After a short visit with Lisa and the kids, Riley and Emily saw me off as I set off on the journey back home. We had a good visit--those kids are full of energy and are keeping Lisa on her feet!
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Things one should never outgrow:
22 hours ago
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Saying Goodbye to the Kiddos
July 11, 2012
After a short visit with Lisa and the kids, Riley and Emily saw me off as I set off on the journey back home. We had a good visit--those kids are full of energy and are keeping Lisa on her feet!
After a short visit with Lisa and the kids, Riley and Emily saw me off as I set off on the journey back home. We had a good visit--those kids are full of energy and are keeping Lisa on her feet!
Monday, July 9, 2012
The Drop Off
July 9, 2012
After getting to spend the week with the boys at the Mayes household, Scott and Bill met up at the halfway point between Yakima, Washington and Bend, Oregon. They spent a little time together so that the girls could visit with their cousins before Bill took the kids off for part two of their Oregon vacation.
After getting to spend the week with the boys at the Mayes household, Scott and Bill met up at the halfway point between Yakima, Washington and Bend, Oregon. They spent a little time together so that the girls could visit with their cousins before Bill took the kids off for part two of their Oregon vacation.
Little Fishies
July 9, 2012
While I was visiting Lisa, I got to go with her to take the littles to their swim lessons. Riley was super excited to show off his ability to jump off the high dive. He was fearless! I loved that he kept asking me, "Aunt Donna, did you get a picture of that one??" Emily was a little more timid; her class stayed in the shallow end of the lap pool, mostly getting used to the idea of getting their little faces wet, blowing bubbles, and kicking their little feet while the teacher held them afloat. I think it's amazing that with help from foster mamas like Lisa, these kiddos get to have experiences like this that they might not otherwise get to have.
While I was visiting Lisa, I got to go with her to take the littles to their swim lessons. Riley was super excited to show off his ability to jump off the high dive. He was fearless! I loved that he kept asking me, "Aunt Donna, did you get a picture of that one??" Emily was a little more timid; her class stayed in the shallow end of the lap pool, mostly getting used to the idea of getting their little faces wet, blowing bubbles, and kicking their little feet while the teacher held them afloat. I think it's amazing that with help from foster mamas like Lisa, these kiddos get to have experiences like this that they might not otherwise get to have.
Lunch With the Nieces
July 9, 2012
I got to head down south to spend some time with Lisa and the girls for a few days while my kids were on vacation with Bill. While Lisa was at work and Taylor was at summer school, I got to take a gaggle of girls to Pick Up Stix for lunch and a whole lot of chit chat. The girls all filled me in on what they'd been doing with their summer. Both Natalie and Bailey had been to summer camp, and Devin had been off on a jaunt to Japan as a Youth Ambassador. I absolutely adore these girls, and I loved getting to spend our time together.
Bailey's Friend, who joined us for the day
Natalie
I got to head down south to spend some time with Lisa and the girls for a few days while my kids were on vacation with Bill. While Lisa was at work and Taylor was at summer school, I got to take a gaggle of girls to Pick Up Stix for lunch and a whole lot of chit chat. The girls all filled me in on what they'd been doing with their summer. Both Natalie and Bailey had been to summer camp, and Devin had been off on a jaunt to Japan as a Youth Ambassador. I absolutely adore these girls, and I loved getting to spend our time together.
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Happy Birthday to Dad
July 7, 2012
Danielle came up with a cute idea for her dad for Father's Day, and she enlisted my help to put it together. We bought letters at Michael's, and then had each of the kids hold up one of the letters and let me take a picture of them. We then took their individual pictures and put them in a three-opening frame. These are the pictures I took. The colors look great in the simple, understated black frame. Although their dad isn't much of a picture guy, he's got the frame up on his wall at his house. Maybe with Bree out of the house and away at college, he's realizing--as much as I am-- how special it is to get them all together.
Danielle came up with a cute idea for her dad for Father's Day, and she enlisted my help to put it together. We bought letters at Michael's, and then had each of the kids hold up one of the letters and let me take a picture of them. We then took their individual pictures and put them in a three-opening frame. These are the pictures I took. The colors look great in the simple, understated black frame. Although their dad isn't much of a picture guy, he's got the frame up on his wall at his house. Maybe with Bree out of the house and away at college, he's realizing--as much as I am-- how special it is to get them all together.
Friday, July 6, 2012
AP Scores!
July 6, 2012
This past year I had some genuinely impressive students in my class--highly intellectual and articulate. I was chagrined, then, to find that near the end of the year, a handful of my students came to me and said they were not going to take the test. Some of their colleges of choice would not offer them additional college credit for passing the AP Literature test if they had already passed the AP Comp. test with a score of 5, and they didn't see the point in paying to take a test that was of no benefit to them. Hard to argue with that logic. Of course, the kids who had scored a 5 on the Comp. test were also likely to have done very well on the Lit. test as well. Since I am assessed by my pass rate each year, having five kids who were sure to pass the test drop out at the last minute, I was quite concerned about what that would do to my pass rate.
I needn't have worried. We just got our results in the mail, and I'm thrilled! National pass rate tends to hover between 53-56%. Typically, the pass rate for students in my class is between 70-74%. This year, however, my kids managed a pass rate of 95%, even without some of the kids who were 'sure bets.' I'm so proud of my kids, and I'm proud of myself as well!
This past year I had some genuinely impressive students in my class--highly intellectual and articulate. I was chagrined, then, to find that near the end of the year, a handful of my students came to me and said they were not going to take the test. Some of their colleges of choice would not offer them additional college credit for passing the AP Literature test if they had already passed the AP Comp. test with a score of 5, and they didn't see the point in paying to take a test that was of no benefit to them. Hard to argue with that logic. Of course, the kids who had scored a 5 on the Comp. test were also likely to have done very well on the Lit. test as well. Since I am assessed by my pass rate each year, having five kids who were sure to pass the test drop out at the last minute, I was quite concerned about what that would do to my pass rate.
