Laura Numeroff

Here at Compass we have been learning about Laura Numeroff. The author who wrote the popular If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and other books. 

We gathered as many of her books as we could and took turns reading them. 

We read them to our buddies....

And had them read to us.

Few things fill my teacher heart like seeing my students enjoy reading... Come on down to join the fun and jump into reading with our kids here at Compass! 

Not sure how this picture sneaked into a post about reading at Compass, but isn't she adorable? I don't think I have ever been quite so infatuated with a baby as I am with her...

Last Weekend

It was a busy weekend. 

I got a few lessons on my own baby bike. Let me just say I can't shake that grin off my face when I am out on the road. 

I went home for a day and got school completely in order so the kids could start Monday. Looking at all those books just waiting made my little teacher heart happy as a clam. 

I also brought down the paints for Rosie and John. They just couldn't wait until Monday to get started. I told Leah it was the cheapest and most effective form of sanity I was ever going to give her...

Driving home and seeing this. Harvest is well underway. How I miss the wide open spaces and being able to see nothing but the earth and sky for miles and miles. 

Sunday brought the much anticipated half-marathon. I got the biggest blisters of my life. 

But finished with a much better time than I had even dreamed of (1:58:41) and did my best to chase down my running coach, who put in a 1:34:40. And slept very well Sunday night. :D 

Little People

Little people make me very happy. 

When they come and read in my office....

 When they make me an Auntie again, and fall asleep while I am holding them... 

And when they let me help them with their homework and read them stories. Let's just say, I have been pretty happy this last week. :) 

Tough Mudder

This weekend we took a little trip to Wisconsin so Josh and Broud could run the Tough Mudder. 

They had been training and were pretty excited to run 11 miles through mud and over obstacles. And I was pretty excited to chase after them with a camera and cheer. 

We got there a day early so we could hang out with Dan and Bethany and this adorable little munchkin. Who grew in the month since we saw her last and has a much deeper appreciation for food now than she did before.  

A gorgeous day calls for a trip to Lake Michigan, a little beach volleyball and some sand castles. 

You are never too old to make sand castles. 

I think we may have possibly been spending a little time around each other. Seeing as we are doing exactly the same thing here without even trying... 

Maybe it should be called a sand fortress instead of a castle. 

Then it was off to the Tough Mudder. The course ran through cornfields, swampy brushland, and a gorgeous young vineyard. Needless to say, this country girl was a little beside herself. 

The start of the 9 am wave. My guys are in there somewhere... 

It was pretty easy at first to follow their trail and get some pictures. This was about one mile in. 

That's my man, right there. :) 

They climbed walls...

And jumped into dumpsters full of ice... They had many other obstacles as well, but I managed to get quite lost on the course and spent a good hour tramping solo through the marsh (where I got completely soaked, covered in stickers, discovered a deer trail, and overall had a wonderful time reliving my childhood exploring the woods while the guys kept running) trying to catch up to them. I finally found them right before the finish. 

Last obstacle, traverse through 10,000 volts of electricity. There were so many people crowding around to watch this one it was hard to get close enough for a good shot. 

Running in that finish. 

They were so filthy, I almost didn't recognize them. :) 

Way to go guys! I am so proud of you! Now the waiting two weeks to find out if they qualified for the Ultimate Tough Mudder by finishing in the top 5% of runners who were trying to qualify. Either way, it was an awesome trip and unanimously voted well worth the time.