Family
Relationships: Reflecting on Memories
- Across the fields the summer sun
- Is shining, and the breeze
- Flows gently through the trees
- Like waves upon the summer seas.
- The wild flowers all along the fence
- Are dancing in the sun.
- The bees are buzzing through the fields. . .
- I’ll bet their work is fun.
- Look, there’s a path upon the hill;
- Please come and walk with m.
- For overtop the hill and down,
- A meadow we will see.
- For in the meadow there’s a brook
- That I once waded through,
- And in the meadow there are flowers
- Of every shade and hue.
- Come walk, with me along that brook
- And share this day with me.
- As carefree children once again
- We live in memory.
– Bonnie Gaunt
Our lives are sprinkled with a variety of memories. Some of those memories bring a smile to our face while others bring a tear of sadness to our eyes. Memories can come rushing back when one or more of our senses are spiked such as a familiar place, smell, or sound.
When we walk along a stream or visit a familiar area with a family member or friend we get a glance into the past. It’s important to take the time to remember those good times. Relax in a quiet walk with someone dear to us. Taking the time to laugh at the good times and great memories we have shared over the years. Life goes by quickly and no one is guaranteed another day, but we have today so let’s make the best of what we have with those we love.
Counting My Blessings: Week In Review
It was a week fun filled week with a lot of work, travel, time with extended family, and neat activities. Thankful for an opportunity to travel for a few days to spend catching up with family. I added the weekend since this week as well. Grateful for safety as we traveled to see people and for the wonderful memories that were made along the way.
I want to be accountable to you so the following are snip-its of some of the things I am thankful for this past week.
Counting My Blessings – Week In Review:
Monday –Thankful for the girls help in getting some tasks done around the house. It was a busy day of prepping and packing. The girls packed their entire suitcases by themselves so that saved me time from rounding up all their items and getting them in the suitcase.
Tuesday – Thankful for friends that are willing to watch our house and pets while we were away visiting family in New England. It is good knowing that the everything is being cared for while we are away.
Wednesday – Thankful for a job that I can work part time so I can travel with my family as well. Jake dropped me off at work this morning and picked me up early afternoon to drive to the airport so we could fly out to see family in New England. Also, grateful for airplanes and the ability to travel places relatively quickly. Thankful safety in our travels.
Thursday – Thankful for time to spend with Jake’s Mom and grandparents in Vermont. It was cooler in Vermont but the girls had a grand time with Grandma Kay, Nana, PopPop, and their chickens, puppy, and exploring the woods.
Friday – Thankful for another fun filled day in Vermont to spend time with family.
Saturday – Thankful for a safe trip to Connecticut and an opportunity to spend time with Jake’s Dad. The girls had a blast!
Sunday – Thankful for a safe trip to Massachusetts to visit with Jake’s cousin Matt and his family.
What are you thankful for today? I encourage you to take the time to write down a few blessings that you have in your life today. It will help cheer you up and turn your focus on the amazing blessings you encounter each day!
Congratulations Brina! Regional Science Fair Champion – Cupcakes on the Rise Project
Brina bringing back her trophy!
Brina has worked really hard over the past few months on her Science Fair project, Cupcakes on the rise! She has made approximately 410 cupcakes since starting her experiments. Our fridge has been full of chocolate cupcakes and she as well as Karlie have taken a lot of cupcakes to school everyone week to share with their friends and classmates. Proud of Brina for all her hard work.
Regional Science Fair Champion – Brina!!!
For her science experiment Brina picked a cooking experiment. She wanted to find out the difference in the heights of cupcakes when you use eggs versus egg substitutes (like applesauce and egg replacer). Many people have allergies and it is important when making food for people with these allergies to know how the recipes will turn out. The eggs act as binding agents in cupcakes, but will non-egg cupcakes turn out similar and tasty. Are there any noticeable differences specifically in height (but also observations regarding taste, texture, how perishable the cupcakes are, and more information).
Congratulating my sweet girl on her win! She was still in shock, but excited and pleased!
Brina started working on her Science project months ago. She started with making cupcakes one batch at a time. Brina did everything in making the cupcakes (a couple of times Mom or Dad chipped in and helped with clean up, but otherwise she did it on her own). Next she took the information from her experiments and created her journal, graphs, took pictures, and more. Once she had all her experiments completed and the journal was complete she started working on her display board. She added all the required and key information on her board and then spent the next few days adding more cute decorations to make it fun and appealing. There were a lot of stickers used in the process! 🙂 The display board turned out well too.
Jake and Brina at the Regional Science Fair Ceremony! Way to go kiddo!
