Where My George?

Uncle George has been the focus of Camden's attention for quite some time now! Every morning, she goes through her routine of asking where everybody is..."Where Daddy? (or if Daddy's with her, it's where Mommy?), Where Katie? Where Bapa?" (Grandpa) At some point, I think around Christmastime, she added George to her questions, and he's always on her mind! "Where George?" "Where my George?" over and over... on a daily (sometimes hourly) basis...

So George, we don't always get it on video, but this was just this morning when both the girls were thinking of you!! They love and miss you lots!!!



I should let everyone know, also, that George made THE coolest birthday invitation for Katie's party this year. I tried to upload it to the blog, but it's a pdf and I couldn't figure out how to make that work yet. It looks like a CD, with Katie on it dressed as a sparkly popstar... maybe I can scan it and put it in that way so you can see it. I'm sure you will all want to hire him to do your invitations too!!!

Exhibit Night

Since we are a Museum Magnet school, at the end of every quarter we have an Exhibit Night where we showcase what the students have learned in module (what we call social studies and science, integrated). First grade was studying the Human Body, and I can't tell you how much Katie learned. Every day she came home talking about blood cells, the trachea, plasma, etc. and was drawing cells and labeling all the parts all on her own. Here are some of the pieces of their exhibit:
Katie's Body Book:

Page 1: She wrote Skeletal System: Bones make blood.
Page 2: Respiratory System: The lungs help us breathe.
Page 3: Circulatory System: Your heart pumps blood.
Page 4: Digestive System: Your esophagus sends food to your stomach.
The Body Lab:
1st grade became doctors at the beginning of the year and went to a "medical lab" where they got to touch and explore organs (from a cow, I think) Here they are on exhibit:
Here are the pictures of the students at the Body Lab...
Every student gets a Travel Journal every quarter, where they record what they learn about in module. Here's Katie's cover to her Travel Journal which was out on Exhibit:
And here's the first page
This is the picture of Katie and her friend Ella during the Body Lab. Katie has the pink bow in her hair. They are in their lab coats, masks, and in the full get up!
As an interactive piece of the exhibit, they made body parts out of that Crayola "clay" stuff (I can't think of the name of it at the moment, but you know what I mean, I hope!) that included each system they studied, and kids could come and follow the directions and build a body. How fun!
Another cool idea... this is a layered "book" which on the top layer made out of wax paper it says "If I didn't have a (stomach)" and then a drawing of it, and then "I couldn't..." and then you lift up the wax paper and they had cut out pictures from magazines of things they eat!
They also studied Healthy Choices. In art, they made healthy food models out of clay. Here's Katie's apple she made and painted.
They also made Healthy Choice commercials, which were awesome! In Katie's, she had to sneeze without covering her mouth and nose (this was a big deal for her - she said that even though she knew they were "acting", she was raised to always cover her nose when she sneezed, so she had a lot of trouble doing it!) and other students told her to cover her nose. They are SO cute!
Here she is looking through a microscope at blood cells.
And this is how they "built" blood cells in Science Lab...I think the label explains what candy represents which part of the cell. The one in the container was really cool...it's honey with red food coloring to look like blood, and various types of candy to represent red cells, white cells, and plasma. And, what I think is really impressive, is that she can tell you what each of those do!
So, I'm sure my kids didn't learn as much as 1st grade did, but I know this has been an incredible learning experience for Katie. Exhibit Night is a LOT of work...I have never worked this hard before. But it is so cool to see how much she knows!

A Miracle Has Been Performed

The day that Mom and Dad went back to Illinois, for some strange reason that no one yet fully understands, Katie came to an understanding that has changed her life (and ours).

Since she was able to sit on a swing, we've been showing her how to pump her legs so she could swing by herself. It's never been successful. She's always had us push her, no matter what. If we didn't push her, she just sat there motionless, swearing that she couldn't make it go.

Well, on this particular day, Katie decided that she could pump her legs and swing by herself! And, lo and behold, it worked!!! And, we're not kidding, it has been a life changing event. The minute we get home from school (which usually isn't until about 5:15) she runs out the back door yelling "swing! swing!" and she likes for us to come watch her, but she will swing all by herself, and she goes high. Which she will show you (and explain fully) in the video...

Granmma & Grampa Come to Visit

Well, a few weeks ago my Mom and Dad came all the way down here to visit, and this is the first minute I've had to post anything! We all had a great time! Here are some of the pictures from that weekend.

Katie and Gramma playing Webkinz:

Camden and Grampa smiling for the camera:

Gramma and Grampa with both girls:

Camden with Gramma and Grampa at Baylor, looking over the Tennessee River:

Gramma helping me make tea-stained paper so my 4th graders can write Colonial Pen Pal Letters:
Camden taking her new Froggy from Gramma and Grampa all around the house with her. She LOVES Froggy! She will take him everywhere, sit him down in the middle of the floor, and plop herself down with a book to read.
Gramma and Katie on the Tennessee Aquarium River Gorge Explorer - a huge $3M catamaran that was made just to go up and down the TN River Gorge. The ride was really cool (all of us but Camden thought so) and when we got back to the dock at Ross' Landing, it did a 360 right there in one spot in the river, just because it can, the capt. said!
We even went to the Chattanooga Choo Choo (our favorite local hotel...and a great place to get Moon Pies)
So, thank you, Gramma and Grampa for coming all this way to see us! This week is Fall Break (hallelujah!) so maybe I can get more than one post up here before school's back in session...

