All About Ella

After months of learning songs, and weeks of special practice days during school, this weekend Ella and her class performed in their big Peter Pan musical.  The 4th/5th grade musical is a long-standing tradition at our school.  The 5th graders get the acting parts on stage and the 4th graders are the all-important choir.  This year a small group of 4th grade girls, including Ella, was also picked to be "cloud dancers" for the flying scenes.  The play was great fun and we spent the night laughing at bumbling pirates and the tick-tock croc rolling around on a scooter and humming along to the catchy tunes, which Ella and her class sang enthusiastically!  Getting to see how a stage production comes together has been something Ella has really enjoyed.  Guess who just CAN'T WAIT for her shot at a big speaking part next year? :)

I actually wasn't sure I was going to blog about this.  It was a great night and a great memory, but my pictures are not great.  It was dark and we were far back and there was a lot of movement on the stage while Ella danced.  Thank you to my friend Amy, who reminds me that memory preservation is not about perfect pictures and that I'll never regret blogging too much, only not enough!

And since I'm writing about Ella, may as well tell you a few more things going on in her life.  I've mentioned before that 4th grade is a big year for projects at our school.  Well, now that the musical is done, it is time for the Classroom City.  For a week, the 4th grade is setting up a real city in their classroom and inviting parents and all the other grades to come visit.  Ella and each of her classmates had to apply for a job and get recommendation forms filled out (Ella had her Sunday School teacher do hers).  They will do their jobs (which include things like police officers, pastors, mayors, and business owners), make money, and have to pay taxes and tithes.  It sounds like a super fun lesson in some real life skills!  Ella is pumped that she got the job she wanted most-- newspaper reporter!  This is the perfect job for our gal who loves to interview, write and draw.  Even though the city doesn't go up for a few more weeks, she's already started getting advertisements and has drafted several issues of her newspaper on our computer publishing program.  Also, she's put this press hat outfit together (above).  Because you know it's all about the outfit. :)

Perhaps she's got advertisements on her mind, because this weekend I found this one, taped up on the wall outside my bedroom.  Made me laugh out loud.  You might not want to call her for any spelling needs you may have! 

Finally, a funny quote to end the Ella Post with: In a recent discussion about the value (which I believe is little to no) of using school day hours to play video games like Mario Kart, Ella argued, in all seriousness, that she's investing in her future as a driver.  "Mom, I'm gonna be an AWESOME driver some day because of all the practice I get playing this game!"  Ha!

My Job Is Way Too Much Fun!

Even though my job has become a major part of my life, I don't post about school very often.  I take pictures in my class constantly, but don't feel right putting them on my personal blog site.  Lately, though, we've just been having too much fun to not share!  This week we're learning about Signs of Spring and our Character Trait for March is "Patience".  I tie these things together by doing a big day of snail science lessons, stories, and songs. (Remember that old Music Machine song "Have Patience"?  That's where this idea came from!)  And this year we tried something new-- painting with real, live snails!   Ella and Delia rounded up 2 mason jars full of snails from the garden.  Then at school I had them crawl through some watercolor paint pots and plopped them on the students' art papers.  What delight we shared while watching them make colored slime trails!  It was such a cool art project!  I must admit that not all the snails survived this experience, but since they are intent on munching up my flowers and vegetable garden, I don't feel too bad. :)

Today's fun comes right on heels of 2 weeks we've spent learning about Community Helpers.  Almost every day we've had a special visitor, firemen, sheriffs, paramedics, librarians, etc., teaching the kids about how they do their job and how to stay safe.  With these types of real-life experience comes THE BEST imaginative play!  I get such a kick out of watching my kids become 911 rescue teams and transform our classroom (with the props I provide) into a post office and a doctor/veterinarian office during play time. 

Speaking of Community Helpers, I just want to record this too since it captures the fun we have in Preschool.  The Garbage Man comes to dramatically empty the dumpster outside our playground every Wednesday.  And each week, you better believe we are running to line up at the fence for front-row seats to this exciting show.  He always rewards our enthusiasm with lots of honks and waves!

What a blessing to have a job that brings such joy!  I continue to thank God for it each day!

Birthday Science

Last week we got to attend an awesome birthday party for our friend Zane.  It was awesome because it was at a science museum, which was totally unique and fun!

The kids and parents were given lots of time to roam around exploring all the hands-on exhibits.

Then we were ushered into a private room, given lab coats and goggles, and walked through the steps for making slime.  We learned all about polymers, and the forms and movement of molecules in general, through this experiment.  And as the kids mixed their slime concoctions, I reflected on how this was an hour unlike any I've ever experienced-- its own crazy mix of chemistry lessons, cupcakes and presents!

