We couldn’t have Daniel’s rock climbing party on his birthday (or even the same week), because he strained a muscle running around a gym…. so we waited a couple extra weeks.

We had a ball last Saturday!! Check out some of the highlights:

Below is a typical email message your teachers send parents about what you are learning and doing at school. It is so very fun to watch you grow, my little girl! You are constantly stretching – your mind, your heart, your body!!
Love, Mama

Dear Parents, May 6, 2011

Happy Sunshine! We learned all about butterflies this week. Ask your child the following questions:
1. What are the stages of a butterfly? (egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, butterfly)
2. What is it called when a caterpillars sheds it’s skin? (Molting)
3. What do caterpillars do all day? (Eat, eat, eat and grow)
4. What is a butterflies tongue called and what does it drink? (Proboscis & nectar)
5. What are the little shapes in a butterflies eye called? (Facets or hexagon)
6. What colors can butterflies see? (Green, blue, yellow)
7. What eats butterflies? (Toads, snakes, baby wasps, etc.)
We finished handwriting book 2 this week. Look for it in their backpack tonight. Thank you to all of you that helped with Teacher Appreciation day! It was by far the BEST one ever. A special shout out to April for organizing it all ?! I need drivers for next Monday’s filed trip to the Community Center. We will leave at 10am and be back by 11am. We will be singing songs and making tissue paper flowers with the seniors. Speaking of songs, next Thursday night is Music Night from 6-7:30. Hope to see you all there. It’s a show you don’t want to miss. The “sleepover” is tonight at school. I believe almost ever one in class is attending. It was the talk of the day. Mr. John will be in for me this Monday; it’s a portfolio day.

Here is what we did in math this week:
The students used model clocks to practice telling time. Children learned about both analog and digital clocks. We spent most of our time talking about times to the hour, and also times to the half hour. We talked about the concepts of “yesterday”, “today”, and “tomorrow”. The children are learning how to describe events in the order that they happen. We also discussed the days of the week, including a song and sign language! Have a great weekend! -Greg

Music Night will be this Thursday, May 12! I am looking forward to a fun evening with all of you. If anyone is unable to attend, please let your child’s teacher know or myself know as soon as possible. Every child’s part will be important, so it would be very helpful to know if anyone cannot be there. They may dress up for the occasion if they like, though short skirts might be a problem on the stage at Hochstein. You may arrive at the main Hochstein entrance (50 N. Plymouth Ave.) shortly after 5:30 and go to the performance hall. Your children (up through Ms. Suzanne’s class) will perform first and then sit with you for the remainder of the program, so please save room for them. Thanks so much, Sincerely, Ms. Charlotte

Feliz Cinco de Mayo! This week we took the opportunity to have a mini-lesson on Aztec art in honor of the holiday that celebrates Mexican culture in the US. The children learned a bit about the native peoples of Mexico and their imagery. With their reading buddies they colored their own versions of the two major Aztec deities – Quetzalcoatl and Huitzilopotch – Pia Cseri-Briones

Have a great weekend, Ms. Barbie

Pictures from Staff Appreciation Day – parents brought in food and covered staff responsibilities for an hour, we gave them coloring assignments and Daddy Jim offered a really wonderful, encouraging toast. A massage therapist offered 10 minute back massages, and a Mary Kay make-up person offered facials. Lots and lots of laughter – and you came up to check on me and the evolution of the event many times – which certainly made my day! Love you Baby Girl… so grateful that you have a warm, committed school community led by thoughtful and creative professionals!! We are so blessed!

Oma was in the hospital today – she had some extreme pain in her belly that no one really understoon. Daddy Jim thinks perhaps she passed a gall stone, and, after a rough 24-36 hours, she’ll likely feel better in the morning.

So… we decided to snap some pictures and take some small videos to give Oma and Opa a smile to welcome Oma home from the hospital…

Oma and Opa – know that we love you so much and are thinking about you!!

Enjoy!!

Hair cuts a few weeks ago –

Some fun ones from our MN adventure

Our outside girl

This is “Waddles” sitting on ice 🙂

Pictures from our hike tonight after dinner – looking for signs or spring. What a beautiful park about 4 minutes form our house – we are so blessed.

After-Dinner Dance Session short-videos coming soon!! 🙂

I woke you up this morning with a tender, “Sweetheart? It’s time to get up for school.” Without skipping a beat you responded with your eyes still closed, “I’m not going to school today.” I cracked up laughing!

I feel so close to you right now – we sing together, dance together, laugh together and really talk together. Today’s conversation on the way to school was about different people’s “cultures” and what that means. We talk about how to love everyone and how we are called to respond to those who seem a bit harder to love at first – and you totally live that! (Not all the time, but you can tell it really matters to you that you try hard.)

We were talking yesterday about Native Americans, and the difference between “Indians” and Native Americans. You said, “They were mean, right Mama?” I responded sort of shocked and confused and said, “Why would you say that?” You didn’t have an answer, so I explained that we were the mean ones. That they were living here in the Americas, and we came over and took their homes from them – their land from them. That we hurt them in wars and pushed many of them out – unkindly and unfairly. You got tears in your eyes as you listened intently to every word. You responded shakily, “Mama, if I was in a war, I would never hurt anyone. And I would let them keep there own land.” “I know Baby.” And then I explained why it is so important to know our history and the mistakes we made so we can be really aware and conscious about not making them again. After a pause, you said “Mama, can you change the music. This song is making me sad.” I hugged you, changed the song, and we talked about something else.

Daddy Jim was gone for the past few days, and so you and I slept together. It was a very sweet time – you would fall asleep holding my arm and usually having your little feet on my thigh. We watched some of a movie on Sunday before we went for a hike, and you just laid right on top of me like I was your big pillow.

