Last day of kindergarten !

Well, whaddya know? Allen knocked kindergarten out of the park!

I guess I never really had anything to worry about. This month, we also got the results back on his battery of IQ tests... 146. So, he qualifies for Parkway's special school for gifted kids. BUT, he's doing so well at Sorrento Springs, we'll put that decision off for down the road, if ever we have a problem. For now, he'll be going to "Mosaics" -- the gifted program -- with Ms. Wilke one day a week. Looking forward to that!

My favorite last-day tradition is the Academic Rally, which I think started when Emilyn was in second grade, just before she had her appendix out, actually!

Allen got Outstanding Achievement, Super Citizen, Excellent Effort, Homework Hero, Star Musician and Community Builder awards! He was very proud of being the Star Musician... because only two kids in his class were so honored. Thanks, Mrs. Lay, for keeping Allen jazzed about music! I hope she and he can keep it up.

Anyway, Allen made some great friends in kindergarten, and we have Mrs. Kelley to thank for keeping him challenged. He's enjoying his classmates!



Thanks, Sorrento Springs, for a great year! For more photos and video, click here.

Corpse flower disappointing . . . Lanterns intriguing !

Well, it doesn't happen very often. And it's never happened here. So, Allen and I just had to head down to the Missouri Botanical Garden and see the corpse flower in bloom.

The line was plenty long! But the flower itself was a letdown. Not very big, not very stinky.

What was not a letdown -- the preparations for the Lantern Festival, opening in six days and running all summer long -- the first festival of its kind in the U.S.!

We saw a junk... that was made of actual junk! (4,600 water bottles, to be precise.)



And we found out it takes 15,000 medicine bottles filled with colored water to make this magnificent beast.



Oh, mark my words: When we go back to the Lantern Festival -- at night! -- in a few weeks, I will be taking more pictures. I think it just might rival our trip there to see the Niki de St. Phalle sculptures. Or possibly the Chihuly glass. Whenever they host these amazing exhibits, it's like a whole new garden. I feel very fortunate to live so close to such a cultural treasure!

For the rest of our photos from the garden on Sunday, click here. And stay tuned for more on the Lantern Festival -- Magic By Night!

More fun with Steve's odometer

The latest MILE-stone from our favorite Ford Taurus.

Allen's first Field Day

Ahhh... Sorrento Springs Field Day! And we're back to the morning session, because K-2 starts the fun at 8 a.m.! The smart families (who had been there countless times before) found a spot in the shade and watched the spectacle unfold.

Mrs. Kelley's class was on the Blue Team, and there were a lot more events this year where everybody joined in. Allen was involved in Flag Tag; Shoe Find; Punt, Pass and Kick; One-Lap Run; All Student Body Run; and the always epic Tug of War. (Yes, Mrs. Kelley got so into that last event that she ended up with a broken arm. Seriously.)

But, as far as I could tell, no kindergartners were harmed in the making of this Field Day. Allen seemed to have a lot of fun, and it was neat to watch him strategizing with his team and really cheering them on. His punt led him, Nate and Ali to victory in the Punt, Pass and Kick!

That winning feeling! You just can't duplicate it!



For all the photos and videos from Field Day, click here.

Kindergarten fun at the zoo

Almost done with kindergarten. Unbelievable!

One of the last big hurrahs was the kids' field trip to the St. Louis Zoo -- one of our favorite destinations, and we could not have asked for nicer weather!

I'd call this a "right-sized" field trip. I got two kids to wrangle -- Nate and Allen -- which is just the right number for me. And we fit in one seat on the bus. And we didn't set off until 9. And we got back on the bus at 1. Just right!

In that time, though, we were able to see all of our zoo favorites... We got to the Children's Zoo before 10, when they start charging. The boys (reluctantly) took a few minutes to pose for some pictures... I remembered how I had taken the same photos of Emilyn and Sarah when they were little... Awww!



