STORYBOOK PARADE

The kids got to participate in their first Storybook Parade at Bowmar this year for Read Across America Week. There were lots of Diary of a Wimpy Kid characters, as expected, but also a few girls dressed as The Princess in Black.

 The kids both loved getting to dress up (and stayed dressed up and out of uniform all day) and getting to walk around the playground while the paparazzi took pictures. (Jay and I did not go - we can only take so much time off work - but I had some friends there that kindly sent me photos, and one of our local photographers went to take all the "exiting the building" photos, then shared them on the Parents for Bowmar Facebook page.)

Cora with her classmates, including some of her best friends at school, fellow PIBs Anna Paiten and Autumn, and Grace the Ninja Cat.

More good buddies, Celebryte and Katy, added to the mix

And one with the Principal, Mr. Bennett:

James' class had at least 3 Gregs and 1 Captain Underpants :-)

CLOSING CEREMONY AND ALL THE FEELS

After over two weeks of having the living room taken over by the giant air mattress and too many late nights (kids included) watching various Olympic sporting events, the Closing Ceremony arrived and we all watched the show, talking about our favorite events and highlights. It was a good Olympics!

During our discussion we talked about future sports that the kids might do (if they don't always live in the south where there are no mountains and no snow, and even no ice skating rink year round) and we touched on the idea that James will be moving away first because he's older (and plans to go to college in California with his cousin Eli, while Cora plans to live with us forever - on a farm). Cora rushed over to him and squeezed him SO TIGHT with tears in her eyes saying "James, you can't ever leave me!" But we assured her it was the natural way of things and that we'd all visit  each other ("But you don't need to visit ME mama because we'll be together") and it would be ok. Eventually she conceded that the world wouldn't end and they dissolved into fits of giggles, but it was certainly a sweet moment to witness as she held onto him and he promised to always come visit her.

Oh Olympics... you bring out all the feels!

P.S. Our collective favorite event was snowboarding (particularly the half pipe for the kids). They loved the big air and big scores, the wins from competitors that had been behind the leads, and "our guys" taking the gold. They learned quite a few athletes by name :-)

SKATE PARTY

James' Cub Scout and school friend Ethan had his birthday party today and the kids were so excited to go try out their new skates!

Isaac, James, and Ethan at the end of the party 

COOKIE BOOTHS 2018

Cora and I worked our two cookie booth shifts back to back this weekend with a cold day Saturday and a windy day Sunday, but lots of cookie sales regardless of weather! The girls did a great job greeting customers and doing the math to make change. They earned a lot of donations too!

(Cora and Abby were mad at us here because we made them take a turn away from the money handling)

REPURPOSED

Jay has passed down his letter holder to James, which now holds mini MineCraft figurines...

MINI MILLIONAIRE!

Cora passed the last AR test she needed to hit 250,000 words today, making her an official Mini Millionaire according to Bowmar Elementary's requirements for 2nd Graders. She set the goal for herself at the beginning of the year and regularly checked her word count every week as she tested to see where she stood. By Christmas break she was more than halfway there, so she knew she could do it by the end of the year, but she decided to double down and push herself to finish faster. (This doesn't mean she can coast through the rest of the year - she is still expected to earn at least 1.0 AR point per week and maintain an 85% average.) We bought her a 'congratulations' gift (some new clothes for Tenney) and took her out for ice cream to celebrate - we're very proud of her dedication (and the fact that she's improved so significantly in reading this year!)

DADDY-DAUGHTER DINNER DATE

The YMCA hosted their second Daddy-Daughter Dinner Date this year and Jay surprised Cora with an invitation on Valentine's Day:

Cora was SO EXCITED! I gave her a new, red dress for Valentine's Day, along with a sparkly belt to dress it up even more, and she was feeling pretty special...

 The girls and their daddies filled out "How well do you know your date" questionnaires while they waited on their transportation to dinner (steaks at Beechwood Restaurant across from the Y).

(They know each other pretty well!)

 As if she didn't feel special enough already, she got to wear a corsage to dinner:

 They had a cute photo booth that the girls took fun photos in too:

We'll definitely have to keep this event in mind again next year since both Cora and Jay enjoyed it!