End of Another School Year

On Monday, we played hooky and went to Busch Gardens. The middle school was having a celebration for the straight A kids that Kara didn't want to miss. So, the weirdo chose school over Busch Gardens. The rest of us left around 8 and had an easy drive to Tampa. Unfortunately, as we got close we saw lots and lots of buses. We had expected a really quiet day, but the park was full of school trips. We were all very disappointed. However, we were able to zig when everyone else zagged and had a great day. Busch Gardens has Cheetah Hunt, which is my second favorite roller coaster (number 1 is Hagrid's). We rode three times, never waiting more than 25 minutes. We also rode the brand new Iron Gwazi! It was way too intense for me. It went so fast, 76mph, that it literally hurt my eyes to keep them open. The kids and Thomas thought it was okay, but also agreed that it was too fast to be fun--you don't really know where you are on the track. I saw a review that says the front feels slower, so maybe we will try again and sit toward the front (we were in the last three rows). We rode the train, other rides, saw the animals, watched the ice skating show, and overall had a pretty relaxed visit. 

From Iron Gwazi to the little fliers, Luke did them all.

Tuesday was uneventful. Jack and Anna had to get ECGs to enroll in marching band, so they did that. Wednesday was the last day of school. After the school shooting in Texas, it was hard for me to say goodbye to the kids that morning. I cried after dropping Luke off, not because I was sad for the last day, but because all I could think about was 19 families who would not be taking their kids to school ever again. Ugh, I am crying as I write this, so I will just leave it at this--something has to change in this country. I am all for "reasonable minds can disagree" but anyone who thinks we should maintain the status quo is insane. I already donate monthly to the Sandy Hook Promise and I wrote my legislators letting them know that from here on out, I will only vote for candidates who support major reform. We deserve to feel safe at school, work, the grocery store, church. etc. And, yes, I strongly agree that mental health concerns also need to be treated differently, but it is more than that. 

Back to happier news--the kids all enjoyed their last day. It was 8th Grade Day at the middle-school and they had food, bounce houses, and a teacher dunk tank. They also had portables set up with various themes (art, movies, board games, etc.). The kids had a blast! They all ended the year strong--straight As for the entire year for Jack and Kara and As and Bs for Anna and Luke. 

And, just like that--we have two high schoolers!

To celebrate the end of the school year, Wednesday night, Thomas took the older kids to see Dr. Strange. Luke and I stayed home  and played Life, ordered pizza and then went to the pool with his BFF Mike, Mia (Mike's sister) and Jack (in his class at school). 

Thursday, Jack and Anna had a one-day band camp. I think it is a preview day for what the 2-week "camp" in July will entail. They both said it was fun and Anna still wants to join, so I e-mailed her counselor, who will hopefully make it happen. Kara babysat for the Cantells, and Thomas had to go to the office, so it was just me and Luke at home. This arrangement made it hard for me to get work done. So, I invited one of his friends over and that was a huge success. They entertained each other and I got my work done = win/win. Most weeks, he will be going to camp, but since there were only two days at home this week, it didn't seem worth the hassle of signing him up. Two of our kids have been great at entertaining themselves (Kara and Jack) and two just do not like to be alone (Anna and Luke). I think Luke is the worst. Maybe it is a youngest child thing? The older three always had each other, so maybe being by themselves was more a treat? Although, that wasn't really true of Anna, so who knows?

Today (Friday) I had to work. Kara was babysitting again, but she brought the girls over to swim with Luke. Thomas took the day off and brought Jack to a doctor's appointment and to the gym for the first time. Jack has been watching the Rocky movies and we think he is inspired. I will update here if he attempts to drink any raw eggs.

And, to conclude--more end of year school pictures:

Luke's sneeze collage :)

8th Grade Formal, Band, Etc.

Saturday, May 14th was an extremely busy day. Luke had two baseball games. Jack had a basketball game, Kara had a birthday party at an escape room, and Jack and Anna had their 8th grade formal. It was definitely a day that required a lot of coordination. But, obviously, we made it work and everyone made it to their events. Luke's team won both baseball games and Luke played well. It was Jack's last basketball game of the season and unfortunately, they lost. After the game, they handed out the YMCA medals and the coach said nice things about each player (for Jack, that he has improved a lot, that he understands what the coach tells him, practices and applies it). Kara had a great time at the birthday party and loved the escape room.

The biggest event of the day was the much anticipated formal. Jack and Anna were both excited and nervous about their first dance. It was at the Drive Shack, which is a 3-story driving range. They had it set up on the lower floor with a small dance floor, a photo booth and lots of food. They didn't play any slow songs, so there was no pressure to find someone to dance with. They both said they danced and hung out with their friends and really enjoyed the experience. Jack had practiced the moon walk for weeks, and has gotten really good at it, but the dance floor was mostly on grass, so he couldn't show off his skills. Unfortunately, we were running a bit behind, so we had to do super quick pictures.

I stole these from the PTA's Facebook page.

