Battle of the Books Final

 It was so fun to watch Ryan battle in front of the whole school.  It was even more fun as he was obviously ahead from the beginning.  He kept looking over at me and grinning from ear to ear.  I love that smile.  I am so proud of all his hard work and how great of a team leader he was.  He brought flashcards to school to study the title and authors, and he started a couple other books which no one had read so that all books were covered for the final challenge.  Way to go Ry!

Battle of the Books

 Annabelle wasn't planning on doing Battle of the Books this year.  I tried to get her to do it but when she said "no" I knew I needed to back off.  She has such a different personality than the boys and I know that I need to let her be who she is.  But I was SO happy when after the first assembly about it she decided to join.  I happily helped a bunch of her classmates every Tuesday to prepare for the battles.  I was able to watch one of her battles and she did great.  She wasn't quiet and shy, she was ready with the answers and helped her team all she could.  I loved watching her in a competitive setting.  Her team only won two of their three battles, but it did great for confidence and she had a lot of fun reading different genres of books.

 Ryan did Battle of the Books for the 3rd time this year.  I didn't push him as much to read and take notes, but he still did fabulous.  I was privileged to watch him in one match and it was close, but his team pulled ahead and even made it to the championships.  He has been studying the books that no one read and is excited for the tournament tomorrow. 

What is Battle of the Books?  The kids are formed into groups and then given 20 books to read.  They are divided into 3-4th graders and 5-6th graders.  The books are different for each group.  They have from the beginning of the school year to now to read all or some of the books.  On the day of the battles they go against another team and are given questions about the book.  They have to answer with the title and the author for an extra 2 points.  It can be pretty competitive and there is lots of energy.  I have helped the last 3 years and really enjoy it.  Nathan is even doing at the Middle School next week.

Snow at last!

 My niece Ammasea was baptized on Saturday by her Daddy.  This was a special moment for her family as her Dad just recently got the priesthood, the power of God, so that he was able to perform this ordinance.  Even more exciting was the news that their family will be sealed together for time and all eternity this June.  So special.  We all gathered at their home afterwards for a BBQ.  And then of course it finally snowed.  It was beautiful to see and I loved capturing the innocence and excitement of my children.  I love that they were some of the few who ventured outside to enjoy God's gift to the world.  I joined them for a short time (California girl still) and we sang our favorite rain/snow song - If all the snowflakes were Hershey bars and milk shakes. 

 Callie got a hold of my camera and took some pictures.  She has a hard time looking at the camera when I am taking pictures, it seems she does when she is the photographer as well. Such a cutie!

Book Bazaar

 Annabelle had SO much fun working on this book report.  She loved reading Ever After High and then putting her thoughts about it on paper.  I wish she did more of these.  I am sure not every parent says that, but I loved seeing her creative side mesh with her educational side.  She needs more of that.  She was so happy when her poster was chosen to be displayed in the library for a week.  Way to go Annie!

This was after school snack one day last week.  A giant cinnamon roll--SOO yummy!  It was delicious.  We had about 4 extra kids show up after school and I was glad I had a lot of snack to share. Actually part of me was sad that I didn't get more of this decadent treat, but I know it was a good thing.

Pinkalicious The Musical

 This month we decided to take the whole family to a play.  My boys were 2 of maybe 5 boys in the audience, but they were pretty good sports.  The girls loved it and I loved watching them love it.  Cinderella made a special appearance and while Callie was at first a little nervous, she eventually made her way over to say "hi." 
Lately I have notice how sloppy my kids are.  I promise we have money and provide them with plenty of clothes and hair do-dads.  They just don't really care about the way they look (yet) and I am totally okay with that!  Who has time to worry about that and does it really matter? Nope.  My girls are happy with the way they look and that is great with me.

 

 Daddy is so silly. There was a sign saying don't touch the cupcake or you will get pinkitis.  Ryan almost caught it!

 I had to take a picture of Nathan sneakily.  He didn't want the world to know that he went to a Pinkalicious play.  Too late!

 Ryan is manly enough to acknowledge that he enjoys girl shows.  I love him for that!