Kindergarten Authors' Tea

Last Friday, Caden's kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Cronuaer hosted an authors' tea for the kindergarten families. Each kindergartener read one of their stories selected by Mrs. Cronauer and the student. Mrs. Cronauer explained that story selection was based on presence of a plot and any special features (creativity, humor, surprise, etc.). Caden and his classmates worked hard on their stories and presentation skills. The hard work and practice paid off! It was such a special event!

Caden's turn...To come up to the front of the sanctuary in front of the families of 25 kindergarteners...Such a big deal! I wouldn't have wanted to do it at that age (or even my current age), but Caden did an excellent job. We are so proud of him!

Caden's story: My Day at the Zoo "One day I went to the zoo. I saw tigers and elephants. I also saw a leopard and a lobster. Then I went to the owls' cage. But when I got there the owls were going crazy because they saw Mrs. Kopp's IU shirt! Now that was funny! The zookeepers calmed them down."

Back story--Mrs. Kopp is the kindergarten aide. She is a HUGE Indiana University fan and alum. Of course, we are Illini fans. An Illini vs. Hoosier rivalry started after Caden wore an Illini t-shirt during the first week of school. Since then, Caden and Mrs. Kopp have teased each other about their team loyalties. Mrs. Kopp has attempted unsuccessfully to convert Caden into an IU fan. Caden's story brought laughter to the audience, and he was praised for coming up with the humorous twist to his story.

After listening to the stories, we attended a book signing and reception with tasty treats. Here is Caden with two of his best friends, Lauren and Joel.

Caden signing away

The kindergarteners loved this part of the event. Each family was given a book of the presented stories, and the students were able to sign each book. I'm sure their hands were worn out.

The authors (most of them) and Mrs. Cronauer

Mrs. Cronauer and Caden--What an amazing kindergarten teacher!

Mrs. Kopp (our favorite IU fan) and Caden, wearing his Illini shirt of course

Extremely proud parents with our little author

Caden finishes kindergarten in four days. How is that possible?!

Baby bump at 28 weeks

Here is a picture from week #28. Hard to believe that I'm already in the third trimester! Thankfully, Baby Boy has moved out of my ribs, so I'm feeling much more comfortable (for now).

Celebration Weekend

Last weekend, we celebrated Nana's birthday and Mother's Day.

The boys helped Nana open her early birthday presents.

They helped Nana open her Mother's Day gift too.

On Mother's Day, we spent the afternoon at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. We viewed some amazing pieces of art, including pieces by Monet, Renoir, and O'Keefe, and then we walked around the beautiful gardens.

I'm so lucky to be the mommy of wonderful little guys!