A Fun Way to Teach Flag Etiquette

My son, Rob, loves Cub Scouts. One of his Wolf achievements is to learn about the U.S. and State flag and proper flag etiquette. At home, we talked about the Pledge of Allegiance, what it means, and why it's important. When we got to the State Flag section, I thought I'd need to do some research, but Rob already knew a lot about it. He became my teacher as he told me what the symbols meant and how it's displayed. Of course, he knew it all because his awesome music teacher at school, Mr. Woodward, goes all out for Kansas Day and really gets the kids excited to learn about their state's heritage.

Rob has learned so much from his music teacher, he asked me if Mr. Woodward could teach him to fold and raise the flag, too. Mr. Woodward is the awesome kind of teacher who was willing to come to school early today to help my son. Rob was super excited to work with one of his favorite teachers and get to raise the flag for school.

Mr. Woodward taught Rob that the flag is lowered slowly while everyone else either salutes or puts their hands over their heart. Rob did a great job slowly lowering the flag. Then Mr. Woodward assisted him by unhooking first the state flag and handing it off to another student who helped. He then unhooked the U.S. Flag while Rob continued to hold the ropes, attentively listening as Mr. Woodward talked about respecting the flag, handling it carefully and not letting it touch the ground.

Next, Mr. Woodward taught Rob how to fold the flag. Together they folded the flag together twice. Then Mr. Woodward started from the red striped side and began the triangle fold. He talked with Rob about why the flag is folded in a triangle (how it looks like the hats worn during the American Revolution and shows no red). He taught Rob how to fold and tuck the end - Rob was excited to do that part!

Finally, Mr. Woodward taught Rob about unfolding the flag, how to hook it so it's right side up (because upside down is an international signal of distress!), and that when you raise the flag, you raise it briskly (the opposite of when it's lowered).  Then they did exactly that together. With a hand over my heart, I watched while my son briskly raised the U.S Flag & Kansas State Flag for his school. What a touching moment!

Mr. Woodward finished up with congratulations to Rob, signed off on some of Rob's Wolf flag requirements and I got a picture of the two together.

Today, I'm grateful for an incredible teacher who truly loves his students, an awesome son, and the opportunity to teach my children about the great country we live in. What are you thankful for?

It's Great to Be Almost Eight!

My youngest son, Rob, is turning 8 on August 1st. I still can't quite believe that his baptism is just a few weeks away. He's so excited!

We went out on the 4th of July so I could take pictures for his baptism invitations. Poor Rob thought it would be torture . . . until we got to the park and I let him climb up a tree. 

Little boy + funky tree = happy photography session.

 I really wanted to get some great close-ups of different parts of Rob. I love this picture of him tying his shoes. It makes me think of a future missionary ready to get to work.  

Rob loves to read the scriptures. I often find him with his scriptures open, reading his favorite stories. Another of his favorite activities is to borrow scriptures from Dad or Mom, then compare which passages we have highlighted, read them, and mark them in his own.

This is my absolute favorite picture. It's so Rob! Funny and mischievous, but sweet at the same time.  I love it!

Rob's baptism invitation that I designed. I blocked out all the addresses, etc. 

I'm looking forward to talking with Rob to plan his baptism services and design the program. It's going to be interesting to see who he invites to talk about baptism and the Holy Ghost. Who he'll ask to say the prayers. But the most difficult choice for him will be which songs to sing. He loves, loves, loves to sing the Primary songs. It's going to be tough for him to narrow it down. 

Although, who knows . . . maybe we'll skip the talks and sing lots of songs!  =)

To Be Continued . . . .

Last Day of School

I can't believe it's here already. It seems like I just sent my munchkins off for their 1st day of school. How did we get to the last day so quickly? I'm amazed by how much my kids have grown this past year.

Isaac finished his 2nd year of middle school. One more year to go and then he'll be in high school. That is So. Not. Right. He did an amazing job in cross country and track. What can I say? My boy loves to run! And it was so fun to see him continue enjoying the cello and perform in concerts. 8th grade has a lot of decisions that need to be made - what program he wants to apply for to study in high school, which high school he'll attend - which will depend a lot on if he chooses to go into a 21st century program or not. Either way, 8th grade will be a pivotal year for him. I hope this summer he continues to learn independence and how to work/compromise with others.

At this moment, MJ is getting ready for her final walk through the halls of her elementary school. Each year, the students, teachers and parents line all the halls and have a clap down (lots of applause and cheers) as the 5th graders walk through all the different grades, then finally through the lobby and out the doors - never to return again as an elementary student. Last night, MJ was talking to me about how much she's going to miss her school, teachers, and friends. It's such a tender transition. There's so much good stuff ahead for my daughter. She's an incredibly smart, sweet girl with such a wide bright happy future waiting for her to step into. I can't wait to see what choices and paths she chooses to pursue.

