Last Saturday in April

Warm and dry enough today to play soccer .. and the best part was is was a 10:30am game so we were home before noon.  Plenty of day left to get things done around the house .. and grill out for dinner.

Another SaturDAY in the books!

My little love bug

So we've had a rainy week so far ... and if I might say so, a bit cooler too!  Soccer practice has been consistently cancelled and no outside recess at lunch time ... boy, has that left my smiling girl a bit frowny!

We've filled her time with projects and activities that are for inside.  Swim lessons, Religious Education, finishing the Endangered Species project and preparing for Teacher Appreciation Week next week.

Today she tells me is Fitness Day, and 'we'll have to run laps!  Yuk!"

"But you love running," I say.

"Actually Mommy, running is on my Do Not Like list."

Hmmm, and so it begins .....

It's a sunshine day!

With Ellie's 1:30pm soccer game cancelled due to all the standing water on the field, we took her to the park after lunch for some sun and activity~

We kicked the soccer ball and she played on the playground.  Seems lots of people had the same idea.  We also brought Ellie's "friend" Flat Vincent with us to snap some photos of him having some 'flat' fun with her.

More to come on how we received a Flat Vincent in the mail all the way from NY!

When a Daisy becomes a Brownie!

Ellie, Lindsey, Emma, Cadence, Megan, Kendal, Ari, Autumn and Emily F.

Ellie and her Girl Scout troop had their bridging ceremony on Thursday night to move from the Daisy Scout to the Brownie Scout!  We celebrated with a pizza party and they each received a bag with their membership pin and participation patches.

I had fun designing and making each bag for the girls.  In Michael's I found this small canvas bags, fabric paint and iron-on daisy patches .. each bag had the girl's name and inside was filled with treats and the pins/patches!

Thank goodness each bag had the same number of candies, as the girls immediately began to compare with each other!

We certainly had our 'lessons learned' this year - and both Ellie and I made good friends from the troop.    She's learned the Girl Scout Promise and the Girl Scout Law and I hope Ellie continues with Scouts as she gets older.  It's a terrific balance to the physical activities of swimming and soccer.

Speaking of which - off to soccer in just a bit!

"Look for the helpers," Fred Rogers mother told him.

Yesterday's events in Boston saddened and frightened me.  Although I've never run a Marathon, I always look forward to Patriot Day each April in Boston.  I have many friends and family members that live in Boston.  It was a city that I've visited many times.  I've been to Fenway, the Garden, Quincy Market, Faneuil Hall, the North Church and many other recognizable places there.

When I was living in Albany, my sister Maureen, lived just north of Boston where she went to graduate school at Lesley College (now Lesley University) and taught in several different suburbs.  I visited her many times to enjoy the area and be near the ocean.

I grew up routing for the Red Sox and loving all that was Boston.  Al and his family were from Boston.

When Ellie got home yesterday I took time to explain what had happened without the gruesome details.  I had another opportunity to explain to her how important it was to always make safe choices, and when things turn ugly and unsafe what choices she should make.

"Look for the helpers, you will always find people who are helping," Fred Rogers mother told him.  I now tell Ellie the same thing.  She understands what I mean, she's lived through several incidents close by and far away that have provided me opportunity for this conversation.  The shooting at Normal Community High School where they put her  Elementary school on lockdown, Newtown Connecticut shootings and now the Boston Marathon 2013.

Alicia recently sent me an article recalling an incident that happened when we were kids at St. Peter's Elementary School.  There was a shooting at the apartments across the street from the school playground while students were playing.  Two students were injured by stray bullets.  It reminded me that life was scary even back then.

It seems to be scarier today.  Perhaps that's because we have a beautiful little girl who is beginning to understand that life isn't always pretty, fun or safe.  So I use every opportunity I'm able to explain how to stay safe and look for the helpers.  My hope is she never needs the helpers, my gut tells me she'll be a helper one day.

Bird Watching

Ellie and I had a new project this weekend.  Find the large bird feeder, buy suet cakes and holders, a new bag of seed and fill all the feeders.  We have handled this in steps.  Friday night we gathered and cut scraps of yarn and fabric to fill a suet feeder in order for the birds to take the scraps to use in their nest.  Saturday we filled the feeder in the tree.  And Sunday we found the old feeder, refilled the old and new feeder and added the new suet feeders - one with a suet cake and one with the scraps.

Then we sat back and waited.  It was worth the wait.

Ellie has decided that chickadees are her favorite bird.  And of course mine is the cardinal.  We were so happy when both the male and female cardinals showed up at our feeder today!   We kept the camera handy to get these shots of them gathered together.  We've also decided that the blackbirds are our least favorite.  They are like Blue Jays - loud and bossy!  And they throw the seed all around!

We consider this project a huge success.  Happy birds and happy us!!

One more from yesterday ..

Couldn't resist sharing this one more from yesterday on a Sunday morning.  Today is promising to be sunny and warm (70's) .. until the rain moves in for the week!

This smile should keep us reminded that it doesn't matter the weather as long as you have a good attitude!

Spring Soccer

SCORE!

Playing defense - holding her net position 

Water break time

Good Game Line to congratulate the other team!

On a cold Saturday morning in Central Illinois we headed back to the Soccer fields for her first game of the season.  Boy, that wind sure did blow!  As you can see Ellie still had lots of fun - smile on her face and lots of running up and down the field!  They play 4 quarters and Ellie's team won 10-4!