Sunday, Luke was supposed to have the final game of his tournament and we went all the way to Winter Springs, and they played half an inning in the pouring rain and then delayed the game. We had to sit in our cars for about 45 minutes before they cancelled. 

Going back in time a bit, on Friday night, Jack and Kara had a middle school band concert. The theme was music from the movies and television and it was really fun. Before the concert started, they had a high school senior talk about the band program and he made it sound really great. He talked about how they were a big family and the band room was a safe place at the high school. He also mentioned that you could join even if you didn't have experience. They were having an ice-breaker for the students and an informational session for the parents on Tuesday. Jack and I were already planning on going, but after hearing him talk, Anna expressed some interest and I told her she should come too. She wasn't sure, but once I threw in dinner at Culver's she was in. 

She had played baritone in 6th grade and was hoping maybe she could try a different instrument. But, when we got to the ice breaker, she was really nervous to go in (all the other kids had their instruments). They had students outside and one of them walked up to her and asked what she played; Anna mentioned playing the baritone in 6th grade and they took her to that section. Then, she really liked the other kids. They gave her a marching baritone and she spent time with the other players. Meanwhile, I was getting all the band information. The band director seems nice, and I think it will be a time-consuming, but good, experience. At the end, all the kids came in and played the fight song. 

Both kids were happy and Anna is sure she wans to do band. She has been practicing the baritone and I e-mailed the band director, who said they will work hard to catch her up. 

Last night, Anna had another event--Gradventure (Jack didn't want to go, a decision he regretted when the day actually arrived). They close Universal Studios early and 8th graders from all over, including other states, converge and take over the park until midnight. Unfortunately, it poured with thunderstorms all night, so the outdoor rides, like the roller coasters, never opened. So, that was disappointing and made for longer lines everywhere else. Anna said she only got to ride 5 rides and she slipped and dropped her food, and her friends didn't listen to her when she could clearly see on the app that rides were closed, so they walked unnecessarily in the pouring rain and her friends left her while she was waiting in line for a butterbeer and then there was a miscommunication as to where to meet them.  

I was off from work and spent the morning in Winter Haven. My dad wanted me to look over paperwork for a retirement home he is considering. He also wanted me to look through a box he saved of my mom's old stuff. The box was really fun. It had report cards and pictures and the start of some journals (which reference other journals I want to try and find). It also had old yearbooks. My mom was voted most likely to succeed in high school. She also managed the basketball team, which I never knew. I still miss her so much, I can't believe its been 14 years. She died way too young. 

I enjoyed seeing my dad and we had a nice visit. We had lunch with my sister and Amanda. Amanda has had some major health issues lately. She was in the hospital for weeks and just got home on Thursday. It was nice to see her and I really hope the worst is over. I don't feel like it is my place to write about here. But, it has definitely been at the forefront of my mind for months, so it is also weird for me to not say anything.

I think that catches us up.

Mother's Day Weekend & Other News (Kara's braces)

Before I get to the weekend, on Wednesday, I was invited to have a Mother's Day tea in Luke's class. He didn't talk about it much, so I didn't think he was very excited. However, I later learned he had been talking nonstop to Thomas about it for weeks. The day before the big event, Thomas drove Luke to baseball practice and when they started driving, Luke said, "mom?" Thomas was confused and responded that I was at home. Luke told him he wanted to double-check before he talked about the Mother's Day party. You know, in case I had snuck into the van somehow. Anyway, it was a very sweet event. We had tea and little cakes and watched a video the kids' made. Luke showed me more stuff in his classroom and there was a selfie station. He gave me his gifts, including a very long paper (the longest he says he's ever written!) about why I am a great mom. It was very, very sweet. And, I loved it.

Not my favorite picture, but the only one I took.

Friday night, we went to the Florida Mall. Surprisingly, almost everyone wanted to go. We knew Anna would want to go dress shopping and figured Kara would join in. But Jack surprised us with wanting to go, which meant Luke had to come too. Luke wasn't happy, but it ended up fine. We had dinner at the food court. Side note--eating out has gotten crazy expensive! For the six of us, it was around $75, for a mall food court! No one got anything special. I think a couple people just had pizza slices from Sbarro. We went to Cracker Barrel a couple of weeks ago and it was $100. I think our eating out days will be few and far between! But, back to the mall. It became clearer why Jack had come, for some reason, he thought we were just eating and then maybe walking around. He did not realize dress shopping was involved. But, the boys went with Thomas and I took the girls. We started at JC Penney's, and they had a surprisingly great selection. We found several good choices and Anna picked a favorite and we got shoes to match. The kids shared some pretzels from Auntie Anne's and then Anna asked to get a second ear piercing. She has been asking for a while, so we agreed that as long as there was no wait, she could get it done (with her own money). So, she did. I had given my phone to Luke, so no pictures unfortunately.

