Jack-O-Lanterns in June

June 25, 2012

Kermit officially became our Jack-O-Lantern.  The bottom tooth came out in May and I'm not sure why I don't have a picture, probably because it was bedtime, as in... he was in bed, got out of bed and asked me to pull his tooth out, so I was probably trying to hurry him back to bed so he wasn't too tired at school the next day.  I didn't even know his tooth was loose, and looking at it now, I still don't think it was loose.  There is still no tooth growing in the hole! 

Anyway, last night we watched The Tooth Fairy, a very cute movie by the way!  After that, the kids were trying to pull their teeth out like crazy!  Tonight Kermit succeeded and pulled this one out himself!  He was so excited and all we can do it laugh at his cute smile!  He's toothless!!!  He did earn $6 from the tooth fairy though for pulling it out himself!!!  Master Chief and I are slightly sad though, this tooth that came out was his chipped tooth from when he fell on the bars at the park broke his leg at the age of 2 and we can no longer call him "Chip".  I guess "Jack" will do for now!

End Of 1st Grade Awards

May 31, 2012

Kermit and Miss Piggy worked hard this year.  They attend a Charter School, which is a public school, but you get in by lottery.  They have stricter rules, less students in the classroom and more teachers available.  They had a fabulous year.  They attended PE, Music and Computers.  The cool thing about Charter schools are that it seems they teach at an accelerated pace.  Comparing their kindergarten class to their 1st grade class is like black and white.  Kinder seemed like a preschool classroom, whereas 1st grade at the Charter school was hard work, lots of homework and an extreme amount of learning.  It was just what our kids needed.  By the end of 1st grade, Kermit was reading at a 2nd grade, 4th month into the year level and Miss Piggy was reading at a 2nd grade, 5th month into the year level.  Kermit was digging into 2nd grade subtraction even!  They work on Hall of Fame awards throughout the year and at this assembly they were awarded for their hard work. 

Kermit was awarded Addition, Subtraction, 2nd Grade Addition and Phonogram Stars.

Miss Piggy was awarded Addition and Phonogram Stars. 

Their report cards earned them donuts at Krispy Kreme.  Kermit got 6 donuts and Miss Piggy got 5.  The kids came home with comments on their report card that makes a Mama proud! 

My favorites were from the music teacher.  Kermit's said, "Kermit has continued to grow in maturity and self-control this year.  He has a sweet spirit and is full of positive energy.  I truly believe that he loves his time in the music classroom.  Make music a part of your summer fun, Kermit!"
Miss Piggy's said, "Miss Piggy has been a blessing to her music teacher on so many fronts this yar.  She models excellent behavior and shows an understanding of musical concepts that is rare for a child her age.  I wish her the best in her furure musical studies, as I know she will pursue this interest!  Make certain music is apart of your summer fun, Miss Piggy!"

Way to go my sweet children and best of luck in 2nd grade!!!  (how did you get so old!!!??!)

Kermit Plays Little League!

April-May 2012

Master Chief has some great video of Kermit playing baseball which I will upload later since he's not home right now!  Kermit had a great baseball season.  He generally played 3rd base, short stop, but had several opportunities to play 1st and 2nd base and occasionally he played catcher or outfield and pitcher once.  It was a coach pitch team and these coaches were amazing.  They were so motivating and supportive of all the players, it made baseball rock!

Kermit even had a few double plays in a game.  After that game, the coaches gathered everyone up and told the kids they were going to start something new and give the game ball to the player who played the best.  Kermit was the winner of the first game ball, with his double plays and amazing batting skills!  Way to go, Kermit!

At the end of the season the players all got medals and did a great team cheer!  Go Hurricanes!

I think we will be playing baseball for years to come!!!

Kermit's Wife Will Be Spoiled

So a few days ago we were watching some TV together and a commercial came on about the Titanic. I wasn't really paying a ton of attention but what the advertisement was for was a blue glass or maybe diamond heart shaped pendant for a necklace. But inside the heart was an artifact from the Titanic. The commercial showed divers going down and retrieving this artifact off of the sunken ship.

