Tigard Festival of Balloons

 It's that time of year again - Balloon Festival!  We took the girls down for the afternoon at the carnival, then went back at night for the Night Glow.  They only rode a few rides this year, but had a blast running around the field.

When we first arrived, both girls bolted for the "Lost Children" booth.

Kurt took the girls through the Rat Race Maze.

Jocie on the big slide.

Kate followed along quickly.

Of all the thrills and excitement that the carnival had to offer, both girls liked this little music playing chicken the best.  We sat and listened to him squawk the "Chicken Dance" for a good portion of the day.

The girls discovered an abandoned golf cart that they took over quickly.

Twins at their first Night Glow.

Hot air balloons being inflated.

Lighting up!

J&K watching the activity from our blanket.

Jocelyn loves Hunter.

Cool panda balloon.

It's getting darker and later.

Kate and Kurt snuggling during a hydration break.

The fam with our neighbors, Zach and Hunter.

First Grade Firsts

The girls had a great year as full time grade school students.  They handled the 6 hour day like champs and learned so much.  They now know their own names and they know each other's name.  So exciting!  We had wonderful teachers and our 1:1 aides are all amazing.  Here is some video footage of the girls at school - first is Jocelyn doing some math, then Kathryn doing a word comprehension exercise, then a very quiet video that shows Jocelyn reading.  It is so thrilling to see them performing at school!

Here are some pictures of the end of the school year.  We had two events - Family Day and Field Day. I got to spend some time in their classroom on Family Day and then outdoors on Field Day.

Both girls wanted hugs and snuggles when I arrived for Family Day.

K&J (with Marci) on the playground.

Kate working on her caterpillar project.

Jocie with her completed caterpillar!

The girls have been working on their handwriting this year.  They started out only writing their names with hand over hand (HOH) help. By the end of the year, they are able to write their names all by themselves!

Here are a few snaps of Field Day.  The girls participated in a few rotations along with their classmates.

Kathryn tried to get in a sack for the sack race, but wanted out right away.

Jocie hung out in her sack for a while, but did not race.

The parachute was the biggest hit with both girls.

Here is a little raw video of two happy girls playing parachute.

The Planets

I finally got Kathryn on film reciting the planets.

New Swing Set

This summer we set out to create a backyard swing set that our girls will be able to use for years to come.  They love to swing more than anything else in the world.  My dad came up with a clever and unique idea for building a sturdy and functional structure that connects to the side of the house and one of our big trees.  Then he and Kurt, with an assist from my Uncle Steve and Uncle Earl, tackled the project and had the swing set up within one weekend.  We have some finishing touches to put on, but the girls might not ever let us get close enough to work on it again.  They can't get enough of this new backyard entertainment.

Here is a little video of the project, from start to finish.  We even got some footage of the boys testing the strength of their work.

Kurt giving the girls big pushes - check out Kathryn's hair flying up.

Right side up isn't any fun. Kathryn must try swinging upside down as well.

Jocelyn is a happy and daring swinger as well.

Gappy smiles and happy kids.