felt like weeks, anyway) of rain, we got our first hot and sunny day.  Therefore, I pulled that 'Get out of school free' card and declared today the start of summer vacation. 

Like every year, I've played with the idea of schooling through the summer months.  Like every year, that has ended with the conclusion of - Are you kidding me??!! 

I'm gonna kick back with a Limonana (new recipe!) and watch the kids play. 

A Homeschool Update

May is almost over.  Tomorrow will be June 1st, and like every year, it takes me by surprise.  Wasn't it just yesterday that I was trying to enjoy the snow, but inwardly pining for midnight thunderstorms, smores 'round the campfire and lazy afternoons spent reading on a quilt under the apple tree? 

School is almost finished.  If we boogie, we can get it done in the next couple weeks.  Already I am planning next year's classes.  I'm amassing my curriculum, carefully doling out my homeschool pennies to get the most bang for my buck.  Luckily, we have wonderful friends from Tree of Life who are especially gifted in advising and encouraging. 

We had an amazing school year.  It wasn't amazing because everything went perfectly.  Rather, it was amazing because we were hit with one of the toughest times in our family's history....and got through it!  After months of discord and stress and chaos, we were forced to purge negative habits, relationships and attitudes.  Richard and I learned how to parent better.  We learned about patience.  We learned about limits.  We learned about taking better care of ourselves.  It sucked.  It was worth it.

So, the "home" part of homeschooling became very real to us.  The "school" part is much easier to measure.  Maddie is much happier and eager to learn.  She still loves to listen to me read, and would for hours if I let her!  She's reading a lot more on her own.  She's quite a gifted artist, and fills sketchbook after sketchbook with drawings of cats, people and suns.  She's been cruising along with Math, and has been learning long-division and volume and area and all that jazz.

Eva is a very good reader for her age.  During devotions, she likes to be the one to read the Bible.  She does really well on her spelling and her penmanship is getting much neater.  She loves to practice her French, and she's quite the singer and dancer.  She's learning about multiplication and can borrow and carry without too much fuss.  She's the little Mommy in the family, and keeps Gen and Graedon in line.

Graedy is still too young for any formal schooling, but he's very eager to start.  He listens in on the girls' lessons and does his "math" at the table with them.  He has surprised me lately with his drawing abilities.  His drawings of snowmen and tractors really do look like snowmen and tractors!  This is big progress!  He can trace letters very well, too.

Gen is a little monkey!  She likes to wreak havoc during school, but this teaches us all patience.  She likes to play with her babies, look at books, and colour while the other kids do their book work.  She's a handful, but she's so much fun.  She's doing really well in her french, too.

And so you have it.  Another year gone, it's lessons and experiences filed carefully into our brains. 

Now, Summer, it's your turn.

Readying the Apiary

It was a beautiful day so the kids and I set out to get our apiary ready.  I hauled out the paint cans from way back when we decorated the nursery before Maddie was born (was that really 9 years ago?).  Yes, we thought she was a boy, but the yellow and blue made for a cute girl room after a few adjustments :)

I am not going to encourage them to help with the actual bees, at least, not for several years.  I think Maddie might be ready, but there's no hurry.  Keeping calm is crucial with bees, and until the kids have the maturity to stay calm in all situations, they can just watch from a distance.

Even Gen helped out withh the painting.  Those little jeans are now playclothes, but what fun for a toddler to paint like the big kids!

Only a few more weeks until our bees arrive!

Awana Awards

Maddie and Eva had their last Awana meeting.  Maddie earned a ribbon for finishing her book by the year's end.  Eva earned a certificate.

Here's their age group.

It's amazing how much they learned during Awana.  They came home with songs, memorized verses and all sorts of new ideas!  Graedy is looking forward to the time he's old enough to join them.

After the ceremony they held a carnival in the gym.  We had hotdogs and hamburgers.

They played games and kept track of their points. 

Eva won a prize, too!

They're eager for next year to start already!

Hatching Eggs!

See these? 

They're eggs!  For years I had planned on incubating eggs with the kids.  This year, I figured that if I was going to talk so much about it, then I may as well just do it.  In about another 2 weeks, some cute little peepers should be hatching from those shells.

We have 18 eggs in all, 6 of those pheasants.  The pheasants take an extra 7 days to hatch, though.  They must be more complex birds.

As you can see, the kids are very excited!