Ellie's Landmark

Mrs. Carlock has assigned a landmark to each of the kids in the class.  She associated it back to what she refers to as .. "seeing the USA in a Chevrolet!"  Now, Bill and I remember that tagline, but kinda sure lots of folks won't get that one!  We're dating ourselves now ....

Ellie's landmark is The Liberty Bell.

She read brochures on it, found out what role it played in history, and got to illustrate her own brochure.  Here's a few pictures from her classroom today!

Is it a marsupial?

We learned a lot of new words today -

*  Marsupial
*  Nocturnal
*  Opossum - I guess that was more of a spelling lesson, than a new word

While gathered at our breakfast table this morning I saw movement in the backyard.  As soon as I determined what it was I called Ellie to the window - an opossum!  What?  In broad daylight?  Certainly this would take some explaining!

Let me back-up.

Two days ago Bill discovered a spot between the patio and the house that appeared to have dirt washed away.  So he filled it with stones.  Next day some of the stones were missing.  So he put in much more. This morning when 'our friend' was on his way 'home' after a night of wandering he found his resting place had been filled it, yet again with more stones!

So we saw him meander back across the yard and under the fence into someone else's yard.  Then the fun began.  Would it come back?  How would we know?  Was there now a family in the hole?  Oh dear!

So through some of his co-workers Bill found a "Animal Nuisance" guy to call.  I know, weird huh?  I had been doing online research and we came to the same conclusion.  By the size we described to him, the animal was definitely male.  And if it was a female she'd have been carrying her young around in her pouch!  So there was no family back in the hole ...

The 'guy' said that as long as we saw him leaving the area, he likely will find another spot.  We now felt assured that there is nothing else down there.  So the trick is to cover the spot with chicken wire and more stones.  And he'll never get back in!

So off we went after work this evening to Lowe's for some chicken wire.  And the project is now complete.  What a day!

Photo credit:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Opossum_2.jpg

Spring has sprung!

We spent so much time outdoors this weekend we're convinced the winter weather is behind us.  Or at least we have our fingers crossed.  You know about our Saturday escapades with errands and eating on the bus.  Sunday we went to the part without training wheels so Ellie could practice on the grass to gain her balance.  Although we think she really got it, in the end she was scared for Daddy to let go and decided she'd had enough!

Can you just hear every kid her age, "Daddy, don't let go!" When they are already halfway down the block pedaling away unaware that Daddy let go a long time ago.  We're almost there!

From the bike riding we went to the playground where she had so much fun.  In the afternoon Bill & Ellie washed the cars and then we joined the whiffle ball game across the street where Lindsay and her sister, Lexie were playing with their dad.   When the girls decided they wanted to play in our yard we invited the whole family over on our patio.  We really enjoyed getting the two families together.

Ellie and Bill

Spinning herself on the spinner

Monkey bars is her favorite.

Moving from one to another.

Two Blokes and a Bus

Bill and I have had the pleasure of meeting for lunch 'at the bus' on an odd Friday when a couple of his buddies from work were going.  Saturday we found out where they'd be parked and decided Ellie would get a hoot out of lunching on the top of a Double Decker bus.  Of course they have a Facebook page and are working on a website for folks to check their menu and location.

Bill's become friendly with The Two Blokes and a Bus, and hugs were all around when we arrived first in line for Saturday's lunch offering. We dined on Baja Fish Tacos and Steak Kabobs with Sticky Rice.  Portions are oversized so we split our entrees with Ellie, got an extra side of rice and a couple of sodas.

Standing at the counter to order with menu on chalk board

Not my photo - but you'll see how cool it looks!

Girl Scouts Lessons

This Thursday was Ellie's last activity meeting as a Daisy Scout.  She's been a Daisy for two years and next meeting will be her bridging ceremony to becoming a Brownie.  I've had the pleasure and perseverance of being a co-leader of the troop since the inception.  It's been a journey, to say the least.

The troop of 25 girls and 5 leaders has shrunk to 3 leaders and 14 girls.  Several families have moved from Bloomington and other girls now have swim lessons, soccer or gymnastics on the same night our troop meets.

During our two years we've survived two Girl Scout Cookie sales, two Fall Product sales, visited our local retirement community twice - to sing Christmas carols and make Valentine cards, made a trip to the Pumpkin Patch and along the way earned every petal of the Daisy and many fun patches too!

There have been so many lessons in these meetings - for both Ellie and I.  When you're an only child and used to being the only one who gets your mother's attention adjusting to having many other girls around presents a bit of a challenge.  And yet, at this last meeting I was so proud of Ellie for being a role model for respecting authority and doing the right thing.  She is a problem solver and very quick to determine the best course of action.  She's surely earned all her Daisy Scout stripes (we call them petals)!

This week we celebrated Earth Day by planting a red geranium in a milk gallon jug.  The girls decorated the jugs before planting, heard stories of planting a garden and learned the value of Earth Day through coloring sheets.  Here are the fruits of her labor!

Wise words from Roger Ebert

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

To celebrate baseball's Opening Day, we had our annual meal of Ballpark Franks and Cracker Jacks!  Although the Yankees didn't win their home opener, we know it's only the beginning of what looks to become a very interesting season!

April Fool's Day

When Ellie got to school on Monday her teacher, Mrs. Carlock said she had a treat for everyone to welcome them back from Spring Break.  The children were all excited to hear her say she had a bag for everyone with a brownie in it!!

WOW!

They each opened their bag and this is what they found!

a Brown "E"