We blasted off into space for the last month or so. We can locate planets in the night sky, give fascinating details about each of our planets and recognize why Earth is the only one that has life. We had so much fun. Learning together as a family is priceless.
Mercury. . .
Venus. . .
Earth. . .
Mars. . .
Jupiter. . .
Saturn. . .
Uranus. . .
Neptune. . .
Couldn't quite get it all in the picture.
Astronaut ice cream. Yummy!
To finish our study of the solar system, we headed to the Air and Space Smithsonian outside of DC. It was so much better than we expected. We got to see the Discovery shuttle in person! To top it off, Tom Jones, a real astronaut who has taken multiple rides into space, gave a fascinating talk. The girls loved his various home videos of space flight and Savannah got to ask him a question during the Q&A session. We had an absolute blast.
Meteorite
Sadly, this is one of the only pictures I have of Lila.
Ahh, the real deal (the gloves and boots). Much heavier than the orange dress up suit.
A favorite!
Another favorite! They even had the astronaut underwear that has tubing for water which heats or cools astronauts.
Grammy came too!
She talks the talk but was a bit nervous when standing next to the giant
shuttle. Sensory issues still have an ugly grip on my girl.
Listening to Astronaut Tom.
Looking out the control tower where we got to see planes land at Dulles.
If you have a chance, go see it. You won't be disappointed!
We updated our grassapillars this year. In years passed we have used egg cartons. This year, Adeline's class made them out of pantyhose. They mixed grass seed and soil together. Then, they stuffed it in pantyhose while sectioning them off with hair ties. They turned out really cute and the girls are enjoying their role as hair stylist.
I posted a lot about our races last fall. We are back at them again. The little girls run a quarter mile and Savannah runs a half. It is still really hard for Adeline to complete her distance. Lila continues to hang with the back of the pack and Savannah is leading the way. These races are still very emotional for us. There was a day that we thought running would never happen and look at my little one pounders now!
Stretching out because racing in Kindergarten is serious business!
At the starting line. . .
During the first race, Lila Grace was looking over her shoulder and yelling back to Adeline with encouraging words. It was very sweet. She also flashed her pearly whites every time she passed someone she knew on the side lines. Do I dare say that she is out for a good time more than she is out for the win. . .
Here is a clip of Lila's finish.
Here is Adeline working hard to cross the finish line. Just like he did in the fall, Mr. Long (race coordinator) is waiting for the last runner in order to give her the most loving high five. This season, he lets Adeline knock him backwards with her strength. She runs the entire race just for that moment. It is absolutely amazing to watch her fight for every step. I am so proud of this girl!
The big news for this season is that Miss Savannah Mae has finished first place in the first two races of the season. She has really matured as a runner and now plays the mental games that all good runners do. She keeps a safe distance ahead but makes sure to leave some in the tank for the end. I remember a year ago when she was at the back of the pack with her arms flailing. What a difference a year, some practice and bunch of determination makes. I am one proud Mama!
Oh, did I mention the Savannah runs a half mile in 3:24! She beats me. I know this because I raced her one day and she left me in her dust.
Here she is crossing the finishing in first place.
Savannah's class celebrated Poetry Month by inviting parents to a Poetry Day celebration. It is clear their teacher LOVES poetry. They have been using poems to reinforce their learning all year long. There were poems about pumpkins, holidays, bats, soil and much more. They have read novels written in free verse, studied famous poets, and, best yet, have written many, many poems.
Poetry Day gave each student the opportunity to recite a poem. To compliment this, the students had poems on display and class book of poems that was given to each family. As we gathered into the classroom, it became clear that the students had worked very hard to put together such a nice presentation. Each child was dressed beautifully and sitting quietly while holding still their nervous hands. After a brief introduction by the teacher, the students took control of the day. They introduced each other, gave brief overviews of the poems and what learning they represented, and each student recited a poem from memory. I just couldn't believe that every student knew their poem and didn't need any prompting from the teacher. They knew when to go up front which prevented those awkward pauses you often see at times like this. It was flawless. Honestly, Savannah belongs to the best group of second graders I have ever seen!
Here is my girl reciting her acrostic poem about spring. It was a beautiful presentation.
Long ago, we took Savannah to Daddy's old stomping grounds. We were such proud, new parents.
(Just in case Krzyzewskiville doesn't give it away, I am referring to Duke.)
We came full circle and took all three while in Durham over Easter.
There is a little more "girl" going on in our lives now. Never did we dream that we would be back with three beautiful, sweet and loving girls. Life was good with one girl but it is so much richer and the love runs so much deeper with three.
P.S. I am choking back tears after searching through Savannah's baby pictures for the ones above. She was such a cute and smiley little baby. I want to hold that little girl all over again!