She discovered that although the applesauce and egg replacers do act sufficiently as binding agents in cupcakes they do not rise as high as the cupcakes containing eggs. The taste and textures of the non-egg cupcakes were not only acceptable, but preferred by some family and friends. The day before her school’s Science Fair presentations she made another batch of cookies to share with her and Karlie’s classmates. She won the opportunity to go to regional the following week! The day before the regional Science Fair competition she made another batch of cupcakes with the 3 different binding agents to take for the judges to enjoy. Jake took her during the school day to set up her project and we came back for the ceremony that evening. We were pleasantly surprised when they announced her as the 1st place winner for the Regional Science Fair 2016. She won a trophy, certificate, medal, and a cash prize for her Science Fair Project.
Standing with my sweet Brina by her display board, cupcake goodies, and all her awards! Good job Brina Bee!!!
Thankful for an opportunity to see Brina work for months through the Science Fair process and her hard work get rewarded. She is a great cook and always a big help in the kitchen. The project was fun, tasty, and a great learning experience for everyone in our family.
Karlie’s Science Fair Project! More = Less!
More = Less!
Karlie did a fun Science Fair project this year for 5th grade! It was fun and a great learning experience for her. Her friends and classmates were fascinated by it. We are proud of her hard work!
The purpose of the experiment was to see if the changing the velocity movement through a pipe will cause the pressure to increase? Bernoulli’s Principle says that when a fluid is traveling in a horizontal direction, as the velocity increases the pressure will decrease and vice versa. The principle shows when the pressure is at it’s lowest, and is at it’s highest. Some of the things that use Bernoulli’s Principle are race cars, airplanes (Bernoulli’s Principle makes it possible to fly), and it helps a baseball player throw a curve ball. The fluids increase speed, when pushed through a narrower space, will cause internal pressure to decrease even though it is in a tighter space. The external pressure increase at slower speeds.
Karlie presenting her Science Fair Project! She did excellent!
Brina & Karlie’s 5th Grade Graduation Party & Celebration!
Brina and Karlie with Mrs. Johnson at their Graduation Celebration Party! Mrs. Johnson was Karlie’s homeroom teacher in 2nd Grade, taught Karlie in Gift & Talented Program from 3rd grade up, and was both girls STEM Club Coach for 2 years. Excellent teacher!!!
Such a sweet Daddy spent a lot of time helping get ready for this big day including helping cut starfish, decorate, blow up balloons, and so much more. Thankful to have a partner that pitches in and takes the time to celebrate with the kids!
Luau theme at the Grad Party! The kids had a blast!
Karlie with her homeroom teacher Mr. Moore and her friend David! Mr. Moore was an awesome teacher!
Brina hanging out with her friend at the party!
Sweet Sisters! Thankful for these two girls!School: Karlie’s 5th Grade Awards! Good Job KARLIE!
Karlie’s 5th Grade Awards!
Brina and Karlie had their 5th grade Awards Ceremony on Friday, May 27, 2016. There is something both unique and special about having twins because they challenge and encourage each other in many areas of their lives. Thankful for the girls love of learning. It is great seeing them grow up into amazing young ladies!
Jake and I knew the girls did really well this year, worked hard, and got decent grades, but we were still surprised at how well they did. Thankful for all their hardwork regarding school. It has obviously paid off and they have learned a lot throughout the year. They did fantastic this year. It was a tough year, but it was worth all their effort!
All there teachers were excellent and encouraged them to learn a lot while making learning fun for the students! Their Homeroom Teachers, Gifted & Talented Teacher, Reading Teacher, and STEM Club Coaches, Library Leader, Chorus Director, Safety Patrol Leader, Beta Club Leader, the Administration Leadership Team and more were all good about communicating with the parents which is always key in helping the kids be successful. Thankful for all the teachers and all energy they put into our kids this school year.
We are VERY PROUD of the hard work Karlie put forward this year and the amount she was able to accomplish throughout her 5th grade year! The girls have the biggest class in the school so it is a huge honor to get these awards. Way to go kiddo!!!
