A Ticket To....

the movies and college?!
The school had an essay contest this month where they asked the students to write about the importance of going to college (from what they know at the elementary level). The teachers made the essay part of the daily assignments, and had them write the essays during class time. Emily came home SO excited last week after she found out that she won 2nd place in the contest!! She won a $10 movie pass booklet (which we quickly put to use over the weekend to see Shrek the Third). I'm so proud of Emily....thought she did a great job on the essay (below)....after all, she's only 10!
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May 14, 2007
Have you ever thought about why college is so important? Well, I've thought about it and wrote a paragraph with three reasons why college is so important. First, in college you can get a good degree and education. You can get a good job by studying hard and learning about what you want to be. If you get a degree, you might even be able to get paid a little more than if you don't have one.
Now for the education. In college, you can learn lots of new things and get smarter. Second, college is basically when you become an adult. Usually in college you have your own little apartment or you share a room with a roommate. Either way, you have to take care of yourself. You have to get a good job and make enough money to go out to a store and get groceries and clothes. Your mom probably isn't going to be there to feed you or dress you. In college, it is your responsibility to take care of yourself.
Last, college reveals your future and what's ahead for you. When you are in college, you have to decide what you are going to be. You may not know in elementary school, but you have to decide in college. I think college is the most important stage in people's lives.
Obviously, college is very important, and you should spend your time wisely studying for it when it's your time to go (to college).
_written by Emily R.

and More....

a few more hummingbird pics. For some reason, I wasn't able to upload all of them at once.

Hummingbirds

We visited mom (way out in the country, in the middle of nowhere...really) for Mother's Day this past weekend. Since it was so nice outside, we spent a lot of time just visiting and sitting on the front porch, while the kids played. Mom is a big nature lover and has all kinds of plants around her home to attract butterflies and hummingbirds. She also has a few of the nectar filled feeders for the hummingbirds. While we visited, several of the little birds buzzed around my head, so I grabbed my camera to take a few pics of them. These little guys are SO fast that it's hard to get a picture, but I got a few shots I was happy with.

The girls attended a friend's garden themed birthday party a few weeks ago. At the party, they were given a pie pan filled with dirt and instructed to sprinkle grass seeds in the shape of their initials. They were so excited to bring their little "garden" home and watch it grow. It was only a couple of days before we saw green, and this is what they had at the end of only one week. Their initial grass was 5 inches tall! They also put seeds into a clear plastic zip bag and taped it to the window.....we now have a few bean and corn plants as well. :-)