Swim Buddies

 On what is really the first official day of school break, these two chums were adamant about going swimming today.  Personally... BRR!!  The water is too cold for me until about mid July (I'm, admittedly, a wimp).

This year, we felt Ramsey could swim alone (with a friend) as long as they both kept their life jackets on at ALL TIMES.   

After I took their pictures from the upper deck, they headed down to the shoreline.  As I watched, I saw this sweet little moment among friends.   Ramsey apparently forgot to put sunscreen on, so Rae applied some onto his face, arms, and back. 

I watched them for a little while longer, as I was curious to see if they'd jump right into that stinkin' cold water or if they'd ease into it.  Answer: They eased into it.

They played and splashed around for a few hours.  The temperature reached 90° today, so the chilly water was probably a nice change.   

HELLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO SUMMER!

Jango... WHY?

 It's been pretty crazy lately.  Today is Memorial Day and I had a day off of work.  Hallelujah!  I needed a nap.  And, apparently Jango needed a nap.  In this picture below (that Eric took), Jango and I are both [legit] sleeping.  This... this is how the dog sleeps.  

And, if he's napping with me and he's not upside with his teeth hanging out, he's sprawled out, with his entire body covering my legs, hips, and back.  He's a heavy bugger, but it's futile to fight it. 😜

Thomas the Tank Engine Exhibit

 When Ramsey was younger, he liked Thomas the Tank Engine.  He would watch the cartoons and he had a TON of Thomas & Friends rail car toys, plus the wooden tracks, bridges, tunnels, etc.  (I think I may have liked playing with those toys more than he ever did!)

When I read that the local museum would be having the [traveling] Thomas & Friends exhibit, I made plans!  It was possible that Ramsey might be too old, but I wasn't, so there's that.

I made plans to invite Charlie, our friends' little boy who's two years younger than Ramsey.  They always have a great time together. 

We arrived in time to get one of the early-arrival goody bags.   Then, we trekked upstairs for the main display.

There were plenty of engines for the kids to climb on, parts and pieces to move, push, assemble/disassemble, etc.  Everything was very hands-on and sturdy enough to be put through the massive amounts of children's play that was ensuing.

As I had figured, most of the children that were there were around age 5 or under.  I enjoyed myself though and am pleased that we can have such nice exhibits in this small town for all to enjoy!

After a stint in the Thomas & Friends exhibit, Charlie, Ramsey, Charlie's Dad (Jonah), and I went to the other areas to explore the rest of the museum.   Awesome day!

Last Day of School

 Last Day of 3rd Grade.  The last day of school was supposed to be Friday, May 19th (half day), but with all of the snow days, it was pushed back an entire week!

That said, this year has flown by!  My baby is another year older and will be a 4th Grader this Fall.  WOW.   Mind. Blown.

Ramsey had been chomping at the bit for this day to arrive.  But, the first thing he said to me this morning was, "Mom, I'm sad today".  He said he'd be giving LOTS of hugs today.   I witnessed the first of those when he got onto the bus.  Bill, our amazing bus driving, received the first "see ya later" hug.

He's changed a bit this year and has grown a lot, both physically, emotionally, and mentally.

I give thanks to all of his teachers, aids, school staff, bus drivers, and every other special person who have helped shape his life and been so kind to him these last nine months.  

3rd Grade Day

 It was official "Third Grade Day" at school.  The kiddos had an extra special day, full of games and extra play time, celebrating their awesome grade! 

In the pics, both third grade classes are together for the celebration.

Monthly Reading Award

 Each month of school, Ramsey had a sheet to fill out for reading.  Each evening he read, he would note the book, the number of pages, and Eric or I would sign the sheet.  There were mini prizes for each milestone.  

Goal 1: 16 nights per month.   Goal 2: 20 nights per month.   Goal 3: 24 nights per month.  Goal 4: Over 26 nights per month.

I told Ramsey that there could be a prize at the end of the school year if he hit Benchmark/Goal 4 every month.  Each night, he would read a chapter book/graphic novel.

There certainly was a prize; he received an Allevity gift card and a sucker from the school.  I took him shopping for a new toy too, cuz... why not?  :-)  

Good job sticking to it, Ramsey!

