More recitals, camps and the 4th of July

In June, Lillie had a Piano Recital and a Gymnastics recital. At her piano recital she played "French Children's Song" and "Let it go." Both of these songs were very hard and we are proud of her.

She was really excited when she received her gymnastics medal.

A week after school was out, Lillie and Sophie started their Soccer and Tennis camps.

Sophie was really excited when the coach helped her balance the ball on the back of her neck.

Lillie enjoyed hitting the tennis ball over the net.

 

 We continued our 4th of July tradition by riding in the Richland Parade.

 Later that evening, we went to a friend's house for swimming, hot dogs and fireworks.

Mother's Day Tea, Field Trip, Excel Expo and Dance Recital

In May, Sophie and I went to her Mother's Day Tea. They sang songs and we had yummy sandwiches and fruit. We also made these great looking hats.

 We went to the Delano Homestead for Sophie's class field trip. We saw lots of farm animals. Afterwards, we were able to visit the Kalamazoo Nature Center building and look at all of the animals found in Michigan. Sophie is in an indoor tree house with preschool friends: Lauren, Addy, Zac and Wendell.  

This year, Lillie did a research project for Excel on Dolphins. She made a Triorama with a clay model of a dolphin. She also made a menu with the types of food dolphins eat and packet of information about her animal.

 On Saturday, Lillie and Sophie had their dance recital. They had a lot of fun and they did a great job. Afterwards, we went to Plainwell ice cream to celebrate.

Happy Birthday Lillie

I can't believe that this smart, funny girl is 7. On Saturday, she had a "super seventies" party including tie-dying, making pet rocks and clay jewelry. The inside of her cake was 5 different colors to look like a tie-dye cake. She had a great time with 5 of her friends that were able to come celebrate her birthday.

Questions for Lillie

Brian and Lillie went to the Father-Daughter dance last Saturday and they had a lot of fun.  Lillie enjoyed eating at Applebee's before the dance and dancing with one of her best friend at the event. The dance was a fundraising event for the Gull Lake Community Volunteers.
Favorite color: pink and light blue
Favorite thing to eat: cheese ravioli, mashed potatoes and pineapple
Favorite thing to do: read
Favorite place to go: Air Zoo
Where do you want to go someday:
Favorite toy: Kindle Fire
What do you want to be when you grow up: a singer
Who is your best friend: Charlotte, Mara and Emily
Favorite stuffed animal: big unicorn
Favorite animal: flamingo
Favorite song: "Let it go" from the movie "Frozen"
Favorite thing to wear: tie-dyed shirt
Favorite book: Matilda
Favorite movie or show to watch: Matilda
Favorite thing to do with Daddy: play chess
Favorite thing to do with Mommy: bake cookies

Lillie's Winter Piano Recital

Lillie had her winter piano recital on Sunday. She did a great job playing Cuckoo, Lightly Row, French Children's Song and Yankee Doodle.

Lillie lost her first tooth

Since May, Lillie has had 2 permanent coming in behind her bottom baby teeth. The Dentist said that she would have the 2 baby teeth out between the 4th of July and Labor Day. He was wrong.
She finally lost her first one tonight. She was scared that it was going to hurt. I told her to go wiggle it in the mirror and watch her tooth go sideways. She wiggled it sideways and then practically fell out. I hope that the gift from the Tooth Fairy will motivate her to keep wiggling the other 4 teeth that are loose.

She is holding her baby tooth in the picture above. School picture day is tomorrow and it is going to be a cute picture.

Lillie's Dance Recital

Saturday, was Lillie's dance recital.

  She did a tap routine

 and a gymnastics routine.

All of the students were in the finale. Lillie is throwing confetti in this photo.

 Lillie had fun and she did a great job. We are very proud of her.

Piano Recital

Last night, Lillie had her second piano recital. She played 3 Blind Mice and Lightly Row.

We listened to a lot of great songs and we had a reception afterwards. Lillie was the youngest of the 14 performers. Mrs. Lawrence and the students are pictured below.

Lillie Field Trip and Excel Expo

Two weeks ago, Lillie and I went on her class field trip to the zoo.  I got to ride the bus with her and I didn't get sick.

This picture is of her class when they got off the bus. They were very tired after a long day at the zoo.

