Wrapping up the school year

 It seems like the past few weeks have been full of fun events at school. They had Creative Arts week where they studied different countries and made some sort of craft or had an activity based on what they learned. This included things like an international picnic, a giant water fight, and special art projects. Haleigh's teacher took a lot of pictures of all the fun activities!

Hallway decorations

Everyone had a squirt gun...and there were several of these water trucks on the field!

Haleigh and Mallory...I have no idea what's happening here..

They learned about a lantern festival in Germany and made their own lanterns.

The following week was the Mother's Day Tea in Lydia's class. The other girls made some special presents for me at school as well. They are so creative! 

Annaliese started swimming lessons as part of the fourth grade swimming program. Twice a week they walk down the street to a local gym and get lessons! 

They had a Spring Concert with the entire elementary school. They've been practicing for weeks and were so excited to perform. It was fun to see all the kids together and I was shocked at how many people attended the concert (especially since it was at 1:00 on a Friday afternoon!)

Haleigh's class (with other 2nd graders) She's wearing a teal shirt, fourth row down.

There have also been field trips; Annaliese's class took a trip to Bellingham Bay and learned about marine life. They identified sea cucumbers, clams, and barnacles among other sea creatures. Thankfully, it was a beautiful day and it sounded like the trip was a lot of fun!

Haleigh's class went to Maberry Farms and Edaleen Dairy. She came home with stories about pruning berries and all the things they make from the milk they get at the dairy (besides ice cream!) They also had a lovely day and a great time. 

There are still a few fun activities coming up over the next two weeks. Hopefully, I will be able to get a few pictures, but we'll have to see how the schedule works. In the meantime, I attended a parent meeting for incoming fifth graders- we're able to transition into middle school life! 

Spring Soccer

Annaliese and Lydia were both very excited about the Spring Soccer season; we signed up for it several months ago and Lydia told everyone she knew that she was playing! They were both signed up with Rebel Rec, so all of the games and practices were at Bender Field in Lynden, which was very convenient. 

Lydia was on a team of 5 yr old/Kindergarteners. They play 4-on-4 with no goalie. Her team had lots of enthusiasm but not a lot of natural talent. They scored a few goals throughout the season and maybe won one game. The very first day Lydia preferred to stand by her coach and 'rub' her soft sweatshirt and when she went out on the field, she didn't move. I was a bit worried about how the season would go, but it didn't take long for her to get into it. 

Still figuring out what to do when you get the ball...

Annaliese was on a team of 3rd and 4th graders. They played six-on-six plus the goalie. Her team played really well together and they had a great season. Unfortunately, they lost in the semi-finals of the final tournament, which they were all very disappointed about.  

Haleigh was an amazing sister, and while she didn't spend much time cheering for her sisters, she kept herself entertained during the many hours spent at the soccer fields. It helped that Malachi and Elias were also playing soccer so Malachi was frequently around. And between an abundance of snacks, doing gymnastics, and even just hanging out in the van with a good book, she was a good sport! 

Blue Sky! We haven't seen much of it lately.

Practicing cartwheels!

Mother's Day Tea

 Lydia's class had a Mother's Day Tea yesterday and she has been so excited about it for quite some time. Thankfully, I was able to get the day off work so I could go. There are 18 kids in her class and I only recognized a handful of the moms, which is such a sad reflection of how the school year has been as far as activities in the classroom. Senora Polinder even mentioned how this year has been so hard because she wasn't able to have parent volunteers in the classroom nearly as much as she would have liked. 

The kids sang a few songs, recited several Bible verses, and gave each Mom a little craft they made. We had tea and snacks and watched a cute slideshow of activities throughout the year. It was so fun! 

Showing off the butterfly we made1

After school, we decided to go get ice cream to celebrate that she has gotten stickers in her sticker book for ten days in a row! She can get three stickers each day: one for following directions the first time, one for following the group activity, and one for doing her work at her table when she is supposed to. The counselor and Senora Polinder have put a lot of time and effort to find out what works best for Lydia and earning stickers and getting positive reinforcement has been a game-changer this year.