Report Card

Last Friday Rachel brought home her first kindergarten report card.

O = Outstanding
S = Satisfactory
NI = Needs Improvement
U = Unsatisfactory
N/A = Not Applicable

Reading - S
Writing - S
Science - S
Mathematics - S
Social Studies - S

Areas of Strength: Rachel is adjusting well to kindergarten. She is enthusiastic about learning new things and is always willing to help others.

Areas for Growth: Continue to support her learning at home by practicing beginning sounds, writing and counting up to 20, and reviewing sight words that have been introduced in class. Encourage her to make better choices about where she sits on the carpet which is where she has difficulty staying focused.

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I am finding that Rachel in kindergarten is a learning experience for me too. I kind of wish I would have spent a few semesters in college studying early elementary education myself.

On a related side note, Rachel is now reading Dick and Jane level 1 books. She needs some help, and has yet to finish one book in one sitting, but she does a lot of the reading of those books on her own. I'm very proud of her!

Rachel's 5th Birthday

Yesterday Rachel turned 5 years old. It was a very busy day! First she went to someone else's birthday party, then she had her own family birthday party. I made her a princess cake. She got lots of awesome presents, including a fishing pole, Mario cart, a new pink coat, rain boots, sneakers, Sunday shoes, art supplies, and various other items.

My masterpiece princess cake

Rachel appreciated it

Rachel gushed over each and every present she got. Everything was "this is what I always wanted!"

Gabi was exhausted at the end of the day with so many festivities

 Perhaps the best present of all wasn't even hers. Her Grandma got a puppy last night. It is a cute little tri-colored 7 week old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. I think she will love seeing this puppy grow up, and I'm glad we can enjoy it at Grandma's house, and not ours. At least not for now.

Grandma's tri-colored 7 week old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

Rachel loves it

Mitt Romney

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a huge fan of Mitt Romney for president. A few months ago I had the remarkable opportunity to attend a fund-raising event for Romney that was held at the home of John Schnatter, the founder and owner of Papa John's Pizza. I hadn't posted about it here yet because we only finally got our official picture in the mail a week ago.

The Official Picture

I took this picture with my phone. I think it is a great picture.

Signing my copy of No Apology

the inscription

There is a lot more of the story to tell, but I don't have time right now.

Camping

We embarked on a new adventure last Friday. We went camping. Jeff and I both enjoy camping, but that was the first time we had done it since the girls were born. The campsite was not far away, so we figured worse case scenario we could leave if it didn't go well. Plus, it was just one night, so it wouldn't be too much.

We cooked hot dogs over the campfire, we hiked around a little, we unexpectedly came across the tamest deer I have ever seen in the "wild." Rachel kept moving closer and closer with no regard for the potential danger. I kept calling to her to be careful and not get too close, but the deer did not react at all. Finally we all took pictures around it.

 

 

I was pleasantly surprised at how well the girls slept. The both went to sleep later than normal (to be expected), and Rachel woke up much earlier than expected, but Gabi slept well into the morning. We got up and had breakfast, took down our tent and packed the car, then enjoyed a little more nature. Gabi and I made our way to a frog pond. I was trying to show Gabi a turtle, and as I got closer and closer, almost touching it, I slipped and fell and landed in the frog pond. Fortunately the only person to see me was Gabi, and she is still young enough to be concerned at my distress, not amused by it. The battery in my phone was completely worn down by this time, so we couldn't even capture the results on film. Sorry for  your loss. But trust me, I was soaked. And muddy. To make it even better I lost my shoe when I fell in, so I had to go back in again to retrieve it.

Fortunately it was time to go home anyway.

All in all, it was a good trip, and a learning experience, so hopefully we will go camping again soon.

Rock On Rachel

Here's a little Rock and Roll courtesy of Rachel. I think we've got a rock star on our hands!

Working in the Garden

For Christmas, Rachel and Gabi got kits to work outside in the garden, including a bag, work gloves, a little trowel and a rake. Since we are enjoying unseasonably warm weather right now, the girls wanted to do some work in the flower garden.

After a while they moved their work project over to the driveway, and did some remarkable landscaping with the gravel.

Absolutely Priceless!

A Beautiful Day

We have had a very unseasonably warm winter. We have therefore been able to enjoy some nice time outside in the sun. This past Monday was one of those days. We went for a bike ride, and finished off the day at the park, which included a hike in the woods.

Gabi loves to sing

Jeff got us these awesome new phones for Christmas. One of my biggest complaints about my blackberry was the horrible quality of pictures its camera took, so when we were shopping for new phones, a quality camera was one thing I was looking for. This phone has a very nice camera.

So I was taking advantage of its quality camera by capturing a moment with Rachel and Gabi making ice cream. That turned into a solo recital for Gabi, performing all of her favorite numbers.



Enjoy Gabi's first solo recital (with occasional accompaniment by Scout).



























The ice cream turned out pretty good too. Here's Rachel enjoying her handiwork.

A Fun Treat

A very long time ago, I acquired a calendar that had recipes using jell-o. I hung on to it because several of the recipes were awfully good, and pretty easy (two very important criteria). Rachel has on many occasions admired the delicious treats pictured there, and as she is growing up, she really likes doing stuff in the kitchen. So today we made dirt cups together.

Rachel is the kind of cook that likes to taste all of the ingredients. That is especially true when the ingredients consist of things like oreo cookies (although I'm cheap so I bought the off brand - Great Value), chocolate pudding, cool whip (again, Great Value whipped topping), and gummy worms. So if you are ever interested in sampling our fare, be warned that Rachel probably licked the spoon, and possibly her hands too, and I can't promise that it is the most sanitary dish ever prepared. But my philosophy is, it's all good, just a little extra protein.