Brownie Bridging Ceremony

Caroline participated in the bridging to Brownies ceremony last night. Bridging is when a girl scout moves from one level to another (in her case Daisies to Brownies). This ceremony was planned and decorated by the girls and it was wonderful.

Caroline's American Girl dolls set the mood as our guests came into the room.

We told the Brownie Story and did the "twist me turn me show me the elf, I looked in the mirror and saw myself" part of the story with each girl.

They then crossed the bridge to the waiting brownies (the older girls in my troop) and received their new vest and did the GS handshake. Super sweet. The vests were presewn and put together by one of the moms in the troop so all the badges the girls had earned were already sewn on! Caroline will be wearing my brownie pin on her uniform.

All my girls received a membership pin and a bag of awards that they had earned this year.

After our ceremony, we had a little party to celebrate everything these girls had accomplished and learned this year. I am very proud of them for sticking with it and planning such a great ceremony.

To top off the night, Caroline lost her second annual "last week of school" tooth!

C's first skating show

We are finally there. Caroline had her first skating show this weekend. I am so proud of her. She really practiced hard and paid attention during lessons. She seems to love to skate- Friday after dress rehearsal (at 7:30) the club still had 30 minutes of paid ice and we could not get Caroline off the ice.

Caroline's group was first up. This is the video from dress rehearsal. C had a hard time with the turn all week and fell at the same place each time. But at the real thing, she nailed it! During the circle part, C gives a little shove to each girl as they go under the bridge. This is funny to me everytime I see it.



Caroline had lots of friends and family come up to the show. It was really neat to see that support for a 30 second viewing. Her best friend Maddy was super excited for her and kept asking after C skated when she would come out again. During finale, Maddy stood at the glass screaming Caroline's name. C stopped at our section and blew kisses.

Grandma Mary took lots of pictures from the press box and I will post those as I get them. Grandpa Jim and I played the "who skated to that" game (my favorite family trivia game) as the other skaters came out. He did pretty well for not having been subjected to viewing the skating shows over and over agian as Jill and I like to do.

Caroline was extremly proud of herself when I finally corraled her post show. She was wound up and wanted to tell us every detail of her day. "It is very scary to skate on the ice in the dark, but then they turn the lights on and you can skate.", "Makeup is not to make you pretty. Makeup is to make the people see your pretty eyes when the lights shine in your face." "panty check? but mom, I'm not wearing panties!", "Can I be in the winter show? Can I?"

It was a long day for all. I put C to bed around 8 (an hour after her normal bedtime) and she told me she was going to stay up and wait for daddy to come down and give her kisses. Three minutes later when Hunter got there, she was sound asleep.

The official photographer

Check out the official website for pictures. A photographer was taking pictures all week at practice and at the show. I will get my stuff posted soon. Wednesday night Caroline was wearing a turquoise sweatsuit. Friday and Sunday she is in a purple dress.

The password is purple99.

Misty Meadows Girl Scout camp

Last weekend my co-leader and I took five of our scouts real camping for the first time. We went to Misty Meadows camp in Conroe (about 90 miles away). This is a horse camp with lots of pasture land and horses for the kids to love on. Of course as luck would have it, we had HORRENDOUS storms the night before we left and the day of our drive and the horses were on "vacation" to get ready for summer resident camps.

But, our girls had a great time learning about the horses from the other side of the fence and even made stick ponies (out of sticks, waterbottles and socks). They all want to go back again!

Happy Mother's day

This was at the Mother's Day tea and fashion show Caroline and I attended. Shown are Caroline, her American Girl Kaylee (Thank you Grandma Mary for the doll and Grandma Becky for the dresses) and C's friend Kaitlyn.

first fieldtrip

as told by Caroline

The ride to the one room school house was fun. We went by school bus (Mommy explanation: Trinity has a short bus that the assistant principal drives). When we got there we had snack.

The teacher rang the bell and let us in. Girls enter first then boys. it is good manners. We took roll and said the pledge of allegiance. It was 1893 rules in the school and the flag wasn't finished.

Handwriting was hard. We used a pen and an inkwell. nobody dipped my braids in the ink which was good. I ruined my copy book because i used too much ink.

We practiced for a spelling bee, did reading lessons. The big kids in the back read first (M E: the chaperones were dubbed "seniors" of the school and had to follow the rules and participate )

Nobody had to stand with their nose in the circle (M E: the ORSH form of punishment for not following the rules).

We went outside for recess and played the hoop stick game and jacks. The hula hoop was heavy and hard to keep up.

We wore gloves and went into a museum to touch old things. We had to wear gloves so we would not take the pretty shine off the things.

I wore my prairie dress (M E: My grandma made this dress for me to wear on my first day of first grade. C loved it!) and carried my lunch in my pail. I had a jelly sandwich because Grandma Grace said that is what she took to her one room school house job (M E: My Grandma Grace taught in a ORSH). I had an apple and some carrots and some graham cracker cookies because Grandpa Norbert said that is what a good mommy sent to school. I took a bandana for my napkin.

M E: a friend took lots of pictures and video so I will post updates when they come in.

wildflower weekend

We were at the deer lease this weeekend with Hunter's uncle Rob and cousin Grace. C and Grace had a great time exploring (and killing cactus with their walking sticks)

We did lots of hiking and found the following sights.
We left the gate open at the house and the runaway cows found their way into the yard. C, Grace and Cia chased them around the house, off the porch and out the gate.

On a walk down the dry creek, Hunter spotted this Great Horned Owl sitting on a nest along the creek wall. She did not move a feather as we all walked by, but slowly turned her head to watch us as we walked away. Incredible!!

Giant Swallowtail butterflies on a Persimmon tree. These butterflies were in a section of the creek that held water. I watched one fly over the creek and lond and when my eyes adjusted I realized it landed in a tree full of them.