Friday, February 19, 2016

Friday Favorites - Arm Wrestling Edition

Happy Friday, Friends!  TGIF, amen? :)  While I love a four day work week, it always feels crazier than a normal week.  Hello, weekend.


Erika, Narci and I are hosting again and can't wait to hear about all of your FAVORITES this week!

And hello, cutie!!!  Happy Morning pics are my FAVORITE and Dave has been rocking them this week :)


 

Another FAVORITE was running into these cuties on the deck this week :)

 

Every morning Griffin walks out to the van with us and every morning she begs us to let her go to school.  As cute as she's going to look in some MCA plaid, I'm not quite ready to send my baby off to Pre-K.  Lukes little photobomb is my FAVORITE.


I've talked many times about why I love the school we're a part of... the outstanding education, the Biblical worldview, underwriting of the values we teach at home, etc. and one of the unique and special things about the school is the atmosphere where the little kids get to interact with the middle and high school kids in both a formal and informal setting.  I'll attest to us having the BEST teens and seeing them engage with my kids is one of my FAVORITE parts of MCA.

Every morning this week Mason has been arm wrestling the "big boys" :)  My eight graders have been so sweet to him and Mason now thinks he's stronger than most 14 year old boys. hahaha



If you bought a shirt or donated directly to the fundraiser we did in support of Ashleigh Range this summer, check this out!!!  


I have this pullover in green and gray and LOVE it!  This color is on sale for $45 and will be great for Spring!  So cute with a pair of distressed jeans and flip flops for early Spring.






Next up on our FAVORITES list is this extra cute mint neoprene dress from Sew Chill.
Today only you can use the code Andrea6 for free shipping on your order!!!


  

The material is so unique and twirly.  It has a definite poof to it which is so fun!


 It's even great for jumping :)


I mentioned in yesterday's post that Dave let each of the boys pick something out for my birthday - well, look at what Luke picked!  Isn't that the sweetest?!?!  His sweet little heart is my FAVORITE.


I'm not loving that we're apparently going to skip Winter, but picking up a few Spring touches is my FAVORITE.


I really don't care about the Grammy's.... but I do love looking at what everyone was wearing.  Maybe it's because I spend my days with pre-teen and teenage girls, but this is my FAVORITE ;)


And speaking of Olive Garden, when Erika told me that she was surprising me this week for my birthday with a night off from cooking I seriously almost cried.  Amazing friends who are crazy thoughtful are my FAVORITE.  (Can I add that it even included paper plates and plastic cutlery?  No dishes for the WIN!!!)


I just ordered the first four books in the Magic Tree House series for Luke.  I'm making a concerted effort to get him reading for pleasure and I hope that he enjoys this series.  I would LOVE it if you have any great book recommendations! Y'all are my FAVORITE ;)
I've mentioned before that McKinley is one of our absolute FAVORITES and she's a TA in Mason's class.  Apparently she's lots of sweet boys favorites :)


and she snapped this picture of Mason wearing her backpack which I LOVE!!!


Last but not least, our Spring Matilda Jane order came in last night and Griffin cooperated to try on exactly one dress. hahaha  We picked a good one to try on because HOLY PRECIOUS!!!
(it's still available in a 2, 4 and 6.... if you need one send an email to katkempson@matildajaneclothing.com and she'll take care of it for you!)

Griffin's shoes are Mini Melissa puppies ;)


We're excited for another busy weekend full of fun activities, birthday parties and family celebrations.  See y'all back here on Monday!!!

   
    http://www.inlinkz.com/new/view.php?id=609203" title="click to view in an external page.">An InLinkz Link-up
   

PS - This post contained affiliate links - which means that if you purchase an item I may receive a small commission.  THANK YOU!!!

69 comments :

  1. Ebby Lee's Matilda Jane arrived yesterday too and I'm loving all the spring colors!! We were big fans of everything we ordered. Happy Weekend, Friend!

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    1. YAY!!! She looks cute in everything - can't wait to see it on her!

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  2. My first grade son started with Magic Treehouse and enjoys them, but after a while, needed something new. He likes the Stink Moody series (he's Judy Moody's brother). He also likes the Geronimo Stilton books (mouse detective mystery) and he also likes the Who is/Who was biography series.

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    1. Thank you so much for the recommendations! Definitely checking them out!

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  3. My kids also go to a K-8 school and the relationships with the older kids is great!

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    1. It's seriously one of my favorite parts of the school. Nothing like a teenager being sweet to your little one to boost their little self esteems!

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  4. Griffin's hair is getting so long!! I love it :)!

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    1. ISn't it?!?!?! I think this year has been the biggest change!