Lillie has been in excel this school year. Excel is a special accelerated class that meets for an hour each week. This past Wednesday, all of the Excel students showed off their projects at an open house.  The 1st graders did a animal research project. (They don't have Excel for Kindergarteners, so they put her in the 1st grade group.) Lillie displayed her triarama of a polar bear habitat. She also completed a research packet, made a pub menu of a polar bear's diet and a polar bear out of modeling clay.

Questions for Lillie

Favorite color: Pink and Blue
Favorite thing to eat: Ice Cream
Favorite thing to do: Make crafts
Favorite place to go: Olive Garden
Where do you want to go someday: Australia 
Favorite toy: My Karaoke Machine
What do you want to be when you grow up: Police Officer
Who is your best friend: Mara, Emily, and Charlotte
Favorite stuffed animal: Rainbow Beary (Unicorn Dream Light)
Favorite animal: Koalas
Favorite song: Best of Both Worlds, Hanna Montana
Favorite thing to wear: Dresses
What part of school do you like the best: Recess
Favorite book: Rainbow Magic Fairy Series
Favorite show to watch: I haven't watched TV in so long, I don't remember.
Favorite thing to do with Daddy: Play Chess
Favorite thing to do with Mommy: Bake cakes

Happy Birthday Lillie

Lillie celebrated her birthday on Saturday.  The night before we covered her doorway with plastic and put balloons between the door and plastic.  When she opened the door in the morning...she was showered with balloons.

She opened presents from her family.

Then Lillie had her birthday party at where she takes Gymnastics. She invited her friends and Sophie to the party.  Sophie had a great time participating with the kids too.

One of Lillie's favorite parts was the Pinata. Friends below: Lillie, Mara, Charlotte, Katie, Sophie behind pinata, Grace, Madi, Natalie, Gavin, Libby, Natalie and Grace's sister, and CiCi.

Lillie blowing out candles. She said that it was one of her best days. Happy Birthday Lillie!

Sophie's 1st visit to the Dentist and Lillie's School update

Sophie went to the Dentist for the first time today.  She let the Dental Hygientist count her teeth and look in her mouth, but she did not want her teeth cleaned.  After they applied the flouride to her teeth she got to pick out a toothbrush, sticker and bracelet.

Lillie loves school and she is doing great.  Last week, her teacher, Mrs. Barber, had the reading specialist test her reading level.  She is at a 3.4 (3rd grade, 4 months). She can read up to 6th grade, but she began to get frustrated at 4th grade reading level. I was worried about Lillie’s leveling off in her reading but her teacher and reading specialist both said that they wanted to keep her at her accelerated rate.

Her reading comprehension is a solid 2nd grade level.  Mrs. Barber is going to stop having her do the kindergarten reading activities and build a reading tote for her to do, when the rest of the class is doing kindergarten reading.  She is also going to have Accelerated Reading time with the reading specialist and the librarian.  I saw the reading specialist in the hallway last week and she said that she enjoyed reading with Lillie.  Reading with Lillie made her day.  Everyone noticed how happy Mrs. Hoffman (reading specialist) was the day she tested Lillie and it was because of Lillie.

Today, Lillie was pulled out of class to spend time in the ExCEL program with the 1st graders.  They don't offer it to Kindergartners until later in the year, if at all.  ExCEL is a program where students meet with an instructor for approximately 1 hour each week. This is an curriculum program in addition to their classroom curriculum. The program is designed to help them continue to strengthen curriculum, thinking skills, research activities, enhance thinking skills, and develop responsibility and interpersonal skills.

Happy Halloween

Sophie and I have been going to two story times each week.  Since Lillie is a school, I want her to be around other kids more and learn how to socialize with them.  She has been shy about dancing and participating, because Lillie isn't around to follow.  This was the first week that she broke out of her shell.  She danced  and put letters on the bulletin board at story time.  

She wore her Halloween costume to story time this week.

I also helped out in Lillie's classroom for their Halloween party.  Lillie was Kiera from Barbie Princess and the Popstar.  She is in line with one of her good friends, Madi, for the Halloween parade.

Sophie played at a friend's house, while I was at school with Lillie.  After school, Lillie and I went back to our friend's house to eat and play a few Halloween games. Brian met us there after work too.  We also trick or treated in their neighborhood.

Leaves and Pumpkin Carving.

Last Saturday, the leaves were finally dry enough to play in.  Brian made a big pile of leaves for the girls to jump into and play in.

