Spies!

Yet another random sibling conspiracy game. Today they were spies. You can tell by the outfits, right? (Don't know what's with the rose, though...) How did we know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that they were spies? Well, the game basically just consisted of hiding around the house, then jumping out and yelling, "SPIES!", whenever someone walked by.

ETA: Upon reading this post, Clara informed me that the rose is a disguise aid. If you feel that you've been spotted, just hold up the rose and freeze, and perhaps the casual onlooker will mistake you for a vase.

Garage Sale!

We've been stashing stuff in the garage for months and months, in bags and boxes labeled GARAGE SALE. If it had been left up to little ol' procrastinating me, the contents of those bags and boxes might never have seen the light of day. Lucky for me (and for the garage), Chad and Clara are both cut from the "Just Do It " cloth. These two lovely people did all of the organizing, pricing, sign-making, sign-distributing, setting up, and selling.
I, meanwhile, was cleaning the house, keeping Trevor occupied, and working on report cards (only because I would have felt guilty if I'd just been lounging, surfing the net, and sucking coffee). We ended up with over a hundred bucks, and the satisfaction of knowing that other folks are now enjoying our (former) stuff. Oh, and now I don't have to listen to Chad grouse (to put it nicely) about tripping over things in the garage. That's worth more than money....

Soccer Manny

Unable to keep his feet still until the outdoor soccer season starts in August, Trev started playing an indoor session to tide him over. I'm glad to get a small soccer fix, too, although this team offers more in pure entertainment value than in adrenaline-pumping action. Trev is ever the gleeful player, though, with a smile from start to finish, and some goals to boot! (no pun intended)

Open House

The kids proudly paraded Chad through their classrooms tonight....
.....while I watched my students proudly parade their parents through our classroom. And man, does it ever look pretty!
It's going to be sad to take all of this down in a couple of weeks....

Step, and watch your step

After a day of puttering around the house, Clara apparently decided that she needed to get some exercise. I use this Step every day, and it's perfectly safe, but I generally advise against leaping barefoot onto a twelve-thousand-piece Lego explosion.

Crazy Minin' Clara

For 4th grade camp, Clara gave herself the goldrush name, "Crazy Minin' Clara". Lo and behold, here she is minin' and looking kind of crazy....Although camp didn't exactly meet her expectations (a year of dreaming can get those expectations pretty far up there), Clara gave high marks to the food, the hikes, the field guides, and the time spent with her friends. I think she was also stoked to be able to wear shorts that are too short to meet the school's dress code (not that I'd ever let her wear them to school, dress code or not....). Our veteran camper girl came home dirty and tired, and set to work almost immediately on a scrapbook to document the experience. The worst part, according to Clara, was the fact that she didn't find gold. So I guess she really did learn what it was like to be a 49er...

Scrappy

This afternoon, Trev had fun on the front porch with a big pile of scrap wood. His city has a series of levers, which move semicircular pieces, allowing a tennis ball to roll down the roadways.
I guess he'd better dismantle this before the mail carrier comes tomorrow...

Off to camp!

After an entire school year of anticipation, 4th Grade camp started today. Clara will spend the next three days in gold mining country, hiking, touring, and panning. Maybe she'll strike it rich! :)
P.S. The ponytail is back!!!

Here's the world

My students painted this for a school fundraising auction, and I just love it so much. I hope someone pays a million bucks for it......or at least pays twelve bucks, so we break even for the canvas. :)