Miss Niebrugge

Both Sylvia and Annah have had excellent student teachers in their classrooms this semester. Last week they realized that this will be their last week with them, because they will be graduating from college. Sylvia was so sad to realize Miss Niebrugge will be gone after next week, and she cried and cried one night in the car--all the way to town! We tried to explain to her that we need to be happy and excited for Miss Niebrugge, because she has worked very hard in college and in teaching Sylvia's class, and is about to accomplish something very important as she graduates. Sylvia understood, and decided she would be happy for her if Mommy would bring her camera to school and take pictures of Miss N. So, today was the day.

Miss Niebrugge explains centers.


The kids have loved her, and she's done a great job with them!


Sylvia also loves Mrs. Beard SO much! I can't even imagine how sad she is going to be at the end of the school year when she realizes she won't be in her class anymore! She is such a wonderful, caring teacher!!!

A New Instrument

Jeremy recently helped some friends move, and they were going to throw out a little organ that had belonged in their family for years. Instead, it came to our house today. We had to rearrange 4 rooms in the house to figure out where to fit it in right now, but the kids are excited to have it!

Caeden calls it the "double piano."





All 3 kids enjoy playing it together. Caeden plays bass, Sylvie plays percussion, and Annah plays the keys and just joins right in there.

There was a little turtle

This "take" was after about 6 or more tries, and Caeden was really sick of me bugging him to do this. But, he was so excited yesterday about the turtle shell he made and the poem his class was going to perform for Sylvia's kindergarten class. Sylvia came home excited about it today too, and I just wanted to capture it. Usually he is more cheerful and animated, but here it is...

Here is a partial recitation, where he is much more cheerful.  :)

Field trip to the Lincoln Museum

Annah's entire 2nd grade class had the opportunity to take a field trip to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum in Springfield, IL today! And, Jeremy (who recently visited there himself) took half the day off so I could go along as a chaperone!

We had to be at the school by 7:15 a.m.
I was responsible for Annah and her friend Jayda.
They were so sweet and well-behaved all day!


The museum is absolutely amazing!! When you enter the plaza, to your left is Lincoln's boyhood log cabin home and the journey of his pre-presidential years. No photos are allowed inside most of the areas, but you can take them from the plaza. The girls liked seeing the tiny inside area of the cabin and thinking about what it would be like to live in such a small place with your entire family.


Another of the areas in the museum is Mrs. Lincoln's Attic, a hands-on area where the kids can play with time-period toys and try on clothes and more.


Annah was really intrigued by the antiques in the kitchen.
The bellows were fascinating to the girls!


Just cooking a little stew...


Annah took this picture of me as Mrs. Lincoln and Jayda as Abe.


The South Portico of the White House is in the plaza as well. Some of most amazing parts of the museum are through this part...Lincoln's family life, journey into the Presidency, the Civil War, story of his assassination, and afterwards.


There is even a "nearly full-scale recreation of the Representatives Hall in Springfield's Old State Capitol, recreating the exact moment in May, 1865 as Lincoln lies in state, complete with all the lavish trappings of Victorian-era mourning." The girls were a little confused at first, thinking he was actually still lying in state there, but were relieved to learn he was not, in fact.
(above photo from the museum's site)

There are several impressive multi-media displays in the museum as well, including two theater presentations. We enjoyed every moment, and even though the museum said they were the youngest group they'd had come through, I think the girls learned a lot in addition to what they remembered from their Lincoln unit in school.

And here are the 3 of us with the first family at the White House!


I would absolutely love to go back sometime and spend more time reading the displays and absorbing more. It was fascinating. The girls were pretty tolerant of my reading a lot of the signs to them and simplifying them for them, but I would like to spend a couple days there and visiting some of the other historic sites in Springfield. Abraham Lincoln was an amazing man, no doubt!

http://www.alplm.org/museum/museum.html

Tattoos and a Mohawk!

Not real, either of them, so don't freak out, Dad!

The kids school participates in a USDA health program, so they are not allowed to have candy or other sugary treats at school--even on holidays. So, parents were encouraged to be creative in what they filled eggs with for the preschool egg hunt. Caeden came home with a bag full of all kinds of cool trinkets. One egg had 100 fake tattoos of sports balls and skateboards and such. I was not about to put them on him one at a time, so yesterday we put on a whole leg full!


Just for fun after Caed's shower tonight, I combed him a goofy fro-hawk. He looked pretty cute, I thought, but wanted it combed out after a few minutes.


