Grace's Dragonfly Research Project

So proud of our Kindergartener!  The parents got to move around the room and see presentations by other kids.  I was so impressed.  This is KINDERGARTEN!

Grace is 6!

Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes....in French!

And her accent is amazing!  I can't pronounce ears...les oreilles.  I have trouble with all words starting with vowels.

She is taking 30 minutes a day of French, and comes home every day saying or singing something new or different in French.  LOVE IT!  Wish it had started 3 years ago.....but oh well!

Drums

Grace had a "guest" Drum teacher for a week at school, and the parents were invited to their last performance.

It was fun to watch!

First Day of School!

 The first day of school!  Which is actually just a couple hours of meet the teacher.....  but still!

Grace is starting Kindergarten.  Her teachers are Laura and Wynne.  Laura is from Australia, and Wynne is a University of Missouri grad, but from North Carolina. 

Grace wants to be an Engineer when she grows up.  She didn't come up with that entirely on her own.  She spends quite a lot of time building things, including rigging up our two single doll strollers into double strollers, etc.  I commented to her one day that she should be an engineer.... and so I believe that's where that came from.

Audrey is starting Pre-School at ISB. She is actually in the same class Grace started at ISB in.  Her teachers are Ms. Senior and Ms. Suzanna.  Ms. Senior is from England, and is a substitute.  The real teacher in the class, Ms. De Kloe, is out on maternity leave until January. We spent a little bit of time in the spring getting to know Ms. Senior so we would hopefully have a smooth transition into the class.

Audrey wants to be a teacher and a cowboy when she grows up!  Giddy up!

The Magic House with the Henson Ladies

After our fun time in Quincy, we headed down to St. Louis for some shopping, fun, friends and cousin time!

On Friday, we met up with Maureen, Autumn, and sweet baby Nora.  We met Maureen and Autumn in Brussels within the first month we moved here.  They were only in Brussels for 18 months, but our families bonded.  We miss them here, but we love that we have the opportunity to see them on the flip side.

We met at The Magic House, and spent about three hours chasing little girls all around through all of the amazing exhibits.

The Magic House is amazing, and was so much fun.  The girls had a blast and hated to leave.  We had so much fun visiting with Maureen and Autumn and meeting Nora.  Hopefully next time we'll be able to spend more time and get to see Jacob, too.

4th of July

The Rawlings came to visit for the 4th of July this year!  We also had our friends the Wotrin's over to celebrate American style!

Aunt Katie brought sparklers, and they were a big hit with the kiddos!

Grace's Last Day of School

Grace finished up Pre-K this year at the International School of Brussels.

 Grace and Ms. Megan.

Ms. Megan was an intern this year.  She moved back to Texas over the summer, and will be a Kindergarten teacher in Frisco.

Grace and Ms. Michele

Ms. Michele was new to ISB this year, but has been teaching at International Schools for a long time.  Ms. Michele is very enthusiastic about outside learning, so the class spent every Wednesday, rain or shine, out in the forest.  I was usually doing laundry every Wednesday night as a result.

Grace loved her class and her teachers, and is well prepared for Kindergarten!

ECC Scavenger Hunt

We participated in the ECC Scavenger Hunt this year.  The ECC is the Early Childhood Center, which is grades Pre-School through 2nd Grade at ISB.  We were on a team with Grace's two best friends Sophia and Zoe, and their families. 

The rain held off and we had a really good time chasing down clues.

Bike Riding in the Forest

We had a couple days off school, so we met some friends in the forest for a spring bike ride.  That is one of the best things.  We have miles and miles of paths through the forest.  Some are just dirt, but this particular access has paved paths, which are perfect for bike riding.

It was the perfect way to spend a warm spring day!

Grace 5 year old Stats

Grace had her checkup with the pediatrician yesterday, and here are her 5 year old stats:

Height:  117cm = 46 inches
Weigh:  23.3 k = 51 pounds

Blood pressure:  95/60

Happy 5th Birthday Grace

Let's go to the Movies!

For Grace's birthday, instead of a party, we took her and her two best friends to the movies to see Frozen!  This was Grace's first movie!  We finally figured out how to see movies in English here!  (That only took 2.5 years.....)

The girls were so excited!

They were really good in the movie!  And loved Frozen.  They came out of the theater singing all of the songs at the top of their lungs!  Afterwards, we went to McDonalds for dinner and ice cream sundaes.

It was a perfect evening!

Grace's 2013 School Picture

I forgot to post this awhile ago.

Here is Grace's school picture from Pre-K.

So serious and grown up looking!!!

And here is her class.....

Her teacher is Ms. Michele on the right, and she is assisted by Miss Megan on the left.  Megan just graduated from Texas Tech and is an intern.  Ms. Michele has been teaching in International Schools for years, and is new this year at ISB.

There are only 4 Americans in Grace's class.  The rest come from all over the world....Sweden, Norway, Finland, Israel, Saudi Arabia, France, Belgium, Colombia, and several other places ....  Grace is really enjoying her class this year and we've been amazed at all the new things she is doing.

UN Day 2013

Grace and her best friend, Sophia, representing the USA and Germany!

Trunk or Treat