Petsmart Visit

Evan's 1st grade class recently visited Petsmart to select new guppies and fish pond accessories for their refurbished classroom habitat (which is an in ground aquarium in their classroom). They have spent a lot of time preparing for the arrival of their class fish family. They had a marine expert (I forgot her exact title....Dr. Something or other) come out and talk to them about the types of fish that would do well in their environment and she tested the water over several weeks to decide the perfect time to introduce the fish.

Here are the kids getting ready to pick out their new Classroom 11 friends. It was a really nice turn out of kids for an unusually cold Saturday morning for an optional school event. They really enjoy one another and Ms. Angela does a good job of making learning fun and applicable to life.

Aren't they adorable? Yes, Noah is dressed in his Harry Potter cape in front. and Evan is posing with Sophia...his kindergarten crush.

Mrs. Angela truly made this a great learning experience. She made them earn all the money themselves, made them responsible for counting the money, deciding how much to spend and on what, she even let them take turns holding the money! The nice cashier in the background was patient as they tried to figure out how much money they needed for their purchase.

I really love this school. It is an Applied Learning Center which basically means that they learn by applying classroom learning to real life situations. They are allowed to lead each other and themselves to learn about all subjects and how to apply what they've learned to real life. It is a school that's perfect for those who like to think outside the box. They have tons of parent resources as well as parent involvement. Did I mention that I love this school!?

For Sale

I guess Evan is trying to tell me something. I found this message written on the etch-a-sketch...

New Addition

We have a new addition to the Lofton family.  Ladies and gentlemen please join me in welcoming HAMMIE (a.k.a. Midnight Bucket) to our home.  This tiny little hamster is the cutest thing you ever did see.  I don't know if I've mentioned that I married a citified boy who has never owned a pet in his life so when he came home and saw Hammy, this is how the conversation went:

Terrance:  "Why do we have a rat by our fireplace, and what are we supposed to do with him?"  

Shanita:  "Terrance, it's not a rat... it's a hamster and it's a pet so you play with him like any other pet."

Terrance: "I'm not touching that thing. It looks like the rat we caught in the attic minus the long tail."

Shanita: "It may be a part of the rodent family but IT IS NOT A RAT!"

Terrance: "I'm still not touching it."

Shanita: "Good grief city boy!"

Please don't ask about the name.  Midnight Bucket was his given name but the Loftons kept messing the name up and calling him Midnight Madness and Midnight Moon so Evan renamed him Hammy...I know, creative right! Isn't he cute?

My only complaint with Hammy is that he has his days and nights a bit mixed up.  He sleeps all day and  is awake all night running on his ferris wheel thingy and it is a bit annoying when you're trying to sleep.  

Evan and Ian like to play with Hammy (unlike their dad) They are a bit rough but at least Hammy gets some kind of attention

I was a little concerned at first that Hammy would not last long in our home.  Evan has fed him skittles and filled his cage with treats.  Ian put him in his exercise ball and started shaking him up like a soda can.  Evan picked Hammy up and dropped him from three feet in the air when he scratched his hand with his nails and then placed his Nintendo DSi by his cage with the music playing (full blast) so he would wake up and play with him.  Get my point... my boys are a bit rough. But I think they are finally getting used to having him around so maybe there's hope for Hammy!

I love you this much

Words so sweet that you can't be angry that your son called you fat!

Mommy, my legs are this big.

And your legs are this big!

But I love you THIS much!!

This boy has a lot to learn about girls!

Broken Legs

A conversation with Evan who was staring into space while riding in the car:

Me: "What are you thinking about Evan?"

Evan: "I was thinking about if I was in a tornado and broke both of my legs and ended up in a wheelchair. Then you'd have to carry me up the stairs and put me to bed cuz I couldn't walk."

Me: .... Looking at Terrance with a "seriously" look on my face.

Terrance: "It's ok sweetheart...he's normal."