The Cheesiest

Well after 2 weeks of school, this is about all we're good for on a Friday at 5:30. Eating Cheetos and vegging out on the couch watching Disney Channel. We are all exhausted...

Tonight when Katie went to bed I laid down with her and we just snuggled for a few minutes. I thought, I could just go to sleep right now. After a little bit I got up with the intention of finishing the grading of those spelling tests I've been meaning to get to. Well she was really upset and started crying (not fake tears either!) She begged me to lie down with her again, for just half the night...half of half of the night....half of half of half of the night, pleeeeeeease, Mommy? I wavered for a minute - we don't usually let her sleep with us or the other way around unless we're at a hotel or something. But my first baby wanted me to lie down with and her and snuggle, and those spelling tests could wait. I got back in bed with my arms around her until I heard her breathing change. And then I stayed a little longer.

Our Latest Work...

In the library/guest suite area of the basement, behind the playroom, we now have pictures on the wall and (some) books on the shelves. These are the pictures we had on our playroom wall before - the pictures of favorite kids' books:

And here's my dream come true: A wall of bookshelves! And here we thought we had so many books...see how many empty shelves there are? I must need to fill in some of my favorite collections: John Grisham, Sue Grafton, Janet Evanovich, Mary Higgins Clark, and Nicholas Sparks!

By the way, when you come visit us, the middle two shelves slide open and the bed comes out! We hear it's comfy but haven't tested it out yet!

Here are the girls in their new BIG BONED BBQ CO. t-shirts. What faces they make!

Happy Birthday, Zander!

Today we went down to Georgia to celebrate Zander's 3rd birthday! His party was at a place called the Bounce House (an indoor all inflatable party place...fun!!) The kids (and adults) had a GREAT time, as you can see!

Katie and Camden playing together

Katie going head-first!
Zander and Katie climbing up the wall
Camden's loving it!
Daddy and Camden sliding down fast!

Grandpa Ballou pushing Zander and Katie on Zander's new playset in his yard
Zander using his present from Ben...cymbals!
Grandma Ballou helping the newest band members
What a day! This is how Katie spent the ride home:

This is how Camden spent the ride home:

Another One Bites the Dust

Katie's top tooth has been loose for a little while, but really loose the last few days. She told her new friend Elizabeth today at camp that she (or her Daddy) would pull it out tonight and she would bring it to show her tomorrow at camp. See how loose it is in this picture...she actually twisted the whole thing sideways to show me! (eeewww!!)
Before
After
And would you believe it, she just pulled the whole thing out, no problem!

Some Recent Activities

Katie's Crafting Corner
I should show you a before and after picture of this area of the playroom...but all you're getting is the after. The before was just a BIG pile of craft materials on the floor. It's hard to tell in the picture, but the colored drawers on the cart are green, red, blue, and purple...the same colors as the playroom!!! (I planned that, of course...)

Camden's Paperclip Fun
Did you have any idea how much fun it is to take every paperclip out of the box and throw it on the floor? :)

Snuggly Sisters
When Katie got home from Jr. Red Raiders camp at Baylor today, (and we had all dried off from being caught in the torrential downpour!) the girls decided to snuggle together on Katie's bed.

The Material Girl, 2008

What would you do if you had spent all the money you'd earned by helping your Daddy build cubbies, and helping your mom move stuff into school?

What if you'd been to Target everyday for 5 days, spending your own hard-earned money on craft supplies so you could make Bug Town?

And what if you'd spent the majority of your money on a Hannah Montana wig, so people won't even think it's really you?

If you were Katie, you would find a way to earn more money. If you were Katie, you might open up your own "Nature Shop" where people could come and buy "unique" natural items, like sticks, rocks, leaves, and flowers, so that you could plan your next trip to Target and what you might be able to get when you go!

Cheer Camp Pep Rally

Katie got some Baylor Red Raider spirit this week by attending the Cheerleading Camp in the mornings. Today they had a Pep Rally to show what they've learned in the last 3 days. Ben, Camden and I got to watch. Enjoy!!

Ben and Camden walking towards the chapel building.....



Sue and Camden on the terrace by the library...

After the Pep Rally, Katie, Sue and Camden outside the gymnasium...

Here are Katie and the cheerleaders doing a cheer. She is right in front (look for the black shoes!) They will "Blow You Away"!

Here's Katie "flying" in an extension! Note that it's a FULL extension, too, and she cradles out of it! Impressive for a 4 day camp, huh?

OK, last video...Here was the tumbling section of the Pep Rally. Girls could choose whatever tumbling they could do - backhandsprings, cartwheels, forward rolls, etc. Katie did 7 cartwheels in a row. We're still working on proper cartwheel form, but that's ok!