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  5. So I am going to try not to make this comment into a novel, lol...first off, happy belated bday! :) LOVE the Bieber/Olive Garden reference...little Griffin looks amazing in everything she wears, especially love the Neoprene dress!...8th graders are the BEST!...and I really thought that I was the only one dreaming of Spring decorating! *phew* Happy Friday and hope you and your family have a great weekend! :)

    xx, Chanda

    http://www.mschanda.com

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  6. Aww!! Those pictures of Mason with the big boys are completely adorable!!

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  7. Check the Sonlight website. You can search for readers by grade level. Also look at the read aloud for grades below. Even if you read a chapter book aloud first, he'll be familiar enough to give it a go on his own. I bet he'd love the My Father's Dragon series.

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  8. My son absolutely loves the Magic Tree House series. We are in the car A LOT so we listen to Hank The Cowdog. Also the pink pullover you mentioned...my friend has an online boutique and has it for 1/2 the price. I absolutely love mine. Very comfy.
    I hope you have a great weekend!!!

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    1. I love the idea of listening to books int he car. We tend to default to movies, but that's a great idea!

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  9. It's called Millie Girl Boutique.

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  10. Magic Tree House has been a favorite in our house too. We own all of them and they have been devoured over the years. We have also loved the Junie B Jones series, the "Who Was __?" series of biographies, Encyclopedia Brown, and the Origami Yoda series by: Tom Angleberger (when he is a bit older). Children's literature is a LOVE of mine, so I'm always excited to share favorite titles with other families : ) Happy reading!

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    1. Love the idea of him reading biographies! Thanks so much for the recommendations!

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  11. The pics of G eating the sucker....she looks 12. WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

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  12. I saw that carrot garland at Hobby Lobby last year and didn't pick it up. I've regretted it ever since! Can't wait to go grab it this year!

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  13. Imagination Station, Ready Freddy (watch for name calling) are some favorite series for my son.

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  14. My son, in 2nd grade, loves the Lunch Lady graphic novels. The stories are captivating and vocabulary is rich. They were a great spring board to other novels. He also loves the simple choose your own adventure books since each story isn't too long but it reads like a novel.

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    1. He's been reading a few Choose Your Own Adventure books this week! LOVE!!!

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  15. I second Imagination Station...especially if you are looking for books with a Biblical worldview. Magic Treehouse books offer a very secular view of history.

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    1. YES to the Biblical Worldview! He just started book #1. Thank you for the recommendation!

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  16. Oh my gosh, those first couple pictures of G are soooo darling!! She is looking so much like a little lady. I'm definitely getting those magic treehouse books for my little guy too!

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    1. Thank you!!! I feel like all of a sudden the "baby" in her is gone!

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  17. We got that dress too, and can't WAIT to wear it! Another fun series that my son loves is Secrets of Droon. Have a great weekend!!

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    1. YAY!!! The dress is so cute! Can't wait to check out Secrets of Droon!

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  18. Ohmygoodness too much sweetness!! I loved reading Geronimo Stilton when I was little! There were still lots of pictures, but they were chapter books as well. Also A-Z Mysteries were fun too. Happy weekend!

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  19. love my watermelon free people! i also found a "dusty roses" one on ebay that i hadn't seen anywhere else, love that slouchy style

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  20. My 2nd grader loves the Minecraft chapter books. He also loves the Pokemon graphic novels. We let him read what he's interested in for fun reading. When we read together, we also have the MTH series, Flat Stanley, The Littles, and the Boxcar Children series.

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    1. Luke loves ANYTHING Minecraft, so that's a great suggestion. Thank you!

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  21. Mason's face in the arm wrestling photos. I mean. He's so concentrated!

    Luke's gift. So sweet. You can just tell he has the best little heart.

    Griffin's morning pictures are also a fave of mine on your blog. She's so photogenic.

    Love your blog, girl. Have a wonderful weekend!

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    1. Girl. He is FOCUSED when he's taking on those big boys!!! Thank you so much, Melanie!

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  22. What cuties you have!!! Your daughter's smile is just beautiful!!! Looks like you had a wonderful week.
    My son loved the Geronimo Stilton series too!!
    Happy Friday
    Betsy
    http://www.twopeasinablog.com
    Tuesday Fashion Party Link Up

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  23. GG's outfits are my favorite! Cuteness!
    We tried the Magic Tree House series and it was not a fave with our oldest... He loved the Flat Stanley series, Captain Underpants (sigh), I Survived series and now has read through the entire Wimpy Kids series. I guess I should be glad he's reading for pleasure, but I must admit I wish his taste in books was a bit more varied! Happy reading!

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  24. Magic Treehouse was a great first series for my boys, that along with some reading incentives really skyrocketed them into a love of reading. The other two series I highly suggest would be Imagination Station and Hank the Cowdog.

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  25. I had been so good & not got one single item from the last MJ release, but seeing Griffin in that dress😍😍😍😍

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  26. My 1st grader is obsessed with the "I Survived" book series. They are about real world disasters that have happened, so they learn a ton in the process.

