We have had a lot of costume get ups come out of our costume cupboard — but I think this tops them all for “most bizarre”. And even more “bizarre”…he wore it for a few hours, outside and all!
Bizarre
Piano Recital ‘19
Mr. Holt has become a staple in our home each Thursday. There are many days our kids groan and complain about piano…but whenever someone comes for a visit, we go to someone’s home with a piano, or it is recital time….Scout and Navy tickle those ivories with a vengeance.
At this year’s recital, with the exception of two older kids, Scout and Navy did the best! They were confident, they knew their pieces backward and forward, and they performed perfectly. Micah and I were so proud of them.
But the best part came at their next lesson, when Mr. Holt said the same thing. He thought they were at the very top of the list of the pianists at the recital…and he said how proud he was when they each finished their pieces.
Dash starts next year…and for the first time in a while, we are going to know who is at the piano. Because this past year, Navy has excelled so much, that without knowing which piece Scout or Navy has…we can’t tell a difference. And that is pretty impressive on Navy’s behalf.
Nice work kids.
Pippi Stepping Up
It has been a long time coming — but Pippi is finally stepping up on Saturday mornings for her Saturday morning chores. Although, Doey was in town, and it was much cleaner than I would have expected from Pippi. So maybe I am getting duped. But she did a great job vacuuming while I oversaw.
Lockdown
Scout’s school is going through quite the story.
In quick summation:
A girl and a group of boys have been going at it. The girl is playing the victim card, and calling it bullying. (In a way she was certainly getting bullied, but from everything I have heard — she is not innocent in this.) A few days ago, I got a text from Lori Thurman, saying, “Chase (her son) just got in the car telling me the craziest story about a mom who went into his math class and started freaking out on all of the kids who were bullying her daughter. She used horrible language, and told them all that she was the bigger bully. Then a vice principal came and escorted her out. Chase said that if she had been carrying a gun, they would have all been dead.
We were all mystified, until we saw a video taken of the incident…and it was gnarly that a mom would barge into a classroom and do that. But after a few days of this playing out on social media, (she went from 400 followers on Instagram to 15,000) the crazies of the world have deemed this mother to be a hero. HUH!?!
While this woman has gained major momentum — even making onto the national news, and the VIEW, things have gotten crazier and crazier.
Today, after people were posting the school’s phone number on social media and urging everyone to call, a threat came into the school. As a result, I got a text that there were tons of police on the school’s site, a helicopter circling above the school, and the school was on an official lock down.
I told Micah I was heading over (Micah said, “of course you would head over!”). I had cold groceries in the car, but I wanted to go see what was going on. I parked and walked onto campus. The school had been cleared, but plenty of kids were really scared. So I saw one of the girls from walking group, and told her I would take anyone from walking group if they wanted to go. (The moms were texting me with a thumbs up since it was a minimum day anyway.)
In the end, I signed out nine kids.
They were so excited…and were laughing at those who weren’t coming. We headed to 7-11 for Slurpees and bagels for breakfast. And mostly to exchange stories about the lockdown — which were quite interesting. One teacher had music on and they were all watching YouTube videos. Another teacher told everyone to be silent so they didn’t get shot.
WHOA!
It ended up being a false alarm…but just talking to these kids who are facing some big things at their school, was kind of worth it.
But summer can’t come soon enough.
Pizza Oven
We saw a friend’s BBQ-style pizza oven…and I went on the search. It was awesome!
They don’t make them anymore, but I found a brand new one on the Offerup app for $350.
I told them I wasn’t sure I wanted one if they don’t make them anymore — but we would pay $200 cash.
To our delight…he said sure!
I drove to Apple Valley one night, and exchanged cash for a pizza oven….and it is great!
It was literally brand new, the guys were great and put it into my van, and we have been dining on delicious pizza ever since!
Tonight it was a family affair plus Doey — who drove up just to make pizzas!
Family Night Pile Up
This was my view at the beginning of Family Night. I love Family Night. I love spending one night a week teaching our kids important things. I told the kids to settle down, because I thought they would really like this family night. Tonight we talked all about the “Love of Learning”. I talked about Micah’s interest in smoking a Brisket…so he researched and created a masterpiece just a few weeks ago. I talked about the time when one of the kids asked me where the best shells on earth were, and that started our love of collecting shells and Sanibel. I told them that at school, they may thing some things they are learning are pointless…but if they can grasp this “love of learning”, everything becomes more exciting.
