This and that

My mind is kind-of a jumbled mess of thoughts today, but there are a few random things that I want to get posted on the blog before I dive back into this busy work week.  Eight more days of school equals LOTS for teachers to get done!  It will be a busy couple of weeks preparing for the end of the year.

Anyway, here is my list of randoms for today!

1.  OF COURSE I have to post about the fun we had with the Jansen family when they came to visit last weekend.  It is coming!  We had the BEST time and can't wait to see them again soon when we visit them in Denver next month!

2. The holiday weekend has been gloriously warm.  I planted flowers and we spent tons of time outside.  Yesterday was a pool day!  I l-o-v-e the first pool day of the year.  The kids loved it too!

3. John made breakfast for the kids the other day and Trey wrote him this note while he was cooking.  When John showed me he told me that "it almost brought a tear to his eye."  Hee hee!  If you know my hubby at all, you know how CRAZY he is about bacon!

"Dad I love your bacon and I think you're the best dad ever."

4. John took this video of the kids the other week.  It just makes us laugh every time we watch it because it shows SO clearly how different our kids are.  Trey is focused and calm.  Rowan is just plain unpredictable!  Love them both so much!

Trey's preschool graduation

Imagination Station held the most adorable pre-school graduation earlier this week.  The weather was perfect, and John and I were thrilled that we could both make it work to be there for this special milestone for Trey!

The graduation was held on IMS's small track.  The decorations were so sweet!

Trey and his class walking in.  Their graduation caps were made from red plastic bowls and squares of poster board.  Darling!

Waiting for the rest of the graduates to find their seats.

We kept waving and waving at Trey, but got no response at all.  So serious!

They sang a few songs -- seriously precious!

When Trey's name was called, he was quick about snatching his diploma from his teacher, Miss Crissy.  She went for a high five, and he totally left her hanging!  He didn't even realize it, so he went over after graduation to give her a hug.  He loves Miss Crissy!

Our graduate!

They had cookies and lemonade after the ceremony was over.  They were delicious and were decorated with Imagination Station's logo.

Ready for Kindergarten!

We are so proud of our guy! (and his sister too!)

I had to get a photo of Trey and his best IMS buddy Gavin.  These two are inseparable!  Such CUTE friends!

The official document!

We celebrated by going out to dinner at Crazy Horse.  It was so much fun to celebrate our big boy on his big accomplishment!  We are so very proud of him!

Tulip Time 2012

We made it out to Tulip Time last night for what will probably be our only visit this year.  The tulips are past their prime due to the unseasonably warm temps earlier this Spring, but the dutch dancing and delicious food was as good as ever!

Oh, elephant ears.  How we love your sticky, messy, cinnamon-sugary yumminess!

We got one photo by the tulips.  Just one.  I always feel like the most terrible Dutch mom because my kids aren't dressed in costume, so we take the quickest photo we can and then get on our way! 

Trey was mesmerized by the fish in the fish pond at the park.

And my favorite part - dutch dancing!  Or as Trey told Rowan, "Dancing with the Stars'!  Hee hee.  Close enough!

What's making me smile...

Here are some things that are making me smile lately!

1. Rowan is a girl with her own sense of style!  It makes me laugh the way she puts items of clothing together (very deliberately!).  I came home from work the other day to find her playing outside like this in the 80-degree weather.  Love her!

2. Trey's latest family drawing.  The hair that he added on each of us made me laugh. :)

3. This might look like scribbles at first glance, but this is how Rowan is writing her name these days!  I have never worked with her on writing her name, so I was shocked when I deciphered what this was!  I'm pretty impressed with this at just over three years old!  Thank you to her teachers for working on name-writing!

4. John and Trey went to the Berlin Raceway last night for some BOYISH fun, so Rowie and I enjoyed a quiet evening at home.  At one point I asked her if she would like to play a game.  The next thing I knew, she had a stack of FIVE games that she was ready to play.  Hee hee.  We made it through three of them before it was time for bed!

5. Today we remember my brother on what would have been his 27th birthday!  It made me smile this morning when I added a touch of green and white to my outfit for him.

Pinkalicious!

It was a day of PINK and GIRLY FUN!  Rowan and I headed to the theatre this afternoon with John's mom, Jill, Brooke, and Maddie to watch Pinkilicious!  It was a sweet musical that was showing at the Grand Rapids Civic Theatre.  We had heard some great reviews, so we were excited to check it out for ourselves.

Here are the girls in front of the theatre before we went in!  Decked out in pink and so cute!

Waiting for the show to start.

The Pinkerton home....looked just like the one in the book.  The set was adorable!

We enjoyed pink cupcakes during intermission!

Rowan spent some time looking through the book while we waited for the show to start back up again.

The cast after the show!  They came back out to answer questions.  The girls loved the cupcakes!

This little one was tuckered out and fell asleep on the drive home.  Such a fun outing with the girls!

Trey's Kindergarten Screening

Trey had his Kindergarten screening tonight at Quincy.

Oh MY, was this boy (and momma!) SUPER excited!!!  

As a teacher, I was so anxious to see how they would run the screening appointment.  I wanted to know if it would be similar to what I have done time and time again with my upcoming students.  We waited with anticipation for our 5:50 appointment!  

Trey walked in like such a pro.  He was interested in all of the artwork in the K-1 hallway as we walked up to the table.  He proudly told the secretary his full name and the Young Fives teacher, Mrs. Schrotenboer, introduced herself and brought Trey down to her frog classroom.  

I waited and chatted, even though what I really wanted to do was follow them and watch through the window. :) He was finished a short 15 minutes later.

Mrs. Schrotenboer said that he did a fantastic job (but of course I was thinking...does that actually mean that it was fantastic, or does she say that to everyone?!?)  Either way, Trey was beaming, and was sooooo excited to tell me all that he had done!

He told me about counting to 30, writing his name, reading the letters, catching a ball, drawing a picture of himself, standing on one foot, adding bears, saying his shapes, jumping as high as he could, and saying his birthday and phone number.

At one point, Mrs. Schrotenboer must have said "This is so easy for you!".  Trey smiled when he told me "It made me feel happy when she said that."  Positive affirmation is just such a cherished thing!! 

Sometimes Trey can get really quiet and hide his face when unfamiliar people talk to him, so we've been reminding lately that it's important to speak confidently!  It sounded like he did just that tonight, so it was a success to me!

I just love all of the fun anticipation for Kindergarten.  Knowing how much he will LOVE it makes me so excited for him!  

And of course I was the only crazy mom with a camera snapping photos in front of the school sign.  I can't help myself!

We're excited to get to know this place well over the next...hmmm....many years!

And, since we're speaking of Trey...the other day he asked if he could type me a note on my computer. I came back a few minutes later and he proudly read me this:

Deer mom 

I love you I love  yore food 

and yore the best

Love my {almost Kindergarten} boy!