Poetry Contest

Every April Mikayla's school has a poetry contest.  So we carefully selected her poem (from a free kindle book I might add) (love our kindles...) and away she went.  She memorized it and came up with her own motions to it too. 

All the kids go through at least one round.  She did the first round. 

She did a second round.

She did a third round.....  this round was a three way tie and it was so close they had to try to break it three times!

What the kids are competing for is to be tortured by get to say their poem in front of the whole school and compete for a prize.  There is the "competitor" and the "alternate".  The alternate doesn't get a prize but does get to say it in front of the school.

So, her three way tie....

She made the alternate position.  I mean WOW out of nearly 80 first graders and she was in the top (of course...dusting off collar here... ) (totally kidding) (sort of) (of course I am) (sort of) (ok, moving on).  We are so proud of her!!

So today was the day.  The BIG day. Here she is getting ready to go.

Michael and I both went to watch her poem. (please note we drove for at least an hour (Michael picked me up at work, we went to her school, then he brought me back to work, then he went back to work too) to watch her for 3 minutes...but you do what you have to do...and it was so worth it).  She was SOOOOO excited when she saw us there.  I mean SOOO happy. 

I am so happy we went.  She rocked it!!!!!

I was really impressed with her confidence and composure.

PHEW!!!!!  hi mom, please stop waving at me..... (I'm sure that's what she was thinking)

Phew.....

I'm really not sure I would have done as well as she did in front of 600+ people....her voice didn't even quiver!!  She is AWESOME!!!

I am such a proud mom today!!!  (Well every day but especially today!!)

Phew..... first graders are FUN!

I was so excited to go on Mikayla's field trip with her (as a chaperon), we were a bit concerned though because the day was VERY gray and rainy :(

However, that can't dampen the first graders!!!!  FUN FUN FUN ahead!!!  We were headed to the Blue Bell ice cream factory.

 Here we go!!!

Believe it or not...she IS behind that tinted window!! 

A little over an hour later....here we are!!!!!

They didn't allow any cameras inside the tour but it was AMAZING I thing all the adults noses were as pressed up against the windows as the kids were!

It really is neat and looks like such a fun place to work...seriously - ice cream all day long!  Sign me up!  Even the workers would look up to the tour windows and wave when they saw people.  It was fun!  You KNOW I was waving like a nut!!!  oh to be a a kid again!!!!

At the end of the tour we all got a scoop of ice cream.

Mikayla got crazy cookie dough.

Isn't this a cool elevator bank?  I would love to work there.

Afterwards we all went to a park for picnic lunch and play time before heading back... here are some of them playing on the teeter totter thing.

How many 1st graders can fit on it?

Here is her class picture.

What a GREAT day!!!

Before......and After (house pictures-slight updates)

Well it's been a little bit since I did a small house update.  We have been busy!!!  (although looking back at the pictures it doesn't seem like it's been too much - since construction ended but yet at the same time it has been). 

So starting with Bob's house... here is is front yard/porch area.

 

It's ours now!!!

And now, can you tell any difference?  Look closer..... We did different stuff with the landscaping!!  We removed all the dead brush/bushes and the two trees that were blocking the entry way, of course we have the swing hanging and rocking chair too, we changed out all the mulch and planted flowers!  LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!!   It's not totally where we want it to be be but we figure it will take a few years to get it exactly how we want it!  but YAY!!!

Another huge transition were the fireplaces (one fireplace - 2 sided).  Below is Bob's fireplace - kitchen side.

Then....

Bob's fireplace - living room side

Then......

And now OUR fireplace - kitchen side.  Isn't the stone pretty!!

And fireplace living room side.

Bob's kitchen (note - I really need to take updated kitchen pictures LOL)

Kitchen without the not so lovely white 6x6 tiles with horribly dirty grout lines that were in there.

New travertine flooring.

ahhhhhhhh

Bob's

Ours.

Bob's formal living room.   

Then ours - prior to water damage, we are not making/utilizing this room as a formal living room but rather a functional room.  We have a counter height table in there-  great for working, crafting, eating, watching tv...and so on it.is.awesome!   Here are some of the beginning phases.

The cabinet below.... well....

The color just wasn't working - so I stained it to match the darker one.

I have two of them.

Before - see the drastic color difference.

and after.

Yes I had to put all that stuff back away!   I learned a LOT while staining these cabinets.  One - it took over a week to fully dry before I could put my stuff away.  That happened for two reasons, one it was horribly humid out and raining - not the best time to stain and two, LIGHT coats.... soak, wipe off.  Reapply - do not do one thick coat and wait....   so next time will be a bit easier/better/faster (hopefully).   More to come with this room!

Bob's master bedroom. 

The only picture I have of our bedroom prior to water damage, this picture is from moving day. 

And not to be mean...but below is a teeny snippit of the transformation.... more to come when it's completely finished.  We have the new flooring, painted, new bedding, new curtains ahhhhh total resort!  Not totally completed yet but getting there.  

There we have it for now....... much much more to come :)