   

The girls had a blast while learning and we were excited to celebrate one of our favorite friends with his wonderful family!

February = Spring

Yes, you read that title right.  Even after 12 years here in California's Central Valley, the fact that Spring comes in February still takes me by surprise each year!  Especially when I talk to family and hear about record-setting low temps, "cold weather days" off school, and home water pipes freezing in the middle of the day!  So, here is my attempt to share some sunshine and warmth and send you a little encouragement-- Spring is just around the corner for you too! :)

(The girls were cracking me up this year.  I asked if they thought they were getting too old for an almond blossom photo shoot.  They not only assured me they WERE NOT, they took control of things, inventing poses and deciding which trees made for the best for backgrounds!)

Recharging at the Coast

This weekend we were given a wonderful gift.  And it was given to us by complete strangers!  With a tip from Dorina, we discovered this incredible website that connects pastors, missionaries and chaplains with Christians all over the country who own multiple homes.  After a brief application and background check, we were welcomed to stay in a GORGEOUS cottage near the coast by some brothers and sisters in the Lord, who wanted nothing from us, but to bless our family and give us rest.  We had a few days off school, so this long weekend was spent reading, hiking, stargazing, meeting friends at the aquarium, and exploring the super fun property our generous home owners shared with us.

  

The girls rode down a zip line our cottage had about 127 times...and spent a lot of time climbing and getting stuck up in the tree house.

It was so wonderful to have a whole mini-house to stay in!  The girls' room was a loft, with skylights right above each of their single beds.  They fell asleep looking out at the twinkling stars.  Ella even saw a shooting star!   We were definitely blessed!

Our first full day of this getaway was spent hiking around Point Lobos in Carmel.  The scenery here is unsurpassed in beauty.  The ocean was a dazzling turquoise color and, on this particular day, the sun was warm and the skies clear and blue.

Even the seals seem to agree that this piece of land is the place to be!

With some binoculars, we were even able to watch a couple gray whales spouting and lumbering by!

 I love that they still hold hands!

In one park and in one day of hiking, you get the whole coastal experience.  We saw dramatic coastline, we played in the sand on the beach, we strolled through an other-worldly cypress grove, and we explored tide-pools teeming with little creatures while huge waves crashed on the rocks behind us.  As we walked, Dave and I talked about the surprise and delight we still feel that we get to live near such an incredible area!

The next day we had big plans to meet our good friends Jeff, Amy, Jonathan, Grace and Benjamin at the aquarium.  We are very thankful that they made the drive just to hang out with us!  We shared a wonderful aquarium day with our friends, once again marveling over the dancing octopuses, the graceful jellies, the lurking hammerhead sharks, and the splashy bat rays.

The scuba diver feeding fish in the Kelp Forest was dressed up for Valentine's Day and posing for pictures.

Girl selfie in the wave cave!

After the aquarium, we spent the afternoon visiting our Monarch butterfly grove and doing more tide-pooling/rock climbing/playing at the beach.  It's February, so I did not even think to pack bathing suits, but the day was so warm and pretty, the girls actually wanted to cool off in the ocean!  This adventure started as toe-dipping, and of course, led to fully soaked clothing.  And also, a big bummer of a parking ticket.  (Just so you don't think our weekend was too perfect! :)  Oh well!

We all have that warm, happy feeling of being rested and recharged now.  And it's thanks to some new friends who gave us the gift of hospitality, some old friends who made a big effort to spend quality time with us, and a great Creator who makes and shares beautiful things just for His glory and our pleasure! 

Stroopwafels and Star Wars

These are the valentines the girls came up with to give their classmates this year.  Delia carefully and thoughtfully chose which friend would receive which character and Ella stood by my side for an hour rolling dough balls and spreading caramel filling for her fancy Dutch cookies.  Love seeing their passion and personality shine through even little stuff like this!

JUMP!

A little while ago we checked out a new trampoline place that opened not far from us.  It was really fun and we're already looking forward to heading back.

The jousting pit was awesome!  Loved watching them try to knock each other off the balance beam!

There was also a slam dunk basketball court.

And a foam pit you could do flips and fancy jumps into.

But where Ella spend most of her time was here on the dodge ball court, often winning the match!  She told me it was because she was "not so good at throwing, but GREAT at dodging."

What's worth noting about this trip to the trampoline place was that it was taken to get my energetic and noisy girls out of the house while Dave tried to catch up on sleep after a middle school lock-in...his LAST LOCK-IN EVER!  And this bunch of middle-schoolers made sure he went out with a bang.  They did not stop moving all night!  Dave can usually get them to settle down to watch a few movies and even fall asleep, but not this group. It was 10 straight hours of dodge ball, indoor soccer and sardines.  Dave's pedometer app told him he ran 6 miles over the course of the night!