Last Day of School

As per Miss Honey tradition, the last day of school is a Friday and we never do school. Over the last 6 years that I have been teaching we have done several different things for the last day of school ranging from picnicking on the Missouri River to having a Gilligan's Island party.

This year the kids decided to add to the festivities by starting with a "funny clothes" appearance to opening exercises. They were very creative.

They also made a cake, with 6 candles for the 6 school years I have been Miss Honey. I was very surprised! Please note Rosie's costume. It was supposed to just be all inside out and backwards, oh and with 'boxer' shorts...

Becca as Pippi Longstocking, and Leah as her gorgeous self. :) Pippi was a clever choice for Becca since she did several school assignments surrounding the book this year.

GI Timo. Yes, he came to opening exercises just like this. In this case it pays to be homeschooled and not have to go through the metal detectors.

I took the kids to Wilderness Park, a small nature sanctuary about 20 minutes away. In spite of being so close,most of them had never been hiking there. We all had a grand time.

We did our best to avoid the poison ivy which is rather rampant there.

Leah as the human bridge. When I did this the ground was so soft I was pretty sure it was going to change from the human bridge to the splits any second.

This picture is a combination of the odd effect that warm wind has on me and the dedication and faithful following of my students.

There was an awesome drop-off at this point and I told the kids that when you are hiking and you get to a great view like that, you are supposed to take a picture of yourself showing how awesome feel for having gotten up so high. They did.

And so the 6th year of being Miss Honey draws to an energetic close. I never would have dreamed 6 years ago of this day, but I would not trade it for the world. Thank you for 6 awesome years, kids! You all are the best students a teacher could hope for. I love you most!!

Caroline Says Hi

Caroline came for a visit the other day, and since we are now video bloggers I thought perhaps she would like to show all her relatives that are far away how she can sit up. Please note, if you are a relative of Caroline, and were not mentioned by name in the video, you are included in the "Everyone else" clause at the end.

Enjoy!!

Grandpa Bob and Grandma Phyllis

This week we got the pleasure of spending a few days with Grandpa Bob and Grandma Phyllis who drove all the way out from California for a visit. We also got to be there when Grandpa Bob met Caroline, his first great grandchild. It was pretty special.

John and Rosie made sure Phyllis got in all the Grandma time she could handle, and believe me, that was a lot!! They had a wonderful time touring the grove, collecting the eggs, reading stories, and talking.

In which Caroline meets Great Grandpa Bob. She does not feel this is enough people in the picture and beckons for more.

In which Sarah also meets Grandpa Bob and joins the picture. Caroline is still not satisfied with the amount of people in the picture.

So, everyone who was outside got in the picture as well. Even Herk....

Caroline was ecstatic about meeting her great grandparents, as they were about meeting her.

She was also pretty pleased to see Auntie Em again....

Grandpa Bob has started writing books with as much family history as he can, a gift he then gives to his children and grandchildren. Here he was explaining different stories and pictures to us. I could have listened for hours more. Book 2 is in the making....

Meanwhile, Aunt Becca and Caroline played with the monkeys. I see why Caroline loves these things, they are hilarious.

Group picture time!! All the Hipps girls (that were present that is).

Four Generations of Hipps. The adults in this picture are all laughing because of what the rest of us where doing behind the camera to make Caroline smile. Let's just say, we ended up succeeding...

Thank you so much, Grandpa Bob and Grandma Phyllis for making the trip and visiting us, and Michael and Sarah for coming up to make the party complete. We hope to see you all again soon!

Dad's Graduation

On Saturday Dad graduated from Universal College of Healing Arts and is now able to become licensed as a massage therapist. It has been a long hard year of working and studying to reach this goal, but he did it! The school does not have an actual graduation, but instead has what is called a 'commissioning of hands ceremony'. Considering the ways the 'graduates' have been taught to use their hands to bless others, it is a fitting title.

We trekked to Omaha to the school, which was a first time visit for many of us. It was fun to see all the places and meet the people we had been hearing about for the last year.

