Field Day, 2009

Today was Ben's Field Day at school. PreK had 2 hours of relay races and did a GREAT job!

Earth Day

I am all about taking out the boring plants that the landscapers put in and adding color!! Michael finally caved in and let me get the Japanese Maple that I have been asking for. I think that he is tired of me pointing out the same ones in the neighborhood everytime we leave the house. When I told him that I stopped in two different neighbors yards to ask about THEIR Japanese Maple, he decided that he better get me one before I am arrested for trespassing.

It took more time to get the Indiana Hawthorne out of the ground. There were two Gardenia plants that were being smothered by the bigger plants.

Now we can see the Gardenias and the new tree looks great!! Thanks Ben and Michael!

Ben's FIRST Dentist Visit

Today was our first dentist visit and I was shocked!!! Ben did GREAT!! I never would have thought that Ben would have sat there for so long and let the hygienist clean his teeth. She explained everything as she did it. She let him play with the instruments before she started working on his teeth.
Look at his shiny teeth!!!

Of course...you have to get prizes. Not to mention the one that mom and dad got you at Target before your dentist appointment!

Ben was so excited when we left...he left with a total of 3 prizes out of the bucket, a new toothbrush and toothpaste, a pizza coupon and an ice cream coupon! The boy made out like a bandit! I do have to admit..we go to the gentle dentist. I remember the metal pick that they would scrape my teeth with for what seemed like an eternity. After I got my braces off it was even worse...you would think that they would take the cement that had been on my teeth for 2 years off when they took the braces. I guess they just left it as a souvenir. I used to dread the dentist. I am so glad that Ben will have a much better experience.

Easter 2009

This year has been Ben's best as far as hitting the egg hunting circuit. Ben started his egg hunting season hunting eggs at school. We were off for Spring Break the week before Easter and Ben didn't miss a hunt! Here he is with his cousin Natalie hunting eggs at Nana and Poppa's house.
We planned a hunt for the kids on our street up at our playground. There were so many eggs!!

Every year Ben and Michael dye eggs. It used to be mostly Dad doing all of the work, but this year, Ben was big enough to do it all!

Ben was invited to another neighborhood hunt...this one where he was one of the youngest. There was tough competition...but he did a great job!!

The eggs that he and daddy dyed, along with the eggs he dyed with Nana, ended up hidden in the backyard. Luckily, Ben found them all--Or Cadillac would have in a few days.

Don't worry, Cadillac was not left out this egg hunting season. He found an EGGselent spot to lay on the sofa!

Painting with Dandelions

I saw this cute activity and we tried it today. All you have to do is pick a bunch of dandelions from the yard. Voila!! They turn into paintbrushes in an instant. It was really fun to see Ben work fast because the flowers start to close up pretty quick. He designated each one to be a certain color.

Ben figured out different painting techniques. He would dab some and then swirl some.

We decided to see what happened when you mixed the colors and also dipped the cut end of the stem in the paint.

Fun Saturday Morning!

It all started when Ben asked for some scissors to cut up some paper, then he decided to paint on the paper instead. Why is it every time he paints, he has to make a Christmas tree?? The rest of the masterpieces are drying on the island behind him. I highly recommend investing in these paints from Michael's or Hobby Lobby. They are washable and FUN!!!!!

In Ben's PreK class this week, they did two really cool science experiments. The first one is in the picture above. All you do is take 1/2 c. cornstarch and 1/4 c. water. Put it in a plastic bowl and mix it up. It turns into a STRANGE mixture that is a solid and a liquid at the same time. You can put your hands in it or stir it around with a spoon. The first time we made it was last night and I couldn't resist playing in it, too!

The other experiment was with m&m's and water. Put about an inch of water in a bowl. Drop about 4 m&m's into the water, leaving a space between each one. Watch what happens--the colors won't run together. If you put the candy m side up and leave it for a while, the m will float to the top. Don't tell your kids what will happen--let them discover as they go.