Grown up now...

Well, last year she wasn't successful. Not one made it. But, she learned a lot! AND this year everyone made it! Hopefully next year she will build her nest somewhere else because we're going to change up that column!

F-O-U-R!

My B.B. King is four today! I can't believe it! It seems like yesterday that Shad and I drove to Burnsville, MS to meet the breeder. Shad loves telling the story on how I picked Blue out from the car as I yelled, "I hope the brown one is a BOY." We should have known that he was going to be trouble when he was the only pup running around, laying in the large water dish, and then rolling in the mud...and if that wasn't a big enough HINT of trouble, we should have realized it when the breeder had to bathe him before we could bring him home! Ahhhh, memories. And if he escapes like he did two days ago...you can still find him in the water. Now it's just the country club's lake. Oh how I do love that furry hunk of love! Happy birthday, Blue!

silly girls and crawfish

I love crawfish! When I think of crawfish I think of college. I remember having a Super Bowl party at my apartment and learning to suck the heads of the nasty little creatures... I love them. I will eat them all day long, but I won't touch alive one!!! That's way too scary.

We've been to several crawfish parties this spring. Lane and Kendall asked us to come over Friday night to enjoy crawfish again. I was so excited! Definitely the excitement of the weekend for me! I took this cute picture Lane and Kendall's little girl, Sydney and her cousin. These are some brave girly girls! I don't know if you can tell, but Sydney has on her Ariel dress and both of the girls are holding live ones! I'm not sure, but I don't think the real Ariel would have been chowing down on crawfish like the Ariel at the party. :)

special request

I've had a special request to add the math practice test portion of the MCT2. So here it is...

http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/acad/osa/MCT2/new_practice/G3_Math_PT2.pdf

and the answer key...

http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/acad/osa/MCT2/new_practice/Grade_3_Math_Key.pdf

Growing pumpkins...

We are growing giant pumpkins this year...all of them will be ready in October.

These giant pumpkins have been growing for two weeks...and will be the winners in Shad and his brother's Giant Pumpkin Contest 2010. Sorry Brad...we are going to win.

And....our other pumpkin is becoming a giant! I'm seventeen weeks and HUGE. We find out if our pumpkin is a girl or boy on May 17th!

Just for Blue...

a princess had great intentions to make herself a princess pallet in castle's living room floor.

the princess collected all the right princess necessities...

four king sized pillows, her grandmother's quilt, and her snuggie.

as she was preparing her princess pallet a huge dragon broke into the princess' space

and collapsed.

it seemed to be a very weary dragon.

the dragon stumbled over and collapsed on

what was going to be a start of a fabulous pallet.

the princess struggled as she tried to move the 100 pound dragon,

but the dragon just wanted to be near the princess and breathe in her princess face.

bless all the weary dragons.

testing...

I think every teacher hates this time of year. Not because it's so close to summer that we can taste it and we still have a few more weeks to ago, but because it's almost state testing time. We have all pushed their little brains to THINK with reason and logic, to THINK creatively on why and how, to THINK passionately to make a difference, and to use best judgement.

BUT their THINKING is measured by a standardized test...that's creative. Now, don't get me wrong. I do think that there should be some type of accountability for students, teachers, and districts that is given statewide...I just hate that these results are pushed and educators seem to start teaching for a test. Everyone harps over these scores because our district, our school, my classroom, and my babies are labeled. We are broken down as labeled individuals of success. I'd hate to know that I was judged by my third grade scores.

I think my favorite part is that after I have taught my babies to THINK with reason and logic, to THINK creatively and passionately, and to use judgement....we give them MCT2 practice test that are "thrown out" questions from the state. Gotta practice. And some of these practice test questions aren't a piece of cake! I bet if I took a couple of these questions and asked you the answer....you'd get some of them wrong, and are you eight? are you successful? do you know your label of success?

Click below to test your knowledge as an eight year-old. Scroll down to the "Green Street" poem (pg 7). It's pretty short, and won't take to much of your time.
http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/acad/osa/MCT2/new_practice/Grade_3_LA_PT.pdf

Here are the answers.

http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/acad/osa/MCT2/new_practice/Grade_3_LA_Key.pdf

Our school has been having a competition between classes for 3rd grade- 5th grade. We call it the MCT2 Challenge. Basically, each grade level is given 12 MCT2 questions which consist of 9 reading/writing and 4 math. The students take the test on Thursday mornings, and scores are averaged together. Each teacher is given a breakdown of the results for her classroom. For example, the percentage of correct answers for each questions.

The class with the highest average, per grade level, is rewarded on Friday morning with a 10 minute dance off in the hall. The kids LOVE it, but my class has been winning. I don't know if they'd LOVE it if we lost. Then the students in every classroom are rewarded individually if they got 7 or more correct out of the 12. Two weeks ago, these individuals got to eat cookies and drink juice with our Principal. This past week that got to have a 10 minute dance in the hall.

my firefighter

I'm not sure who to quote...George Strait with, "I'm a fireman, that's my name" or I could change up Sean Kingston's song and sing it as "fire burning but not on the dance floor...whoa."

Just sayin'

Definitely, an interesting Tuesday morning in the country. The neighbors were burning on Sunday night, and I guess the fire decided to start back up a couple of days later and jump over a few sections. Oh, don't worry! I have a personal forest ranger that doubles as a firefighter.

Who is it?

Large feet..... at the end of the drive way. Do you think it's Big Bird?

flowers and the garden

plants.... i just love them. Shad says that i love buying them....and that i love watching him dig holes. it's partly true. :)

i just love the brightness, cheerfulness, and how beautiful they look in pretty pots. it's a weakness. just like butterscotch sundaes. i guess i get it from my mom. she is a wonderful gardener who LOVES flowers. the difference between us is that my mom can make anything grow and bring the dead back to life.....and i can't keep a house plant alive. i think last summer, in one pot, i went through 2 ferns and 2 palms. it's kind of sad. again, shad says it's sad for his pocket book.

this weekend my parents were here, and of course we had to go to coleman's nursery. my dad has never been and we were excited to show him around all the greenhouses. mom helped me pick out a bunch of flowers to pot, shad found me a cherry tree, and i got a few things for our garden.



so we have been a little busy this past week planting our garden! this year we are having a big garden! we have okra, red onions, white onions, potatoes, two types of cucumber, carrots, tomatoes, jalapenos, cheyenne peppers, bell peppers, banana peppers, two types of beans, squash, garlic, and i know i'm missing a few things! we are also having watermelon, blueberries, and blackberries (there wild and ivory's responsibility to guard)! Shad and his brother are having a pumpkin growin' contest......... so hopeful we will have a giant pumpkin too.