The graduates all signed the book of graduates. Everyone who has completed the program at this school signs the book. It was a pretty fat book. Note the roses in the vase at the back of the stage. These were for the family and friends who came to the ceremony. The staff made sure all of us got one, and now we have a lovely vase of roses in the kitchen. :)

Sorry this picture is blurry. Four members of the staff chose an essential oil and put it on the hands of the graduates. Each oil had a purpose, such as healing or calming, something they hoped the graduates would be able to give to their future clients as massage therapists. Of course, this also doubled as a great time for the staff to personally congratulate each graduate.

The 47th graduating class from UCHA! Way to go, Dad! We are so proud of you for all your hard work and perseverance in the last year! God has made you into a wonderful massage therapist, as all your clients will attest. I am looking forward to seeing how He has you use that gift in the future.

I think I mentioned the roses. Somebody watched Shrek 2 one too many times... From here we went home to celebrate with pizza and ice cream. Congratulations, Dad!! We love you!

Tie-Dye

Following are the steps to making tie-dyed shirts. Please be advised, this is an insanely fun process with awesome results. Side effects include but are not limited to: constantly wearing the tie-dyed shirt, an overwhelming desire to tie-dye all your clothes, and visions of completely tie-dyed wardrobes.

The first thing you will need is a crazy lady who just so happens to be your mom and who loves you very much to come up with the idea and provide the supplies and enduring motivation throughout the project. Do NOT skip this step. You will be sorry.

Next, you need lots of willing helpers. They do not need to be skilled, just willing and not concerned if their fingers become odd colors for a few days.

Twist the shirts until they look much nicer than this. Put on rubber bands until they look like so. Note: Putting on the rubber bands will help the shirts go from looking neatly twisted to looking like this.

Apply dye to the sections of the shirt. Wrap it up airtight and let it set for 6-8 hours. During those 6-8 hours, work on getting the dye off everything else. Don't bother with your fingers, it will wear off and it won't come off any other way.

Wash and wear with pride!! Well, wash however you want (separately of course), but wear with gusto, knowing you just made a unique master piece. Side note: does everyone see how tall Benjamin is getting? Just in case you did not notice that first off. Enjoy your tie-dyed shirt!!

Rosie and The Hula-hoop

This post has been in the making for over a month. On Rosie's birthday I took a video of her with her hula-hoop, showing off her skills and saying thank you to the people who gave it to her. It took me since then to figure out how to get it on the blog. Not that I spent every waking moment working on it or anything....

Please enjoy Life With Rosie's video debut, which most fittingly is a video of Rosie. Please also try to realize that lengthy amounts of hula-hooping can have a negative effect on the grammatical format of thank yous.

There you have it folks! We are now video bloggers! :)

Babysitting Samantha

A few times in the last week and a half, the younger kids and I have had the great privilege of babysitting one of my favorite people, Samantha. When I was fresh out of high school and before I started teaching I spent an unforgettable 18 months working with Samantha, plus I have known her since she was born. Needless to say, when the opportunity came up to come spend some time with her, we were all very excited. :)

Samantha has always had fascinating toys. John was more than happy to show her how they all worked, and discover everything they could say and do.

Samantha has an infectious smile. And she loves having her hair combed!

Some of the most inspiring and awesome moments of my life took place right here, with this special girl.

John wanted to make sure Samantha had plenty of toys to look at... Well, I guess he might have been making some sort of tractor/dinosaur city thing too.

Samantha, you were my first 'student' and one of my best teachers! From you I learned to laugh every time you get the chance, and smile even if it is a small thing and it is making you happy. You were the first one who made me think maybe I wanted to work with kids, because working with you was so much fun. Thanks for being so game and letting Becca, Rosie and John get a little taste of that same wonderful experience that 'babysitting' you is. We love you!!

Introducing... Izumi!!

After the untimely death of my laptop Linus, my family was determined to help me get my classes finished. Attending an online university somewhat requires the use of a computer, and a laptop is exceptionally helpful. First, they 'loaned' me a laptop that was supposed to be going to someone else. I was most grateful, however the laptop had different feelings. After a few weeks it gave up the ghost, much like Linus had. In fact, very creepily like Linus had. Again, my family made a sacrifice and let me take over the desktop computer to do school on. This meant many small sacrifices, as in Emily is doing school right in the middle of the house so you need to play outside, or Emily is doing school tonight so no blog stalking, etc... The best part, while I was taking over the computer, they kept cheering me on!