Rob, holy moly, I can't believe my baby boy just finished 2nd grade! He's going to be a big 3rd grader next year. Wow! He had an awesome year participating in Student Council, running club, and being accepted into the Quest program. He's another one of my little smartie pants kids. I absolutely love Rob's sense of humor and tender heart for others. I hope he doesn't lose those wonderful qualities as he continues to grow older. I'm excited to see what he'll choose to do in 3rd grade. Will he continue playing the piano? Decide to try out a sport? I'm sure whatever he does, it will be with a happy, cheerful smile on his face - because that's just the kind of kid Rob is. He's awesome!

My Anna Banana graduated from preschool. We still don't know what will happen with Kindergarten for her. I've asked for a transfer to another school because our school K teacher is very harsh and makes the kids cry. I've watched her for 3 years now and just know she's not the teacher for my daughter. So I've requested a transfer for Kindergarten. I was told they wouldn't give me an answer until the week before school begins. If the transfer doesn't come through, then I plan to home school her and enroll her for specials at our elementary school. At least that way she'll still go to the school for an hour each day and will get to know some of the other kids in Kindergarten - but she won't interact with the Kindergarten teacher. Just the specials teachers. My only worry is that Anna is such a social bug. She loves, loves, loves going to school. So I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that the transfer will come through - because I really think that would be the best option for Anna. She's learned so much this last year as a peer model in a school district classroom and has already passed off a lot of her Kindergarten curriculum. So I'm not worried about her educationally, just socially. She loves to be with other kids. Either way, we'll figure everything out. I'm excited that she's grown so much and is so ready to jump into her next year of school.

Overall, it's been a great school year. There were lots of bumps in the road, lots of learning moments, and lots of awesome let's celebrate moments too. My kids amaze me - some days they drive me nuts, but most of the time, they're just pretty darn great. I'm excited to see how this summer goes (especially since being sick has screwed up a lot of my plans). I just want to get well - fast! - so I can enjoy as much of the summer as I can with my munchkins.

What's your school year review like? Have any fun plans for this summer?

Keeping Up with 1st Graders

Today I accompanied my first grader on his very first field trip. We went to a farm/orchard. It was totally fun and quite the work out. We were almost constantly walking for about four hours. My Fitness Pal chart better be liking my exercise today!  =)

Here are a few of our favorite pics:

 We saw lots of gourds of all different colors and sizes.

 We just might use some of these for our yearbook!

 Rob and I both laughed about this sign at the piglets pen!

 Rob's favorite animals we visited - this very loud, opinionated gaggle of geese!

 Me and my favorite first grader!

After we all got on the bus to head back to the school, Rob and I snuggled up. Then I fell asleep until we arrived back at our school - a little over an hour away!  Those first graders really know how to wear a mom out! 

Pictures from Rob's Kindergarten Graduation

Yes, it is true. My little guy has graduated from Kindergarten. Next year, he will be a big first grader and at school all day long. I am going to miss his sweet laughter and smile around the house during the afternoon. Life just changes way too fast! Here are my favorite pics from Kindergarten graduation . . .

Yep, my little guy still sucks his thumb!

Anna enjoyed the graduation. She goes to preschool in the fall - can you believe that???

Mr. Graduate!

Mr. Explorer!

Rob & Mrs. Dawson

Now there's some silly kids!

Congrats to my little guy and all the Kindergarten graduates!

Book Fair Love

Monday, we went to our school book fair. Each of the kids got to choose one book. Tuesday afternoon, I found Rob & Anna on my bed reading a Wow Wow Wubbzy book to each other. It's so totally cute!!!

First Day(s) of School

Our family's first two days of school. The first day was a half day for the older kids. The second day was the first full day & Rob's first day of Kindergarten. Enjoy the photos!

A nice big breakfast of eggs and toast!

My 5th grader & 3rd grader. My how the time flies!

Rob thought it was WAY too early in the morning to get up!

Goofing around while we waited for the bus. We built quite the tower made out of snacks and tissue boxes!

The trek to the bus begins!

Halfway to the bus, Isaac dropped his box of granola bars. MJ helped him re-arrange his stuff & she carried the granola bar box for him. Such awesome siblings!

Rob's first day of Kindergarten!!!

Black Bob goes green tees

Dad playing with the boys while we waited for the bus.

The kiddos on the bus. Such fun!

And off they go! We're all excited for an awesome new school year. There's so much for each of us to learn, so many opportunities to grow, and lots of new friends to make. Let's hear it for the 2009-2010 school year!