So Kermit looked over at Miss Piggy and I and very seriously said...
"When I get older I'm going to scuba dive down to that ship and get one of those for my wife. My wife will just love it."

Isn't that sweet! It was all I could do to keep a straight face. He's going to be an awesome husband if he's already thinking about doing things to make his wife happy!

Kermit Wins An Award For His Story!

It seems we have writers in our house! Kermit won "Writer of the Week" in his class at school! Here is his story, the exact way he wrote it.

I have a big house at home. We are going to make a buk bed in my room, and my sistrs room. It dus not have a big grog. (garage) But we have anuf spase to park to cars. I love my house.

Way to go, Kermit!!!

Kermit Lost Another Tooth!!!

We are losing teeth left and right at our house! Kermit lost his second tooth January 24!!! He worked hard at it before heading to school and finally gave in and let Mama pull it out! It was very ready and an easy job for Mama! Mama actually quite enjoyed it! Kermit was so excited to go to school and show everyone his missing tooth! The Tooth Fairy brought him $5. She pays so well, Master Chief and I have thought about losing teeth to see how much she'd pay us!!!

Kermit FINALLY lost a tooth!

Kermit has been so patient in waiting to even have a loose tooth! The funny thing is that he didn't even know he had a loose tooth. I think he gave up the thought of ever loosing a tooth! Then one night we asked him how his tooth was doing and he tried it out and the look of excitement that came across his face was incredible, he finally had not only a loose tooth, but a VERY loose one at that! He played around with it that night and finally Master Chief asked if he could wiggle it. Master Chief barely touched it and it fell right out. Kermit had no idea it came out even! He was so excited to put it under his pillow. He woke up to $5 the next day!!! Way to go, Kermit!!!

Miss Piggy has 2 loose teeth and Kermit has 1 right now. The Tooth Fairy might go broke soon! Mama is so behind in blogging, for her own records... this momentous event happened on November 13, 2011.

Happy Birthday to Kermit!!!

Kermit has turned 7 years old and is taller because of it.... at least that's what he thinks! Kermit wanted this lovely cake for his birthday, a boy after his mother's heart!!! We had a fun birthday party with all of his friends and he brought in some pretty great gifts. Among his favorites are his DC shirts and heel socks! This kid has a thing for clothes... (takes after his mom!)

Kermit is excelling in school. He is extremely fast with his math facts, understands how to tell time with the "hands" clock, can count his money very well and reads like a rock star. He is enthusiastic as his teacher puts it, lol!

Kermit loves to play the Wii and outside with his friends. He is such a good helper for his sisters and is the hardest worker you can find when it comes to outside work and helping Master Chief with wood. Kermit can out work a grown man, running circles while they rest, after a long days work!

Kermit is eager to learn new things and wants to do anything his dad does. He is his Daddy's pal, working and playing side by side. One day I heard the car start and massive giggling (I know, boys don't giggle, but it's the best word I can come up with!) from the garage. I went out to find Kermit and Master Chief running the car back and forth over pop cans to smash them up. These two boys were having the time of their life destroying these cans with smiles ear to ear. They like to find trouble together!

Kermit is quite the cook. He is an expert hamburger browner and I can't make a meal without him asking to help me. He is good at anything he tries in the kitchen. He made Key Lime Tarts with his Gram Gram a few weeks ago and they were heaven!

We are SO blessed to have Kermit in our family. We love him with all our hearts. Happy Happy 7th Birthday sweet Kermit!

All About Me - 1st Grade

1st grade has been extremely fun for the kids. At the beginning of the year carnival, the kids sang and did a fabulous job. Then we joined them outside and we played carnival type games. Kermit had a great time playing toss the chicken in the pot. The prize was a package of ramen noodles and that is one of Kermit's favorite things!!! Then Kermit went over to the dunk tank and hit the target, dunking a teacher!!! Miss Piggy spent her tickets getting face paint and cotton candy!