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  27. I love Griffin's pj's as she is standing in the van- it looks like she has multiple pairs of feet!! Those are adorable pj's.

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  28. My 6 year old son loves the Magic Tree House books. He also really likes the Galaxy Zack series, Flat Stanley, and some Pokemon books that we found at the library.

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  29. My 7 year old loves the Captain Awesome series. They are really cute books about 3 friends who form a superhero club. My 4 year old also loves them!

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  30. I'll add the Origami Yoda books to what everyone else suggested. They also come with paper to make all sorts of origami Star Wars characters. Might be more for 8-10 year olds, but they are a lot of fun. I think they have the whole set at Costco right now.

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  31. That mint dress is darling! Perfect for Easter!

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  32. We've read all of the The Magic Tree House books with my 6-year old son over the last few years. Now, we are reading The Puppy Place series by Ellen Miles. They are too cute & he really loves them. Each book is about a different dog which is always a different breed so we learn about them, even though it is a fictional fun series. There are 40+ currently. Another small set (of 5) that we love is The Library Mouse by Daniel Kirk. The mouse has adventures and is a great prompt for reading & writing.

    One thing we've done that works well is on books that may be a little advanced for him alone, we read together as a family but he starts each reading time by reading 2 pages aloud and then we read the rest of the chapter to him aloud. That way he doesn't get too frustrated or bogged down, but he does get the satisfaction of reading, too. Reading together is one of our favorites!

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  33. My 7 year old LOVES the Origami Yoda series as well! So fun! I am shocked at how fast my son goes through books and I think that's 100% because we try hard to find books that he likes. Right now, he's also into the Goosebumps series and he's read a bunch of Bailey School Kids. Kung Pow Chicken are really cute graphic novels that are just silly and he flies through them as well. I hope you find some good ones! I remember hiding under a blanket with a flashlight when I was little and when we found some books that Kaleb loves, he does the same thing. It's pretty awesome :)

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  34. I never comment here but always read. My 6 year old is the biggest reader ive ever known. He reads anywhere from 5-10 chapter books a week. Magic treehouse is a big one at our house. But he started with the culdesac kids. He's read them all now and started at the end of kinder though the age target for them is 2nd grade. Check them out. He absolutely loves them.

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  35. We read The Magic Treehouse Fact Trackers with each book. My son couldn't get passed the fantasy of the adventures, so these really helped. They are great little books.

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  36. My son loves the Magic Treehouse house books!

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  37. A night off dinner duty for a bday gift...yes please! I'm totally going to start this!

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    1. It was THE BEST DAY EVER!!! I was seriously giddy. hahaha

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  38. My 2nd grader loves Magic Treehouse books! He really loves reading and some of his other faves are Big Nate, Stink, Boxcar Children (the newer ones mostly) and Geronimo Stilton. He also LOVES all of the National Geographic fact books and Weird but True books and I'm always amazed about the random facts he remembers!

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    1. Boxcar Children!!! I still remember reading those as a kid... didn't they keep their milk in the creek to keep it cold?!?! hahaha

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  39. Boy book suggestions...Beverly Cleary (a lot of her books are about girls, but my boys LOVE them), E.B. White, Harry Potter, My Father's Dragon, Hardy Boys, Roald Dahl. I have a whole book tab on my blog. I am still mostly in the read-aloud stage, but I blog about all the books we read and whether we like them or not. apageisturnedblog.com

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    1. I LOVED Beverly Cleary as a kid! And I just ordered the first Harry Potter to read myself (GASP!) and then pass along to Luke. Can't wait to check out your blog!

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  40. My 7 year old is a big reader and I asked him his favorites, all are series. Frank Einstein, Dragon Masters, I Survived and How to Train Your Dragon. My mother in law found a few Usborne Young Reading books and he really enjoys them. We have about 20 now and they are great easy reads for learning about things like cars, castles, pirates and Hercules. Wide range of books. ;) My guy has a high reading level so it's hard to find books that aren't too easy for him for reading but also not so advanced in the storyline that he has no idea what's really happening. We recently started reading a few older books together (he reads outloud and we talk about them) and he's been enjoying them more than he thought. We started with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, My Father's Dragon (actually read all 3 in that collection) and now we're on The Tales of Dr. Doolittle.

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  41. Some other great series are for Luke are "The Secrets of Droon" and "Geronimo Stiltion."

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  42. My son was a reluctant reader but found a Captain Underpants book at a swap and really got into it. Of course I had to buy the whole series right away. Not the greatest literature but pretty funny and I consider it like a "gateway series" to other books as he has now finished the MTH series and Horrid Henry as well. He has also read a lot of A-Z Mysteries, Cam Jansen and Jigsaw Jones books if Luke like mysteries.

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    1. A "gateway series" is exactly what I'm looking for! Just something to encourage him to read for fun. Thanks so much for your recommendations!

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