I needn't have worried. We just got our results in the mail, and I'm thrilled! National pass rate tends to hover between 53-56%. Typically, the pass rate for students in my class is between 70-74%. This year, however, my kids managed a pass rate of 95%, even without some of the kids who were 'sure bets.' I'm so proud of my kids, and I'm proud of myself as well!
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Happy Fourth!
July 4, 2012
This is the first time I haven't had all of my babies with me to celebrate the Fourth of July. Nicholas is off visiting Uncle Scott and his family, so only the girls were here this year, and I have to admit that it was a little weird. A preview, I suppose, of the empty nest years looming in my future.
We still had a fun celebration, continuing our tradition of creating a fireworks display in the street outside our home. We invited our friend Jen and her son Zach to come join us for swimming, bar-b-que, and the light show. We loved having them with us; Zach is such a darling boy, and of course we love Jen! Friends and family together--that's the best way I can think of to celebrate the freedom we enjoy and commemorate each July.
This is the first time I haven't had all of my babies with me to celebrate the Fourth of July. Nicholas is off visiting Uncle Scott and his family, so only the girls were here this year, and I have to admit that it was a little weird. A preview, I suppose, of the empty nest years looming in my future.
We still had a fun celebration, continuing our tradition of creating a fireworks display in the street outside our home. We invited our friend Jen and her son Zach to come join us for swimming, bar-b-que, and the light show. We loved having them with us; Zach is such a darling boy, and of course we love Jen! Friends and family together--that's the best way I can think of to celebrate the freedom we enjoy and commemorate each July.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Hangin' With the Mayes Boys
July 3, 2012
Nicholas is 15 this year, and for the first time, he got to take a solo vacation to visit his male cousins in Washington. It was a pretty big deal for him, since he usually spends summers surrounded by his sisters and his three girl cousins. He loves his sisters and Aunt Lisa and the girls of course, but I don't blame him for wanting to spend some time where there's a little more testosterone in the house. Uncle Scott and Aunt Julie were great hosts, and Nicholas couldn't have had more fun on his visit. Nicholas got to play lots of video games with Matthew and Micah, and got to know his baby cousin Nathan. In addition to video games, the boys also played frisbee, picked cherries, went up to their cabin, had a bonfire, and road ATVs, among other things. Scott and Julie also said that Nicholas was a polite and respectful house guest, which I was happy to hear--not that I thought he wouldn't be! Long before it was time for the visit to end, Matthew, Micah, and Nicholas already had plans for a repeat visit next year.
Nicholas is 15 this year, and for the first time, he got to take a solo vacation to visit his male cousins in Washington. It was a pretty big deal for him, since he usually spends summers surrounded by his sisters and his three girl cousins. He loves his sisters and Aunt Lisa and the girls of course, but I don't blame him for wanting to spend some time where there's a little more testosterone in the house. Uncle Scott and Aunt Julie were great hosts, and Nicholas couldn't have had more fun on his visit. Nicholas got to play lots of video games with Matthew and Micah, and got to know his baby cousin Nathan. In addition to video games, the boys also played frisbee, picked cherries, went up to their cabin, had a bonfire, and road ATVs, among other things. Scott and Julie also said that Nicholas was a polite and respectful house guest, which I was happy to hear--not that I thought he wouldn't be! Long before it was time for the visit to end, Matthew, Micah, and Nicholas already had plans for a repeat visit next year.
Friday, June 29, 2012
Bowling
June 29, 2012
With Bree working and Nicholas out of town, Danielle and I get to spend a little one-on-one time together. This afternoon's outing was bowling, during which I showed her my mad skills at bowling. By mad skills, of course, I mean my ability to move the ball from one end of the lane to the other. How many pins fall down in the process is irrelevant.
With Bree working and Nicholas out of town, Danielle and I get to spend a little one-on-one time together. This afternoon's outing was bowling, during which I showed her my mad skills at bowling. By mad skills, of course, I mean my ability to move the ball from one end of the lane to the other. How many pins fall down in the process is irrelevant.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Jesse's Girl
June 28, 2012
My friend Francine and I bonded early on in our friendship over our guilty-pleasure love of 80s, and more specifically, Rick Springfield. Last year we took a road trip to the state fair to see him in concert, so when we found out he was going to be playing in Sacramento this summer, we knew another girls' night out was in the cards. We got there early enough to get great seats, and of course we had our roses to give him (a signature part of his show--'playing' his guitar with the bouquets, showering the stage with the petals). The picture below is him actually using the bouquet I handed him! As always, he put on a fantastic show, and I just love that Francine is such a fearless super-fan that she makes sure she gets recognized in the audience at each of his concerts she goes to. This was only the second one I've gone to with her (she's been to several), but I'm pretty sure there will be more in our future.
My friend Francine and I bonded early on in our friendship over our guilty-pleasure love of 80s, and more specifically, Rick Springfield. Last year we took a road trip to the state fair to see him in concert, so when we found out he was going to be playing in Sacramento this summer, we knew another girls' night out was in the cards. We got there early enough to get great seats, and of course we had our roses to give him (a signature part of his show--'playing' his guitar with the bouquets, showering the stage with the petals). The picture below is him actually using the bouquet I handed him! As always, he put on a fantastic show, and I just love that Francine is such a fearless super-fan that she makes sure she gets recognized in the audience at each of his concerts she goes to. This was only the second one I've gone to with her (she's been to several), but I'm pretty sure there will be more in our future.
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