meet the parents?

This morning, when I went to do Toby and Tina chores, I discovered 2 eggs in their pen.  We collected them and I will contact my friend and colleage, Jane Coles to see what to do with them.  So exciting!

arts, academics & athletics

Good Hope School is the home of Arts, Academics and Athletics.  Anders and Kathryn have artwork on exhibition at the GHS art show.  Anders just had his intermediate grades concert.  It has been a great year for Arts, Academics and Athletics. 

Anders drawing/painting Martin Luther King Jr.

Kathryn's shape spaceship

jasmine

I have been smelling an intoxicating smell on campus and in our yard from time to time.  I was told by several faculty members at Good Hope that I was smelling Jasmine. 

In order to get a good view of the Jasmine, Anders, Kathryn and I went on the roof of the house to get a new vantage point

How many siblings would be so nice to each other?

Love this vista

Osten saying "what about me?"  He didn't get an opportunity to be on the roof...my heart is thankful for that. 

open slate

This weekend is yet another weekend of endless possibilities.  I believe we are going to find some local lobster to prepare and feast upon. 

I'm thinking a north shore beach will also be a destination for our family. 

Keepin it real...

the stonehouse

It breaks my heart that Osten will be leaving one of the MOST incredible places to spend his day.  The Stonehouse Preschool has been his place to hang for the past school year.  He still has the month of May to bask in the sunshine/mud/calm/media-free wonderful atmosphere of the Stonehouse Preschool.

Sarah sent me a photo of Osten and I am summarizing her text:  Osten really wanted to see this bunny, so found a bucket to stand on to see over the fence.  Instead of putting it right side up, he put it upside down and stood inside. 

It has been a grand experience for the littlest Mr. Olson.

benefit for Haiti

Back in February, our family volunteered at a benefit for Haiti at Bruce and Matilde Wilson's place in the rainforest.  Kathryn, Zabie and Bruce were dancing here to the band Stanley & the Ten Sleepless Nights.  The Ten Sleepless Nights kept trying to recruit Osten into the band as he was a great dancer as well.

St. Croix bucket list

Brad and I have yet to publish our bucket list for St. Croix, but here are a few of my ideas 1. Turtle watching 2. Scuba diving 3. Hike to the lighthouse at Hamm's Bluff 4. Tide pools 5. Family photo taken by Haley by the Carribean sea 6. Kayak at Salt River 7. Celebrate Anders' 11th birthday 8. Celebrate Osten's 2nd birthday The list needs to get dates assigned as our days are numbered...we now have tickets for June 18!

happy earth day!

Kindergarten class plants with our ocean view in the background.  What a wonderful world in which we live.  My wish is that it exists for many years to come.

walking tacos

In our classroom we usually cook something that starts with the letter of the week that we are studying.  This week, we studied the letter "w".  I introduced the classroom to walking tacos.  HUGE hit.  Here is Joshua browning the turkey burger while I supervised and Shenell snapped the photo. 

We plan on publishing a Kindergarten cookbook similar to the one made by the Kindergarten class of 1978-79.  I will never forget my Mother laughing outloud at the recipes it contained.  When I became a 4th grader, I read the cookbook again and found it to be quite amusing too. 

Keepsake for sure. 

field trip

Today our class took a fieldtrip to the Ridge to Reef Sustainable Farm and then onto the Snack Stand petting zoo. Brad came along for the experience and enjoyed himself very much. When all was said and done, the kids enjoyed the petting zoo and the adults preferred the sustainable farm (six adults thirteen kids).

Ridge to Reef

Inside of their main building

cool chicken

several Kindergarten class members and a class Momma

bamboo grew rampant on the farm

a treehouse where people live

touring the farm

enjoying a smoothie at the snack stand

Me belly bawlin'

To quote the book Callalou "me belly bawlin". The St. Croix Food and Wine Experience was a tastetation. Lovely location and delicious food. Caren watched the kids while Brad and I enjoyed an evening out together.

we saw my favorite island car--the yellow Toyota with the Unconditional Love and Bless banners in the lot at Divi

st. croix food and wine experience

Tomorrow night Brad & I are headed to Divi Carina Bay for the St. Croix Food and Wine Experience

a view of previous years festivities

planting

Today in our classroom, I brought out the potting soil and the kids were so excited. We are planning quite a garden.

Happy Birthday Dear Darrell

Happy birthday to the dynamic Darrell Quintana!

5 kids

For the past 4 days, we have had 2 extra kids. Rory and Charlie are incredible kiddos and the hours in pool and Kathryn giggling have been priceless. These days will be excellent memories of St. Croix for our family.

footloose

This afternoon, Kathryn, Anders, Charlie, Rory & I went to the play Footloose at Country Day school. It was really well done and fun to hang out together.

first school picture

Baby Osten had his first school pictures at Stonehouse.  I think it's kind of funny that his name was written as Sten.  One of the first times it will be misspelled in his lifetime :)

Don't you just love those dimples?  and his war wound from toppling from Anders' bed?

championship game

Anders' soccer team played for the St. Croix Elementary Soccer Championship yesterday at the Country Day soccer field. The final score was 3-1. Country Day first place, Good Hope second. Anders was just fine with the outcome. He's an optimist-- I love that kid.

lightening bugs in April

Ray from the Disney movie--The Princess and the Frog

Tonight our family was enjoying a Venus lit dip in the pool (no moon visible in the sky) when we spied a lightening bug flashing around the pool. 

