7th grade Bible Ceremony

on september 14th, 7th graders at harding were presented bibles with their names engraved. it was a really special ceremony, much like a graduation. however, they entered the stage from the left. the idea is that when they graduate as seniors, they will walk across the stage from the right holding the same bible that has guided them through their journey. the seniors even formed a circle around them in candlelight and sang a song.
taegan and molly
of course, that's my daughter in the middle...not paying any attention.
collin, parker, manuel, taegan, isabelle, and kameryn

st. agnes/st.dominic dance

the kids were invited by one of manuel's teammates, bradley. he attends st. dominic. the dance is an 8th grade fundraiser. i didn't want taegan to be the only girl with a bunch of soccer guys (though that's usually how it is around here), so she invited some friends. can't believe how grown up they are!
payton, carson, taegan, isabelle, manuel, and ethan
tell me that's not my daughter!!

first day riding the bus

first day of seventh grade...and to ride the bus! i cried. are you surprised?
manuel, taegan, and molly
big day ahead of them...new bus, new school, new friends, new classes

3rd graders at kingsbury

my class "looped" from last year. this means that we all moved from second to third grade together. i got a few new students, but most of my class came back. the first week of school is always exciting...getting reacquainted with others and talking a lot about themselves. one of the great things about looping is that after the first week we can hit the ground running. i don't have to spend six weeks figuring out each child's learning style and their individual reading levels. i already know! here are a few pictures from our first week together.
waiting to go home...
all about "me in a bag"
the kids love to be the center of attention and talk about themselves. i love hearing them speak!
this was a project where the students had to create a poster that illustrated a rule he/she felt was important for our school or class. interesting part was that i gave each group 2 googly eyes, one pipe cleaner, one foam sheet, and one yellow puff ball that had to be incorporated in some way. it was clever to see how they were used.
here's another group's project.
it takes "teamwork" to put together a puzzle.
i love watching them work together!
after reading "chrysanthemum" we made "name art". i thought they turned out great!
this is a great class!
using the letters for "third grade", the students had to make as many words as possible.
to celebrate our "3rd day of third grade", we did a lot of activities pertaining to the number 3. here, the girls are pulling out dominos to see if the two numbers can be added or subtracted to make 3.
after reading "whoever you are", we chose faces that matched our skin color to tell how we are all different, yet the same.
the whole class worked together to piece together the book "rezoom". i absolutely loved watching their minds turn!

4th of july

cookout at mama kay and pop's house with andy, natalie, quentin, and evy
she's looking so grown up. starting 7th grade this year.
cooper's first roman candles
two sparklers at once...this is about as risky as we, allens, get.
chris and his brother, andy
cooper used to be too scared to hold sparklers. he has a fear of fire...good boy. but this year he got much braver.

silver dunes in destin, fl

life doesn't get much better than waking up to the pacific ocean in mexico one day and the gulf of mexico the next. i flew straight into pensacola from cabo to spend the week with my parents, my kids, and lots of other family and friends. unfortunately, chris had to return home to work...couldn't justify two weeks in a row.
taegan and manny played beach volley with clint brown (cbu men's soccer coach).
cooper and billy "muffin man" pass out cupcakes to all the little kids at the condos. this has been a tradition for many years.
manny found the tennis ball at george's traditional "beer dig".
me and manny
me with T
me and coop
me and the three best kids i know
taegan and kalin halbach
manuel, jackie, taegan, cooper, haley, jarrett, and austin after playing putt-putt at big kahuna's
push-ups in the sand
lauren, cooper, kalin, taegan, jackie, ellie, and haley
1st place winners in the sand castle contest
taegan and jackie woitesek
heading home...until next year!

cabo, san lucas

chris an i took a much needed and long overdue trip this summer...no kids!! this past winter some great friends of ours called and asked if we'd be interested in going to cabo with three other couples (carlocks, chapmans, and linders). at first we turned down the offer (which was quite inexpensive) knowing we should focus our time and money on fundraising efforts for manuel and education. but after much thought, we decided it was finaly time to focus on ourselves. as selfish as it felt, we knew it was what we needed!

as the time got closer, we realized we'd probably never do something like it again, so we packed our itinerary with all we could...sightseeing, scuba diving, swimming with dolphins, snorkling, and sailing.

it was a trip i'll always cherish!

this was the view from our casa cascadas.
somebody pinch me. is this real?
the house was decorated beautifully.
dinner at "mi casa" with the carlocks, chapmans, and linders.
2 for 1 margharitas with holly and tammy!!
"come on! jump in and snorkel with me!!"
lunch with the girls, serenaded by the mariachi band.
sunset cruise with "cabo sailing". may be the most romantic evening of my life.
i thought i was going to fall off this sailboat! i may be smiling, but i was freaking out!
lunch on the beach at "the office"
dinner at "sunset pointe"
sailing into the sunset past lover's beach in the sea of cortez
ready for a night out in the town!
swimming with the dolphins! this was chris's favorite!