Dessert Theater 2014

Each year the girls' elementary school has 4th and 5th graders participate in a play.  The evening event is to showcase their work while nibbling on desserts provided by the 4th and 5th grade parents.  Since Hannah is now in 4th grade, this year was our first time attending the event.

All ready to go

Hannah wanted me to make peanut butter cookies (mainly so that she could make the criss-cross design on the top of them).  She played a maid named Jules in the 4th grade play entitled "Once Upon a Hundred Years' Nap."  It involved Sleeping Beauty and her family; Hannah played the maid of their castle. 

Posing with the other girls from her class at dress rehearsal

All the 4th grade kids did a great job speaking loudly for the packed house to hear.  The play was humorous and light-hearted, and we enjoyed it very much.  Here are some other photos of her in action:

Her entrance

Setting the table

The witch in the corner turned her to a frog

Baby Henry

Last weekend we went to North Carolina to visit Kelly, Jon, and Carter and meet Baby Henry for the first time.  It was nice to take an extended weekend break from "reality" and only have to worry about holding a sweet new baby.  He was born on January 26, so he was about 7 weeks old while we were there.  And what a doll he is!  Here are some photos:

Charles enjoyed nap time with Henry

Sophie was quite good at putting him to sleep

Playing a game on Kelly's phone with Carter

Tummy time for Henry and a silly face for Sophie

 

Hannah wanted to put Henry to sleep too, but she couldn't sit still enough

The "baby whisperer" strikes again!

We made a fire one night. Carter's s'more got a little sticky!

Isn't he beautiful?  But I'm not biased.

Swinging at the park

One 70 degree day they all rode bikes. Sophie finally rode without training wheels!

Three cousins at the park

Watching the ducks at Shelley Lake

She finally got him to sleep!

Napping with Charles again!

Snapshots from the Weekend

Starting seeds for the garden, despite the fact that the weather is fluctuating wildly right now!  They'll begin growing inside where the temperature is a bit more stable.

A note Sophie left for Dad, good for five whole months. He's now on a mission to be nice and then torture me with tickles.  I really hate tickles.

Sophie, excited about fresh strawberries (8 pints of them), and specifically excited about strawberry pancakes with strawberry syrup.  See her pretty design?

Storybook Character Day 2014

Storybook character day is one of the funnest days at EMES, besides pajama reading day of course!  This year Sophie recycled her Halloween costume to be Wonder Woman, which is stretching the "storybook character" idea, I think.  Hannah dressed as Nancy Drew, who she's been reading quite a lot these days.

Yet Another Big Snow

Half a frisbee's worth

The girls helped clear the driveway by filling their wagon with snow

Bike tracks also helped...

... as well as scooter tracks.

And this winter's favorite snow activity: tunneling.

What happened to her hat?

Taking a yoga break? One in downward dog and one in savasana.

It's beautiful, but I hope this is it for snow this winter!

Dad and His Girls

A few recent photos of Charles and the girls:

Bedtime reading while Hannah braids Sophie's hair

All decked out for church

Two lovely dates, wouldn't you say?

A Night at the Gallery 2014

In previous years the artwork of EMS students grades K-12 was showcased at a wonderful event known as the Soup & Arts Fest.  Organizers would solicit delicious soups from restaurants around Harrisonburg and serve those along with homemade bread and desserts while charging $10/ticket to raise money for the fine and culinary arts.  Students would recite poetry, sing, play instruments and it was really quite an event.  So much so that it had grown a bit unwieldy, prompting this year's crew to rethink the whole thing.

So this year we had "A Night at the Gallery," which anyone could attend (donations welcomed) to see artwork, hear some music, and enjoy desserts while perusing the collection.  Below you see the pieces of Hannah's and Sophie's that were displayed at the event on Saturday evening:

"Color Wheel Spider" by Hannah

"Tints & Circles" by Hannah

"Ping Pong" by Sophie

"Cat" in watercolor, by Sophie

Science Fair 2014

Ah, the science fair! The time when kids have grand ideas that don't always include grand follow through.  This year Sophie created something from recycled materials, as all the 2nd graders do, and Hannah tested the effects of different sunlight on plants.

Sophie wanted to dress up for the evening of the science fair, including carrying a little purse and wearing lip gloss (I said no to blush and eye shadow).  Her game is called Recycle Land.  She created game pieces that sometimes fit into little boats for crossing a river.  You move by tossing a coin, and sometimes you land on a space where you have to draw a card and answer a question that proves what you know about recycling.

She got to explain her game to her classmates the morning of the science fair and that evening she (wo)manned her station to show people how to play the game.

You can see Hannah's research question on her board above.  She was complimented by one of the middle school science teachers for how well she demonstrated the scientific process.  She learned that the plant receiving afternoon sun grew a little taller.  She probably should have had several plants in each location, in hindsight, but she enjoyed the project.

Science fair evening she stood by her board to tell parents and teachers about her project.  She didn't dress up fancy but rather wanted to look like a farmer.  You know, since her project involved growing plants.