Kindergarten and Second Grade...

Can't believe that school has started again. And that this year BOTH Jack and Ella are going.

Jack is a kindergartner and Ella is in second grade already. Both were very excited and are settling in to the new year. Linc and I are adjusting as well. The house is pretty empty. :(

Here are some of the first day of school pics. Jack just spontaneously did that silly pose. He cracks me up.

Ella's art project...

Ella has a really fun art program in her school. They have art once a week on Wednesdays. Last Wednesday they made paper sculptures. So Ella got the family paper sculpting.



This is Ella's up close.

We all, even Linc and Jack, sat and cut paper and made beautiful creations. Some people took it a little seriously. Cough, cough, JASON. I guess he thought we were turning them into school. But now we can be sure where Ella got her creativity from.

And here is that fabulous creation made by Jason:



Check out the frog. You can't see it, but he even has a fly on his tongue. You probably didn't know he was an artist...

Fun was had by all!!!!

Ella had a birthday...

a week ago already. She turned seven. I really can't believe it. In just the short time she has been in our lives she will be fourteen. I am not wishing it away. I am hoping to enjoy it more and more and savor every moment. I already know how quickly it passes.

I am so proud of her. She is a wonderful, sweet, kind girl who is learning to love Jesus more everyday!

She had a nice birthday. Her good friend Matilda came over on the day to celebrate with us and go out to eat with us. Then the kids and I went to visit Mom and Dad on Friday night to celebrate with them and Aaron and Will.

Blessed are the Peacemakers

A few weeks ago, we received a letter. It said that Ella had been nominated for a Peacemaking Award. Since we are just beginning this adventure into public education (Ella is just a kindergartner), we really didn't know what that meant. But the letter explained that 250 students in the district were to receive this award and that we were invited to a ceremony at the end of March. We also got a copy of what Mrs. Bowen (who had nominated Ella) had said about her. It was awesome. Here is a part of what Mrs. Bowen wrote:

Ella demonstrates peacemaking skills by standing up for what is important and leading by example. Ella knows that standing up for her friends and helping others when they are in need are important traits. When someone is treating a student poorly, she is the first one to help her friends deal with the conflict.

Wow.

I cried. How incredible that this little girl is already so clearly reflecting Jesus that Mrs. Bowen can see it in her everyday interactions with her peers. Awesome.

And well sometimes public education does not support our beliefs (or a lot of times), this award gave us such a concrete opportunity to really encourage Ella to be who Jesus has created her to be and to continue to let His light shine through her. I love those moments!

At the ceremony, the president of the board of education explained how much he like the peacemaking awards because it was an opportunity not to award academic achievement or sports achievement but achievement in character. Wow.

The ceremony was very much graduation-like and Ella received her award from the superintendent and shook all the school board members hands. Check out a few pics from the event. I am so proud of her. I just had to share.



Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Matthew 5:9

A Pink Party

For Ella's friend party, we had a pink theme. She invited five friends to come and to wear a little pink. They made their own personal pizza's with pink ham (or pepperoni if they preferred). They drank pink, sparkling punch in pink cups. And they decorated their own pink party hats! We finished off the night with pink, strawberry jello cake and strawberry ice cream. A lot of pink fun was had by all. :)



Pink table decorations.



The yummy, pink cake.

Celebrating 6!

On January 14th, Ella turned six. And we have been celebrating for days! :) Her big requests this year were dinner out at Applebee's and a friend birthday party.



We sang and ate these cupcakes as a family after Applebee's. The rest of these cupcakes, she took to school. Then on her birthday morning, she got to partake in a Connors' family tradition of opening some small gifts that are wrapped and tied together and hung on her bedroom door. She opened her other gifts at lunch time - Dad came home special. She got this great necklace from her friends, Maya and Olivia; they sent a birthday package.



I made these chocolate chip cookies and added the leftover frosting from the cupcakes to them so Ella had a birthday treat to take to church. We had a planning time that night and the kids played with friends while we planned so she shared and celebrated then too!

Ella is a Kindergartener!

Ella started school this week. She couldn't wait to go! Even though she was slightly nervous, she did great and had a wonderful first day. She has a nice, brand new teacher and only sixteen students in her class. They read the book The Kissing Hand. Tomorrow she will start riding the bus. She is looking forward to that.