Then I opened it up to them. I told them that as parents, we totally support their love of learning…so what is something they would like to learn about right then and there.
They thought for a bit.
Then after some time, these were their answers:
Pippi wanted to learn how to make the perfect eggs.
Dash wanted to learn how marbles are made.
Scout and Navy came up with things that were a bit more complex.
-
In the end, Micah and I chose to take Dash’s quest to find out about how marble’s are made, and we researched it. We found out a couple of things. There are two ways to make them…hand blown, and in a factory. We watched both methods, and learned about the glass blowing process. Better yet…we watched them blow glass in Italy, where we will be in a month and a half. The whole thing got my kids so pumped up, that they kept asking more and more questions. It was awesome!
I told them, that to have a love of learning is such a gift in life, and that their lives would be more fulfilling by getting excited about things.
Afterward…Pippi asked to watch at least one thing about eggs, which we did.
It was a great Family Night.
-
Best part….Dash has said three times since Family Night, that “Mom…I really likes our last Family Night.”
Me too.
Mother’s Day ‘19
Perfect.
Mother’s Day was perfect.
It started off with presents from all of my cute kiddos. And today I received my FAVORITE Mother’s day present I might ever get! I guess a few weeks ago, I was saying to the kids that being a mother is a thankless job. (It is.) So after hearing that, Navy sent around to everyone and had each person write “Thank You” (although Micah and Nonnie expanded a bit.), and she framed it. When I got it, I thought it was sweet, and gave her a big love. But then when she explained to me that she had heard me say motherhood was a thankless job, she wanted to make sure that I always knew that everyone was thankful. So I was to put this next to my bed….ALWAYS!
SEE!
My favorite gift ever!
Then Micah served me my favorite breakfast in bed — nostalgic blueberry muffins!
Better yet, he served it on the pizza peel Scout bought me with his own money — for our new pizza oven.
Dash said my present is coming tomorrow, and Pippi gave me my gift at school.
Off we went to church, where Micah dressed particularly dapper for me.
I love this picture of Daddy fixing Dash’s tie right before he headed up to the stand for my favorite church day of the year!
The Mother’s Day program!
Nonnie nailed it, and Navy did, and Dash did, and Pippi did!
And then when Pippi sang “When I grow up, I want to be a mother…” it was the best. THE BEST!
When we got home from church…the ladies just sat back to cheese plate deliveries and diet cokes from our waitress Navy. Then we digested, and then sat down for heaven. Micah and Bryan create it for us each year…and it is heaven! There was no stone left unturned for their ladies. We stuffed ourselves to oblivion, and oohed and aahed through the whole thing.
It was incredible.
And then my mom, Trilby, Megan and I all sat on the couch in food coma, while everyone cleaned. And a special shout out to Scout and Navy who stepped up so well this year. It was so fun to watch.
Afterward, we exchanged sister gifts, and then just hung out and went over every great detail of the day.
After Bryan was dying over our flowers, and Micah telling the funny butterfly ranucula story of his three day quest for dead flowers…my mom treated us to an impromptu photo shoot.
This literally made Bryan’s day!
At the end of my amazing day, I crawled into bed and started reading my great book at the moment. And one by one, each of my children came in with their own books to “book nook”, and read alongside me. Micah came out of the shower and took this photo, of what was the perfect cap to my perfect day.
-
In an attempt to not have “Mother’s Day servant” be a thankless job….
Thank you Micah
Thank you Bryan
Thank you Scout
Thank you Navy
Thank you Dash
Thank you Pippi
Thank you Doey
And especially thank you to my co-mothers…Nonnie, Trilby, and Megan.
Thank, Thank, Thank You!!!
Dashvention
“This is Dash’s Crazy Contraption. If you don’t want your mouth on the balloon…it’s easy! Just get a stick with two ends that are open, and get a balloon.”
Uuuhhh.
I love his innovation, and his contraption.
I don’t love that it sounds like something straight off the screen of a YouTube video.
SCREEN FAST!
The Good Life
Scout has discovered one of the great luxuries of life.
A good book next to the pool.
Balancing Brothers
Don’t let these smiles fool you.
This was a competition…where nobody was going easy on the other.
The challenge — stay on while the other is knocked off.
They both lost.
| DESIGN BY