However, my dear family decided this was not good enough. They phone conferenced, pinched their pennies and decided to buy me a new laptop. A new laptop was not an option for a broke college student, but when her family decided she should have one, nothing was stopping them. There are no words to express how special, loved, supported, and otherwise totally undeserving this made me feel, and is still making me feel as I sit here, typing this blog post on my own, brand new laptop.

Please allow me to introduce, Izumi, the new laptop behind Life With Rosie, Emily's WGU experience and any time Emily is on the computer.

Naming Izumi was interesting. I had been thinking about what would be a good name for my computer ever since I found out my family was getting me one. The name that kept coming up was Oliver. It sounded like a total computer name. A little geeky, but in the totally cool, I can play Taylor Swift on my iPhone sort of way. When the computer came I took it out of the box and named it Oliver. I was so pleased with my geniusness. Then, I introduced Oliver to Trina, who reminded me that her computer was named Oliver. I guess that is why it sounded like such a good computer name. To avoid confusion, I started looking for a new name. I was out walking and thinking, "What name makes me think of sleek and fast...." Suddenly I remembered a brand of running shoes I had just been introduced to, Pearl Izumi, and how the word Izumi had struck me as a totally cool word. What is more sleek and fast than really awesome running shoes, and what better thing to name my computer than a word I have never heard of anywhere else? It was settled. A quick Google search revealed another perk to the name. Shigechiyo Izumi was the oldest man that ever lived in modern history, so I am hoping the name brings some longevity to my Izumi. :)

Thank you, Thank you, and Thank you again to my incredible family for making my dream of another computer a reality and supporting me on my journey through school. I love you guys!!

Look Out for Nothing Moving Company

There was great rejoicing in the Hipps house when we heard that Michael, Sarah and Caroline were moving back to Nebraska. There was even more rejoicing when Michael called to ask for moving help. Of course, we were more than happy to oblige. Poor Alejandro was loaded to the gills with blankets, pillows, food, and of course, a contingent of the Look out for Nothing moving company.


Tada! They made it, and brought stuff to move! Of course, there were lots of hugs and kisses first, but then we got down to business.


The refrigerator was the most exciting. They had to take off both front doors to get it in.


With so many able bodies, quick work was made of getting everything inside, and a lot of it unpacked. The kitchen and dining room won the approval of everyone as "awesome". The high ceilings did it for me.


Of course, it was not all work. At one point Sarah turned on The Cosby Show for the little ones, and before you knew it, everyone was watching. :D


Matthew came down to help out as well. From the looks of this picture, I'd say he was pretty helpful.


Sarah, the moving expert. She knew where she wanted everything, answered more questions in two days than most people do in two months and was as pleased as punch the whole time. We love you, Sarah! The first time I move my whole house, I want you to help me so I don't lose my marbles...



Rosie and John found ways to make themselves useful. They picked up the sticks in the yard. Oh, and made a fort out of them.


Yours truly, box opening extraordinaire.


The boys made quick work of emptying the trailer. I think this picture was taken only about 2 hours after the first one.


Welcome back to Nebraska, Michael, Sarah and Caroline! We love you!!

Aunties and Uncles

While helping Michael and Sarah move this weekend, Caroline got some major amounts of Aunt and Uncle attention. After all, most of us have not seen her in 5 months, so there was a lot to catch up on.


Caroline thinks Uncle Tino is pretty cool. He can make her laugh when he touches his nose on hers.


Uncle Ben brought Caroline out to talk with the guys about how to unload everything. She loved it.


Auntie Becca held Caroline the most over the weekend. She loves Caroline.


The feeling is mutual.


Aunt Leah taught Caroline a few alternative sitting positions. Caroline enjoyed this immensely.


Caroline got very excited seeing Uncle John. She likes small people, they are closer to her own size.

Auntie Em thinks Caroline is the best thing ever. She also had to wait the longest of the Hipps Aunts and Uncles for this, and grew up with Caroline's dad. This makes being an Auntie very special to her. Caroline finds Auntie Em to be most amusing.

Not pictured because for some odd reason we did not get a picture: Auntie Rosie and Caroline. They love each other, enough said.