Arbor Day at Waite Park Community School

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Farm Field Trip

Here are Archer and his buddy, William, on the bus and very excited about going to the Hugo Animal Farm. We had a wonderful time! What a great field trip, especially for the kids who have never really been out of the city. One of Archer's classmates, Jerremeesha, told me on the way home that she had never been to a farm, and now she wants to be a farmer. She loved the piglets.

The farmers told us how they take care of their animals, what kind of chickens lay which kind of eggs (did you know that eggs come in every color in the rainbow?), how often they sheer their sheep, etc. The kids went on a hay ride, took a hike in the woods, and got to hold kittens and puppies that had recently been born in one of the barns. Many of them fell asleep on the way home...what a great day to volunteer at Waite Park School! Yeah for PTA-funded field trips!

So Just How Tall is Archer?

Archer's kindergarten class had a field trip today to a farm in Hugo...it was wonderful...more on that later. I got this great photo that so clearly illustrates how much taller Arch is than the rest of the kids his age. It's significant. Luckily, it doesn't seem to bother him at all, and

Yes, no more photos have been taken since May Day

I just couldn't not include this picture that Todd took of Cole and Archer painting a huge puzzle piece together at Powderhorn Park after the parade on Sunday. I wasn't there for this (I was waiting in line for the port-a-potty for, like, 45 minutes), but I guess the pieces will all be fitted together for some sort of public art piece.

This Friday I'm going along with Archer's class on a field trip to a farm in Hugo (yes, the Hugo where his Nana and Papa live). It will be a LONG bus ride, but I'm hoping to get lots of good photos of my kindergarten friends. I've volunteered in all three kindergarten classes at Waite Park throughout the year, so I know almost all of the kids. They are so much fun!

Saturday is the big Friends' School Plant Sale at the fairgrounds, and Sunday (Mother's Day), we're going to the Shepherd's Harvest Sheep and Wool Festival at the Washington County fairgrounds. Yes, that is what I want to do on Mother's Day. I want to pet llamas and buy hand-dyed yarn. And eat lamb-burgers, while Todd shops for locally farmed goat meat. Yes, I do...really!

More May Day Fun

Todd took this picture of Cole, Archer & Kefelin taking part in the May Day parade action as the interactive gigantic spiderweb went by. The spiders were somehow related to our burgeoning green economy or some such thing...very inspiring, I'm sure...but the kids just thought it was cool.

This is Kefelin and Archer waiting for the May Day parade to begin on Sunday. Kefelin lives only about a block away from us, but we didn't realize it until we met his family at the parade sitting with a large contingent of Northeast neighborhood folks that we ran into completely by accident.

A good time was had by all. For more pictures of the parade, see my facebook page. It's a fabulous event every year...full of seasonal good cheer and lots of community spirit.

On Saturday we went geocaching at William O'Brien State Park. Archer is doing his "old man" impression here in the Visitor's Center. The more hearty among us (Todd, Archer & Nana) hiked while Papa and I drove. It was a beautiful day and there were many wildflowers coming up all over the woods. Finding the cache was more difficult than we thought it would be and we required help from some passing children who were much more used to the whole geocaching culture than we.

What an action shot! That's Archer dancing around with his friend, Julia, as they watch They Might Be Giants - Here Come the ABCs. We had Julia over while her mom and dad took her little sister to urgent care after she slammed her head into a shovel while playing. Julia lives next door and is in first grade at St. Charles. She and Archer play together almost every day and he prefers only his cousins to her as playmates. This is a huge compliment for Miss Julia because there is no one in the world that Archer loves more than his cousins (Lauren, Madison & Keaton) in California. They have become the stuff of legends in our household.

Family Movie Night at Archer's school. These are , Erika and Evelyn. It's a cute picture so I had to post it...and . They are extremely sweet girls from his kindergarten class. I don't think he caught a second of Madagascar 2. He sure ate a lot of popcorn, though.

Last week Archer got his first cavity filled. Todd got this great picture of him in the chair. Evidently it went well. No crying, no pain....our dentist is awesome. Thank you Isles Dental on Hennepin & 26th! (BTW, the only dental practice I know of that is entirely female.)