Then we went for our hike with Macy at Ellison and had a BALL! Climbing trees, getting stuck in mud, climbing the sand hill, falling down (I mean hiking down) the steep other side, grabbing on to small trees as we came screaming/sliding down the hill – laughing so hard the whole time!! It was cold and sunny and wonderful.

I love you Baby Girl!!

More details to follow, but Oma & Opa – we want you to know that we’re thinking about you and loving you, so we’re sending these pictures to give you a smile 🙂

7:30am breakfast with Mom & Dad before school @ Panera

Making a friend feel very special by choosing her to be “Starry Guide” and inviting her for a play date after school

Mom and Daddy Jim share a memory from each year of Maya’s wonderful life as Barbie lights a candle…

After play date with Casey, we meet Auntie Judi and Daddy for dinner at Tapas – what a wonderful night!!!

The end of a long, wonderful day

Today was so much fun, Peanut Butter!!

Today we went to Bristol for the 2nd time this skiing season, and you are skiing like a rock star!! Mostly because we couldn’t get the timing right, we signed you up with a private lesson with Sam last time, and you did great! She took you on the chair lift and did a green with you, but even before that you were flying down the bunny hill with ease.

Today? You were crazy confident!! You were doing all kinds of stunts and silliness. You asked for a one-on-one lesson again, so we signed you up with Sarah. She was also awesome. You said you learned “big, medium and little turns” and parallel turns and parallel stops! (Though your spoken version of the word “parallel” was something quite indecipherable but cute). You were very proud of yourself and ready for hot cocoa… so that is what we did – took a break, during which it got dark. Then you and Daddy Jim did the bunny hill a few times, and I skied with Mad and Daniel. When I came back you and I had a blast on the magic carpet / bunny hill. Once I fell done on the magic carpet b/c you accidentally dropped your mitten. When I got back up (very ungracefully), I was facing backward on the magic carpet – sigh. You laughed so hard. Then I fell at the bottom of the bunny hill for no apparent reason – again we laughed our rear ends off!!

When it was time to go home I said, “Okay, Kid. You have a choice – one more time down the bunny hill or one time up on the ski lift to a green.” You really weren’t sure what to do, but you finally bravely chose the ski lift.

Mind you, you and I have never done this by ourselves before. What an adventure. The 2 young women at the lift helped us get on (including replacing your ski that fell off), and you were awesome getting off! You immediately wanted to ski between my legs like we did the previous (less successful) time we tried this (that time I skied you between my legs in a “pizza” all the way down a very very long green and we sang “Rudolph the red nose reindeer” all the way down). This time, I pointed out the hill in front of us and said – “Check that out Peanut – looks pretty flat, don’t you think? Just like the Bunny Hill? What don’t you try it, and I’ll be right here.”

And you did!! And you were a ROCK STAR!!! You skied all of this trail called “Infinity” by yourself… There was one hair pin turn that I just skied with my ski next to yours to help you get set up, but there rest was ALL you!! You were so proud when you reached the bottom – as was I – I yelled “YOU ARE A ROCK STAR!!!!!” and you were giggling and I was giggling!! We had a balll!!!!!!

Can we do crafts?
A week or so before then you asked, “Mama, can we do some crafts?” I said, “but you color and paint all the time.” “That’s not the same as crafts… I would really like to do crafts.” So we did. Five fun crafts over the holidays:

1. The dangling snowperson ornament – first made with Marlie and then you taught your cousins Niklas and Gabriela as well as Oma and Bianca in Michigan.

2. The marshmallow wreath – Madeline and I made this together one night after you headed to bed. We had such a ball! Laughing, talking, burning ourselves. And we were very proud of the way it turned out. Earlier that night we had a beautiful family night – home cooked meal, eggnog, fire in the fireplace, “Charlie Brown’s Christmas Special,” gifts of special ornaments from Austria – and then – a house filled with smoke with all the alarms going off and Mommy and Daddy Jim fighting about how to fix it. Sigh… I guess we aren’t perfect. We laughed about the night many times since. Anyway – here’s the wreath.

3. Melting snowman cookies – We weren’t sure what we were doing, but the three of us (Madeline, you and I) gave it our best shot, and I think they turned out AWESOME!!! Super cute! We took them to Daniel and Madeline’s piano recital, and they were a big hit!!

4. The Christmas card wreath – I was inspired by this idea because we really needed some way to share and see the Christmas cards we received… so we brought the stuff to Michigan and made our first one for Bianca and Mark. I think its pretty – what do you think? Next year we’ll have to make one for us 😉

5. Singing carolers – Last one was a collaborative effort that turned out quite fun – what do you think? Maybe because it was the last of our crafts, maybe because it was the most messy – but few were still standing at the end – Gabby and I finished it up together.

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today

today are my almost 6-year old – with really long hair, interesting insight, and the craziest nuanced reactions i could ever imagine
today you are my giggle buddy (still) – doesn’t take much and you and I are both rollin! most around us have no idea why
today your favorite colors are green and black
today you color puppies, bats, birds, girls and flowers
today you really like to pick out your clothes – and your definitions regarding “matching” are quite… uhmmm… shall we say… hip.
today your phrase by far – mama, i’m hungry
today you don’t like turtlenecks
today you could color and cut and glue for hours at a time
today you can read!!! you can sound out many words, you can sight read others – and, all along, you are quite aware of context (i got all teary eyed listening to you read last night)
today you sit on my lap when I go pottie – sometimes facing me so we can have a close chat
today I still lay down with you, saying prayers together, and staying with you until you are asleep
today i told you that i SOO grateful to be your mama – and I am – every day –
today you love to climb things and push your muscles – gonna sign you up for gymnastics again

today is just about over, and I SOOOOO look forward to tomorrow with you.

i love you my dearest child –
your mama