Rainbow Puddle

It's been raining like crazy around here and our cafeteria / gym is separate from our classrooms so every day on the way to lunch we wind around in a maze and try to find our way through the puddles. Today there was some gas or oil in a puddle and the kids noticed that there were colors in the water. One of them said, "Oh, I get it. That's where rainbows come from!" All the other students nodded in agreement. "It's a rainbow puddle."

You Might Be From a Small Town If:
You can name everyone you graduated with.
You get a whiff of manure and think of home.
You know what 4-H is.
You ever went cow-tipping.
School gets cancelled for state sporting events.
You have ever gone home for Homecoming.
You fix up to go buy milk lest anyone starts the rumor that you have gained weight or quit taking care of youself.
No place sells gas on Sunday.
You have to drive an hour to buy a pair of socks.
It was cool to date someone from the neighboring town.
You ordered your waredrobe out of a catalog.
You had senior skip day.
The whole school went to the same party after graduation.
You don't give directions by street names or house numbers, but you give directions by references (turn by Marty's house, go two blocks past Sanderson', and it's four houses left of the track field).

How I know I live in the country:

"Teacher, what's a mall?"

Isn't she beautiful? 

Paul puts our Christmas Tree up.  

Horses on a frosty morning from our bedroom window 

Thanksgiving meal 

Thanksgiving weekend hiking trip 

Kindergartener: I'm really, really tired. I stayed up really late last night.
ME: Oh really? How late?
Kindergartener: Sixteen o'clock.

It's pretty blurry, I know, but this is what happened to our school bus the other day. 

Welcome Emmaleigh Danielle!!! Congratulations Jeff and Alysun!!! 

Today when I was driving to the gym I noticed that our town Christmas decorations are up - giant candy canes and wreaths. Christmas is here!!!

"Gettin' shots is the worstest thing that could happen to ya."
-Kindergartener

My brother Dan is in Mexico for a whole year working with teams building houses. 

Pacific Madron, Point Defiance Park 

Museum of Glass  

Museum of Glass, Tacoma WA 

Today we were learning the song "America the Beautiful" because we are singing it with the rest of the school for a Veteran's Day Assembly. I was explaining the words as best I could (try that one) and I got to the part about "alabaster cities gleam":

ME: Now say the word "alabaster" with me.
KINDERGARTENER: But teacher, my mom doesn't allow me to say that word.

KINDERGARTENER: "When I grow up, I'm going to be a scientist and make antedotes."

These are the deviled "spiders" that I made for our staff halloween potluck. Don't ever try this. It takes much longer than you would think.