Canvas and Wine Party

We have a very talented art teacher in our elementary building this year, Mrs. Yaquinto. She makes really neat art projects with students, and every year she makes these cool birch trees with the third graders, that I always wanted to try to make! I suggested that Michelle should host a party with the teachers, and teach US how to make the same trees - and she ended up putting together a very fun wine and canvas party! Lots of yummy food, good drinks, and outside-my-comfort-zone painting!

There were a couple steps to creating the trees, and we started with just using pencil to outline where we wanted the trees on the canvas (you mean you actually want me to put something on this white canvas? that's all I kept thinking :)). Then we used painters tape to tape off where we wanted the trees to be, and then got to work with actual paint - choosing our color for the background. Cue stress. You can't erase paint. ;)

But once we started with the painting part, it actually started to feel okay...my right brain was getting all sorts of exercised with this activity. :)
Then we used black paint and cardboard to create the birch tree look - really cool!
My almost finished painting - just had to add leaves....

All of our work at the end!

It was a fun evening, and I kind of hope we get to do one again as a group!! I love my Blue Star Elementary family! :)

Cam's 3 year stats...well-child appointment, plus a few extra in May

I ended the school year with only 7.25 sick days left to use...and that had a lot to do with my little Camryn in May.

Five days before her well-child appointment, she came down with a fever on a Wednesday night. And then it happened again on Friday. Then again on Sunday during the afternoon - and she woke up so miserable from her nap, complaining that her "cheek hurt", that we made a little trip to Urgent Care to make sure it wasn't her ears.

A pretty uncomfortable little girl.

 Lambie in hand

No diagnosis except that she was fighting some virus at this point, and that it would be good to follow-up at her well-child appointment the next day.
Cashed out on the way home.

Monday we went to her well-child appointment, and while her lymph nodes were swollen, and we were told she needed to start taking allergy medicine, things looked okay.

Cam's 3-year stats (which were the exact same as Taylor's!)
Weight: 31.8 lbs (61st percentile)
Height: 37.5 in (65th percentile) 

Tuesday after daycare, I gave her a bath and she cried anytime I even brushed my fingers over her neck, and cried while I was brushing her teeth because she said it hurt. The picture says it all. :(

After some chatting with our favorite NP through Facebook Tuesday night, she thought we should go back into the doctor's office. Her lymph node on one side was really big and swollen by Tuesday night, and these fevers had popped up for almost a week at that point.

So Wednesday, we went back in and saw Dr. Shook.
Aquariums in doctor's offices are brilliant ideas

Waiting to see Shook

 Because of the size and discomfort of Cam's lymph nodes, he sent us over to Holland Hospital for some blood work.

Waiting at the hospital with the 'silly stick' that Dr. Shook made for Cam. :)

Luckily and happily, nothing was abnormal with her blood work other than things that were elevated which would be expected because of the swelling in her body and the fevers over the past week.

My mom came and spent that afternoon with Cam so I could go back to work, and while she was there, she had a little fun setting up Tay's room as a surprise when she got home from daycare. :)

And, after all that, with some good antibiotics on board, Cam was feeling like herself again.

And I was thankful that summer break was around the corner, and hoping for healthy days the rest of the school year! :)

Spring blog post catch up... here we go! First up - G. Betty's 80th birthday

At the end of April, our family headed to the east side of the state to celebrate my Grandma Betty's 88th birthday, my mom's 60th birthday, and to have a visit with my aunt and uncle who were visiting from Santa Fe! We haven't seen Uncle Paul and Aunt Mary-Margaret since our wedding about 8 years ago. This was their first time meeting Camryn and Taylor, which was extra fun.

Jeff, Jen, Tess, Mem, and our family stayed overnight at a hotel during the visit. We got there on Saturday afternoon, and had lots of time to hang out at Grandma Betty's apartment.

At the hotel the next morning, we had a fantastic breakfast, and time to play in the pool there, too. :)

There was a big celebration brunch midday on Sunday - a whole birthday party planned by my mom and aunt and uncles. My uncle made a CD of songs from the year she was born, there was a trivia game about facts about what life was like in the 1920's (which I did horribly at :)), and cake and presents. :)

After food and fun, we went outside in an attempt at a family picture. After the long day, and no nap for Camryn, it was a little work to get the kids to cooperate for a family picture afterward, but it was still great to capture all of us being together! :)

And on the drive home, Cam fell asleep pretty fast. :) Tuckered out girl from all the fun. :)

It was a great birthday/reunion/family visit! :)

Life since Spring Break :)

It's May! 25 more teaching days until summer break - the end of the year always seems to come up so fast!

~ Life since spring break ~

It finally warmed up enough for ...
popsicles and the water table...

sprinklers...

snacks in the driveway after school...

 playing "quicksand" - a game Tay learned in her Strong Kids class

shorts (this picture of Cam cracks me up, big kid checking out the airplanes)...

 planting seeds (these were special seeds we got from a birthday party last weekend - more on that in the next post!)

checking out the ducks at 'dr. stan's' office

and trips to get ice cream at Kilwins

and Captain Sundae :)

Taylor had her last Strong Kids class

She also had her Kindergarten Screening night! She was so excited!

We had Family Literacy Night at my school, and I was a reader (don't mind my horrible posture....goodness!) and I read three stories with my favorite fictional characters - Tacky the Penguin, Pigeon, and Elephant and Piggie

After, there was a puppet show, and Taylor sat in the front row with Ty.. and had her hand on his back. She loves to do anything with Ty!  

 Ha! :)

We had a couple visitors with a birthday gift for Cam

Tons of silly or sweet sister moments
Jumping on our bed

After bath time

This was a series of pictures after a bath one morning when I was home with Cam because she was sick... trying to get her to smile :) Finally got one at the end :)

Love her little face :)

Reading bedtime stories in bed - Taylor was 'reading' the book to Cam :)

Putting on their shoes together - finally getting more independence out of these two :)

This might be the best toy ever - the little capsules that you soak in warm water and then a little foam character starts growing. It takes a while, the girls were SO quiet and attentive waiting to see which sea creature theirs would turn out to be, and then they had a little toy when it was done!

Coloring on the floor together (LOVE sunshine!)

And Ryan got our fire pit all set - can't wait for fires and, of course, s'mores this summer! :)