The kids are doing so much at school this year. Math, spelling, reading ect. They are learning so much and having a blast. Each day they are sent home with tons of papers that they've done in class. One day, these fabulous packets came home and I couldn't resist sharing them!

Miss Piggy's packet....
Miss Piggy at the templeWhen I grow up I want to be a doctor I have blue eyes. My hair is blonde. The best looking part of my face is my mouth. My favorite animal is dog. My favorite television show Spongebob. My favorite movie is princesses. My favorite color is pink. My favorite toy is Barbie. My favorite thing about school is I have a desk. I like myself because I have pretty. (She forgot to finish this line!)My favorite color is pink.

My favorite zoo animal is horse.

My favorite story is princess.

My favorite tv program is ??? (Even she doesn't remember what she was trying to write.) My birthday is January

On my next birthday, my cake should have princess candles. (This makes me giggle)

The present I want for mynext birthday is princesses.I like to eat candy.

I like to drink water.
Andrew's packet...When I grow up, I want to be a cop. (The colored people are our family)I have blue eyes. My hair is brown. The best looking part of my face is my hair. My favorite animal is dog. My favorite television show is batman. (This was news to us, lol) My favorite movie is Kung Fu Panda 2. My favorite color is red. My favorite toy is batman. (Again, this is a suprise - especially since I don't think he has any!) I like school because cade. ??? I like myself because hair. (He loves his Justin Bieber hair!)
My favorite color is purple.


My favorite zoo animal is snake.

My favorite story is Batman.

My favorite tv program is football.On my next birthday, my cake should have 7 candles.

The present I want for my next birthday is a basket hoop.I like to eat pizza.

I like to drink cocoa.

In An Instant.... Summer is Over and School Has Begun!

Good thing we are on the ball! We had been preparing for school to begin August 22nd at the local elementary school. We'd entered our awesome kids into the charter school lottery in hopes of getting them in last year. Their names didn't get drawn but were added again this year. Miss Piggy came up on the wait list as #4 and Kermit was #7 at one school and they were #8 and #9 at another school. So we knew there was a chance, but we figured it might be sometime in the middle of the school year that they might get a spot in one of these schools.

So Tuesday afternoon we got a phone call asking if Miss Piggy would still like a spot at a charter school and of course we took it! This moved Kermit up on the wait list to #1 because siblings get first priority. An hour later we got the call that Kermit was also invited to join this new school!

So what did that mean? Well, school had started on Monday, so we were already 2 days into the school year! We went out that night and finished up our school shopping, bought more supplies and went to bed early! This new school is more of a year round type schedule, so there will be lots of breaks, which we are looking forward to! It also means more homework and more challenging experiences. We are so excited to see where this new adventure takes the kids.

Here are our 2 first graders! They've had their outfits planned for the first day of school for weeks! They are happy to be in the same class again! Charter schools only have one class per grade, so they will be together forever now!

Random Thoughts

A few fun, yet totally random thoughts... But it's a Monday, so it's okay!

-Miss Piggy loves to wear skirts and dresses. I am not sure where she gets this from because I hate to wear a dress! Today I told her that she would be best to wear shorts since I was planning a trip to the park with the kids. A few minutes later I found her curled up in her bed in tears because she just really wanted to wear a skirt. Luckily I found a skirt with shorts attached and we were both happy!

-Kermit cracked me up today. We were at Michaels and he wanted to push Baby Girl in the cart. As we were leaving, there was a lady right in the middle of the doorway who was not paying attention to the fact that nobody could get around her. So Kermit kindly said, "Excuse me." I was relieved that he used his manners and didn't just plow through her!!! So I complimented him in using his manners. Once we got to the car he went to put the cart away and once again said, "Excuse me" because he wanted around me. As we were backing out of our parking spot I had my head turned so I could see behind me and I caught Kermit's eye. So I stuck my tongue out at him. (we are always teasing each other and I thought I was being funny) Kermit said, "Mom, that's not using your manners." I thought to myself, 'dang, he's right!' And then Kermit said in a very reflective tone, "I used my manners once..... NO, I've used them twice!!!" and it sounded like in his whole life he's only used them once... no twice! It made me laugh!!!