It was a fun outing. I liked shopping with the girls. I learned that Anna was asked to the formal by a boy in one of her classes; she told him that she was already committed to going with her friends. Neither girl is interested in "dating" at this point, for which I am very grateful. They are at an interesting stage in life now. Obviously, they aren't close to being adults, but they also aren't little kids anymore. I am enjoying the in-between stage and the evolution in our relationship. 

Saturday, we went to Leu Gardens and the library. It was a nice, easy day. I really enjoy Leu Gardens and it was a good time to visit. The entire garden smelled so beautiful.

The butterfly garden was very active. Thomas got this awesome shot.

Sunday, we went to Fun Spot. We had bought tickets last June and they were close to expiring. With so many weekend activities, it was hard to find a time to visit. So, Mother's Day it was! We got there when they opened and went straight to the go-carts. We rode all the go-carts and other rides. We had lunch (cheaper than the mall) and let everyone pick their favorites to do again. It was very empty. I guess a lot of mothers don't want to spend the day at an amusement park? Fun Spot is only a couple of miles from Universal, so I checked the wait times and saw they were very short. Hagrid's was only 45 minutes and the non-headliners were 10-15 minutes! So, we decided to head there. We went and rode Velocicoaster (20 minutes) and Hagrid's (45 minutes). Those are two rides we can't use our express after 4 passes for, so it was almost a reverse day. Often we go and ride everything but those two rides. This time we rode them, got ice cream and left. We obviously could have done more, but it had been a long day and people were tired.

This was my favorite picture of the day. Thomas insisted he won, Kara was protesting (Jack won on the match with me and Luke)

The kids all gave me gifts. Jack wrote a beautiful poem, Anna wrote a letter, Luke also wrote a poem, and Kara made me an elephant (my favorite animal) out of the Mardi Gras beads. It was a very good day.

Luke and Kara went in the pool for the first time since it was redone. They both said it was nice. I tried going in with them the next night, but it was too cold for me. 

Today (Wednesday) Kara got her braces off! She spent the last week very excited. 

Another Week

It's been another busy week. I'll start with baseball updates.

On Wednesday, Luke's Cobra coach sent out a text asking if anyone was available to fill in at another game. A few kids said yes but the coach responded that he still needed more. Because it was at the park near our house, we asked Luke if he was interested. He was excited about the idea of playing a kid's pitch game (his age is still machine pitch). So, we went. It turned out to be 7 kids from Luke's team playing on a team with only 3 kids. We were nervous, but they ended up winning. Luke had a triple, a walk, and a strike-out along with some good plays at second base.  

I asked one of the moms what happened to their team, and she said their coach got in a screaming match with an umpire and was suspended for 2 games. So, he stepped down and then the rest of the kids (well, their parents) opted to not play as some form of solidarity? But three of the kids wanted to play the last game of the season. And the rules say you can get players to fill in, as long as they are from a lower division, so there we were. I really don't like the ultra-competitive side of kids' sports. At this level, the stakes are really low. Of course, no one wants to lose, but IMO it is so much more important to set a good example and use opportunities for life lessons (i.e.--the umpire made a bad call, but sometimes that's how things go and we need to accept it and move on). I personally struggle with being a good sport and I know it is easier said than done sometimes.

On Thursday, Luke had his team party. He had a great time. It has been a really good team, the kids and parents are nice and supportive (and no one yells at the umpires).

The team mom gave Luke this note. It made my day.

On Friday, they had their second playoff game. They won and played in the championship game on Saturday. We all went to cheer them on and they won! They beat an undefeated team. Both teams played really well. 

They got trophies and championship hats

Jack had a basketball game Saturday. He played well and his team won. He has really made huge improvements this year! 

In non-sports news. I took Kara, Jack and two of Kara's friends to see the middle school production of the Wizard of Oz. The cast was really talented and the kids enjoyed it. It was nice to meet more of Kara's friends. They are a nice bunch.

Saturday morning, I drove carpool for Algebra tutoring. They are preparing for their big test next week and doing the final push. 140 kids showed up! Jack and Anna have a really great teacher who is doing all he can to make sure his kids all pass the exam (required to receive high school credit). He had 3 hour reviews the last two Saturdays, plus some morning sessions. Anna went to all of them. Jack missed one because of an orthodontist appointment. They have both passed all the practice exams, so I am confident they will be fine, but the extra tutoring can't hurt! 

In orthodontist news, Kara gets her braces off in 10 days. To say she is excited would be an understatement!

We spent a long time shopping for clothes for the 8th grade formal. We found Jack a good outfit, but did not have any luck finding a dress Anna liked. That means more shopping is in my future.

Final yard update--the sprinkler people came out on Monday. When the pool people drove in the stakes for the slurry, one went right into the main line water pipe. My guess is that it was a slow leak at first because the stake was blocking some of the flow, but then the lawn people came and drove near the area, causing things to shift enough to create the massive flow. The repair was only $128, which the pool people covered. I can't wait to see this month's water bill...

And to end, some random photos from the week:

Luke wanted to be carried to school, Thomas obliged

They had healthy kids day at the YMCA, which included a fire truck spraying all the kids.