Karlie received the following 18 Award Certificates, 13 Award Medals, 3 Award Pins, 2 Trophies, & 4 Specialty Awards:
- 1 – Highest Math Achievement Awards (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal)
- 1 – Highest Social Studies Achievement Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal)
- 1 – Highest Reading Achievement Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal)
- 1 – Highest Science Achievement Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal)
- 1 – Highest Language Arts Achievement Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal)
- 1 – “A” Honor Roll Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal)
- 1 – Jet Toy Challenge Competition Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal – Brina’s Team went to Regional Competition)
- 1 – 5th Grade Elementary School Diploma (It’s official that she has graduated up to 6th grade – Middle School. Received 1 Award Certificate, 1 Award Medal, & 1 Stuffed Bear)
- 1 – Helping Hands & Beta Club Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal – for doing Community Service Projects throughout the school year)
- 1 – Chorus Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal – participated in Community Chorus Events & Activities throughout the year)
- 1 – Academic Excellence Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal)
- 1 – Library Assistant & Book Worm Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Adorable Book Worm)
- 1 – President’s Education Awards for Outstanding Academic Excellence (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Pin)
- 1 – Safety Patrol Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Pin)
- 1 – 1st Place Accelerated Reading Award & Trophy (Received 1 Award Certificate, 1 Award Medal, & 1 Trophy – Karlie broke her schools record in highest AR Points!!!)
- 1 – Children’s Book Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal)
- 1 – STEM Club Award (STEM Club Team – went to state) (Received 1 Award Certificate, 1 Award Pin, & STEM Organizer for next school year)
- 1 – Gift & Talented “GT” Gift Award (Received a Karlie’s Characteristic Gift Award from GT Teacher and Classmates
- 1 – All A’s All Years in Elementary School Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Trophy)
Karlie and Brina together received 34 Award Certificates + 25 Award Medals + 6 Award Pins + 3 Trophies + 1 Cash Prize + 7 Specialty Awards at their 5th Grade Awards Ceremony!
Love these girls! XOXO
School: Brina’s 5th Grade Awards! Way to GO BRINA!
Brina’s 5th Grade Awards!
Brina and Karlie had their 5th grade Awards Ceremony on Friday, May 27, 2016. Jake and I knew the girls did really well this year, worked hard, and got decent grades, but we were still surprised at how well they did. Thankful for all their hardwork regarding school. It has obviously paid off and they have learned a lot throughout the year. They both had awesome teachers which is always beneficial for the kids too.
We did not even save seats for the girls (we didn’t realize that they would need to sit with us after graduation), but it didn’t matter because they barely even sat down before they were called back up on stage to receive their next award. They did fantastic this year. It was a tough year, but it was worth all their effort!
All there teachers were excellent and encouraged them to learn a lot while making learning fun for the students! Their Homeroom Teachers, Gifted & Talented Teacher, Reading Teacher, and STEM Club Coaches, Library Leader, Chorus Director, Safety Patrol Leader, Beta Club Leader, the Administration Leadership Team and more were all good about communicating with the parents which is always key in helping the kids be successful. Thankful for all the teachers and all energy they put into our kids this school year.
We are VERY PROUD of the hard work Brina put forward this year and the amount she was able to accomplish throughout her 5th grade year! The girls have the biggest class in the school so it is a huge honor to get these awards. Way to go chickie-a-dee!!!
Brina received the following 16 Award Certificates, 12 Award Medals, 3 Award Pins, 1 Trophy, 1 Cash Prize, & 3 Specialty Awards:
- 1 – Highest Math Achievement Awards (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal)
- 1 – Highest Social Studies Achievement Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal)
- 1 – Highest Reading Achievement Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal)
- 1 – Highest Language Arts Achievement Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal)
- 1 – “A” Honor Roll Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal)
- 1 – Jet Toy Challenge Competition Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal – Brina’s Team went to Regional Competition)
- 1 – School Science Fair Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal)
- 1 – Regional Science Fair 1st Place Grand Prize SCPC Winner (Received 1 Award Certificate, 1 Award Medal, 1 Grand Prize Trophy, & a Cash Prize)
- 1 – 5th Grade Elementary School Diploma (It’s official that she has graduated up to 6th grade – Middle School. Received 1 Award Certificate, 1 Award Medal, & 1 Stuffed Bear)
- 1 – Helping Hands & Beta Club Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal – for doing Community Service Projects throughout the school year)
- 1 – Chorus Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal – participated in Community Chorus Events & Activities throughout the year)
- 1 – Academic Excellence Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal)
- 1 – Library Assistant & Book Worm Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Adorable Book Worm)
- 1 – President’s Education Awards for Outstanding Academic Achievement (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Pin)
- 1 – Safety Patrol Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Pin)
- 1 – STEM Club Award (STEM Club Team – went to state) (Received 1 Award Certificate, 1 Award Pin, & STEM Organizer for next school year)
Brina and Karlie together received 34 Award Certificates + 25 Award Medals + 6 Award Pins + 3 Trophies + 1 Cash Prize + 7 Specialty Awards at their 5th Grade Awards Ceremony!
Love these girls! XOXO
Brina & Karlie’s Awards Ceremony! Congratulations Girls!
