Last Day of School! Whooo Hoooo!

Yesterday was our last day of school before Christmas Break!

Now....that being said....the boy and the girl will have some schoolwork....(reading and co-op) but none-the-less we are on BREAK!!!

So Wednesday after school we got busy preparing for our last day of co-op!

The girls were excited to fill the goodie bags for the kids in my classes.

Maybe it had something to do with the fact THEY are in some of my classes....hmmm

Then I got busy making sugar cookies in the shape of gingerbread men....

They started out looking a bit like Gumby....

and ended up looking like the Michelin Man....

Oh well....the preschoolers I made them for didn't care in the least!

So Thursday we headed off to Co-op.

Randy said it looked like we were leaving town:

We had lunch boxes, book bags, coffee, purses, teacher crate, guitars, cookie platters, muffins, chocolate milk jugs, gym bags, dance bags, gifts, blankets, stuffed animals, jackets.....we were LOADED DOWN.

It was a fun day....and a lot more laid back then our usual co-op days.

We usually all have devotions and the moms not teaching have prayer time for the first hour.

This week the Middle School Class had a Christmas Party/Breakfast and the "praying moms" got to join them.

Andrew played some Christmas music on his guitar.

Sarah and Grace sang for us.

Andrew, Josh, Joel, Sarah, Hope, and Grace did a very silly Christmas Skit.....

Grace and Lindsay danced....

It was a good time.

I'm glad these Middle Schoolers have each other.

They are really developing good relationships and genuinely like one another.

Then I had History.  We just reviewed some of what we have been learning this year and had a Big Round of Jeopardy.  The kids (1st-3rd graders) were quizzed on Leif Erickson, Christopher Columbus, The Jamestown Settlers, The Pilgrims, Squanto, Pocahontas, John Smith.....they knew their stuff!

However we could only have 1 winner and in a down to the wire tie breaker the winner was Matthew!

Way to go Matthew!

We finished early so I gave out goodie bags.

Then we headed out to the playground!

Next they went to art....and I cleaned my room and got setup for the Preschoolers.

While I was doing this the Preschoolers were in Science Class with Mrs. Rebbecca.

They have been learning about stars and planets.

So Mrs. Rebecca took advantage of this and setup a starry scene for our little ones...

She had candles lit.  Lights all aglow.  She read the Christmas story to them.  Cut out angles for them and then they serenaded us with their angles in the starry sky.

I LOVE Mrs. Rebecca.

So do the kids!

I also love Mrs. Julie and her sweet Jubilee

Jubilee was so proud to be matching with her mom!

So sweet!

Jubilee, Sophie, and Kacie Rae are all such good friends!

3 sweet girls!

Then it was lunchtime.....and after lunch it was nap time....and of course the preschoolers BEGGED to nap under Mrs. Rebecca's starry tent....

How could I say no?

There wasn't  much napping....but they had a good time :)

I ended up reading them a story so they could at least rest.

I read them the story by Max Lucado:

The Crippled Lamb.

After nap time it was time for their Language Arts Class.

We finished up their Christmas Wish Books they have been working on.

Then I read to them from The Gingerbread Man.

It is the story of a little old lady and a little boy who make Gingerbread Cookies.

The little boy is supposed to watch the cookies bake but he opens the oven and the Gingerbread Man escapes and runs away.....and the whole town tries to catch him!

Run, Run, as fast as you can....You can't catch me I'm the Gingerbread Man....

After reading....we decorated cookies!

They had a great time.

Lots of sugary, sticky, mess!

This would be where my camera battery died!

After they finished decorating cookies....I told them they needed to sit a while so the decorations could get all settled in....whatever that means? and sent them out to the playground.  I quickly cleaned up and took the cookies to the office.

THEN....I set out a gingerbread cutout clue and called the kids in for cookies....

They were stunned.....their cookies had run away!

Run, Run, as fast as you can....you can't catch me I'm the gingerbread man....

All through church they ran.....following clues....and at last they caught their cookies!

It was fun!

Jackson loved it and has been begging me ever since to decorate more and hide them so he can catch them :)

BIG THANK YOU to Mrs. Parks for sharing this CUTE idea!  It was a huge hit with the kiddos!

The rest of co-op was filled with cleaning up and loading up and supervising kids on the playground....we ended early and my crew headed straight for Andrew's basketball game.

Flight won a close game....and Andrew scored 3 points and had a ton of rebounds.  He played well.  I was happy for him because he had been in a bit of a slump for the last few games.

As soon as the game was over we headed to Audrey's dance show. 

I'll post pictures of Audrey's dance show later, they are all on Randy's phone. 

By this point my kids were crashing from exhaustion mixed with a sugar overload and we headed to Pizza Inn with my parents who treated my VERY excited crew (they love Pizza Inn and hadn't been out in a long time) to dinner.

THANK YOU!

It was such a sweet blessing not to have to cook dinner after this loooong day!

It was also great to be able to visit with Mom and Dad for a few minutes!

What a nice treat!

Then it was home, baths, and BEDTIME!

Hallelujah!

HATED missing the Toy Drive....it is one of the highlights of the year for me.....

However....we needed to go to bed!

Cannot wait to hear all about it!

I know many were blessed!

School's Out!!!!