Flute

A box came in the mail yesterday. And while it was addressed to me, the contents were most definitely for someone else. You see, I got an email from my aunt who was making the very difficult decision to pass on her flute and she wanted to know if Michael wanted it. 

So if you heard a loud voice yelling YES a few weeks ago, that was him.

Kidding, in this house only Isaac has a voice that is loud enough to be heard around the world.

There was a great deal of anticipation leading up to the flute's arrival. And it did not disappoint. 

With the skill of someone who has assembled a lot of instruments, he put it all together and then inspected his new gift.

So many keys! While at first he questioned the finger charts she sent, given a little bit of time to practice and study, the charts and his persistence allowed him to make some progress in beginning to master the flute.

But first a silly picture staged especially for Aunt Pooh. Going to send this one to her before sharing this post.  Hahahaha.  Caption: Why doesn't it work??

He's only had it for just a little over 24 hours and he's already practiced on it for 83 hours.

Kidding! We made him go to bed last night and to school this morning. But he has dedicated an awful lot of his free time to his latest "vintage" instrument. He loves having these instruments with so much family history in them.

Facebook Posts

Just a few posts I thought were interesting enough to record here.

Isaac to Google Home: "Okay, Boomer....."

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Friend: Merry Christmas! Here's a plant you can't kill.
Me: Challenge accepted.

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We have some communication issues in my family: I think I'm stating a rule. The boys think it's just my opening arguments.

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I think the radio in the minivan is broken: it seems like it only plays country and Christmas music these days.

Probably time to get a new car.

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You know you've had a really deep, heart-to-heart conversation with your son when it ends with you yelling, "Poop art, Ben. It's a real thing!" as he walks away shaking his head trying not to laugh.

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I know that it is normal for kids this age to ask a lot of questions, but sometimes Isaac seems less like a curious child and more like a Spanish Inquisitor. Or like a micromanager who constantly taps me in inappropriate places to get my attention.

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It's the day after Thanksgiving and, yes, I had pumpkin pie for breakfast. Judge me if you like, but know that if you didn't have pumpkin pie for breakfast, I am DEFINITELY judging you.

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Jason: I hope I didn't put too many chocolate chips in it. (pumpkin bread)
Me: That sentence doesn't even make sense.

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I got up this morning and worked out on the elliptical for 45 minutes.

Then I had 3 peanut butter cookies for breakfast.

Life is about balance.

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Have you ever felt like time is moving too quickly and wished you could just slow it down? One solution: get on a Stairmaster. I guarantee that 10 minutes will feel like 10 hours.

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I read somewhere that a hug has to last for 20 seconds to be therapeutic.....which the boys don't find to be AT ALL awkward. 😆😉 (come give mommy a hug!!)

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I bought this kitchen scale for recipes that list ingredients by weight. Jason and the boys use it to make sure that everyone gets EXACTLY the same amount of soda from the very last bottle.

It's all about priorities. 😆

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Does anyone else have stuffed animals in their freezer? Is it just me?😆
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What exactly is meant by "jury of your peers"? Does that mean a group of women who are mothers of several children who are also just about to lose their ever-loving minds?
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Took Isaac to kid care at the gym and then the children's museum in the same day. What do you think - am I tempting the cold and flu gods? 
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The opposition for this morning's Scrabble game. They've got skillz.

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Josh, before he got his learner's permit: I've got this. I've been playing Mario Kart for over a decade!

Josh, after driving a couple of times: Uh, Mom, can we get one of those bumper stickers that says "Student Driver"?

Robotics

From the THS Facebook page: Timberline’s Robotics team competed in the FTC Robotics Inter-league state qualifier on Saturday, 1/11. The team made it all the way to the semifinals, winning 4 of their 5 matches and beating the eventual winning alliance in the first match of the semis. This was the best season Timberline has had by far and we will have six returning members next year!

Geo Bee

A month or so ago Michael came home and told me that he qualified for the school Geo Bee. Which was pretty exciting, except I couldn't figure out what he was talking about. I heard him say GEE-OO-BEE. Like G-O-B. GOB? I kept asking him what the G-O-B was. And he kept telling me it was the GEO BEE! 

Once I got him to spell it, it all became clear and I was understandably proud of him. Michael struggles when he doesn't care, but otherwise has a fabulous memory. And in this case, all the years of playing Stack the States and Stack the Countries during sacrament meeting at church has paid off! 

See, video games do contribute good to the world. Or so goes his argument. Or course, the corollary is that he should get to play more video games, right?

Ha!

So this morning, littlest man, Nana and I went to the middle school to watch Michael and 9 other kids compete in the Geo Bee. In front of 300 kids. No pressure! Michael rocked a question about South Africa (he was the only one to get it right), but incorrectly thought the coastal regions of Texas and Louisiana are a desert (he wasn't the only one). In the end, he made it to the second to last round and we're pretty proud of the kid who never studied geography but was learning something after all during those hours he spent not listening to the talks at church. 

First Orchestra Concert

The 2019-2020 school year must be the year of the cello at Ben's school. There are six kids in his class playing the cello this year - a quarter of his class. I am a fan of the cello: he doesn't have to haul it back and forth to school AND it is (generally) not a squeaky instrument.

That being said, I volunteered Jason to attend the first orchestra concert of the year.

He said they did well and even recorded the cello song (Up On The Housetop) for me.

Winter Break Fun

Jason took some time off during the holidays this year so we were able to have some mini-adventures. For the most part that meant that either Jason or I took the older boys somewhere fun while the other parent stayed home with partied with Isaac. 

Sorry, Isaac, but this age gap is killer.

Thursday, the older boys and I went bowling with Rachel and Michelle. Michelle claimed she hadn't played in decades, but her score says otherwise. (kidding - she did awesome, but she did spent a lot of time working on her form)

I have also not bowled in decades, but in my case it showed. I am Player 3 and did not have great form.

I actually got worse in the second game. Hahaha! No worries - whenever the boys get cocky about beating me at something, I challenge them to a game of Boggle. Who's laughing now?? Mwah ha ha ha!


Friday evening was a party at Rachel's house. She invited me and a bunch of her coworkers over to play games. It got pretty intense during Spoons and this table cloth will never be the same again.

On Monday, Jason took the older boys to the climbing gym. They had a blast and came home exhilarated and exhausted with tales of automatic belayers and difficult climbs. I asked if they wanted to watch Free Solo again after this and they all turned me down.

Weird.

On Tuesday, the middles and I went to the roller skating rink while Jason took Isaac and Josh on a lengthy quest for Josh to get his drivers permit (yeah, so that happened). Pretty sure we had more fun than they did.

Okay, 100% sure. The Department of Licensing outsources some of the pain, but not all of it, so it was a long and frustrating day for Jason and Josh.

We had fun, but the song doesn't lie (...and mom and dad can hardly wait for school to start again...).

First Hike

Starting last year, Jason and I began a tradition of going on a hike (childless!) on New Year's Day.  And take a selfie. It is 2020 after all.