Allen and Nate were (mostly) good sports about it, and I got some really cute pictures.



The super-great thing was we got a very good look at baby elephant Kenzi and her mom, Rani. Kenzi was born last summer and just went on display in September of last year. She was really, really cute. Elephants are just amazing, and our zoo is lucky to have a long run of good luck with breeding them.



After lunch, it was on to the bears, penguins and apes. The penguins were swimming and splashing anybody who got close. The chimps were getting a nice lunch of cabbage and cauliflower.



Great job, Allen and Nate! I'd chaperone you guys anytime.



To see all of our photos from the zoo, click here.

Our nearly forgotten trip to the Humane Society

I almost forgot to write about our trip last month to the Humane Society of Missouri!

The kindergartners had done a school-wide service project with the school counselor, making toys for the pets at the animal shelter. Allen had donated a bunch of beige-colored fleece I had left over after a project for a friend's baby shower.

Well, when the time came to donate the toys to the shelter, Mrs. Grossman invited any kids who were interested, and their families, to come on a special "field trip" on the weekend, to present the toys and get a tour, and learn about the important work the shelter does to care for unwanted pets.

A great idea... a laid-back, weekend field trip where families are in charge of their own transportation? We are in!

We met up with the Donovans when we got there, and Allen and Nate were soon busy learning about pet overpopulation.

We met a brave and beautiful three-legged dog named Marshall, who had been rescued from an abusive owner and adopted by one of the shelter volunteers. The kids tried some exercises -- looking for ways to find homes for all the "paper pets" in the Humane Society classroom. And we took a nice tour... where Emilyn and Allen left 5 dollars each in the kitty room. It seems they are cat people, just like their grandparents (and much to Daddy's chagrin)!



It was a nice way for the kids to connect their service project with the real challenges faced every day at the animal shelter. And it's a nice, easy pace for a field trip! Tomorrow's trip, kindergartners at the zoo, promises to be not quite so laid-back! We'll blog about that one later.

Mother's Day with berries. And more berries.

It was pretty much a perfect day to head out to the farm with my favorite field hands and pick some strawberries!

The non-winter led to berries very, very early this year, and I was afraid that they might all be gone by Mother's Day -- the time they traditionally are just getting started! But Thies Farm didn't disappoint... there were plenty of "ruby jewels" to choose from when we got there Sunday morning.

Daddy was by far the most picky, so his were by far the most pretty. Emilyn won the award for "smallest possible berries," while Allen got the award for "most straw in the box."

After a quick trip to the store for angel food cake, Daddy whipped up some real cream and we scarfed as many berries as we could... for lunch AND dinner. And we still had SO many berries left over! I have a feeling that's a problem we won't have for long. Mmmmmmm.



That has to be one of the most frugal Mother's Days ever. 11 bucks for strawberries, plus ice cream, whipped cream and cake. A great way to spend my day!

Looks like I've changed a lot in seven years

My eyes have gone from blue to green, apparently. Also, I'm feeling more... transparent. And I've shed my carapace!

I love both of these pictures of me. Thank you so much, my best good girl and my sweet buddy boy. You make me a proud mommy every day!

Mother's Day Tea

It's my second Mother's Day Tea -- the annual Sorrento Springs kindergarten tradition... so time-honored that Mrs. Lupo has famously threatened to cancel the whole thing if one kid ever has a mom who can't show up. Whew. I'm glad I'm free during the day.

The kindergartners had been working for weeks on the big to-do, and you could tell they were very excited. Pink tablecloths adorned their little tables, and there were pink crowns made for the moms -- with some very interesting answers to some very interesting questions. "I think my mom looks funny when she laughs, but I can really tell she's angry when she breaks the computer" -- just an example.

I also got a flower in a really pretty pot that Allen painted. Awww.