On Sunday, we carved Pumpkins.  Sophie didn't mind cleaning out the inside of her pumpkin.

Lillie designed her pumpkin face and drew on hair.  

 Brian, then cut out the designs.

This month Lillie learned how to tie her shoes and Sophie knows how to sing the Alphabet song and Baa Baa Black Sheep.

Pumpkin Time

On Sunday, we went to Gull Meadow farms to enjoy the nice fall weather.  First, we took a wagon ride out to the pumpkin patch to pick out our pumpkins.

Lillie and Sophie each picked out a pumpkin.

Then we went to pick apples.

After, we picked apples Lillie and Sophie played on the slides, bounce pillows, and obstacle course. Lillie's favorite thing was the zip-line.

Sophie's favorite was the Apple train ride, but she would only go on it, if Lillie was with her.

We did a lot more in the three and a half hours that we were there, but these were our favorites.

Ahoy Captain! and Sophie time with Mommy

Lillie has enjoyed the first weeks of school and made a lot of new friends.  At school, students are recognized for their good behavior through AHOY slips.  Each week, students names are drawn to be selected as the AHOY Captains of the week.  Last week, Lillie was one of the names drawn and she had her picture taken in the captain's hat.

For the last week, I have been working on the Reading Club program for the PTO.  It has kept me pretty busy, so today after I made copies at school, I took Sophie to the Bird Sanctuary.  She enjoyed feeding the birds, including this goose and duck.  She has been enjoying the past few weeks of time with me.  Her potty training has improved and she is listening better.  She is also learning a lot, she is identifying more letters and when she saw a meijer's commercial yesterday she said "grocery store".

Lunch with Lillie

Lillie generally takes her lunch to school.  On the second day of school, Lillie ate the school lunch and didn't get to drink her milk, because she expected a mom to open it.  (The kids are suppose to raise their hand and someone will come open it.)  I talked to mom that was at school on the first day and she said that Sophie and I could come and eat lunch with Lillie.  The school especially likes parents to come help with lunch during the first few weeks at school.  Yesterday, I packed Sophie a lunch to take to school.  When I told Sophie where we were going she grabbed her Dora backpack and Dora lunch bag.

Sophie was so excited to see Lillie in the middle of the day. Sophie ate lunch with the big kids and I helped the kids open their milks, fruit cups and bananas.  I think that we might go back to see Lillie next week.
Lillie is enjoying school.  She has made several friends, including some that are on both the bus and in her class.  She is a little cranky when she comes home, but she is still adjusting to her new schedule.  Sophie is enjoying this one on one time that she gets to spend with me.  And I love how I can get so much more done during the day, now that our schedule isn't as busy.

She is ready for Kindergarten, but is Kindergarten ready for her?

The day has finally arrived where Lillie gets to go to Kindergarten.  As you can tell from her "Rock star" shirt and hand on her hip, she was ready.

Yesterday, we gave her a Kindergarten book and this poem with "special" dust.  She said that only needed a small pinch, because she was only a little nervous.

Before we went to the bus stop, we had to take our pictures on the front porch.  It was raining, so some of these pictures turned out dark.  Brian went into work late, so he could see her off at the bus stop.

 Sophie was excited to see the bus...but when I asked her this morning "Do wanted to go see sissy get on the bus?" She replied, "no, I want to go see Elmo."

Lillie got on the bus and let us take her picture.  The buses were running late today, because of the new routes and all of the parents taking pictures.

Then Sophie and I went to Lillie's school to see her getting off the bus.  Since, our community is a busing community, it is a tradition to have your child ride the bus on the first day of school, but you meet them at school and walk them to their classroom.

 Lillie's Kindergarten teacher is Mrs. Barber.  She likes parent volunteers, so I will be able to help a few mornings in the classroom.  Mrs. Barber is also very warm and excited about teaching.  She was also excited  to use iPads in their classroom this year.  Gull Lake School district passed a bond for construction and technology improvements.  Every student will be able to use iPads and the high school students can even take theirs home with them.  We are glad that we choose to live in this community.  Lillie has one friend in her class that was at Jack and Jill Preschool and there are 5 other Jack and Jill friends at her school.

We got a "Congratulations Lillie" cookie and balloon to celebrate Lillie's first day of school.  She will be surprised when she gets home and I can't wait to hear about her first day.