March Ends

The older kids got their latest report cards. They all had As and Bs. Anna showed tremendous improvement. She ended up with 6 As and 1 B. It was her best report card since we moved here. She did not have a single missed assignment and really enjoyed the quarter. In fact, none of them had any missing assignments. It was glorious! Florida has everything online and I found myself regularly checking their grades earlier in the year. We were constantly hounding Jack and Anna about missing work. It led to frustration and arguments and a general unpleasant atmosphere on many days. But, this past 9 weeks, we didn't have to remind them once. In fact, I went weeks without even looking at their grades. It was very nice for all of us! I hope a good lesson was learned and this is a sign of what to expect in the future.

Luke also got a report card, but his doesn't provide much insight. He had another standardized reading test and scored in the 99th percentile with a 4.9 reading level (equivalent to a 4th grader in their 9th month of school). I know that Luke is smart, but I don't put too much stock in reading tests. I feel like reading is a skill where everyone gets to the same place, just at different paces. I have definitely seen that with our kids. But, regardless, he loves learning and is enjoying the year.

Luke has had a few more baseball games; we only have 3 to go. He vacillates on how much he likes baseball, but fortunately, never complains about going to practice or the games. Frank and Marta drove up to watch a weeknight game. Luke got a hit and scored his first run (he has been stranded on first a few times). It was very nice of them to come and provided a good reminder of why I wanted to move to Florida. 

Thomas took the boys to the Battle of Narcoossee, a civil war reenactment. We look for history where we can find it! The boys enjoyed the weapons demonstrations and had a great time. But, it was heavy on a southern slant (referring to the Civil War as the War of Northern Aggression) and full of MAGA merchandise, so it wasn't our preferred crowd. But, it was important to Jack, so Thomas stayed and let them see the "battle." He made sure to have a good conversation with them on the drive home and unfortunately for Jack, I doubt we will go back.

That's really about it. Not much has happened in the past couple of weeks. Sophia's mom (Anita) has Covid. As does an acquaintance's husband (someone I talked with recently at the Lego birthday party).  Anita said she has never been this sick in her entire life and then it just gets worse. I feel terrible for her, but am glad she hasn't had to go to the hospital. We are trying to be helpful and are hoping she recovers soon. 

Luke Turns 7 and Spring Break Concludes

On Wednesday, Luke turned 7. He was so excited for his birthday that he asked us to wake him up early for the celebration. We told him we would let him sleep, as we had to work and there would be plenty of time for celebrating. Originally, he told me he wanted a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for breakfast, ice cream for lunch and homemade pizza for dinner. At breakfast time, he changed his mind and decided on waffles and eggs. It was funny that his plans for the day revolved around his meal choices. He did express a little regret that he wasn't having a party. But, we worked to make the day special. We also told him as one of his gifts, he could do electronics all day. He loved this and it kept him happy while we worked. And, hopefully, in 2022, he can have as big a party as he wants!

At 1130, his friend Mike came over to swim. Mike brought Chick-Fil-A, which was a fun surprise. I took a long lunch break to hang out by the pool (time I made up workwise), and they had a great time. They had ice cream sundaes and played for about 2 hours. Some siblings even joined in.

I wonder if Mike will want to come back after this?

After Mike left, Luke showered and put his pajamas back on to enjoy more television. After Thomas and I finished work, we made the pizzas and had his requested cake--a baseball cake. Jack had the cake once, maybe for his 6th birthday? Luke had it on his 5th birthday and wanted it again. Originally, he wanted a sports-themed cake, but then I showed him the  pictures from his 5th birthday and he said he wanted the same cake. Fortunately, it is super easy to decorate. He got awesome presents, including an Alexa Dot and "smart watch" from me and Thomas, roller blades from the girls, and a bow and arrow set from Jack. Mike gave him the game Operation and an Amazon gift card. He also got some cards with cash from family, fun books from the Wills, and two friends from his class that live close by (and he frequently plays with) brought over nice gifts. I think he felt pretty spoiled.

Thomas took Thursday afternoon and Friday off, but I still had to work. Thomas has now been with the Government for 15 years, so he earns 8 hours of leave per pay period. I get 6, which means each year he gets a full week (plus 12 hours) more than me. Plus, thanks to the time-consuming protests, he has earned additional credit hours. So, he had more time to spare than I did, particularly after taking time off last week. I need to save up for summer and the winter holidays! Thomas was planning on taking the kids to Fort Christmas on Friday, but Anna's Herbst broke (both on Thursday and Friday!) and the weather wasn't great.

Saturday, we went to Winter Haven to celebrate my dad and Kevin's birthdays. Lou turns 79 this week! Kevin's birthday is the 27th. We had a good visit and again, I completely forgot to take pictures! I am really annoyed at myself.  But, it was nice seeing everyone. Kim brought a Publix cake, which are always great. We got home in time to rest for a bit before I took Luke to Mike's birthday party. It was a Lego-themed party and Luke had a lot of fun.

Today is Sunday and everyone will return to school tomorrow. They are all sad that Spring Break is coming to an end. It definitely wasn't our most eventful Spring Break, and I am sad to think that we were scheduled to be on a cruise right now, but we did our best with what we had. It included 3 birthday celebrations, two trips to Winter Haven, a fun night at Universal, a trip to the zoo, and lots of time in the pool.

Finally, in very random news. I am currently reading Obama's book and Thomas is on Book 6 of Harry Potter.  So, I am reading non-fiction and he is reading fiction. That is VERY strange, and I don't think has ever occurred in our marriage. I do occasionally read non-fiction, but Harry Potter might be the first non-fiction Thomas has read in the past decade or so.