Then came the main event: the singing! I missed the very beginning, where Allen and Kelly kind of served as emcees to welcome all the moms and thank them for coming. But the songs were all super-cute, and Allen and Kelly seemed to be the stars of the show! I kept making funny faces to keep Allen from getting upset or nervous. He did an amazing job.



Some big sisters from fifth grade helped pass out punch and Oreos (mmmmm!), and then we watched a little video where all the kids said why their mom is special. Allen got big laughs by saying, "My mom is special because she battles with me." I love that boy!

Then, I got my second "My Mom" picture, with accompanying paragraph. Nice to see and read how much I've changed in seven years!

For all the photos and videos from the Mother's Day Tea, click here.

An amazing spring of singing

Wow, Emilyn is really tearing up the choir scene!

She entered the Solo and Ensemble Festival a few weekends ago and got very high marks -- from a real judge -- for her version of "Sing Me to Sleep."

Then, at the spring concert, the kids put on what Steve and I thought was one of the best shows ever, pounding out some pop tunes and melodies, including this epic medley of Queen favorites. (Sorry the video is so dark... I'm still getting used to my new camera.)

Her fellow choir members honored her with the "Handel award" for giving that little something extra... She got a big pack of Extra gum!

THEN, she headed off to Music in the Parks in Branson/Springfield, Mo., for an overnight trip with Con Brio, her school's select choir. They nabbed some serious hardware: THREE first-place trophies -- 1) first place, small middle school woman's choir; 2) first place, small middle school mixed choir; and 3) first place OVERALL middle school choir (small and large schools, woman's and mixed choirs). That third trophy is the most impressive of all!

THEN (as if all that weren't enough), Emilyn was selected to the All-State Honors Choir! She made an audition tape earlier in the year, and now she'll be performing with the best singers in the state in Jefferson City in July!

We couldn't be more proud of her hard work and dedication to singing this year. What an amazing opportunity! Keep it up, kiddo!

Click here for more videos from the spring concert, including Emilyn's incredible solo on "Don't Stop (Thinkin' About Tomorrow)."

Allen at the All District Art Show

Allen the artist is at it again... this time exhibiting his work at the art show for the entire school district, not just the South Area.

And it's new stuff! At the South Area show in February, he showed his nifty self-portrait. Here, we have a fabulous brown "pinch pot" -- which I canNOT wait to display by my bathtub! -- and a picture depicting all four seasons.

This show always has amazing stuff... Emilyn had her work featured there every year, too.

We are super-proud of how Allen is doing in art. (Ask him about how Sunday is drawing day!)

These are a few of my favorite things . . .

... about the new house!

My uber-wise friend Stacy said it best: "It's the small things in life that make it so special." In that spirit, here are a few photos of things about the new house that get me all jazzed up.

The neon-blue water and ice cube dispenser in the fridge is like Star Trek. The kitchen faucet detaches and becomes a sprayer. With two water settings! Yeahh!

The kitchen ceiling fan has a remote! And Grampy Bird presides over the deck and big back yard. Which Steve is not thrilled about mowing. Perhaps everyone should pool their cash and buy him a lawn tractor for Father's Day and his birthday!



The kitchen has three very skinny cabinets. So far they've come in handy for cookie sheets, cutting boards and the extra shelf from the fridge. The problem with the nonmagnetic fridge front was quickly solved thanks to my friend from high school, Jen Essenfeld, who suggested we try the door to the garage instead! And our new garbage can was ridiculously expensive, but soooo pretty.



And that's just what's in the kitchen! My other favorite room, of course, is the master bath. As in: "I HAVE A MASTER BATH!!!" Ahem. It goes without saying that I love my huge bathtub and separate shower... but I now have a shelf for all my treasures, most of which come from my parents' house. Not everyone has pigs watching them take a bath... with cannons.... Also, we get to inspect every bodily flaw with a full-wall mirror and TEN lights! It looks like a Broadway dressing room in there. And, the literal and figurative centerpiece of the room... PALM TREE BATH MAT! Ahem. I really do love my bathroom.