Fun School Days in May

For the month of May (at school), there were many dress-up days (wear certain colors, favorites of this or that) and special themed days (Star Wars for the May the 4th be With You, Harry Potter Day, etc).

I couldn't help but let Ramsey wear his "Reagan/Bush '84" shirt for "Favorite Team Day". hehe

Graduating seniors from the high school that had attended Lincoln went to hang out with the kiddos one of the days.  They played with them for recess, playing games and talking to them about school and their future.

There were more special snack days too, for earning rewards together as a class ("Mystery Motivators").  Ramsey isn't a popcorn-eater, so uh...  

They got to watch the movie "Sing 2" this afternoon as well. 

So fun!

Hungry Walleye

 The big walleye weren't biting tonight.   But, this little guy was apparently starving!  What a cute little stinker!

Arbor Day

 Arbor Day was at the end of April.  In school, the kiddos learned about the importance of trees by reading stories and watching videos.  Some of the class hugged trees to show how much they appreciate them!

They were supposed to get to plant a tree at Frontier Park on Arbor Day.  But, because the weather had been so inclement this year and the ground was not quite ready, the tree-planting had to wait until May!

Spring Morning Views

The mornings have been pretty chill lately.  Ramsey gets himself out of bed and dressed.  I make him a quick breakfast and ensure he has everything he needs in his backpack.  

This morning, I took special notice to thew view from the upstairs windows.

This was at 6:41 AM this Monday morning.  What a glorious view!   God is good!

The Orioles' Short Visit

 We've had some spectacular stints with Orioles the last few years.  But, even though we feed them well (always plenty of oranges and grape jelly), they don't stay the summer with us.  Instead, they typically stay for a few weeks, starting at Mother's Day, and then bolt to their next destination.

This year, they only seemed to stay for under a week before they were off.   I guess we saved $$ on oranges and jelly.  It would have been nice to have the little visiting creatures for a bit longer.

The little stinkers just didn't appreciate our generosity and hospitality.  ;-) 

Allevity Fun

 We had a fun-filled day today.   Ramsey's buddy Gabe invited us to his birthday party at Allevity.  

He invited a few friends from school, plus two neighbor boys.  Ramsey was thrilled to be there!

They had a gas playing laser tag, hanging out in the ball pit, grappling across the climbing wall, oversized video games, air hockey, and of course having cupcakes.

Dock's In! (FINALLY)

With such a ridiculously LONG winter, the dock was LATE getting into the water.  Because we figured there may be a lot of water run-off, we waited a little longer (perhaps a bit too long) to get the dock in.  The lift will go in soon.

Views like this (from the deck) are some of my favorite things in the world.  I used to watch Eric and Connor.  Tonight, Ramsey wanted to spend time with Daddy on the dock.

I had to get some dock time in too.  It's always so serene and peaceful.  It makes my heart happy and is good for the soul!

At the end of the day, the take-home prizes from the dock were fruitful.  

These were some nice-sized walleye, between 16 and 20".

Immortalizing Ramsey's Continental Handiwork

Ramsey's third grade class had a fun project recently.  They molded the world on a flat board, painted it, and labeled the continents and oceans.  It took them quite a bit of time and patience.

It was very large, with the board being est 18" x 24".  And, the bus ride home took a toll on the 3D artwork.  That said, we could not keep it long-term.  This saddened Ramsey, as he does NOT like to throw ANYTHING out.  (Cue up episodes of Hoarders!)

I told him we would take pictures of it, add it to the blog, and it would be immortalized forever.  That was the compromise.  The original art was then placed in the dumpster while no one else was looking.

Ramsey's Spring Concert

 SPRING Concert day is finally here!   The day the music teacher and grades K-5 have been practicing for has arrived.   

Ramsey can finally wear shorts to school! Wahoo! 

While Grandpa Orin and Grandma Judi planned to watch via the live stream, Nana Vicki and Bumpa drove down to watch the concert in person.

Video: "A Day Without Music"

The 3rd Graders also performed songs using handbells and "Boom Whackers", whereas they pounded on the floor in rhythm and beats to some songs.  They were on the floor, so we couldn't get much of a glimpse of him!

Nice work, buddy!