June 2020

The girls spent LOTS of time out in the backyard at the beginning of the month (before it got too hot).  They love their play set and even picnic lunched a few times.  We added mulch as ground cover so the project is officially complete.  So thankful for my dad and all his hard work

Our church has done a few outdoor events so we could see people but still stay socially distanced.  We attended a kid's ministry drive in where we sang songs, played games, and ate Popsicles.  Then at the end of the month we did Greatest Games.  We spent ALL day Saturday outside playing family games and then did a photo scavenger hunt.   Everyone ended up back in the church parking lot for a rally to finish off the day and get prizes.  Our family one the "spirit award".  We had SO much fun and made lots of memories.

One of our favorite teachers got married and invited us to the wedding.  It was beautiful ceremony and she was a gorgeous bride.  We chose not to attend the reception because we weren't sure how close we would need to get to people.  Hoping to connect with this sweet teacher before school starts to give her our gift.

We decided to enroll the girls in enrichment summer school since it was on-line and free this year.  Both girls really enjoyed their classes and learned lots too.  I was super impressed with the creative activities the teachers came up with. We were all excited to start doing piano lessons in person again (after 10 weeks of virtual lessons).  We are all wearing masks and taking some other precautions too.

The girls have and I have also finished a bunch of puzzles.  So glad they enjoy doing them with me.  They have plays lots and lots of Legos and read a bunch of books too.  Thankful the library is letting us reserve books for curbside pick up since they aren't open to the public right now. 

So thankful that my parents have a pool.  We are over there once a week to swim.  The girls are little fishies.  Love watching them!  Can't believe the summer is already half over.

February/March 2020

This time I combined posts for 2 reasons....I forgot to post on February and we didn't have much going on to write about.  Daddy was gone for a week doing work travel and I worked a bunch.

We did have a fun dress up week at school for the book fair.  Our favorite day was "Dress as a Favorite Book Character".  Abigail is Pinkalicious, I went as Splat the Cat, and Hannah was Dorthy.

The girls also played in a piano festival and received the highest grade.  They worked really hard and and played very well.  It's nice when that gets rewarded.

March started off great, one week of school then we were out for Spring Break.  We hopped up to AR for an overnight trip to see some friends and family.  It was a whirlwind trip but lots of fun. Then we came back and ran a bunch of errands, played outside when it wasn't raining, met friends for lunch, built lot of Lego creations and relaxed at home.  Then everything changed as things began to shut down due to COVID-19.  I know this has affected everyone everywhere, but I definitely want to document it.

Our school district extended Spring Break one week and there was no formal plan for learning.  Some of the teachers put a few suggested activities online.  That week we chose to do a mix of fun and relaxation along with structured learning.  I got to pull out my teacher hat and get creative.  Starting March 23 the girls officially began online instruction.  I have been super impressed, but not at all surprised with all our teacher have done.  They are awesome! Both girls have ROCKED their learning.  They working independently and having a plan to follow.  Most days assignments and piano practice are done by lunch time so they are loving the extra free time.

We miss our friends, teachers, and my family (we are staying away even though we live in the same city), but are very thankful for video calls.  It's weird not to have any outside activities or go anywhere beside the grocery store.  However, we have LOVED getting to take walks, play in the backyard, watch family movies, and play games together.  All in all trying to make the best of the situation.

November/December 2019

Hannah won 3rd place at the Dallas Solo piano competition.  So proud of all her hard work.  She is learning so many great life skills in addition to music.  

The 4th graders at school did a Veteran's Day program.  Their music teacher did a fabulous job putting this together and all the kids worked really hard.  

We had a great Thanksgiving break...love that we are out of school the whole week. We mostly hung out at home, but Nathan did take one extra day off work and we went to the Ft Worth Zoo.  It was a little chilly, but not miserable.  All in all a super fun day.

Our choir and orchestra Christmas concert was really really good.  Both girls sang in the children's choir and they sang in a smaller select ensemble as well.  Hannah was also asked to memorize and recite the Luke 2 Christmas story as an introduction to one of the songs.  She did a AMAZING job! So proud of her. (photo credit Tuyen Le)

2nd Grade also did a school program this year.  It was winter/holiday themed. Abigail's favorite song was "Mr Grinch."  It was super cute and the kids (and music teacher) worked really hard to put it all together.

Hannah is super excited to have finally hit double digits, but mommy is STRUGGLING!  Swear she was just born yesterday.  Her birthday pictures turned out super cute though!

We had a nice low-key Christmas.  We enjoyed lots of yummy food, Christmas sing-along, and opened presents.  The weather wasn't Christmasy but 70 degrees instead.  My dad got the girls a remote control car so they took it up to the school parking lot to play for a while.  All in all it was a great day.

I'll leave you with the 6th Annual edition of jammie pictures in front of the Christmas tree.

May 2019

This was another whirlwind month.  May is always crazy and almost as busy as December.

We started off with the girls piano recital.  Abigail was excited to play this year and not just listen.  😁They both did really well....all the students did.  Then later that weekend the kid's choir performed their spring musical.  It's always amazing to see what the kids can pull off.  Both Hannah and Abigail had a small solo and Abigail's dance class performed too.

The music teacher at our school worked to get a grant and brought in a really cool program called Day of Drums.  Each grade level went to the gym for 45 minutes during the day to drum.  Each child got their own djembe drum to use.  The guy leading them did an awesome job and all the students were so excited.  I was subbing that day so I got to sneak in a watch (and take a few pics).

I helped at both girls end of year parties, but didn't take any pictures.  It is REALLY nice to be out of school already.  We started a week earlier in August so we could be done before Memorial Day.  Both girls had a wonderful year and had fabulous teachers.  We couldn't have asked for more!!  Check out how much they've grown since the beginning of the year.

We spent Memorial Day with my family and had a blast as usual. The girls couldn't WAIT to get in the pool.  Hannah jumped right in and swam around like a little fish.  Abigail had to do a little practice to remember what she was doing.  But by the end she was able to swim the entire length of the pool.  They will be spending lots of time in the water this summer!

March and April 2019

I'm WAAAAY behind again.  Going to combine March and April, even though this month is totally over yet. 

Spring break was at the beginning of March and we enjoyed another great trip to AR.  We love getting to go visit Daddy's family.  We were happy the weather cooperated and we got to play at the park.  The rest of the week was cool and rainy so we went bowling one day. It was lots of fun and now the girls have played more than just Wii bowling.

Abigail got to play in her very fist piano festival.  She has been working really hard and did great.  Both girls have another contest coming up this weekend.  I am so proud of how much they have learned.  Abigail seems to enjoy piano just as much as Hannah...yeah!

At the beginning of April I got to go with Hannah's class on a field trip to the Perot Museum.  They have lots of really cool science exhibits you can touch and interact with. It was a fun day!  I've been working a lot up at the school lately, so it was fun to just be a parent.

We're so thankful we've had beautiful weather this Easter weekend.  We've tried to spend lots of time outdoors....we know the heat is coming.  Daddy has been working with Hannah to help her learn to ride her bike with no training wheels.  She still has a few things to learn, but she is doing awesome!

We had a great morning at church yesterday, including a fun photo booth and baby chicks to hold.