Do You Even Leap, Bro?

This year came with an extra day and it was packed. We definitely got our days worth on this one.

The day started with a divide and conquer - Jason took Michael to honor band practice and I took Isaac to pick up Josh's race bib and Nana and then go to Kindergarten Registration.

Yes, it is finally happening. Littlest minion is going to kindergarten. Can I get a hallelujah?

In an interesting twist, the entire district did kindergarten registration at a high school at the same time. Does that sound like a perfect recipe for long lines? Because it was a great recipe for long lines. To be fair, they did try to make things more exciting for the kids with activity tables and a balloon guy, but still.

I was thrilled to finish the process and hand over all the paperwork because we had more to do.

After dropping off Mom, we returned home to pick up Jason, Josh and Ben to head to a baptism. The two boys who live behind us were getting baptized and we were glad to squeeze the happy event into our busy day. An hour later, we dropped Josh at a friend's house and headed to Seattle. Mom was kind enough to pick up Michael and take him home to get some rest before his concert.

What on earth would possess us to do a there and back to Seattle in one afternoon? Saving money. At least, that was the idea several months ago when I figured we'd save money by picking up our race packets rather than having them mailed to us. However, by the end of February, it felt like it would have been worth it to splurge and save ourselves the trip.

Oh well.

We picked up our bibs, tried on our jackets, tasted some chocolate (of course!), bought some Girl Scout cookies, and took some pictures by the inflatable chocolate bar. Then loaded back in the car to go home.

Why so soon? Well, we had to pick up Josh at 5pm and Michael had an Honor Band concert at 7pm...oh and the people who live in our house felt entitled to eat a meal every evening. 

Then we all went to bed since four of us had to rise early in the morn to head back to Seattle for the Hot Chocolate Run.

Valentine's Day, Belated

It was later than most people traditionally celebrate it (thanks a lot, norovirus!), but we did finally have our Valentine's party.

Mom and Rachel came over to enjoy the dinner Michael made (stuffed shells - they looked/smelled amazing) and then play games.

Michael: I made this!

Games:
"I love to see you smile": minute to win it game where you have 60 seconds to get people to smile, 1 point per person. Interestingly enough, Jason was horrible at keeping a straight face, but he was also the only person who made everyone smile. Jason, Michael, and Ben (and Isaac) were pretty much a given every round.

"Heart Zap": we covered the front door with paper hearts with various point values on them and a few that said ZAP which made you lose all your points from that round. Everyone got 5 tries each round to bounce a tennis ball on the ground and then hit the paper hearts for points. Jason won, but Nana made a very respectable showing. Ben was the only one to hit ZAP and was canvassing for golf scoring.

"Marshmallow Build": teams of two had 3 minutes to build a structure from marshmallows and tooth picks. Rachel and Ben rocked this one while Mom and Josh's couldn't stand long enough to be measured. Isaac kept sneaking marshmallows.

"Kiss the Frog": similar to pin the tail on the donkey, but we pinned lips on the frog prince/princess (we've learned from Jurassic Park that some frogs can change gender as needed, so that was the kind of frog we had). Rachel decided to go all in. And Isaac kept sneaking marshmallows.

"Cupid's Arrow": Isaac and I colored sets of 15 swabs with markers to make 8 different sets so we could use straws to shoot them into a bowl and get an accurate count per person. I got paper straws which caused some technical difficulties, but it was still fun though some of us got a little lightheaded with all of the blowing.

And then dessert. I try to make it a tradition to have special Valentine's floats with red soda with red vine straws for the kids (most adults don't seem to find them very appealing). Ben decided to go with a deconstructed float this year (ok, it was just soda in the cup and ice cream in a bowl), but I did get my pictures.

Another sugar-filled holiday on the books.

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....."

--

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

--

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

--

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.

--

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.

--

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.

--

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.

--

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

--

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.

--

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.

--

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!!)

--

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. 😆

--
Does anyone else have stuffed animals in their freezer? Is it just me?😆
--
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?
--
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? 
--
The opposition for this morning's Scrabble game. They've got skillz.

--

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.