-Baby Girl. I can't post random things without mentioning something about her, but I don't have anything huge to mention this time. But I will make note that she likes to strip down naked. She was taking her pants off at the book store a month ago. Last night she was butt naked when Miss Piggy called me to come in and dress her. This was after a few days ago I caught her tearing clothes off to make it to the potty. Too bad she didn't do anything on the potty... I really need to potty train her, I just don't want to! That's what the month of July is going to be for!

-Master Chief. He's my geek. Currently at work he's training a robot. A real robot. Pretty cool, huh! Pretty geeky too!

-Me. I'm up to no good. Housework, laundry, dreaming of my upcoming vacation, teaching the kids piano, housework, laundry, dreaming of my upcoming vacation, weeding the yard, ect. Nothing new here! I am looking very forward to a week of scrapbooking with my mother in law and sisters in law at a condo for a week!!! Miss Piggy will be coming up for a day and a half and she's giddy with excitement! We can't wait.

Kermit and Miss Piggy... 1st Grade Here They Come!!!

Kermit and Miss Piggy are officially Kindergarten graduates! They had the most fantastic year with 2 wonderful teachers. Their first teacher went on maternity leave toward the end of the year and they were blessed with another wonderful teacher as her substitute. Kermit and Miss Piggy truly graduated at the top of their class. No, really! Mama went in and helped out each week and tested all the kids. They were among the top 4 kids in their class. They are very ready for 1st grade, excited to attend every day, and get their very own desk! We are looking forward to a fantastic summer!!!Kermit and Miss Piggy with their teacher who came back for the last week! Miss Piggy with her best friend in class.Kermit and his best friend in class. These two boys are also known as the class clowns. And here are our two graduates! They've helped each other out throughout the entire year, kept each other in line, and created memories that will last their entire lives!!!

One Difference Between Kermit and Miss Piggy

My two, nearly twins, kids are similar in many ways. But there are a few things where they are total opposites! Here is one example...
Miss Piggy's backpack after school each day -
Kermit's backpack after school each day.

Now, I would have guessed it to be the other way around, the girl being more organized and the boy in a hurry. Nope! This is even true with their things at school. They have a fabric pocket that hangs over their chairs at school to hold their pencil boxes and supplies. Miss Piggy's is bulging with crumpled up papers and Kermit's is not. I just thought this was kinda funny and had to document it!

Kermit Turned 6!

Isn't he cute! I wish I had pics from his party, but my camera is not working and the pics are on my mom's camera and she's been just as busy as I've been.

We had a fun swimming party at the rec center, shared with a friend in their class. It was a halloween party and we had a blast until I stepped on something rather squishy in the pool and found out it was poop. So the pool got cleared and I got to scrub my foot down.

Kermit has had a great year. He's started kindergarden and loves going to school to play with his friends. His favorite part of school is recess and lunch. He has a girl friend. She's a 2nd grader and very cute. We've had to have a talk with him to make sure he knows he can't kiss her, lol! I have caught him carrying her bag after school though! He's a sweetheart. He loves food and will come home from school with a full lunch box and when we ask him why he didn't eat it, it is because he wanted to either spend time with his girlfriend on the playground or with one of his buddies.

Kermit lives to be outside playing with his friends. Since school has started I've learned that he and his sister are pretty popular kids. They are constantly having friends come to the door to invite them out to play.

Kermit is reading very well and is ahead in his class. He and Miss Piggy get taken out during class time to a special class to teach them reading and writing while the other kids work on their alphabet.

Kermit's favorite things lately are Star Wars. If you know me, you'll know that I HATE Star Wars and this has been quite the adjustment for me. I'm constantly asked questions about characters on there and I haven't got the first clue. But I support him in his interests, so I am invaded by all things Star Wars.