Spring Break Begins

Thomas and I took Thursday afternoon off and we went to Universal. It was our first visit since early December. We had a good time. We got to Islands of Adventure right as our expresses passes kicked in. The girls rode Hulk, the rest of us went on Spiderman. We had an early dinner, rode Forbidden Journey and the Hippogriff and then took the train over to Universal Studios. We stayed until the park closed at 8. It was nice and made us look forward to summer when they are open later.

Friday, we went to the Brevard Zoo. It is a nice zoo and we had a good visit. It was a beautiful day and the animals were active. We especially enjoyed the spider monkeys. They crawled all over the place and there were two young ones that were especially entertaining. They were very funny. I appreciate their habitat, they have cages that go through the trees and have different paths they can take to different larger areas. It seems nicer than many zoos. We fed the birds, which was also fun. We left around lunchtime and went to Chick-Fil-A. We stopped at Five Below on the way home and I think everyone enjoyed our time out.

The bird area made for good pictures:

Saturday we stayed home. Thomas took Luke to the park to practice batting. We watched a movie, although I can't think which one. We also dog sat for our neighbor. We brought the dog over to the house and the kids enjoyed playing with him and taking him for walks. We took him home at bedtime and checked on him a few times the next day before the neighbors came home. Sunday, we went to Marta's house for dinner. We had a nice visit. We played Apples to Apples, took the dogs for a walk and enjoyed a delicious dinner. 

The girls took the kids phone and took pictures and videos of the dogs. And, a selfie that shows the two of them getting along. Always a happy sight!

Waze took us on a different route, that avoided both I-4, which is frequently a nightmare, and 27. We went by the school my mother taught at and I pulled into the parking lot. I can recall visiting her there quite a bit, especially after I graduated high school. I volunteered in her class while I was at PCC and loved meeting her students and seeing her in action. The memories are still fairly vivid, and it is so crazy to realize she has been gone for 13 years. It seems so unfair that she died before I got to know her as a mother, she died when Jack and Anna were only three months old. We obviously had a deep bond and were very close, but I do wonder what it would be like to share my thoughts on motherhood with her. She was an extraordinary mother and I frequently wish she was here to offer advice.

But, I digress. Thomas and I are back to work and the kids are on Spring Break. They have gone into the pool the last few days and enjoyed the leisure that comes with not going to school. 

In other surprising news, I got my vaccine on Monday and Thomas has an appointment tomorrow. They opened it up to the employees on our base and it was surprisingly easy to get an appointment.

March Begins

In like a lion, out like a lamb. Instead of weather, it would be nice if this year that is Covid. Although, I wouldn't say it is in like a lion. The numbers seem to be improving. Hopefully, Spring Break and the new variants don't cause a change to the downward (or, at least holding steady) trend. It is hard to believe we are coming up on the year anniversary.

One year ago today I was at Disney with Kara, doing our epic 4-park challenge. It was an amazing day. I was supposed to go to Epcot on a field trip with Jack's Spanish class that was cancelled. Just one of many things. This is the kids' last week of school before Spring Break. Last year, they left without any clue that they had just had their last day in their respective grades. Kara's last physical day in elementary school came without any fanfare or even knowledge. It is so weird to look back on it now. So many things lost. But, fortunately for us, not our health. I am praying it stays that way. I am starting to get a little vaccine hungry. Several family members have been able to get vaccinated. And, I agree that they should be. My brother and sister have been teaching all year and definitely deserved to go to the front of the line. Of course, they were behind seniors, who our Governor dubbed the most vulnerable. I don't quite agree there. I think seniors should have been behind healthcare and essential employees. But, regardless, I am seeing people I know get the shot. And, it makes me anxious for my turn. 

Biden's stimulus package was passed. We won't get any windfall. Which, is fine, we haven't been financially impacted by the pandemic. But, neither have a lot of other people who will get a payout and that is frustrating. I wish there was a way to distribute the money to people who actually need it instead of racking up more national debt needlessly. I am glad I am not in charge of making the decisions, even though I know I have a lot of opinions on the topic. I read an article today that predicts Disney and other theme parks will be really crowded later this year as people have pent up desire to travel and now, thanks to the stimulus money, even more means to do it. I don't really think the Government should be funding people's vacations, at least not when we owe China 1 trillion dollars. Not that I fault any individuals, I wouldn't turn the money away if it was offered to me and if someone chooses to use it to vacation, I hope they have a great time.

But, I will step off my soap box. I am feeling cranky. It has been a long, trying year and some days it just wears thins. Unfortunately, those seem to be the days that I feel the need to write. Maybe it is time to start a personal journal again, instead of taking out my orneriness on my few blog readers. :)

In other news, Luke had his last football game on Saturday.  His coach had some very nice things to say to the team after the game, including that it was his favorite coaching experience. It was a good group of boys. He handed out medals and found something nice to say about each of the kids (for Luke, it was that he is an amazing receiver and catches the ball far better than anyone would expect for someone his age). It was a really good experience. Although, I am happy to have it off our plates and to free up another weekday night.

Everyone is excited for Spring Break. Although, unfortunately, Thomas and I aren't able to take much time off. Likely, just Friday. I think we might go to the zoo. Stay tuned.

And, to end--pictures of armadillos. The park where Luke has his baseball practice has a 0.5 mile walking loop. While walking on Tuesday, I saw two different armadillos in two different places. Florida definitely has a lot of interesting nature!