Science Fair 2015

We have been doing Science Fair projects since the 1st grade with the kiddos and I am proud to say after all these years, the twins had it down- how to decorate the board, what info to include, etc.. 

Science Fair projects are always better with 2 people, so we paired everyone up and a few days before they were due, executed them. Thank goodness for the internet! 

Maggie and Ari make a small battery out of a lemon. It worked to power a small Christmas light.  

JJ and Soph got a scale and measured the grams of sugar in popular kid food items. They then had a form where you could guess which sugar item and which bag matched. 

Orange juice was shocking!

Guess who helped Lij and Ella? 

They got a WIFI router and covered it with different materials 

to see which materials blocked the signal the best. 

The night of the science Fair, the school brought in an organization 

who set up different interactive experiments in the cafeteria. 

It was a fun night! 

Hopkins Hoedown 2015

 Another Hopkins Hoedown is in the books! This year, we had some pretty nasty weather so the day of, we moved it inside. So grateful for a great team of volunteers who worked tirelessly to accomplish a great dance for the kids.
We fed around 300 people hiring a food truck called Flippin' Flapjacks and a good guess is we had close to 400 or more in attendance. The food was amazing and priced at a point that a small elementary school could afford. It took so much of the stress out of the event having someone cater the food. And who doesn't LOVE all-you-can-eat pancakes!

For activities, I planned 14 carnival games in the hallways. Kids paid a ticket to play and won a few red tickets which they could turn in at the prize table for cool prizes. (think Chuckie Cheese)
We also had a face painter and balloon artist from Top Hat and Company. David and Ina were AMAZING- so talented and extremely reasonably priced.

We had awesome dancing and music DJ'd by the Jackman Brothers and a fun cake walk loaded up with goodies from our Hopkins parents/teachers.

 Getting volunteers to run the games, is always a struggle in the spring. This year, Skyview Presbyterian Church sent around 10 volunteers to help staff the games and clean up. Our community group also showed up to help, as well as a few middle schoolers who graduated from Hopkins in previous years. And of course, TONS of our Hopkin parents and teachers volunteered to make the event a success! Love that we can pull in lots of our community to serve! 

I know my twins are very excited for the day that they can come back and volunteer at the Hoedown! 

 I LOVE the Toilet Paper Toss that Trevor built me last year! It's always a hit! 

 And we did the Chicken Poop Drop this year again, too. You can buy a square on the grid and if the chicken poops in your square- you win! Abby won 4 tickets to Pirates Cove! 

 A crowd favorite is our SPAZ attack on the principal. When Mr. Winger started with us, he would only go as far as silly string. But the past two years, he has taken 7 whipped cream pies to the face! He's awesome! We will miss him as he retires next year. 

 The photo booth is always a hit! 

 We usually hold a small silent auction every year with the dance and this year, 

we brought in around $2,000! So grateful for the many local businesses that donated some awesome items! 

I just love that these dances bring our community together! And that my kids crash afterwards. They came in Saturday morning to snuggle and ended up sleeping in! I just LOVE this picture! 

April Fool's Day Trickery!

We love April Fool's Day in this house! The kids get so into playing tricks and that means I need to execute a few too. We've had some good ones over the years, so it gets harder and harder to fool them as they grow up. My arsenal of new ideas is running low. 

But packing lunches always allows for some tom foolery! 

Fake bugs in the sandwiches.

 Plastic realistic looking apples from the dollar store 

(Elijah took a bite thinking it was real!) 

Sprite in the water bottles. These made a loud pop when they opened them. 

And who doesn't love broccoli lollipops. 

 Looks pretty good, right?! I did pack more actual food just so you know they wouldn't starve. 

 And a little morning teepee-ing to start the day off right! 

 The kids put this in the mail for me:) Co cute! 

And since we are flashbacking here- Happy St. Patrick's Day, as well! 

Happy Easter 2015

 Every year, Mark writes up clues and the kids do a little 

Scavenger hunt to find their basket. 

It's a fun tradition! 

 Our very own Easter Bunny:) 

First year making a coconut cake that we shared with all our neighbors. It was delicious! I couldn't find unsweetened coconut so I bought 2 coconuts and freshly grated and toasted it- AMAZING! Took tons of time but the end result was out of this world!