Some questions for the dentist

Benji's exam took twice as long as usual because he had quite a few things to tell the dentist.  After that was through, he had a number of questions for the hygienist about how the machines work.  Here she is patiently explaining them to him:

Abby's 4th Grade Science Night

Greenbrier's annual event for 3rd and 4th graders. Kids choose whether to compete in penny barge, straw tower building, paper airplane throw or egg drop.  After triumphing in egg drop last year, Abby decided to try her luck at penny barge.  Kids get a sheet of tin foil and a basin of water.  Whoever can stack the most pennies on their "barge" without sinking it wins (sunk boats score zero):

Amalia folding the foil into a boat

Abby stacking the pennies

Complete concentration

Should we stop?

Principal Kyner counting the pennies

The results are in - second place!

Abby's reaction to hearing how many pennies were on the first place barge

Watching the rest of the events with friends

Hannah, Phillip, Abby and Celia

Wonder what Abby and Phillip are discussing

Examining the foul line in the paper airplane throw

Another tooth bites the dust (and my Favorite PJs)

I mean, my favorite, not his.  I love when he wears them.  Here he is mugging his new gap for the camera:

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Ok, more than a week late. But the decorations are still up at our house:

Abby and Julia made a Leprechaun Hotel over the weekend and the wee creatures left some gold behind

We had a snow day!

Someone wrote on the dishwasher

Abby in her finest green

Benji found a gold coin tucked into his dresser

Girl Scout International Fair

At the Augusta Expo Center.  We dragged our visitors with us

Cut-outs at the Bahamas table

Trying scones from England

Making Carnival masks at Brazil

This one looked better in black and white

All the happy kids

Weekend Visitors

We had a busy weekend with visits from both the Lamy-Peterson clan and the LeWinter clan.  We dragged them to all sorts of special events we had on the calendar (separate post on that), but also had lots of fun just hanging out:

Purim 2014

We had guests to join us for the annual Purim Spiel and Carnival.

Abby, Sage, Julia, Benji, Aviva and Sophia in their costume finery

More on our weekend visitors tomorrow.

Ghost Town at Sundown

As part of this year's Big Read, the libraries are offering programs related to this year's theme: True Grit.  We noticed that one of the programs was "Magic Tree House: Ghost Town at Sundown" and signed Benji right up, as he is in love with that series (and has read all 52 books in it!).  The program was fantastic:

Children's librarian dressed as Morgan Le Fay. The kids are spinning in the tree house back to the Old West

Picking out his horse (which now lives in our playroom)

Ready to ride

Lassoing some cattle

Ready for the round-up

Panning for gold

He really loved the jail. And check out his shiny badge.

The Stores

The kids have been opening up shops left and right - in the house, in the yard.  Last Saturday, they even created a system of ATMS in the hallway so that we could get money to frequent their shops.  And the signs. The signs are everyone in the house:

Abby's Lanyard menu

Her slogan is buy it now, enjoy it later (?). Underneath, Benji's signs: "Book Store Open" "Buy it now. Read it later."

She was not amused that he copied her slogan

Jeweler Badge

Girl Scouts working on their Jeweler badge at Studio Baboo: