Kindergarten Test Day

The day Addie was super excited about finally came- the day to take her kindergarten test!! The poor thing was convinced that once she passed the test, she would get to start kindergarten right away....

Excited to leave in the morning!! Her biggest concern- what to wear!

What other way to start off a big morning? Dunkin Donuts!!

Two thumbs up!

Even Alden was thrilled by starting the day off with donuts!

Since the testing started at 9am, and we were told to get there at 9am, Addie came to school with me. Here she is sitting in my classroom, pointing at the school she will go to- it's THAT close!!

Busy working on coloring my student's study guide....

So happy once it was over- sorry, I was lame and didn't think to pull out the camera when we were AT the school. She did great- got a 99% on the test!! The only question she did not "get" was "ankle"- she told me the teacher pointed to the ankle BONE, so she said "bone." I fear we may have a perfectionist on our hands.... We are SO proud of her!!

Al and I had a big discussion on what our polociy would be about good grades- and we decided to reward it! She got to have a Daddy-Daughter-Date- and he took her to Target where she picked out this Strawberry Shortcake toy. She was thrilled!

She is so sweet, she happily let Alden join in- and he even brought in his Legos and Toy Story figures so they could all play together!

We are excited about this big step- going to kindergarten! Addie is already amazing- kind, giving, helpful, compassionate, and for the most part, obedient. We are exicted about how God is working in her life- and are thrilled about where He is leading her!

Easter Pics

Every Easter I try to get a picture of the kids together. I love to have a way to compare how much they have grown in a years span.... For obvious reasons (see the previous post) I needed pics of them without their feet showing....

My 2 sweet blessings!

And this is the card I choose- I love that I can have multiple shots on it. The photographer did a great job capturing great pics- I wish I could have bought them all- but alas I only walked away with these.

Why I need to dye my hair...

Ukrops 10K

The day dawned crisp, cold and clear- which was ooldes better than the forecast had called for- cold, windy and rainy! Learning my lesson from last year- I spent over 30min just trying to find a place to park- we left the house early, and of course, found a great parking space right away (thanks, Dad, for teaching me how to parallel park!).

I bundled the kids up in the wagon and we were off! Here they are anxiously awaiting the start of the race- aren't they cute?!? I love this spot to watch the race- in the middle of the grassy island on Monument Ave- Mile 1 on one side and Mile 5 on the other! Here, all the runners are fresh and excited! Once the leaders passed Mile Marker 5, on the other side of Monument Ave, we crossed over, too, and then got to watch everyone pass by, again, not looking so fresh and happy- but heck, they are doing better than I could!!

Checking out the 2 bands near us- this one we liked because they were near one of the famous monuments that give the road its name.

Ready to cheer on their Daddy and friends!!

Can you tell it had warmed up a bit? They are giving me a thumbs-up since they were having so much fun!! Donuts, juice boxes, signs and lots of room to run- what more could a kid ask for??

Yay Daddy!! Notice ALL the yellow and black? It seems that more than 1/2 of the runners were wearing VCU shirts this year instead of dressing up in fun costumes. Let's hope all this team spirit helps the Rams tonight in their Final 4 game!!

Miss Gillian (one of Al's bosses) made a little detour to say hi- it made the kids' day!!

Once Miss G passed us, the race leaders did on the other side of the road, so we hopped on over. Addie and I kept cheering, but Alden, well, he had other plans- sit on the wagon and eat a ridiculous number of chocolate frosted donuts....

Addie saw this lady standing by herself a few feet away from us- and asked me if she could go stand with her- so sweet! The lady was so tickled and told me that having Addie stand and cheer next to her made her day. I love how Addie already has a tender heart for others!

Al- wondering where Addie is.... Love how he still has plenty of energy after running so many miles already!! He ended up finishing with an amazing time of 49.24- wow!!

There goes Aaron- one of Al's other bosses- he is married to Miss G- and was excited to have an excuse to visit Richmond AND run in this race.

And here is Miss G again- not too focused on her time so much that she couldn't stop, grab a quick drink (we were right after the drink stands) and say good-bye to the kids.

What a mess- the kids thought it was hysterical that the runners would throw their cups on the ground- THE GROUND!! When they did get hit with an occasional splash, they would both laugh, thinking it was the funniest thing ever.

All done- once our friends had gone by, we loaded up the wagon and headed for our car. They were both exhausted- getting up at 6am and running around outside for over 2 hours will do that to even the best of a preschooler!!

It was a great time this year- who knows how many Perrecas will be running in the race next year.... Both kids showed great interest in it- and I'll be on the sidelines to encourage them!!

March Madness

No, I'm not referring to the basketball tournament- but it IS really sweet that the team from our very own backyard is in the Final Four!! I am referring to this- the white fluffy stuff. Snow. The pictures don't do it justice- both cars are dusted with it, it dusted the ground- and it really started snowing once we got IN the car to head to church. Crazy!! The kids both wanted to know if this meant we should put up the Christmas tree and wait for Santa....

Notice the roofs- coated in snow- you can even see it all over the ground!

Thankfully it was all melted when we got out of church. What's really crazy is that this time last week- the kids were both in shorts and short sleeves, running around the yard SWEATING! God sure does have a good sense of humor.... He has totally shown me that He is in control and I really can only plan but so much....

When Alden Runs Out of Paper...

He starts to decorate his sister- who is happily part of the artistic process....

Sigh.... Now you see what I have to color my hair now....

Faculty Basketball Game

A few weeks ago, I heard on the school announcements that I would be playing in the student-faculty basketball game. Yes, I was told, I did NOT sign-up- for those of you who know me, you understand. I am a good sport, and once telling the director of the said event, that I have zero athletic ability, I joined in with gusto. See the cool socks we are all wearing? My idea!!

The game was a blast- playing with so many fun ladies- and having a chance to get in a few students' faces- made it all worthwhile!

Here were all are trying to come up with a plan.... Don't we look cute?

Practicing...

The part I was good at- sitting on the side lines cheering for the other players!!

An action shot- I did my fair share of running up and down the court- it's a work out I tell ya!

Even though we did not win (we lost by 3), it was fun, the kids laughed and I earned some "cool" points, but the best part, hands down, was the fact that Al was able to come- and he even stopped and got OUR kids so they could come and watch Mommy play soccer (no matter what I did, they were convinced that I was playing soccer). I am so blessed to teach at this school, work with these lovely ladies, and have such an amazing family to cheer me on!!