Kate recital picture day

Or this post could also be titled

"My Daughter, the Las Vegas Showgirl"

 

 focus on the arm muscles, not the red lipstick

 

 I didn't pay for pictures so snuck this of the group while the photographer wasn't looking.....Kate is on the front row

 

I know, she looks adorable. Even if it makes her father and I uncomfortable.

 



Regional History Bee

On March 27th the three of us headed north to Des Moines Iowa for the Regional History Bee competition. Tess had taken a written exam and a computerized exam to qualify. We didn't know anything about this contest until we were told she had qualified to participate! There were three other 5th graders from her elementary that went. We got there a little early and decided to explore the Capitol building across the street.

Iowa States Capital



Iowa Supreme Court

 





Tess and I looking up at the beautiful rotunda ceiling. You can see our chins along the edges

 

USS Iowa display



Round two of the competition. Tess is in the front of the room up by the moderator.



 

Tess did great and had a good time. This ended up being a competition of 5th, 6th and 7th graders, so you can imagine the level of smarts that won the championship. Tess buzzed in for 12 questions (out of 90 total) and got 6 of them correct, which was the best of the four that went from our school. Here is the funny, twisted, ending to this story we thought had ended....this weekend we got a message from her teacher stating that the History Bee director had decided to make a separate tournament at the National competition for the elementary aged kids.

TESS QUALIFIED TO GO TO NATIONALS IN ATLANTA!!

and she doesn't want to go.

She got 2nd place at Regionals....answering only 6 questions correctly.

that tells you that the 5th graders were not a very strong presence at the Des Moines competition. Andy and I were a little disappointed that she didn't want to go, mostly because it is a once in a lifetime opportunity. The competition falls on the same week as our annual family trip to Bennett Spring and more importantly to Tess, it is the week of Middle School Orientation! In my mind I was planning a longer vacation to include the beaches at Gulf Shores! 

Home Is Where the Water Is

Earlier this week, Andy noticed a water spot in the basement. After some investigating he determined it was coming from a water line that starts in the girls upstairs bathroom. After some demolition of the tile in the bathroom floor and my closet, they found that the trim carpenter accidently shot nails through the hot water line. My pretty house is back to being under construction. Now we have to schedule the sheetrock guy, the paint guy, the plumber guy, the trim guy(?), and Andy the tile guy.

Glad we found it sooner than later....could have caused some major damage. Evidently the dust from the cutting was so thick today that it set the smoke detectors off at one point....my poor pretty things.

Nails into the pipe

 

holes in my closet wall

 

Easter 2013

I know! Aren't they so cute?

Emptying Easter eggs after the hunt

Andy threw a plastic Easter egg at Jane and accidently hit her in the eye. It bothered her all afternoon. One of the aunts asked her what she needed to make it feel better....she told them she needed an eye patch. Voila! One eye patch made out of a paper Easter bag and some scotch tape.

Amelia--almost 2!

Reason #2 why we built this house...family get togethers. Reason #1 is in the first picture of this post.