Elaina...

Hannaford Field TripAbi

I got to chaperone a field trip with Abi and her classmates to Hannaford grocery store.  You would have thought we were going to an exotic tropical island with as excited as the kids were to go... the biggest thrill?  or perhaps I should say the biggest chill?  Going INTO the walk-in freezer!  :) 

The kids were able to see each of the departments, learn about what they do, try out a few goodies, and even 'cashier'.

Touching a lobster

Cashiering... 9 years and this joy can be hers! 

Abi with her friends Brigid and Jaine

On the bus ride back to school... think she had fun?

Kitchen creations

Abi loves to cook.  She has long been creating her own 'recipes' and is slowly transitioning into real ones...

The other day I bought her a pouch of muffin mix (just add water variety) to see how she would do at interpreting the directions and give her the independence of doing the preparation herself.

Showing off her blueberries she wanted to 'add a little extra'

Look at THAT smile!

Showing Mikayla how to properly measure the muffin mix into the liner

The girls and I also had a chance to make krumkake!  YUMMM...  Here is our first attempt...  Definitely a hit in our house. :)

Mother's Day Tea

Our preschool does an amazing job!  When we were considering preschools for Abi, we got lucky!  Greg and I each had heard good things about the school from different sources, so decided to go for it.  I have since realized that perhaps we should have interviewed the school, observed a class, or some other formal assessment of the school... but we didn't.  It was no matter though as we got extremely lucky.  The teachers are phenomenal and do their job for the love of the children.

One of the special things they do is host a Mother's Day tea.  The kids escort their mom (or special person) to their seat that has been specially set for them.  The kids then sing us a song and serve us food and give Mom's a gift.  A simple ceremony, but one that swells my heart with love.

Softball 2012

Abi has started her newest sporting adventure: softball.  She has been in gymnastics since she was 1 and 1/2 years old or so... has been in soccer for the past few seasons... She has a GREAT time doing them, but is not the next Shannon Miller or Mia Hamm.  She has yet to figure out the sports are competitive to some.  She has a smile from ear to ear when she is tumbling or playing, which is what Greg and I would prefer.

This past spring, a tee league of softball is available for Abi's age group.  She has been playing a few weeks now and so far, so good.  She has an awesome coach that clearly loves the game and wants to improve the girls skills.  The coach reminds me of my brother, in that regard.  The coach is assisted by the high school girls softball team which is great too.  They bring a positive, hard working attitude to the field which is awesome for the younger girls to see as well. 

Morning Walk

With spring officially here, I have been trying to take advantage of the beautiful morning weather when it is around... We have had our share of rainy days.  I don't mind the rain, honestly.  A nice gentle rain is as refreshing as the beautiful sunny sky, but it's more annoying from a glasses-wearing point-of-view to walk in the rain. :)

This morning I enjoyed a leisurely walk alone.  I decided to bring the camera along just in case I found some Kodak moments.

Here is what I found:

Morning fog lifting off...

Interested?

Like this pic, but not the orange cone!

A favorite choice

Mikayla LOVES "Made in America" by Toby Keith.  She can usually pick up the song in the first few notes, no matter what she is doing.  She usually will stop what she is doing, turn the radio up, and start singing/dancing. 

Mikayla is very attentive to the radio in the car as well.  She will voice her opinion on a song no matter the genre.