Messy Obsession....!

I may have mentioned in my after-Christmas posts that the girls have a new fascination with these beads...

Sullivan and Quinn have been making Perler Bead creations for the past month.  

Like super busy.  

They have made creations like these fancy things....

That being said, they have turned my kitchen table into their factory...

I have had to take a few deep breaths with the mess it has made, and the countless perler beads I have stepped on throughout the past month.  Clutter drives me crazy, and the mess they've made is certainly clutter.  But then I try to remind myself that it is all in good fun!  They are busy making memories and having a good time.

Their perler bead factory got me thinking.  Where can these beads and this mess be housed where they will still play with it and it will be out of my hair?!  And then the light bulb came on!

Our den/office/front room/waste of square footage room currently houses very little.  It doesn't get used often, with exception of at Christmas time.  So I think we are going to turn that room into a game/craft/homework/fun room for the girls.  There are doors attached that can be closed if it is messy.

Long range plans - we will probably put in different flooring, a high top table with bar stools, a possible brick wall, and make it look more industrial/modern.  But for now, I will settle for a table and chairs.  :)

I found what I liked online and then went to see it in the store....!  

It got the approval from everyone - so we ordered it and it is on its way!  Can't wait.. before long, I will have my kitchen table back!  Hallelujah!

100 Days Smarter...

Last Friday marked the 100th day of school for these beautiful ladies...

Don't they look SO much smarter?!

As part of the 100th day celebration, Sullivan's classmates were each given a trash bag-turned super hero cape to decorate at home.  Their capes had to include 100 of any given object from around the house. Sullivan looked high and low and found some foam alphabet letters to use.

But in true Sullivan form, she didn't want to use random letters.  So instead she sorted through all of the letters to find S, G, and Ps for her initials.  Her sister got in on the action too!  

After sorting the letters, she got to work putting them on her cape.  Never mind the leotard -  it is randomly worn around the house!  

The final product?!

Super Sullivan!

Quinn couldn't resist making one of her own too...! 

 

Super Quinn!

A requirement of the 100th day of school is the button shirt...

I hand sewed on those (100)  buttons when Quinn was in Kindergarten.  It took AGES to do!  So Quinn got a couple of years of uses out of it, and now Sullivan has as well! This was probably it's last year of use before its retirement. Sigh.  

And finally to wrap up the 100th day, Sullivan completed this worksheet in class.  It's super cute....

Happy 100th day - only 80 more to go!  

School Worthy News...

Quinn's teacher wrote us an email a couple of weeks ago.  Apparently Quinn had completed a journal response to a book that she had read entitled, Rush Revere and the Star Spangled Banner.  Mr. Stage was impressed with the content in the journal response and wanted to inform us that he had sent it to the author to share.

Well the author had received the journal response and was as equally impressed as Mr. Stage.  He had written a nice response and had asked for a picture to go along with the journal response.  He was so pleased with it, that he agreed to send along a complete set of his children's book for their classroom library!

That author of this book, you ask?!

None other than Rush Limbaugh...! 

We were so proud of Quinn for this recognition!  It isn't everyday that you get a personal response from an author for work that you have done!

***********

Sullivan and her classmates celebrated MLK Jr. in class this week. They discussed who he was, what his inspirational message was, and celebrated making a difference in the world by dreaming!  As homework, they were asked to write about a dream they have that would make our world a better place.  They were given just a couple of minutes in class to begin it, and were asked to take it home to finish it.  

When Sullivan pulled it out of her bag, her first line read..."I wish that people will believe in God."

Read the rest of her sweet dream below.  It is completely her story, her dream!  

If the picture is hard to read, it says... "I wish that people will believe in God.  God is awesome.  They can go to heaven to see God.  People can be in a better place with God.  That's why I want people to believe in God."

Pretty great dream, huh!?!

Sleep Study...

Anyone who knows Sullivan well, knows that she is an awful sleeper. She snores, breaths through her mouth, makes weird sounds when breathing, and can be found in all sorts of positions.

Positions like this...

Or this...

Or this...

We've visited the pediatric ENT some time ago to discuss these issues and have tried a few things to help with her sleeping. I will say they've helped some, but I can't shake the 'mama worry' that something more might be wrong.

