Farm, Kindergarten Meeting, Gym...oh my!

We had a great day today! It was beautiful weather and we took advantage by heading up to Wolcott Farm with some friends. It's a very cool working farm that allows you to see, touch...and smell the animals. A lot of babies had been born recently and there was even a calf born this morning just before we got there. We were just in time to see the cow milking finish up and then got to see baby pigs, baby goats, baby sheep, baby chicks...etc.

After, I met a friend at the park for a quick lunch and update on each other while we let the kiddos run wild. Then we came home. Max took a nap, I checked things online really quick and then Payton played online until it was time to go to a meeting. I (thankfully) dropped the boys off at a friend's home and went to the meeting for Payton's school next year.

We've been looking really hard at National Heritage Academy schools and I feel 100% comfortable and confident in my decision that this is where we'll send him. After today's meeting on "Moral Focus", I knew it was the right fit for our family. This is a new school building, but the system of NHA has been around since 1995. It's a private school feel, but open to the public with no cost. It's based on "traditional values" and a "rigorous education". Each month has a moral focus that they stress and tie into all of the work and projects that the kids do. Some of those are: Wisdom, Respect, Gratitude, Self-Control, Encouragement, Perseverance, Courage, Compassion and Integrity. All things that Matt and I try to teach our kids anyway!

NHA is strongly based in moral character, but also in patriotism and citizenship. Each morning the kids have a full school assembly where they sing patriotic songs, say the school motto and the pledge of allegiance...yes, including "One Nation Under God". Because it's a privately funded school, they aren't shy about where they stand and the things they'll be teaching our kids. Respect and tolerance for all children and all religions is taught, but they aren't shy about sticking to the values originally thought of by our founding fathers.

The academics are amazing too. Very rigorus and challenging. One of the things they quote often is "Anything worth working for is worth working for hard." Can you tell I'm excited about where he'll be next year?!

After picking up the boys from my friend, I made it to the gym with just enough time to workout. I completed my mile in 12.13 again. Not bad. I'm down another .5 lb by the gym scale. Tomorrow starts another round of "Biggest Loser" among my circle of friends. I know I won't be the biggest loser, but I'm really just in it for the competition and the drive to make it the whole three months.

So, we had an exhausting day. Maxwell wasn't happy when I picked him up from the gym childcare area and he cried the entire way home...most of time I nursed him...and the whole time I put his pjs on. He finally stopped when I laid him down in bed and he fell asleep right away.

Tomorrow holds more excitement and busy-ness. Hopefully we'll have one slower day later this weekend!