Kindergarten and... everything else

Since I started my blog, it's mostly been a way for me to to keep a record of my kids' lives. So I'm disappointed in myself that it's been almost a year since I blogged. I missed Simon's entire Kindergarten year! So this post will basically be a catch-up of everything we've done in the last year, and a reminder to me that when my children are 30, I'm sure they'd like a record of their past.

Major Holidays/Birthdays:

Halloween: 

Simon, of course, went as a Jedi and Lucy as a ladybug. We continued our yearly tradition of "Boo at the Zoo" and the ward Halloween Party (where I won a prize for "best dessert. Wahoo!!). We also had our fondue as usual and trick-or-treated through the neighborhood.

Lucy turned 3:

As usual, we had Uncle Dave and Aunt Shauna, and our good friends the Jensons over for dinner. Lucy had a Minnie Mouse party.

Thaksgiving:

Once again, we went to Cheyenne to visit my parents, as did my sister and brother and their families. This is one of my favorite traditions since it's rare we all get together. Plus my family is awesome!

Simon turned 6:

Instead of invited 12 kids over, Simon got to choose two friends to have over for pizza and Star Wars. They wore their jammies and ate an obscene amount of junk food.

Christmas:

We stayed home as usual, and my parents came from Christmas Eve through the morning of the 26th. Santa brought Simon an $80 archery set (Santa rocks) and Lucy a pink, princess tent he fetched on Black Friday for a steal! We read the Christmas story from Luke in the Bible on Christmas Eve and to Zoolights on Christmas night.

Simon's School, etc:

Despite criticism and strong opinions of others, Simon attended a Charter School this year (Lincoln Academy). I! LOVE! THIS! SCHOOL! Not only did Simon get a great education, but he did it at a place that respects students and encourages family involvement. Each family was required to volunteer at least 20 hours over the school year, and I opted to spend my volunteer time in Simon's classroom. I know this is where Simon is supposed to be and I feel so grateful and blessed to be a part of this school.

Extra-awesome days at Simon's school included:

• Johnny Appleseed Day
• Thanksgiving Feast
• Pajama Day
• Christmas Party
• Crazy Hat Day (as part of their English Tea Party to go along with their Europe unit)
• Dr. Seuss Day
• Dress up like a book character day
• Valentine's Party
• Laps for education (students ran laps to raise $ for the school)
• Field Day
• Conservation Day
• 100 day of school
• Etc, etc, etc

Only at an awesome school does your child cry because it's the last day of school. Though I doubt he'll do the same once he's a teenager, no matter how awesome his school is. 

Extra school activities:

Kindergarten music concert (basically the best music concert ever)

Poetry reading: Each child was required to memorize a poem to present to their class. Two students were selected from each class to present their poem to the entire school. Simon was chosen and recited "Slow Sloth Slow Song" by Jack Prelutsky. I was so proud of how confident he was. There were no tears or protests when it was his turn to get on stage. He just marched up and recited his poem for the entire school (which includes a middle school). Because Blogger doesn't want to upload my video... this is the best picture I have from the poetry reading.

Kindergarten Graduation:

Other Simon activities:

Karate: Simon is now an orange belt in karate. I am so proud of this kid. He tries so hard and never gives up. He never complains and never gets frustrated. He doesn't compare his karate abilities to other's in his class. He amazes me.

Piano: Simon loves taking piano lessons. This spring he participated in his first recital. He played "May the Force Be With You" from "Star Wars" and did a great job. Grandpa and Grandma Heyborne got to attend. Again, I can't add a video, but imagine small little Simon walking up to a grand piano and playing a song from Star Wars. It's pretty easy to visualize.

Lucy Goose:

While Lucy doesn't start any extra activities until the fall, she still makes me proud. She is the most stubborn/confident 3-year-old I've ever met and she cracks me up. She can be quite the stinker and I hold my breath each time her mouth opens in public, but I can't imagine life without this girl.

Whew! It's nice to get caught up, though I still have to blog our summer, which is almost half way over already. Hopefully that will come next week...???