We returned to the Pediatric ENT a few weeks ago, and at that time a sleep study was suggested.  The sleep study is designed to measure a million different things, from snoring to oxygen levels to REM sleeping. 

This past Sunday, Sullivan and I headed to the sleep study lab to have her study done. 

The whole process intrigued me as I wasn't sure what to expect. But really, it was just like a hotel room - one bed for the patient and the other for the parent. 

We settled into our room and got comfortable before they hooked Sullivan Grace up to the wires. We read a little bit...

And snuggled our blanket...

Then Miss Candace, our super sweet technician, came in to hook up the wires. Boy, oh boy, were there LOTS of wires!

Sullivan Grace was such a trooper and sat so patiently and so bravely as the wires got connected to about every part of her body.

And just when I thought there were too many wires, Miss Candace  announced that she would be back in a few minutes to finish the process. 

When all was said and done, Sullivan looked like this....

No wait, don't forget about her finger thingy that we dubbed her 'ET finger'...

And then came the sleeping part... Sullivan rocked that part. Despite the fact that she had a million wires on her, she was still able to twist and move and snore and sleep! 

And before we knew it, it was 5:45 am and they were kicking us out! 

Sullivan was such an amazing patient and was so incredibly brave.  We just had to reward her with a delicious donut breakfast!!

Now the hardest part comes - waiting for the results!!!

December Randomness....

December was so busy that I neglected to share some happenings 'round here.  Here are those memories...

The girls' winter parties at school... I feel blessed to have been able to attend their parties, especially given that this is the last time that the girls will be in the same school until they are in high school.  Sigh.

Art work... The girls both had artwork that was displayed in the hallway of the school.  We took a minute one afternoon to find it and take a picture.

They did an amazing job - quite the artists!

Sucker face.... Auntie Mer gave Sullivan a sucker for the ride home after Thanksgiving.  More of it ended up on Sullivan's face than in her mouth!  

She makes me laugh!

New Year's - 2016

My goodness - it is hard to believe that we celebrated the New Year over two weeks ago.  I feel like we are just settling back into a routine after the holidays, but apparently more days have passed than what it feels like!

We were blessed to have the Boyles come to Indy to visit us for the New Year.  All is right in the world when we are able to get together.  It took the kids all of about 5 seconds to pick up right where they left off.  That makes my heart happy.

Abatha, Scott, Ryan and I were able to enjoy a nice evening out for supper.  Sadly, not one picture was taken of us. We had a great time - and I think the kids enjoyed their evening with the baby-sitter!

The following day, we looked for an indoor activity as it was a cold and bitter day!  We found a glow-in-the dark miniature golf course.  The kids seemed to really enjoy it and it was a nice way to spend the afternoon!

After golf, the kids enjoyed more time playing together.  They coaxed Mr. Scott into playing hide-and-seek with them.  He gave them a run for their money, as he found the perfect hiding spot!

That evening was New Year's Eve.  The kids enjoyed putting on party hats and using noise makers.  The four of them created a New Year's Eve routine - synchronized to videos and music.  It was quite the production - a hoot and a joy to see them all work together!

Their visit was the perfect way to ring in the new year.  We are so thankful that we were willing to make the trek up to see us!  Happy 2016!!!

Thoughtful Gift...

I know that I have said it several times, but Quinn has the most thoughtful and passionate teachers this year.  He truly is in the business for the right reasons and is so child-centered.  That said, Mr. Stage gave the sweetest and most thoughtful gifts to his students this year for Christmas.  So thoughtful that I had to mention it.

A few weeks back, Mr. Stage asked his students to write words that best describe each of their classmates.  He took those words, and some that he added himself, to make this framed word collage...

Here is an up close picture...

Some of the sweetest words that her classmates and her teacher used to describe her... kind, smart, helps others, caring, funny, always positive, does her best, good friend!

This is truly a gift that she not only treasures now, but she will treasure for years to come!  I am in awe of the thoughtfulness!

* As a side note, Poolio is the name that her teacher calls her in class.  She is one of two Quinns in the class.  Instead of calling them Quinn P. and Quinn H., he has chosen to call her Poolio.  She thinks it's a hoot!  :)