Crazy Dress-Up Day

Two days before school was let out for the summer the 1st Graders got to have a "Crazy Dress-Up Day".  They had read a story in reading class called "Crazy Hair Day", so that is how crazy dress day came about.  A day out of uniform is a special occasion and one to be celebrated by every 1st Grader.  Ashlin struggled with what to wear and finally decided on this get-up for the day.  Although when I got to school at lunch time, she only had one hat on and she had exchanged her slippers for tennis shoes.  But fun was had by the whole class because learning isn't a priority those last days of school.

Take care,
Michelle

Wordless Wednesday

Total concentration when playing cards with Grandpa Korth.

Take care,
Michelle

Memorial Day Weekend

 Memorial Day weekend is the kick-off to summer, but you never know what the weather in Nebraska is going to bring that last weekend in May.  We had a busy, but relaxing weekend.  On Saturday, we attended the annual Korth family picnic.  After eating all of the delicious food, we headed home to change and head for the lake.

 We just hung out at the beach for a few hours playing and relaxing.  The water is still a bit cold, but that didn't stop the kids.  Keith isn't for sure when he bought this inflatable boat, but the kids just LOVE it.  They played in the boat and threw a football for awhile.  We also stopped and put flowers on both sets of my grandparents graves on the way to the lake.

 On Sunday, the weather again was supposed to be in the 90s so we decided to head for the river by Yankton.  We stopped in Creighton and put flowers on Aunt Lorrie's grave and then stopped at Grandpa and Grandma Leader's house.  Then it was on to the river.  We went to the beach area at Weigand and the kids played in the water.  The water was again on the cold side, but they still had fun in the water and playing in the sand.  We met up with our friends, the Johnson family.  They were camping there for the weekend.

Later we packed up and headed for home when the dark clouds started to roll in.  On the way home, we encountered strong rains.  We missed the hail and the strong winds.  There were many thunderstorm warnings and tornado warnings out for the area.  On the way home, we heard on the radio that the tornado sirens were going off in Norfolk.  We were glad to get home safe and also glad that we didn't have our boat.  Norfolk received over 2 inches of rain.

On Monday, we relaxed and did some yard work.  In the evening we had a pizza party with Ryan and Alice next door.  They wanted to thank us for helping them when the last hail storm went through Norfolk and they weren't home.  We helped get water out of their basement.  It was a relaxing evening and a good way to end the long weekend.

Take care,
Michelle

Wordless Wednesday

Foxy Lady Soccer

 Erica was a member of the hot pink Foxy Lady soccer team at the YMCA this spring.  Erica's team played 3-on-3 soccer in the 3rd & 4th Grade league.

 There were not that many 3rd & 4th grade girls out for soccer which made each team only have 5 or 6 players.  It was very important to be at the games since there were very few subs.

 Erica enjoyed playing and she did score a few goals.  The twenty minute halves were long sometimes in the heat.

Take care,
Michelle

Barracuda Soccer

 Ashlin played soccer again this spring at the YMCA.  She played in the 5-on-5 1st & 2nd Grade league.  Her team was called the Barracudas.  This was her first time to play 5-on-5 soccer.

 It was a good experience for her to learn to play the different positions.  Her coach did a good job of rotating the players so that everyone had a chance to play goalie, defender, and offense.

 She knew a few girls on her team from school and had a great season while scoring a few goals along the way.

Now that soccer is over, Ashlin is looking forward to playing T-ball this summer.

Take care,
Michelle

Go Gorillas!

 Soccer season ended last week for Justin, Erica and Ashlin.  Justin played on the royal blue gorillas team.  His coach was me (aka Mom).  I have never coached before but figured I could probably handle six little boys that were all 3 or 4 years old.  At the start of every game, I made a point of telling and showing the team which direction we were going to kick the ball and which goal was ours.

 Justin loved playing soccer and he did score a few goals at his last game.

 Justin is an aggressive player and understands what to do when he plays.

At the end of every game, we would have a team huddle.  I would ask everyone if they had fun playing soccer.  In itty bitty soccer, the score isn't kept.  The game is all about having fun and that everyone gets to play.  Also in our huddle we always did a cheer with everyone putting their hands in and on the count of 3 yelling "Go Gorillas!".

Now that soccer is over, Justin is ready to start t-ball at the YMCA.  We'll see how he likes this sport.

Take care,
Michelle

Happy Mother's Day

On this special day for all mothers, I wanted to share this poem that I received from Erica.  She had copied this poem onto a piece of paper and wrote in her best penmanship.

God's Masterpiece is Mothers

by:  Herbert Farnham

God took pieces of everything wonderful to make moms.

God took the fragrance of a flower . . .

The majesty of a tree . . .

The gentleness of morning dew . . .

The calm of a quiet sea . . .

The beauty of the twilight hour . . .

The soul of a starry night . . .

The laughter of a rippling brook . . .

The grace of a bird in flight . . .

Then God fashioned from these things

A creation like no other,

And when his masterpiece was through

He called it simply - Mother

When I read this poem given to me as a gift, I thought it was wonderful!

Take care,

Michelle

5th & 6th Grade Track & Field Day

Wednesday, May 3rd, was track and field day for the 5th and 6th grades at school.  Keith and I were both sunburned from the first day, but we were back at the track for day #2.  Again, parents were recruited to help measure and time.  Keith helped with the frisbee throw and I measured for the football throw and timed events.

 Cara won 1st place in the frisbee throw and 1st place in the softball throw.  She placed 6th in both the 100M and the 50M.  Then she ran a leg on the 4x400 relay that placed 1st.

 As a short break between the running events and the relays, the students danced to music on the track over the PA system.  They needed a fun break.

Finally, before everyone went home we took a class picture of the grade.  This 5th grade class is the smallest class in the entire school and the 6th grade class is the largest class in the school.The 6th grade class is over twice the size of the 5th grade class.  It was a fun two days at the track and we can't wait until next year.

P.S.  Erica brought home her ribbons yesterday and she placed 6th both the 50M and the 100M dashes.  She also placed in her relay.

Take care,
Michelle

Super-Moon

What's called a "super-moon" could be seen from Norfolk on Saturday evening.  It gets the name to mark the coincidence of a full moon with the closest approach the moon makes to the earth on it Elliptical orbit, resulting in a more vibrant and brighter moon.  We all looked at the moon for awhile in the driveway.  It was really a beautiful sight to see.

Take care,
Michelle

3rd & 4th Grade Track & Field Day

 Tuesday, May 1st was Track & Field Day at school for the 3rd and 4th grade classes.  Keith and I both took off two days from work to be at the track to watch and cheer.  Erica chose to participate in the long jump, softball throw, 50M dash and the 100M dash.  In this photo, Erica is long jumping.

 The weather was sunny and low 80's, but the wind was really blowing.  They changed the direction of the running races so the students didn't have to run into the wind.

 Parents are recruited to help measure and time.  Mrs. Vrbka, Keith and I had to measure the Frisbee throw for 3rd graders.  Later on I helped time the running events. 

Erica hanging out with friends, Charli, Gabby and Reilly.  Erica hasn't received her ribbons yet and she doesn't know if she placed yet because Ms. Freese doesn't tabulate results until after the day is over.  The students will receive their ribbons this week in PE.  Erica did win her heats in the 50M and 100M dashes though, so hopefully she has some ribbons coming her way.

Take care,
Michelle