Ballroom Dance Team

Fifth graders in selected Springfield Schools have the opportunity to partipate in a Ballroom Dance program called Over The Top.  The start at the beginning of the year and learn a tango and a cha cha. Then in January there is a "dance off"  to decide who gets to represent the school as a member of the Ballroom Dance Team.  Holden was very nervous, but I am pretty sure I was more nervous.  He looked so handsome in his shirt and tie.  He danced his little heart out and much to my relief he was chosen to be on the team.  He will continue to practice until the city wide competion in May. 

Here is the team.  Good job kids!

Interview with a 13 Year Old

1. What is your favorite color?
Orange
2. What is your favorite toy?
Books
3. What is your favorite fruit?
Pears
4. What is your favorite TV show?
The Aquabats Super Show
5.  What is your favorite movie?
The Hobbit: Desolation Of Smaug
6.  What is your least favorite chore?
Cleaning the bathroom
7. What is your favorite animal?
Narwhal
8. What is your favorite song?
Monster by Imagine Dragons
9.  What is your favorite book?
House Of Hades
10.  Who is your best friend?
Tomy Lewis
11.  What is your favorite dinner?
Chicken Parm
12.  What is your favorite breakfast?
Hash Browns and Sausage
13.  What is your favorite game?
Transformers
14.  What is your favorite thing to play outside?
Ultimate Frisbee
15.  What is your favorite holiday?
Christmas
16.  What is your favorite subject in school?
Science
17. What is your goal for this year?
Be Kinder
18. Do you think you reached your goal for last year?
My goal was to get better at math and I did get better.
19.  What do you spend your time thinking about?
The future
20.  What do you want to be when you grow up?
Chemist

Happy Birthday Banner

Another family tradition, the birthday banner.

He is 13.  Can you believe that we have a teenager?  Because I can't.

Dinner with the Lewis Family

Our good friends the Lewis Family came over for dinner.  We have started a tradition to have them over the first part of January for a holiday meal.  It all started with yam balls.  The Woolstenhulme family has a tradition of making yam balls for both Thanksgiving and Christmas.  It makes the holidays complete for me.  

The first Thanksgiving out here, I took them to share with the New York Metzgers and let's just say they were less than impresseed.  And to add to the tradegy of the situation, my boys don't even like them.  So for many years (to my sadness) my holidays were lacking in Yam balls.   But then magically we had the Lewis Family over and I cooked a tradtional holiday meal (ham, stuffing, potatoes, rolls, and yam balls) and guess what?  The Lewis Clan LIKED them.  I knew they were good people.  :)

After dinner was over we were all entertained by a puppet show performed by Damian, Matthew and Anders

We are blessed to have such good friends!

Christmas in New York

Nearly every Christmas finds us in New York spending time with Joe's family.

It is very relaxing to visit, watch TV, enjoy the tree, and just sit.

We also make it a point to visit all of Joe's Aunts.  Here the boys are admiring Aunt Marie's decorations.

We always pick a few Christmas Carols and practice them so we can sing to the Aunts.  They love it.  The boys not so much.

Father Son Selfie

Holden's Primary Talk

Christmas Card

This year I had the grand idea of making our cards.  I had each of the boys draw Christmas pictures that I matted and put on the front.

Joe wrote a wonderful poem for the inside of the card.

Sometimes the space between stars

on that one sky black night,

reminds us of better times

when we didn't have to try so hard

to achieve the most right

thing for each other, thing for another

Family, friend, neighbor, stanger

Maybe we can pause on that night

and choose the space between the stars.

Instead of noise,

listen to silence,

instead of being hurt,

practice kindness.

Instead of caring for our wounds,

doing what's right.

And here is the picture.  Our boys are getting so big.

The cards turned out really cute, but they were a lot of work.  Someone remind me of that, next time I decide to make our cards.

Interview with a Six Year Old

1. What is your favorite color?
Green
2. What is your favorite toy?
Legos
3. What is your favorite fruit?
Oranges
4. What is your favorite TV show?
Ultimate Spider Man
5.  What is your favorite movie?
The Lord Of The Rings
6.  What is your least favorite chore?
Making My Bed
7. What is your favorite animal?
Whale
8. What is your favorite song?
I Am A Child Of God
9.  What is your favorite book?
Jungle Book
10.  Who is your best friend?
My cousins, Patrick and Max
11.  What is your favorite dinner?
Pizza
12.  What is your favorite breakfast?
Cereal
13.  What is your favorite game?
Minecraft
14.  What is your favorite thing to play outside?
Snowball Fights
15.  What is your favorite holiday?
Halloween
16.  What is your favorite subject in school?
Recess
17. What is your goal for this year?
Being smart about animals
18. Do you think you reached your goal for last year?
Yes. I don't hit as much
19.  What do you spend your time thinking about?
Video Games
20.  What do you want to be when you grow up?
Cowboy

Introducing...

Caprice Aria Woolstenhulme

Matthew is very happy to have a new cousin who is also a birthday twin. 

Welcome to the world.

Interview with a 7 year old

1. What is your favorite color?
Green
2. What is your favorite toy?
My Scooter
3. What is your favorite fruit?
Apple

4. What is your favorite TV show?
Phineas and Ferb
5.  What is your favorite movie?
Percy Jackson
6.  What is your least favorite chore?
Dishes
7. What is your favorite animal?
Dog
8. What is your favorite song?
I Stand All Amazed
9.  What is your favorite book?
The Fly Guy Books
10.  Who is your best friend?
Caleb Yeager
11.  What is your favorite dinner?
Navajo Tacos
12.  What is your favorite breakfast?
French Toast Sticks
13.  What is your favorite game?
Minecraft
14.  What is your favorite thing to play outside?
Candle Tag
15.  What is your favorite holiday?
My birthday
16.  What is your favorite subject in school?
Science
17. What is your goal for this year?
To do my work better
18. Do you think you reached your goal for last year?
No
19.  What do you spend your time thinking about?
My birthday
20.  What do you want to be when you grow up?
A Dad

Primary

Here is where Holden, Matthew, and Anders go on Sunday.  

Doesn't Anders looked pleased to be here?

Notice all the little girls in Matthew's class?  That's right, there aren't any.   Boys, boys everywhere.

And then there is Holden.  At least he enjoys primary.

History Class

One of the classes I teach at the home school co-op is an Ancient History class.  The kids read a chapter at home.  Then, in class we discuss the chapter, do map work related to the area, and complete a craft project related to the chapter.  Here are the cute kids.

This week we talked about the Egyptian Pharaoh who was actually a woman.  She would dress like a man and even wore fake beards.  We made fake beards.  The only problem was that I left my appropriate colored tissue paper at home.  A mom who lived close ran home to get some for me.  Of course she only had green and red, so we made Christmasy beards.  The kids didn't seem to mind.

Video Games

This is how our boys would like to spend all day everyday.

At first this touching photo appears to be three brothers cuddled up to read. But upon closer examination, you will note that Nicholas has a DS and Matthew is holding up a book to block it, while he and Holden watch.

See, I told you.

Career Day

They don't allow the kids to wear their Halloween costumes to school.  They do, however, let them dress up as what they want to be when they grow up.  Of course this changes often, but right now Anders says he wants to be a cowboy.  So here he is all dressed up for Career Day.   Round 'em up Cowboy!