Springtime Mash-up

Good weather equals a happy mom. And a happy mom loves to be outside, so outside we have been. There has been A LOT of baseball. From pro-ball to tee ball, our house has baseball fever. My mom says she'll be posting about tee ball separately, so more on that later. But needless to say, Bodie has shown me the love of the game and I've been infected - I throw everything I can in whatever direction I can, it's awesome.

We've already visited more than two dozen parks, inventing several games in the process. A personal favorite is tennis-basketball. Because there's always a ball in my mom's bag, and often a basketball court at the park, me and Bodie chuck the ball as high as we can in an attempt to hit the backboard. While it rarely goes in the basket and we strain our necks looking straight up in the air, we love this game and can play it for nearly an hour as total strangers watch in awe (or confusion) at our dedication.

We've also visited the nature centers, exploring tons of reptiles, owls, and even a flying squirrel. We did a spring visit to Ticonderoga Farms (LOVE that place), the zoo, Clemijontri park, and Frying Pan Farm. We also had a Mexican fiesta at the church, always good for a family photo...

Our spring adventures are probably best described in pictures - so here are a bunch of photos - enjoy!

 

Best Preschool Ever

We absolutely LOVE Bodie's preschool. He's been going there for two years and before he departs and heads off to kindergarten, I felt the need to celebrate what an incredible place Trinity Preschool is. First, it's just a preschool; which, around here, is hard to find. No early care or after care, just preschool. Kids range from 3-5 years old and depending on age, each child  attends two, three, or five days a week from 9:30am - 1pm. There are ten classes in session each day, but because of the varying attendance (tues/thurs and mon/wed/fri classes), there are nearly 130 kids who attend the school - how fun is that for preschool!?!!
They have a full time music teacher, daily gym class and outdoor play. It's a kid's paradise. Aside from the Halloween sing-a-long, the Christmas pageant, and spring concert, each May, the school hosts its annual art show. The teachers save artwork from the kids all school year and then for two weeks, display it on every square inch of the hallway and ceiling - an explosion of preschool art. Fluffy cotton snowman, tissue paper cherry blossoms, egg carton spiders, lego creations, tinfoil elephants, and anything else you can think of.

A highlight is the self portrait wall. Each student in the school draws a picture of him or herself. They-Are-Awesome. Bodie's self portrait last year resembled Sloth from the movie Goonies.

I think this year's self portrait is a DRASTIC improvement - whew.

And today, there was this...a lemonade stand. After learning about money and profit during the past two weeks, Bodie's class hosted a lemonade stand for the entire school and parents during pick up time. Last week the kids prepared by doing a blind taste test of three lemonades, determining which lemonade they would sell. They then had to make posters and flyers to do the advertising. And they learned all about money so they could give change as they sold the goods. They sold over 200 cups of lemonade,  made a ton of money, and had a blast - such a fun way to learn.

THANKS Trinity for a fun, fun, fun environment for learning!