Grand Day

Each year Akin Road Elementary School host Grand Day.  The first graders put on a little show for someone GRAND in there lives.  Mallory is very fortunate to have very supportive grandparents.  Grandma Dee, Grandma and Grandpa Hauer are always available for these events!    

For as long as I can remember, Mallory has been rehearsing for Grand Day.  Not only do they rehearse at school but she rehearses in the shower, in the car, at the dinner table and pretty any time anyone is willing to watch.  We simply could not wait for the show!  

I have yet to master the art of taking digital picture in a gymnasium so this one is blurry, as usual.  The first graders all filed in, onto their spot on the bleachers and then the principal gave them all a chance to find their Grand person, wave and smile a bit before starting the program.  It was such a touching moment.  

They did a wonderful job with their performance!  Always smiling and happy was Mallory.  After the performance, the students were able to take their guests to their classrooms to see some of the things they have been working on in the first grade.  Mallory was very proud of herself and her accomplishments.  So are we!  It really was a GRAND day!  

  

Spring Break

For Spring Break this year we decided to stay at Arrowwood Resort in Alexandria for a few days and nights.  We had a very nice room with a view of the lake.  

Even though there was still ice on the lake, it was getting warmer outside.  By the third day we were wearing just t-shirts!  Arrowwood is really nice!  It has a great atmosphere, a nice (but reasonable) restaurant and a waterpark!  Alexandria is nice city too.  We actually spent one afternoon away from the water and ventured downtown to do some shopping and having lunch.  We found Big Ole!  He's not hard to miss!  

We spent most of our time at the waterpark.  I can't say enough good things about this resort.  The waterpark was clean, water was warm and there we never had to wait in any lines.  It was really a very good time!  

These little get aways are the times we treasure the most.  Being away from home for a few days, but close enough to feel comfortable.  On our last day the weather was so nice we were able to play a round of free mini golf outside!  There were hundreds of guests walking around the resort grounds.  It was a sure sign of spring!  

In House Youth Basketball

This year Mallory asked to try out something different during the winter months.  We went over the Farmington Community Education catalog and while she had her eyes set on some gymnastics, her mind was easily changed one day when she came home from school with a flyer in her backpack promoting Farmington In House Youth Basketball.  She was certain this is what she wanted to sign up for.

Once registered we went searching for a pair of high top tennis shoes.  I am not sure how but she knew that you needed high tops to protect your ankles.  The things they pick up in school.....
We were able to find a pair of pretty cute Nike high tops on clearance at the outlet mall in Eagan.

With new kicks in hand, Mallory started her first season of youth basketball.  Her team name was Lady Bears and she wore a yellow t-shirt.  She tried her best every single week and had a lot of fun doing it. 

Each week they would practice basketball basics for 30 minutes and then play a game against another team for the latter 30.  Mallory's team was pretty good and won most of their games.  The two volunteer parent/coaches for the Lady Bears were just wonderful  Both had a daughter on the team and both were very patient, understanding and fair.  it was such a great experience!  

Mallory improved week after week but making a basket was difficult for her.  Even with the lowered height, she struggled to find the strength to get the ball above the hoop.  One day after practice, on the way home, Mallory was feeling a little sorry for herself that she still hadn't made a basket.  We reassured her with the proper amount of practice and effort, she would indeed make one and it would probably be before the end of the season.  Sure enough, the very next week, she went coast to coast off an inbound play and sank her first and only bucket.  The WHOLE gym erupted with applause and cheer and I mean the WHOLE gym.  Even parents from the opposing team!  Mallory was elated!!!!!  

At the end of the season she received a ribbon of participation and a little sweet treat from the coaches.  

I know I mentioned this before but she really did have a great experience.  She never gave up and tried her best each week.  It was so much fun to watch the whole team develop and improve with their skills!  Mallory had a smile on her face all the time!  Several other parents mentioned to us how fun it is to watch her because she is always so happy!  We were sad when the season was over but are looking forward to next year!  

Honorable Mention

On Thursday, February 19th, Mallory participated in the Akin Road Elementary School Science Fair. First graders are not required to participate, it is voluntary for them.  When the flyer came out just after the new year she jumped at the chance the be a part of it.  

Christopher took the reins on this one.  Mallory and Christopher brainstormed on what kind of project she wanted to do and they came up with how the size of the Earth compares to the other planets.  They spent a few weeks putting together their data and then a few days building their scale model.  They measured everything round in our house to try and find a right to size scale model for each planet.  Mallory used marbles, bouncy balls and a BB to represent the planets sizes.  I helped more towards the end to make the display pretty.

The night before the science fair we went up to school to set up.  This was nice because it was less crowded so we had a nice chance to look at some of the other exhibits.  There are some incredibly intelligent and creative kids out there.  

The morning of the science fair Mallory wanted to dress "professional" (her word) for the judges.  She picked out her outfit and I approved it.  She asked me to straighten her hair for her so it would look nicer.  She's just so sweet.  I think she totally looked the part! 

