Where in the world have we been?

Today, thanks to Michael's, we visited the Bahamas! No, not really, but in our minds. The girls created wonderful koozies and lay pins. They had so much fun and all for under $1 each! It is usually hard to find cheap entertainment, but this was great. Our wonderful Michael's helper, Kelly, had everything we needed for the fun to begin. Since we were the only ones there, both girls were able to get some one on one time for art.
Upon completing our Bahama creations, we received passports. The neat thing is that the passports have the countries, dates, and art projects for the rest of the summer. Check out your local Michael's to let the fun begin! (You can find it on the website under the events tab!)
www.michaels.com

Magic Tree House Book Clubs

We have recently discovered this wealth of fun at our local Barnes and Noble bookstore. This summer they are hosting a weekly Magic Tree House event. For those of you who don't know what I am talking about, Magic Tree House is a book series for kids 5-9. They are rather quick reads with 10 chapters in each book. My daughter, Allie, loves them! We reread Lions at Lunchtime so that she would be up to speed to discuss at the book club. She had so much fun participating in the discussion. Brianna just enjoyed listening to parts of the story again from Mr. Z. After the discussion, we made a lion puppet to go with the book. What a great way to get kids excited about reading!
Now we have two weeks to reread Polar Bears Past Bedtime. Allie loves to be prepared!
One more thing, we got Magic Tree House passports. Every time that we complete the story, we get a stamp in our passports! You can check out the fun to be had at www.magictreehouse.com.

Breakfast with Olivia

If you know anything about my girls, you know that they love Olivia the Pig!! Mandy Rappe (Mr. R's wife) made Brianna's birthday cake with Olivia on top. So, when we heard that we could have breakfast with Olivia at our local Barnes and Noble, we rushed to sign up. Not only did we get to have breakfast with Olivia, but we also got to have our pictures taken and have a story time as well. We ended the morning with each girl selecting 2 books to purchase. I am happy to say that Allie has already finished reading her books (120 pages total!!).
To add to the fun, I got to share the excitement with one of my students! Thanks Victoria for taking a picture with me and Olivia! I had a great time with you!
What a great Saturday morning!

Zootastic is Fantastic!

On Thursday, June 23, the girls and I ventured to Lake Norman to a place called Zootastic. This was a zoo that I was not aware of. They are committed to educating people about animals. So, it is not just a zoo, it is educational and interactive. We received a personal tour. Our guide, Craig, told us about every animal on the property. He also let us pet and feed most of the animals. We pet: skunks, possum, ferret, kangaroo, birds, snakes, lizards, camels, goats, sheep, turtles, but not the yak. Allie likes to tell everyone that the yak does not like people, so you can't pet him. The most exciting animal for me was the baby white tiger. Yep, we got to pet that too! We ended our trip with fresh chicken eggs out of the coop.
This was the best zoo experience that I have ever had! Even better, it was completely free to us that day because it was teacher appreciation day. Teachers - this zoo is always free to you. Just show your id! check out the website at www.zootasticpark.com

Almost Summer . . .

The countdown has begun. Brianna has four more days, Allie has nine more days, and I have fifteen more days of school. I have spent many hours over the past few weeks developing a list of cheap and free activities to do this summer. You can find it on our school website at www.socratesacademy.us. It is listed under the "news" tab. If you are in the Charlotte area this summer, give us a call and we can visit one of the 80+ adventure spots listed.
I am so lucky to have a mother that lives close and wants to help out with the kids! Mom will be joining us on Friday for Brianna's pre-school graduation (although she will be there another year). Brianna will then go and spend a week at Nana's house. After that, Allie will join them for another week of fun at Camp Nana. The kids are home for two weeks and then off to the other grandparents for more summer camp fun!
Thank goodness for grandparents!

Where have we been?

So I guess that you can see, things have been busy at the Walters' house. In January, we had several snowdays and we missed 3 days of school. That was exciting, because we don't usually miss school due to snow. The girls built the largest snowman in our neighbor's yard. It was about 5 feet tall! We have also celebrated Allie loosing another tooth, Valentine's Day, and Mardi Gras. Hopefully, the pictures will work this time . . . I will try to put the video of Allie's most recent enrichment activity - The Umbrella. Enjoy!

December Fun

December seemed to come and go very quickly. Now, it is almost the end of January, and I find myself updating this for all of December and most of January! So, here it goes:
First, Brianna turned 4. She was so excited! Her favorite gift was the pink boots (just like her bff - Gracie). She wears them almost everyday to school. She also got everything Olivia (the pig). If it is pink, sparkles, is Olivia or Barbie - we must have it in our home! My friend Mandy made Brianna's birthday cake - Olivia. It was beautiful and yummy!
Next, we had our annual trip to have breakfast with Santa. Thank you Auntie M! As always, it was wonderful! This year we were seated in the same room with Santa. We had a blast sitting on his lap again and again. Good thing the photographer likes our little family! We also enjoyed having all of the boys go with us for the first time. My dad, Heath, and Mason were all able to attend. It was a neat treat.
Later that day, I got my Christmas present - a new washer and dryer. If you had asked me before kids if I would have liked appliances for gifts, I would have said no. But ask me now that I have 5 loads of laundry each week, and my answer will be yes! As Heath says, he gave me extra time for Christmas. It was the best gift ever!
We then went on to celebrate Christmas at our house with my family and then off to Heath's parent's house for Christmas with the Walters. That was fun being able to spend time with our 2 nephews and the new puppies. Brianna got another birthday celebration in Cary, NC and got a big girl bike.
Finally, we dropped the girls off with my parents and celebrated New Years in style. My sister got us tickets to the Mineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte, NC. Last but not least, we ended the year in true Walters style with our annual party at our house! Next year, if you are in the area, let us know. The more the merrier!
Pictures to follow soon, but for now, it is bath time for the girls!