It was really fun to look up at the starlit sky and see Venus, Mars, the 7 sisters, big dipper, Orion and several unknown constellations.  This all stems from our sky watching evening in St. John at Cinnamon Bay.  ahh................................

The Kindergarten class has started a unit on the Earth--how to care for it and also being a member of our galaxy and universe.  We sang a song today called Mr. Sun--which several of the class knew by heart.

We have such a fun and energetic group.  I will miss them dearly next year.

gongolo

One of the words in Osten's expanding vocabulary is gongolo. If we were in Wisconsin, that word would not have been one of his first 50 words.



Kathryn and the 3 3/4 inch gongolo crawling on our wall in January 2012

 So cool.

capoeira

Kathryn started a new class today.  Capoeira is taught on Tuesdays after school in the Good Hope pavillion.  Here is a definition of what capoeira is: 

Capoeira is a unique Brazilian art form that combines martial arts, dance, music and acrobatics. In Capoeira classes, students develop physically, emotionally, and mentally as they train, learn to play traditional instruments, sing in Portuguese, and apply their training in an exciting improvised "game" that helps students develop their strength, creativity, courage, and self-expression.

What is Capoeira?

Capoeira was developed in Brazil, but its history extends to Africa and tribes from Angola. Slaves living on Brazilian plantations who weren't allowed to openly practice self-defense developed an ingenious method of disguising their training by combining it with dance-like movements, singing, and the rhythms of primitive instruments. The result was a "game" of fluid ground movements, spinning kicks, and daring acrobatics set to the energetic clapping and singing of spectators. Capoeira has evolved over centuries into an exciting combination of martial arts, dance, acrobatics, and live music.

Kathryn's instructor said she is very natural and has a lot of gymnastic potential.  We shall see.  She is enjoying it very much.

cheers to 4 day weekends

What a fantastic weekend we enjoyed.  We did get to Jack and Issac's Bay WOW, we did get to Easter Sunday service at Holy Trinity WOW and we spent countless hours in the pool.

LOVED EVERY MINUTE

happy Easter!

Kindergarten Easter baskets

Happy Easter everyone!  This moring Kathryn found her basket in the oven, Osten in the buffet and Anders found his in the towel basket.

Kathryn had the movie Enchanted, eggs, peeps, chocolate bunny and a Laloopsie doll that looks like a mermaid
Osten found the Chipwrecked movie, eggs,  chocolate bunny, chocolate eggs and a Thomas boat
Anders found a Harry Potter movie, eggs, chocolate bunny, chocolate eggs and an MP3 player

We went to church and the kids sang a great song--Run Come See and we heard a great message by Dr. Love.

He is risen--He is risen Indeed!

color my world

Osten woke me up this morning by rolling his Big Wheel into our bedroom and saying "Good Morning" in Osten language.  We then went to the breakfast nook together to have some Wheat Chex.  Kathryn was already up and working in her school workbook when Osten declared that he wanted to "tee"--see--and also wanted to color. 

I brought out the baby markers and wahlah...we have a 3rd color maker in our family.

becoming a swimmer

Today Osten, Anders, Kathryn and I were swimming in the pool together.  Osten was hanging out on his top step--a really nice wide step that goes in to our pool.  Anyway, he started swimming from one side to the other.  Putting his head in the water and swimming from side to side. 

Momma is so proud of her 98 week old baby boy!

easter weekend

Our family is facing a 4 day weekend. I am thrilled to be planning very little other than church activities and rest and relaxation.

We are really starting to define the activities we want to pack into these last 2 months on St. Croix. Tide pools, Jack & Issacs, the lighthouse, the St. Croix food and wine experience, turtle watching, playdates, a family photo by Haley...bitter and very sweet.

little reader

Osten has been enjoying reading this little book by Gyo Fujikawa--Little O is such a dear!

Happy birthday lovely Joan

Happiest of birthdays to sister Joan Lee Blomgren. We love you and aere looking forward to seeing you this summer!

Joan and Cory at the Frederiksted fort

happy birthday Ross Issac!

Our handsome and gregarious Godson, Ross Issac is turning 14 today.  Happy Birthday to you!

April fool

This morning, I wracked may brain to thinkng of a good April Fools joke for our family, but wasn't successful. Kathryn told us that pastor Love would be back at church and then said "April fools". Lo and behold, when we got to church, there was Dr. Love.

We participated on a cool Frederiksted tradition with a procession following a man dressed as Jesus riding on a donkey and we waved palm fronds. A steel drum band played this is the day that the Lord has made and we followed "Jesus" to the park next to the sea and had a short service. Loved being a part of it. Our days are numbered here in St. Croix, so we are trying to live as much as possible.