The judging occurred during school hours so we had no idea how she scored until that night.  We went back up to the school in the evening for more viewing and the awards ceremony.  Here is what Mallory's exhibit looked like...

There was no sphere big enough to represent the sun so Christopher took a piece of painters tape and stretched it out on the floor.  We had a lot of people stop by, ask questions and compliment Mallory.  The awards were at 5:30PM in the hallway outside of the gym.  We learned there were 27 first graders that opted to participate in the science fair.  They gave out a first, second and third place ribbon.  Next they said there were two honorable mentions to give out and what do yo ya know?  Mallory was the first honorable mention called.  She missed getting a third place ribbon by two points!  Naturally we were very happy for her and very proud of her for the amount of effort she put into this project.  She also received a participation ribbon in addition to her honorable mention ribbon.  Her smile was two miles wide.  

We are so pleased with this whole experience and would still be even if she hadn't won a ribbon.  The school works hard to make this a fair and fun event for the students.  Nothing negative when you are learning while having fun!

Princess For A Day

On Sunday, February 15th, Mallory was Farmington's Princess For a Day!  The Farmington Ambassador Program offered the event which was well attended by many little local ladies.  For a few hours the girls did some crafts, made themselves a princess sash, had their hair and nails done, received a tiara and practiced for the fashion show at the end of the day.

At the end of the event, the girls participated in a fashion show with a makeshift runway.  

This was a small recruitment event for the Farmington Royalty.  Mallory is not quite age eligible yet but she will be next year and you better believe she is ready to run for a title.  I know we're biased but I think she's the prettiest princess ever!  

Minnesota Wild Kids Club

This year we purchased a membership to the Minnesota Wild Kids Club for Mallory.  It's VERY reasonable for the perks you receive.  $25.00 bought her the membership, a Minnesota Wild lunch box (which she religiously takes to school with her every day) which contained a rope necklace, stickers, tattoos, a pencil and a Minnesota Wild picture frame.  Her membership lasts one year from the date of purchase.  

One of the membership perks included an invite to a skating party which was held at the Xcel Energy Center on Sunday, February 8th.  I had to work that day so it ended up being a Daddy/Daughter event.  Since Mallory has never been on ice skates, she opted not to partake in the skating but she was able to play a few games, enter a drawing and get a tour of the locker room and practice area.  Lucky girl!  We all know how much I love the Minnesota Wild and I still haven't seen the locker room!  

When I got home from work I asked Mallory what she thought of the locker room.  She promptly plugged her nose and said "STINKY".  It was also much smaller then it looked on TV.  Once the locker room tour was done Mallory was notified that she had won an autographed puck by Kyle Brodziak #21.  She was pretty darn excited, can you tell?    

Another one of the perks of being a member of the Minnesota Wild Kids Club is 10% off any purchases at the Hockey Lodge.  Mallory is a proud member and always carriers her membership card with her so Christopher was able to treat her to a novelty hockey stick.   

They had a lot of fun and you sure can't the experience for that price.  She's becoming quite the hockey fan and proudly mentions her membership status whenever she gets the chance.  I guess this is all normal in the State of Hockey but we think she's pretty special! 

Rock and Roll

Last weekend Mallory attended the annual Sock Hop at Akin Road Elementary School.  Even though they call it a Sock Hop, the kids can dress up for any of the decades, 50's, 60's, 70's or 80's.  Last year she went as a Flower Child of the 70's.  This year she decided she wanted to go as a 50's girl.  After some research she decided she wanted a pink poodle skirt with a white shirt and scarf.  It would've been easy to buy the outfit but I wanted to try and make it for her.  The skirt was a bit of a challenge because felt is not the easiest fabric to work with but I think it turned out pretty good.  

The Sock Hop starts with dinner at the cafe at 5:30PM, which we didn't partake in this year.  One reason was I had to work until 5:00PM so I would not have been home in time but the biggest reason was last year we tried having dinner at the cafe but there were so many kids running around, with so many distractions I think Mallory had mayyyyybe two bites of her pizza.  It wasn't efficient so this year we ate before we went.  The dance started at 6:00PM and went until 8:00PM.  During that two hour stretch the kids danced, browsed a silent auction, took part in a drawing and had pictures taken in a photo booth.  All the kids had fun and were pretty sweaty and tired at the end of the night.  Mallory has lots of friends but she is starting to show signs of a core group.  Always present are Sander (next to her on the left) and Caiden B. (furthest to the right)  Two boys, imagine that.  

The DJ had a great playlist for the kids spanning four decades.  I caught a lot of adults dancing with their kids, including myself!  Here is a little video of Mallory dancing to Gangnam Style.  I realize the video is not the best quality but it was dark in there and were lasers EVERYWHERE!  

When the evening came to an end, the kids said their goodbyes and after a quick shower once we got home, Mallory promptly went to sleep.  She was smiling as she was saying goodnight to us and then quietly whispered to me "Oh Mom, I had so much fun tonight.  Thank you for my poodle skirt".  Perfect ending.