Brina and Karlie with Ms. Osbey. They loved spending time in the library as Library Assistants helping her!
Proud of these two girls!
Karlie receiving her Accelerated Reading Trophy! 🙂 She broke the school record in AR points! Loves her books! Way to go KARLIE!!!
Fifth Grade Awards Ceremony!
Hanging out with friends between Graduation and the Awards Ceremony
Safety Patrol!
Brina’s fantastic Homeroom Teacher this year Mrs. Husso! She was an amazing teacher and Brina learned a ton in her class!
Brina’s reading teacher for the past several years Mrs. Whitmire! She is AWESOME and has helped Brina so much with improving her reading skills! Wish we could take us with Brina to Middle School!!!
Karlie & Brina – 5th Grade 2016 Class Graduation & Awards Ceremony! Proud of these girls!
Both Karlie & Brina were the Highest Student in Social Studies for their home class!
Karlie & Brina were the highest student in READING for their home class! WooHoo Brina, she has learned so much over the past few years even with handling dyslexia. Proud of both of our girls!
Karlie highest student in Science for her home class!
Jet Toy Competition! Both Karlie and Brina’s individual teams went on to compete in the Regional Jet Toy Competition this year!
Brina won her class Science Fair and went on to win 1st Place Grand Prize in our Regional Science Fair competition! Very proud of Brina and all her hardwork! We calculated that she made over 400 cupcakes throughout her Science experiment! Way to go BRINA!!!
Award for Academic Excellence!
Counting My Blessings: Week In Review
It was a week packed full of a lot of emotions. With the girls wrapping up at a school they have been attending the past 7 years it has been quite a stepping stone for us. We are grateful to all the teachers and administration at Crosswell Elementary for the amount of time, energy, and attention they have invested in our girls education. They have made a positive and lasting impression on our kids. Wish we could take some of the amazing teachers with us to Middle school. We are excited to see what Middle School will bring and know that the kids will probably adjust quicker and better than at least their Mom because with them moving up a school their growing up seems more real. Love my girls and very proud of what they have accomplished over the past year! There was so much to be thankful for last week.
I want to be accountable to you so the following are snip-its of some of the things I am thankful for this past week. Counting My Blessings – Week In Review:
Monday –Thankful to have the laundry room renovation started and that we were still able to get the laundry done so none of us have to run around wearing dirty clothes!
Tuesday – Thankful for the opportunity to spend some time with the girls after school that didn’t include doing a bunch of homework. We even had a few extra minutes to do a rapid quick clean up around the house and read some more of our books together. LOVE catching both of the girls reading independently on their own during free time (for those who know our family you know that for one of our kids this is a really big deal)!
Wednesday – Thankful for time after work to spend with other Mom’s at school prepping for the kids 5th grade Graduation Celebration Party. We were able to get a lot accomplished and organized during our time together.
Thursday – Thankful for Brina’s hard work on her “Cupcakes on the Rise” Science Fair Project because we were able to see her accept a 1st Place Trophy, Medals, Certificate, and Cash Prize (we had no idea there was a cash prize as well) for the Regional Science Fair! Very proud of our Brina Bee!
Friday – Thankful for an opportunity to watch the girls Graduation and Awards Ceremony! They did fantastic and both kids received numerous awards, medals, pins, certificates, trophies and other cool awards for all that they had accomplished throughout this year. Also, Karlie received a trophy for getting all A’s her entire Elementary School years. Super proud of these kids and the effort they put into their learning. Praying they continue to have the love of learning as they get older!
What are you thankful for today? I encourage you to take the time to write down a few blessings that you have in your life today. It will help cheer you up and turn your focus on the amazing blessings you encounter each day!
CONGRATULATIONS Brina & Karlie! 5th Grade Graduation Ceremony!
Proud of our girls!
We are so proud of our girls! They did it! Both girls successfully completed all of their elementary school classes. It is hard to believe that they are now heading into middle school. They went to Crosswell for 7 years! Thankful for all the great teachers and administration that invested all their time and energy into our girls. They have grown and learned a lot of about life, friends, and increased their knowledge.
Congratulations Brina & Karlie!
Today was a big celebration for all they have accomplished in their schooling. It came with a lot of emotions for me as their Mom. I was thrilled and happy while at the same time sad knowing that my babies are growing up very quickly. I want to hold onto and treasure these precious moments because these past few years have gone by way too fast.
Brina getting her diploma from Mr. Holliday!
We look forward to seeing them continue to grow. They are sweet girls who have grown up so much. It will be neat to see them transition into Middle School. Love our girls!
Karlie getting her diploma from Mr. Holliday!
My girls are not babies anymore!
