The Boone Family

The boys have never been afraid of the water but it was now time to get them lessons on how to really swim.  A parent had mentioned to me at school about the lessons offered at the Vermilion City Pool and I jumped on the chance to get them in quickly.  The session lasts for two weeks and it's an hour each day. The boys were put in separate groups, which was the best thing for them.  Each swim coach is a certified lifeguard that works there at the pool.  Carter's coach is the son of two students I have taught in previous years.  Landon was put in the youngest group based upon his age and height.  In Landon's group they were teaching the kids to not be afraid of putting their heads underwater.  Him and three other boys were already past this and chose to be crazy instead of listening.  I had to grab Landon out of the pool like a crazy lady because he wasn't listening.  On the second day of lessons Carter jumped off the diving board into the arm...

With summer here we are having fun but we are also learning!!! The boys love dinosaurs so we decided to learn as much as we could and make some dino projects.  Each morning after breakfast the boys complete a "learning sheet" on a skill they should know, then we go about our day and when it's nap time for Nolan we get to do a project. Here are a few projects we have done this week: Hatching Dinosaur Eggs The egg disappeared and a rubber dinosaur hatched out. So I found this excavation kit and thought…why not! It was a rectangle of plaster that had an eight piece plastic T-rex inside.  We used paleontologist tools to beat this skeleton out of the plaster. I loved watching them beat it until it broke and then so carefully brushing the dust off the bones. Finally, we made salt dough fossils.  When I baked them in the oven, I quickly found out that wax paper and parchment paper are not the same.  The wax paper started to burn in the oven whi...

This weekend we traveled to Michigan to celebrate Breanna's, Bob's niece, graduation.  Early Saturday morning we jumped in the car and went to pick strawberries at a local farm.  We did this last year and had a blast…this year was a repeat! Carter was all over the field looking for the best strawberries. Landon loved carrying the box of berries. Nolan got in on the fun this year! He was covered in strawberries by the time we were ready to leave. Family Fun picking strawberries!

Summer has just begun and it is so much fun!!  I am enjoying this summer more than ever before! Landon is dancing and singing to "What Does the Fox Say?" Splashing at the splash pad by our house! Nolan is relaxing while the boys run and splash! At the garden on a nature hike…I love Landon pouting in the background of this photo.  Priceless! My latest purchase for the boys…a ramp for their bikes. They have a blast racing over this crazy plastic ramp!  Best $6 ever spent! Such a sweet face! Summer…Summer…We love summer!  

Today is Father's Day!!!  I have been trying to think of what we could get Bob for Father's day.  He has been trying to convince me for about 6 months that he NEEDS a smoker.  In reality I didn't think that he would use it nearly as much as he thought but he insisted he would.  So what my baby wants my baby gets…the smoker arrived in the mail about 2 weeks ago.  When we got home from school it was on the porch and so the boys helped me push it inside.  Since it was so heavy I needed to put it somewhere close that Bob wouldn't find it.  What better place than…the laundry room!  He doesn't go in there very often.  You know it lasted unseen up until 4 days before Father's Day when Landon  walked him in to show him.  He was very excited.  The very next day our fridge was full of a variety of meat to smoke. The boys decorated a cup for Bob and we even took a photo for a frame for his desk. We took Bob to a cool flower garden ...

Being a teacher has it's ups and downs but…I LOVE SUMMER!!!!  The boys and I are always up for an adventure. We started out with an experiment from pinterest…baked cotton ball bashing. It begins by mixing flour, water, and food coloring Nolan wanted to get in on the fun but found out quickly it didn't taste so well We quickly took off our shirts because it was getting messy. Next, dip the cotton balls into the mixture and place on wax paper After they are on the baking sheet, bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.   Once they have cooled, grab safety goggles and hammers and beat them! Fun, fun, fun! Practicing our numbers by doing a color by number! Can't wait to see how much we can cram into this summer!

Carter completed Safety Town this week.  Safety town is run here by the police department officers and  student volunteers where they teach the children all about the safety.  Carter learned about gun safety, fire safety, stranger danger, and bus safety.  He was most excited to tell me all about the gun safety…total boy! At the end of the week, they graduate.  Here are some photos from this event. Getting his badge from Officer Leyfield Proud!   Safety Town Graduate

The countdown for Carter's birthday started months ago but how quickly it arrived.  On June 10th, Carter woke up another year older.  He not only looked older but he was acting a little older too!  He was asking lots of questions about what he could do now that he was a 5 year old.  He needed conformation that he could still jump on the trampoline now that he was 5. He requested powdered doughnuts for breakfast but couldn't wait to try them until after he blew out the candles! He had Safety town that afternoon so when it was over I took him to pick up some ice cream and get balloons.  He chose 3 balloons: a sports one, a happy birthday one, and a red, white, and blue star to show everyone he was American (his quote).  When we reached the car the happy birthday balloon popped and the tears began to well up.  We quickly went back into the store and bought a replacement. The moment we reached the car it popped.  Needless to say the meltdown w...