Maya's Trip to Fog Willow

Maya's class took a trip to a farm called Fog Willow (it's actually the pumpkin patch where we like to go). While there, they went to different stations to have "hands on" learning experiences about science. They conducted science experiments with goo, planted seeds and checked out the farm animals. Her teacher, Mrs. Ball, even got to hold a baby pig and feed a calf. We had a lovely picnic and the kiddos got to play on the playground at the farm. It was a sunny and fun day for all!

Marisa's Last Day of School Party

Today was Marisa's last day of school party at the park. It was a cloudy, cold day - but that didn't keep the kids from having a great time together. James loved crawling around on the grass - showing off all of his skills to the ladies. They were quite impressed! Marisa had a great time playing baseball with her buddies. It was a bittersweet day as we know that this is probably the last time that we will see some of those friends for a while. We have enjoyed Marisa's journey through preschool!

Maya's Boxtop Party

Today was Field Day and the Boxtop party at Maya's school. For Field Day, the kiddos spend the afternoon outside doing different outdoor activities. They always end the day with the "Water Brigade" where the kids all end up soaking wet. Maya's class won the Water Brigade and will be celebrating with an ice cream party on Monday. After Field Day, we had an ice cream party for the top 25 boxtop collectors. We are so proud of Maya as this is the second year that she has been in the top 25. A big thank you to all of our family who sent us boxtops!

James Standing for First Time

Here are pictures of James pulling himself up to a standing position for the first time. He tries so hard to keep up with the girls and he is constantly crawling after us as we move about the house. I think he really wants to make his little legs walk just so he can keep up! I even had to lower the mattress in his crib - he was starting to stand in his crib and I knew it would just be a matter of time before he climbed out!

Marisa's Preschool Graduation 2010

Today Marisa graduated from preschool - it is hard to believe that these past 2 years have gone by so quickly! Marisa's preschool was a "parent participation" preschool and her teacher was our ward's Primary president. Needless to say, we grew very close to many of the families that were a part of the preschool. It was a bittersweet experience as Marisa is both very excited about attending kindergarten at the "big kid" school, and sad about leaving all of her friends at preschool. Marisa's mommy is very excited about her graduation - she'll only have to carpool to one school! Yay!

Hiking Trip to Sly Park

Jeff and I decided that after 5 years of living in Placerville, it was about time that we go to Sly Park Lake. Sly Park is in Pollock Pines off of the Mormon Emigrant Trail. It is a lake complete with camping, hiking, boating and trail riding. It was such a beautiful day - the weather was perfect and after a very wet (and sometimes snowy) winter we thought it was the perfect excuse to get outside. Maya wasn't feeling well and wasn't too keen on the idea of hiking, so we got a sitter to stay with her during the afternoon. We took Marisa and James on a lovely hike to one of the falls in the lake. At the end of our hike, we stopped by the lake to feed the ducks and we were delighted to discover baby ducks! It was a lovely day and Maya even enjoyed her afternoon with her favorite sitter, Kaylie.

Maya's Open House

We went to Maya's open house for school tonight where she proudly showed off all of her work for the year. It is amazing the progress she has made this year - her artwork and handwriting are fabulous! She loves school and has been blessed with a phenomenal teacher, Mrs. Ball. Mrs. Ball, who is the mother of twin first graders (and is about my age), has a real talent for bringing out the best in her students and for making learning fun. Maya loves going to school and is well loved by her teacher and friends. It was such a treat to see her showing off all of her hard work. During open house, Maya and Marisa enjoyed playing on the playground, where they practiced the monkey bars. Maya has spent many recesses over the last two years learning how to do the monkey bars. It was a fun night for us all!

Placerville Preschoolers trip to zoo - James' first trip

Here are pictures of Marisa's field trip to the zoo. It was also James' first trip there. We had a great time checking out all of the animals and hanging out with our friends.

Maya's Fieldtrip to McDonald's 2010

Maya's first grade class went on a walking field trip to the nearby McDonald's and Marisa, James and I tagged along. They have been learning about money and commerce in school, so this was the perfect opportunity for them to test their skills. They had to order and pay for their food all by themselves. Even Marisa did it all by herself. While we were there, James at 2/3 of a McDouble Cheeseburger. He's a boy after my own heart. We had a great time!