Our Week in Pictures

I haven't blogged about our daily activities much this week so I thought I'd use tonight to do a short re-cap.  It's Thursday so that means co-op.  I have several pictures from today:  This is a shot from history class where we were learning about the Nile River.  The kids each made a model and are very excited to see if their "crop" of grass seed grows along the Nile.

The preschoolers have so much fun on their outdoor adventures!  So cute!  They have the BEST science teacher ever!  We LOVE our Co-op teachers!

The Girls Art class has been learning mixing colors and the color wheel!

Have I mentioned that I love Co-op!  These women are "my people".  LOVE THEM!

Anyway.....

Yesterday was Wednesday....which means gymnastics!  The girls LOVE gymnastics.  The Twinkie boy did NOT love going......

Twinkie Boy does love speech though.  He gets to go every Monday and Wednesday and while it is very disruptive to our schedule...it is VERY worth it.  Twinkie Boy has a severe speech disorder called Apraxia.  He has come so far and his teacher is amazed at how vocal and smart he is.  Some children with Apraxia never gain speech and especially children who have as severe of a disorder as my sweet boy!  I am soooooo proud of him and I ADORE his speech teacher.  She makes it fun!

This is the rest of the crew working while Jack does speech.

Another WONDERFUL part of our week was The Girl setting the table.  Yes she is taking a manners course at school and one of the things they are learning is how to set a proper table.  She did a great job and the little ones have gotten so excited they are now begging to set the table!  LOVE IT!

This is my favorite picture of the week.  I love it because as I was rushing about the house I happened upon the girls and they were playing the sweetest game.  Twinkie girl was having devotions with the BABY.  It made my heart smile.  Granted its a reading book.......not a Bible.....it still blessed me to see them playing "devotions" and being so kind to each other.....THEY ARE NOT LIKE THIS ALL THE TIME....I PROMISE.

 Okay....these next two pictures are Odyssey of the Mind pictures.  I'm sure I will periodically blog about Odyssey.  It became a big part of our life last year.  It is probably one of the hardest yet rewarding activities we have ever participated in.  It is a HUGE time commitment but THE BOY learned so much.  Here's a short Odyssey overview:
Odyssey of the Mindis an international educational program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities for students from kindergarten through college. Team members apply their creativity to solve problems that range from building mechanical devices to presenting their own interpretation of literary classics. They then bring their solutions to competition on the local, state, and World level. Thousands of teams from throughout the U.S. and from about 25 other countries participate in the program.

Last year was our teams first year.  The kids did great.  It was so hard....UGH....I can't believe we signed up for this again.....but it really was worth it.  About half our team returned and about half of our team is new members. 

This Monday our team selected their long term problem which they will spend the next 7 months solving and preparing for competition.  Above is a photo of the kids practicing solving a "spontaneous problem".  They had to build a structure as tall as they could using only index cards and they could not speak.  They had 3 minutes to "plan" without talking and 4 minutes to "solve it".  They were judged on the height of the structure and on how they worked as a team. 

Another highlight of the week was that we finished painting TWINKIE GIRLS room.  It's PINK!!!!  She loves it.  Here's a picture of her in her big girl bed....a gift from a dear friend (THANK YOU MARCI)

And Randy switched out the Cars light that was hanging in her room for a GIRL light.  He did good!

A cookout with the neighbors!  FUN!

As I look back on our week.....I think WOW we were busy!  However....I then remember so is the rest of the world.  A very wise friend/mentor of mine (Linda) told me years ago that everyone has the same 24 hours each day and that we choose how to fill them.....but one thing is for sure we will all fill them. 

My constant ambition is to choose wisely....and I don't always....I check facebook too much, I watch too much TV, I don't sleep enough, and I play bubble burst too much while I watch TV :)  (That is for you Randy).  So I do not have this altogether...at all!

However my sweet friends husband (Shay) has also taught me 2 of the most important focuses of my life.  To INVEST in what matters and to be INTENTIONAL.  As I look back on the week.....I see what matters and what doesn't.  What is worth the investment and what is not.  I'm thankful for my Co-op mommy friends who are investing in me and my kids. 

Love you all sorry this was so long and so random.....but I had a lot I wanted to share.  I'll try to be more intentional next time :)

Kim