Kermit is an awesome big brother. He is always helping Miss Piggy with things and constantly playing with Baby Girl. He loves to go get Baby Girl out of her crib in the morning and giving her candy.

We love our Kermit with all our hearts and are so thankful for him and for the blessing he is in our lives.

A Conversation With Kermit

Today during sacrament meeting Kermit leaned over to me and whispered in my ear...

K: "I want to be the bishop when I grow up."
M: "Really?"
K: "Yep, I really want to be the bishop."

I guess there could be worse things to want in life!

Kermit Plays Basketball!

Kermit is enjoying his basketball season. It is by far the funniest and cutest thing we've ever seen. The first game the kids had no idea what to do and were running in circles! Here is Kermit's second game, he's in blue.

Videos of The Kids at Swim Lessons

Kermit and Miss Piggy have really done well with their swimming lessons this summer. They still have Monday -Thursday next week and I'm sure they'll learn even more! The first time they did swim lessons we wondered if they'd ever pick it up. 2 years later we're trying again and the age difference is HUGE! They are truly swimming now! I know the videos are blurry, but that's okay! These are mainly for Grandmas, Grandpas, Aunts and Uncles! The first is of Kermit swimming... he's the kid not staying with the group, to the left! The one where they are floating, the teacher is counting while her arms are there, they aren't touching the kids, so they are doing it by themselves. Kermit made it 7 seconds that time (usually he goes longer) and Miss Piggy made it 18 seconds!

A Ride on a Motorcycle

Kermit has been DYING to ride our friend's motorcycle. Mama arranged a day for him to ride and Kermit was so excited! He got to ride around the block a couple of times and when he got back home, he got off quietly and walked away.

Miss Piggy wasted no time in jumping right up on the motorcycle, she wanted her ride. Mama was a little nervous because she's so small, but Miss Piggy was insistent upon riding. She went around the block a couple of times and came back with her arms out like she was flying, grinning ear to ear. Our generous motorcycle driver told me, "Man, she sure is your little dare devil isn't she!" Um, yes... she takes after her mother!

Miss Piggy was so excited about it, she talked non stop about the ride. Kermit however was quiet and didn't want to talk about it. Finally he told us that it scared him to lean when he went around the corners and didn't like putting his arms out like he was flying because that scared him too. I asked if they wanted another ride someday and Miss Piggy was a for sure yes, while Kermit was a for sure no. Kinda made me giggle because I thought it would be the other way around!

Kermit and Miss Piggy Graduate from Preschool

I can't believe they are old enough to be done with Preschool! They've had such a great year and learned so much. At graduation they started out with the Pledge the Kermit led the group in it. Then they sang a cute song, naming each person in class, and they waved when their name came up! They showed off their rhyming, their days of the week in English and Spanish, the colors in English and Spanish and syllables. That was cute. The teacher would give each child a word like 'Montana' and they'd count it out with their fingers. Each child took a few seconds to think it through and count it out. When the teacher got to Kermit his word was 'Mississippi' and without a second to even think about it he smiled and said, "4". Everyone laughed because he was so cute!

Then the kids left the room and got their caps on and they announced each child to come to the front of the room, shook their hand and then they waited for everyone else to come up. They all linked hands and sang a song about being friends forever. It was all Mama could do to hold back the tears! After that, they handed out diplomas individually.Our little preschool graduates!Their teacher Miss Kamryn (Kermit's girlfriend).Their teacher Mrs. Des (she's married to Shrek, so Kermit can't have a crush on her, lol)

We are so very proud of our graduates. They are very ready for Kindergarten and so excited to go to school. Summer is going to be long!

The Fart Family

On Monday night we were working on our garden for Family Home Evening. Somehow we got on the topic of Miss Piggy changing her last name when she gets married. A little while later Kermit out of the blue says, "I'm glad our last name isn't Fart, because we fart a lot and I wouldn't like our last name to be Fart. We'd be the Fart family." Um, okay! Master Chief and I were rolling in laughter and Kermit said, "I knew that would make you laugh, that's why I said it." What a stinker! (No pun intended!)