Caught Being Nice

At Manor Heights....the school the boys attend....they have a program called Caught Being Nice. If you are caught by a peer using good manners, listening well, being respectful etc....you are given a bookmark and your name is placed in a drawing that is held every quarter. If you are the winner (each grade level has one winner) then you get your picture taken with the school Jaguar and at the end of the year you can win some pretty cool prizes! So.....Parker was the 4th quarter winner at the end of the year last year and he just brought home his neat picture with the Jaguar. And....Cooper has started this year off with a bang as he has received 3 Caught Being Nice bookmarks so far this quarter! Yippee for both boys! I am so proud of them!

Kissing Hand

Yesterday Cooper brought home an art project that his class had done on the 1st day of school. I LOVE it! It is his hand print with a heart in the center. He reminded me that they made this project after his teacher read the story, The Kissing Hand. Cooper was so excited because we have this story at home and we have read it many times. It is a wonderful book and I highly recommend it if you have not read it to your children yet. What a wonderful keepsake!!!

Balloons

Since it was the 1st day of school for this year everyone received a balloon and released them into the air at the end of the day. Such a neat sight!!!

1st Day of School

Today was the 1st day of school for both boys! Cooper started Kindergarten. He was so excited this morning. He jumped out of bed in a flash and gave a thumbs up. Parker was just as excited to go to school this morning and start 3rd grade!!! My gosh, I just can't believe how quickly time goes by. As usual I cried this morning as the boys were getting ready...then I cried again in the car on the way there....and I cried again when we walked Cooper to his classroom. I know I am a softie and I really cannot help it! hahaha Parker was such a wonderful big brother this morning. Helping Cooper find his way around and sticking by him on the playground before the bell rang. As the Kindergartners gathered, Cooper waved and gave the thumbs up sign again and off he went with his teacher! Such a big boy!! As Cooper was gathering with his class I noticed Parker was off with a small group of his friends. He looked like such a big boy....looking cool with his group of friends. Then they called all 3rd graders and he walked with his friends and found his teacher. He didn't turn to look at Rob and I and we had no waves good-bye. I had tears in my eyes but at the same time for the 1st time I realized that it was OK. He is getting older. He doesn't always need mom and dad right by his side. I was then happy to see him so happy and content. I am excited to see the boys after school and head to Dairy Queen. Ice cream on the 1st and last day of school is a ritual for us!!!!

Summer Reading Program

Today Parker and Cooper finished their Summer Reading requirements! This program is facilitated by the library and then we also keep track of reading minutes during the summer for school. There are various prize levels to reach throughout the summer so we have accumulated a few trinkets already....restaurant coupons, bookmarks, small toys etc....So off to the library we went this morning. We returned our sheets and today they both received 2 tickets to a Casper Ghosts (a farm team for the Colorado Rockies), a McDonald's coupon and a new book!! I am super proud of both of them for making the commitment and dedicating their time to reading this summer! Very important to all of us!!!

Mt. Rushmore

As most of you know, we visited Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse a few weeks ago! Here are just a couple of pictures from that trip. I might post more later but here is the deal! This trip Rob and I did not take our own camera. Some of you may be thinking...why would we not take a camera on a family vacation? Well, we let the boys take their own digital cameras and decided our memories from this trip would be made with a child's perspective! I was/am thrilled about this idea! The kicker is....the boys won't let me download any pictures off their cameras yet. So as soon as they feel they can part with them (or school starts...hahahaha), I will pull their pictures off and post a few.

It's All Fun and Games Until.....A Bear Bites Your Bumper!

Yes, indeed, I do not lie. A bear actually bit the bumper of my car as we made our way through Bear Country in South Dakota. For those who may not be familiar with Bear Country it is an attraction in South Dakota where you drive your vehicle through a wildlife park and view animals in their natural habitat. We saw Elk, Reindeer, Wolves, Mountain Lions, Mountain Goats, and of course Bear. At first it was pretty cool to see the bear walk so close to your vehicle but this particular bear decided our bumper was its lunch. We were in my car....a manual...and on an incline. So, the bear decides to walk behind our car. We had two choices, either start up the hill and roll back into the bear (it was that close) or sit there and wait for the bear to pass. We decided to wait for the bear to pass and much to our dismay....we were eaten. Like I told the boys.....you will always remember your 1st trip to Mt. Rushmore because that was the trip that a bear bit our bumper. Enjoy the pics and I will be posting more of our trip to Mt. Rushmore shortly!!!