Always doing that "bootie dance..."

Leadership McLean County Graduation

Last year, Jeremy was nominated, interviewed, and was selected to be part of the Leadership McLean County program. He has spent many days since then traveling all over our county and state, learning, volunteering, and growing his leadership skills. It has been a wonderful experience and opportunity for him, and will continue to be! Tonight was his class' graduation ceremony, and I was proud to be there to see him honored.



As each person was called forward, classmates' comments about him were read. It was really neat to hear how these new friends and colleagues felt about Jeremy! I should have had the video camera instead, to record it for him. He was definitely well-respected and loved.


Jeremy spoke for a few minutes to honor some of those
who made the program happen this year.


the whole class after dinner and the ceremony

Sylvia's Holly Hobbie Mini Album

I've been wanting to put this album together for about 3 1/2 years, since I took these pictures of Sylvia, and just now got to it. Sometimes it just takes me a while to make the time, but I'm glad to have this special project completed.
I took these pictures of my sweet Sylvia when she was just 2 1/2. The Holly Hobbie doll is just like the one I had when I was little. The dress was one I got out of a "free" box at a garage sale before Sylvia was ever born, and used just for these pictures. All of the quotes throughout the album are collected from actual Holly Hobby items.

If the slideshow above is too much for your connection to load,
click the picture below to go to the album.

Holly Hobbie Mini Album

Easter

Happy Easter! What a day full of blessings!
I try to make sure the kids know that Easter is the very most important holiday and, in fact, most important day of the year. It's kind of tricky though, with all the emphasis of bunnies, candy, and eggs coming at them from everywhere else. But, I am so glad they know what Easter is really about, and that we are celebrating the fact that Jesus Christ died to pay the debt for our sins, and that He rose again and is living even today in the hearts of those who accept Him. It's what LIFE is all about, right?! The only reason we have life is because of Jesus!

Okay, I'll end the sermon and tell you about our day!

The kids were all excited to wear their pretty new Easter clothes from Gram. They layed them out the night before. Sylvia wanted her hair up in sponge rollers for the night. They got up early and were happy to see the Easter bunny had left a basket of candy for them on the kitchen table. The girls were pretty sure that Mommy was really the "Easter Bunny" this time.

Our kids love to go to church. All their friends are there. It's fun. They love to learn about Jesus and sing praise to Him. What a blessing that is to my heart! Well, they were even more excited than usual to get there today, of course!

Both worship services were wonderful...everyone rejoicing that Jesus is risen! We started a new sermon and church-wide study series today, called "One Month to Live."

After services, there were 3 egg hunts--one for the babies, one for the preschoolers, and one for the elementary-age kids. Caeden thought he was supposed to be in the first hunt, but kindly stepped out when I told him his egg hunt would be outside. When we went outside to wait for the preschool hunt to start, he didn't realize he was supposed to wait--until he picked up an egg and put it in his bag and about 6 people scorned him quickly, and told him he had to wait. He was crushed, burst into tears, and too upset to want to participate after that. I tried all I could to get him to play, but he was deflated, poor boy.

Before the elementary kids' egg hunt, there was a drawing. Each elementary child who was present could put their name in once, for the giving away of a Nintendo Wii game system! We had joked with the girls the day before that we were counting on them to win. But, we were all shocked and SO surprised when Miss Jesika pulled a card out and Pastor Scott called ANNAH'S name through the megaphone!!! Annah's face got as big as it can, and she ran up to claim her prize! She was super, super excited!!



Annah and Sylvia making a run for it...They collected plenty of eggs and candy!

The elementary kids doing their "One Minute to Hunt!"

The 5 of us together, enjoying the day...

I got them to sit still for a total of one split second at home for this picture! ;)

We missed being with our extended families in Indiana to celebrate. But, after church (okay, after we stopped at Wal-Mart to pick up another controller for the new Wii) we came home and had a big lunch that I made, including one of Grandpa Lopshire's amazing smoked hams. Jeremy got the Wii all set up, and the kids were too excited to take their naps, so we spent the entire rest of the day making our Mii's and trying out some games. Sylvia creamed all of in bowling; she is eerily good at it!
What a fun, special day!

A Limerick

A silly limerick Jeremy likes to recite from time to time...

The sun was shining one moonlit night;
Two dead boys came out to fight.
Back to back they faced each other;
Pulled their swords and shot each other.
The deaf policeman heard the noise,
And came to kill the two dead boys.
If you don't believe this tale so tall,
Ask the blind man; he saw it all.