Dillon's baseball

Dillon expressed an interest in baseball so we found a short season to try.  Unfortunately it started over a month after we expected it to start.  Due to the delay Daddy ended up coaching both Kayda and Dillon's teams at once.  We wanted to try a short season to see if he even liked in to decide whether or not to try a longer season next spring.  His favorite position ended up being first base.  He says he wants to give the longer league a try.  It is definitely fun watching him play sports.  He is a natural defensive player.  He played catcher once but wasn't super fond of it, even if he was really good at it.  He thoroughly enjoyed having Daddy be his coach!

The Log Show

We decided to try something new and go to the log show.  We've often driven past the "arena" and thought about going.  Well, we followed through this year.  We decide to go the second day because only the top six contenders in each area compete.  They also had a few extra events that they didn't have on the first day.  It was actually pretty amazing watching these folks do some of the things they do!  The favorites were the speed climb, the modified hot saws (they literally put car engines on big old chain saws) and the team competitions.  I think over all the team event was our absolute favorite.  It was a relay so each team member did a different event.  It kind of wrapped all of them in to one competition. 

Last day of school

The last day of school is always bitter sweet.  Kayda and Dillon were pretty excited, especially Kayda since it has been such a hard year for her.  Carson just got kind of clingy.  

Dakota, Carson and Jaxton.  They were the three amigos.  They hung out every recess together.  Once Carson learned to tie his own shoes the three of them would swap shoes during recess.  I thought it was a little odd but boy did Carson think it was fun!

I sent Kayda and Dillon off with my camera in the hopes they'd get a couple pictures with friends.  This is Kayda and Alana.

Dillon and Brady.  This is the kiddo Dillon considers his best friend.

Kayda and Brooklyn.

This is "Miss B".  She was in charge of student council, which was about the only thing Kayda really liked about this year.  There were too many behavioral issues happening in the classroom.  It really stressed her out.  We considered pulling her out of school because it was so hard on her.  But she loved student council too much (and she was a rockstar at it).  She is really hoping to be on it again next year.  Miss B said Kayda is one she would really love to have with her again next year.

And Mrs. B.  Two years. Two kids.  We love this lady! She is so amazing with the students.

And of course.  Mrs. L.  We'll see her around a lot.  I spent so much time in her classroom that we've become good friends!

Kayda and Dillon's track meet

Kayda and Dillon both opted to try the two week track program this year.  It's really just an introduction and then a (fairly chaotic) meet.  

We noticed that both of them tend to hold their breath.  You could see them peter out as they got closer to the end of the 100 meter sprint.

This was Kayda's favorite event at the meet!  She did great too!

Both of the kids got compliments for having great form on the long jump.  It was neat seeing the high school kids that were helping to run the meet. Dillon's favorite event was the high jump, unfortunately we didn't get those pictures.

Kayda decided to try for the 200 meter also.  We talked to her about pacing herself.  She did a great job taking it easy until about half way and then she ran HARD.  She almost caught the lead girl, she just needed to start in to her sprint a little earlier.

Kayda was all excited to do the relay was well but that didn't end up working out... The "coaches" didn't set up the relay teams.  It was up to them to find a group.  She had a group and was all excited for the relay.  Only for them to turn around and tell her that she was a "stand in" and they had someone else they were going to have run that spot.  We were furious.  But what do you do?  In all of this not knowing what you can do for your kid is by far the most frustrating thing about being a parent.  It's not okay that those kids did that to her but there is no recourse.  The teams weren't organized and committed; they were all undefined and entirely up to the whims of the fourth grade girls she was supposed to run with.  Fourth grade girls are viscous and inconsiderate.

Of course, I'm writing this post quite a while after it actually happened and now I can't find their  cards with all their event information.  Hopefully I'll find it soon.

Carson's kinder celebration

They didn't have a kindergarten graduation, but they did a celebration. The kids got up and did a few songs.  They had a little slideshow of the kids throughout the year and I got to snuggle with Carson for a little while to watch it.  

He had a love hate relationship with that eye patch.  He thinks it's so fun to put on but actually hated having it on.  He kept adjusting it and taking it off, just to immediately put it back on.  It was a superhero theme so the kids were supposed to bring capes, if they had them.  Carson decide to bring his Dracula style cape.  Here he was singing superhero songs with the collar turned up and everything.  It definitely made me smile!

This is not an aspiration he has ever expressed before.  From the sounds of it, one of the kids in class said it, then a bunch of the other kids thought it sounded like it was a good idea.  I guess Carson was one of those kids.  It's interesting to me because he is most definitely not a "follower".  His teacher had to talk to me about him twice all year.  Once was because another kid had messed with Carson's jacket, which meant he was touching Carson's person without permission.  She was just keeping me informed.  The second was because he had hit his friend.  His teacher was so shocked that it had happened.  It sounds like his friends kind of worked him up to it, she was really surprised that they were able to.  She said that he is one that usually holds his ground.  He was very embarrassed that he had made that choice.  I don't foresee that situation happening again, then again.... who know right?

Reptile Man

Instead of having a field trip Carson's class got to have a couple of visitors.  One day they had the mobile zoo.  The next they got to have the reptile man visit.  You could tell the kids all thought it was really interesting.  For a while it was a little touch and go.  The presenter basically said "Alright kids, come touch the reptiles."  The poor animals were swarmed.  I ended up holding the bearded dragon so that the kids didn't keep poking at it and trying to pick it up.  Some of the kids were poking the python in the eye, others were knocking on the tortoises shell.  There were several parent volunteers that were able to step in.  I'm happy to say that Carson was NOT one of the children treating the animals that way.  

Kayda's science center field trip

Kayda had two field trips this year. One was the ropes course, which I went on with her, the second was the Pacific Science Center, which Daddy was able to attend.  I'll let him write the rest.

I was excited to go with Kayda on her field trip but not excited about going to the Pacific Science Center, which I am not a fan of.  However, I became more excited when I learned, on the way, that they would be seeing the "Terracotta Warriors of the First Emperor" exhibit. 

The Terracotta Warriors are the life size statues of the army of the First Emperor, who literally made China what it is today, by conquering all the surrounding areas.  While alive, he crafted his multi layered tomb, partly based on the belief he would return.  It was to hold his treasures.  When he died, around 210-209 BC, his tomb was enclosed and covered, looking like a hill. 

In 1974, some farmers were readying land when they accidentally dug into a pit, not knowing it was there.  Excavation has exposed 4 pits, but the actual tomb has not been exposed for fear of preservation (when the pits were exposed the air caused the paint to curl and flake within four minutes of exposure, destroying the bright colors on the statues).  Pit one holds 6,000 soldiers which is believed to be there to protect the tomb, pit two contained cavalry and infantry units as well as war chariots and is thought to represent a military guard, pit three had a command post, with high-ranking officers and a war chariot, and pit four was empty and believed to be unfinished.

Kayda and her friend Adrienne

Picture of the largest excavation pit

Kayda and I had a fun day together, even getting over to the butterfly exhibit (which is pretty good).  I was glad I was able to spend the day with my sweet little girl (that is growing up to fast).