April

The girls and I made it home from Boston just before Easter. We had three celebrations and the girls had a great time. Jason's mom hid eggs for the girls to find in the backyard.
We had our own egg hunt at our apartment. Sam had to wait over an hour before Rory woke up. She was trying her best to be patient, but kept seeing eggs she was going to put in her basket once her sister woke up. When Rory figured out there was chocolate in those eggs, she wanted one opened right after the other.

Please ignore the mess that is behind Sam. That is our desk and I had not yet cleaned it. I know, it is pretty bad. This is the hardest place for us to keep clean. Not enough storage and it becomes the "catch all."

And another egg hunt at my parents house. Rory only chose a few eggs before she was ready to eat the candy!

Not Easter related, just the girls pretending to be dogs. Sam climbs into Rory's crib in the morning and they hang out playing for a few minutes.

Rory got ahold of one of Sam's whistles. I just thought she looked funny.

Rory copies EVERYTHING Samantha does. Lately, she's been into reading. I hope this trend continues for the rest of her life! I think she takes after her dad in this.

March

We had the chance to go the Glendale Center Theater to see Cinderella. I have lots of memories going to plays as a young girl, so it was fun to take Samantha. All the kids had a fun time, and Samantha loved getting her picture taken with the actors.

After we went out to Islands. Grandpa let Samantha play Angry Birds on his iPod. She loves that game. So cute to see these two snuggling together.Jason took Sam to the Getty to meet her cousins.

What did I huddle around my friends with when I was a kid? This generation is digital everything.

On the Scavenger Hunt. It was the same one as last year, but he girls didn't seem to mind.

Open House came early this year; the same week as Report Cards! Eek! All teachers were a little run-down to have to prepare for both, but it all turned out very well. Below are pictures from Samantha's Room. When you signed in you were given a checklist of where to go and Samantha had to talk about each thing she had in the room. They had a sports/cooperation theme, so she wore a visor as the official tour guide.
"I am lucky because I have Chuck. He is a lizard."

"At the end of the rainbow I hope there is a pink unicorn."

Samantha's Number Sentence.

"Teamwork is when you help. I help my mom to clean."
If only that would happen more often; with a willing heart.

To focus on jobs in the community, Samantha made a diorama of "Samantha's Art Studio." We used Strawberry Shortcake Figurines (thanks mom!) and pretzels for the art easels (thanks again, mom!) Samantha then made a fireworks collection where each figurine was a student in her studio. She was very proud.

And a random one thrown in. It's cute when these two play together (or rather, next to each other). I thought this was especially sweet, reading together. Rory loves to do whatever Sam is doing. Sam tolerates it pretty well, but at times just wants alone time!

I was able to take the day off from my students and go with Samantha on her field trip to Kidspace. I sat with her and her best friend, Malia, on the bus. They were so cute together. Hugging, holding hands, linking arms. It was very sweet. Malia even informed me that she is the future Mrs. Justin Bieber. Hilarious! The girls had a great time and it was fun to be with Samantha, seeing how she interacts with her school friends.

February

Samantha participated in her first school jog-a-thon. She raised money (thank you family!) so our school can provide more supplies and assemblies to the student body. She did so great! I was able to leave my classroom for a brief moment to run a lap with her and snap some pictures.

Below is her taking a bathroom break. She ran 9 laps, but was not the top runner by one lap. She informed me of this fact at the end of the day, followed by saying, "if I didn't have to go to the bathroom, I would have been the fastest runner!" She was very upset and has vowed to run more next year.

Since the students raised over $12,000 this year the principal dressed up like Justin Bieber and sang on the roof. I was one of the back-up dancers. Pictures were taken, but I will never let those see the light of day on this blog. However, they are plastered up on the wall of the office. Sam thought it was hilarious that I was dancing to Justin Bieber. I did it for her, really.

Due to President's Day, Sam had a sleepover with her cousins. It was pretty funny. The girls had to travel all the way next door for this event. :) They all had a great time, but woke up before 6 am! Ugh!

My talented sis-in-law was able to take some pictures at New Year's and I used it for a Valentine's e-card. Rory was not so cooperative and this was the best one of the two of them. Kristine was sooo patient!

And Rory, feeding herself yogurt. Do not attempt to feed the animals. I mean, my daughter. She is very independent and wants to do it herself!

Christmas Time

The Christmas Season was a busy one, but a fun one. Samantha sang with the rest of the Kinders in the school holiday performance. She did a great job with a smile on her face most of the time. Forgive the quality of the photos. Someone forgot to check the battery in the SLR and came without it. Luckily someone else had the point and shoot with her...I was about ready to flip a lid if I did not have documentation of this event. I usually get a little teary-eyed when I see my own students perform like this (I know, I know), so for me, seeing Sam perform was a big deal.

It was a Thomas Christmas this year, and we all had a blast. This is the traditional picture before anyone is allowed into the living room. Seth and Nate's family couldn't make it this year. :(

Stockings first. Sam and Rory's had toys and chocolate in it.

A box. Is there anything better, really?

Cousins! Janna's kids, husband, and Aunt Lacey.

I know what is better than a box. A wrapped box! Rory perched herself here for a long time...until someone wanted to open the present.

Samantha was very happy with all her gifts this year.

Break would not be complete without a trip to the zoo with cousins.

After Christmas get-together at my parents house. Scott was in town, which was a great time for Rory to play with Marty.

Mom trying to juggle Rory and Marty. They were not so cooperative.

Samantha was very pleased to receive play cupcakes. She. Loves. Cupcakes.

AYSO Closing Ceremonies and Tree Decorating

BTW...the other cute girl on the team....a day younger than Sam and a head taller! :)
In the end, Sam had a great soccer season! Jason and I (being head coach and team parent) were VERY happy the season is over. Don't get me wrong. We had a great time watching Sam play...we just won't sign up to volunteer at the same time again. At closing ceremonies, Sam received her trophy, which, let's be honest, was the only thing she talked about for weeks before. She played a few games and got her face painted.

After, it was time to decorate. I have many pictures from my childhood in my soccer uniform. Sam will be no different. After setting up the tree, Sam decorated it. I helped a little, but she really did it herself. Not a bad job. She even left ornaments off the bottom section so Rory would not take them off.