Block Party!

One of the local churches threw a block party in the city square. They said it was a way for them to give back to the community. I thought it was very sweet & generous. Everything but the food & carriage rides were FREE. Wow! There was a petting zoo, face painting, a clown making balloon animals, a fire engine & firefighters, several inflatables, live music, massages & give-a-ways.

The boys in the bounce house.

The slide.

Boo took Princess for a few rides.

She couldn't get enough! We finally had to carry her away.

The boys liked petting the goats.

Boo fell in love.

Elvis' favorite was this little guy.

This firefighter was wonderful. He was super friendly & enthusiastic. He answered all the kid's questions & let them sit in the fire truck as long as they liked.

Waiting in line to have their faces painted.

Bugs choosing what design to have painted on.

Elvis is a work in progress.

Our cute puppy!

A fishing game.

Bugsy's sweet face was too little for the cowboy design he wanted.

It barely fit on his arm! Lol!

The boys enjoyed this little challenge.

We enjoyed our free fans from one of our favorite radio stations.

I have been saving my birthday money & found this sweet handbag for half price. I love it!

Sweet Pea bought herself some "bling" with her babysitting money.

Even Princess got a design. We knew she wouldn't hold still for it on her face so the lady painted her leg. Princess was fascinated with it!

She kept looking at it for a long time.

Bugsy

Boo had a cowgirl painted.

We had a fantastic time!

Casting Crowns Glorious Day - Easter Crucifixion Resurrection video

Overhaul

Sweet Pea's carpet in her room is nasty & smelly. I couldn't take it anymore. We tried washing it with our carpet cleaner. No improvement. Then we tried it with a Rug Doctor we rented. Very little improvement. It was fantastic BTW on all our other carpets but they are newer. This carpet was the original with the house & looks and smells all of it's 20 + years. I finally convinced Dave to tear it out.

Here is her floor after the carpet was ripped out.

And the other angle.

We bleached the floor & let it dry for 2 days. Tonight Dave & Sweet Pea worked on sanding it in the rough spots. Here is Sweet Pea working hard & trying to avoid the camera. =)

Dave waves his rump roast in the air. Lol!

Painting the floor.

Sweet Pea had hoped for a pink floor but it seems they had almost every color in floor paint except pink & purple. So she settled for a light gray. It will go nicely when her walls are eventually painted pink. We want to re-carpet her room but don't have the funds. And putting a wood floor (or laminate) in would cost even more. We thought paint was the second best choice to make the floor look nice. Lowe's was very helpful in showing Dave the right paint to buy. Eventually we will get new carpet in her room but for now the paint will add a polished look to the floor & room.

I'll be back soon with updates!

Last Day & What A Great One It Was!

Today was our last day official day of co-op for the year. We have had such a great time learning together. We started our day with prayer & then begin our geography lesson. The middle schoolers & high schoolers did their world geography in the next room. Here is Boo & her friends presenting their report on Israel.

Princess wanted to be a big girl today & joined us for our lesson. Here she is coloring a page on China.

Working on their maps while they listen to Mrs. Jen.

She always impresses me at how good she is with the little ones.

The kids proudly hold up their paper lanterns for the camera.

Bugs coloring his fish kite.

Back to the big kids!

Here is Sweet Pea presenting her report on Afghanistan.

Best buds!

Miss Kristi cracked me up when she jumped in the photo at the last second! Lol!

This was actually taken in the dark. Miss Abby did part of their science lesson by flashlight. The kids loved that! They all had several turns at looking at slides under her microscope. Cool!

Prairie Primer was party time today!

We played games that Laura & Mary enjoyed.

A lively game of Drop the Handkerchief.

Run, Bugs! Run!

There were lots of giggles as we played Blind Man's Bluff.

Blind Man! Bluff!

Princess loved getting in on the fun.

We played Poor Kitty too.

There was only one who could keep a straight face. Lol!

And what's a party without CAKE?

We brought cupcakes to share with everyone to celebrate Princess' recent birthday.

The kids broke out in cheers when the surprise of cupcakes was revealed.

Princess joined in the excitement.

She loved it when everyone sang to her.

Big smiles!

Yummy!

I think you can guess what her favorite part was. =0)

Their final fun in history was to make up their own country. The kids were incredibly creative! Elvis even made up his own song.

While finishing up some fun worksheets Bugs called out for help. I was across the room & made my way over to help him. Before I got there one of our sweet girls responded & helped him with the entire sheet. I was very touched by her kindness & immediate response. This is one of my favorite things about having all our kids of various ages together instead of separating them by each grade level.

Helping to clean up at the end of the day.

Friends!

Love those smiles!

See my baby? She has become quite the little mommy. =0)

We have enjoyed our co-op immesely this year. We have learned so much & had a ton of fun doing it. We've made many great friends too. We are already planning & looking forward to next year. Each time we start to talk about it I get super excited! I can hardly wait until August!

Super Moon

I had my doubts but it really DID look larger!

Without the flash

Backing up across the street

Sky came out to get a look too.

WOW!

Peeking through the tree in the front yard.

Where is Princess?

Here she is! She wanted another look at that pretty moon!

The kids had fun calculating how old they'd be when the next Super Moon arrives.