The End of the School Year and Spring Sports and Parenting Woes

June 10th, the eagerly awaited last day of school, finally arrived. The kids were all both happy and sad. It was a good year for them. They liked their teachers and their classmates and were generally happy to go each day. Of course, summer is fun and magical, so they were excited to be done as well. The day was bittersweet for them, and me as well. I enjoy summer break and the freedom from routine, but it can be difficult to find ways to occupy them for the long weeks of summer. I am not one who believes in entertaining my children, but I also don't want to spend all day, every day at home, because that's not fun for any of us. Then, there's the complaining and fighting that seem to coincide with long hours spent in each other's company, although I don't think it's ever as bad as I anticipate. We shall see. Last year, there were 9 weeks of summer and the kids had enough camp, swim lessons, and VBS to occupy all but 3 of them. This year, summer is 10 weeks and only 3 are accounted for--we have no vacations planned and nothing too exciting on the horizon (other than a possible visit from my sister and her family).

The kids all had great report cards. Jack and Anna far exceeded the benchmark for reading speed. In the words of Jack's teacher, he blew it away (benchmark was 111 and he reads 256!). Anna wasn't too far behind. Kara's report card was not specific, it basically just said that she was on target and to keep up the good work. All of our kids love to read, for which I am incredibly thankful. They also did well in their other subjects. So, no complaints on the report card front. I sometimes worry about them getting burned out on school. Third grade starts all the testing requirements. I don't have a problem with testing, but I want my kids to keep enjoying learning for the joy that is gaining knowledge and I think testing can suck the joy right out of that. As said above, we shall see.

One story I want to memorialize--Kara knew on the last day of school there would be a contest in art class. She decided what she was going to draw (an owl) and began teaching herself how to draw it the way she wanted. She practiced daily for about a week. She even did timed trials, so she would be really prepared. Unfortunately, I got involved and made suggestions. I think I was much more harmful than helpful and I kind of took away the uniqueness of her idea. She did not win the contest, but she did a cute drawing, of which she was proud. Jack and Anna had the same contest, but neither one gave it much thought, Kara just really loves to win and is going to make sure that if she doesn't, it wasn't because she didn't put forth the effort.

To celebrate the last day of school, one of our neighbors threw an impromptu pizza. The kids ate pizza and candy, played outside, and watched Zootopia. It was a nice way to end the year.

The girls both wore the same outfits they'd had on the first day. Anna's dress was way too short, so she had to put some long shorts underneath.

Kara's was also shorter. Also, notice how her shirt covered all but 2 buttons at the beginning of the year, and at the end 3 (almost 4) were showing.

Luke insisted on holding the sign, using his favorite phrase "my turn" (it's always Luke's turn!)

Jack wasn't interested in trying to find the clothes he'd worn on the first day. Look how much tanner he was in August!

In other news, the spring sports season has (finally) ended. Anna played her last soccer game yesterday. I think it is a relief to all of us that it is over. While she showed some improvement at practices, games were a bit rough. However, she generally had a positive attitude and she never quit, which I think is a far more important skill. It was difficult at first for me to watch her struggle. In one of my poorer parental moments, she got in the car after a particularly brutal game and asked if I thought she did a good job. She had served as goalie and the other team scored a lot during her time at the post (and during others time as goalie as well, it was a slaughter).  However, she never quit, and kept trying to stop their kicks. Ignoring that crucial fact, I responded with something like, "no you did terrible, the coach had to yell at you after every goal to remind you what to do with the ball. And, even when you stopped the ball, you kept throwing it to their players who would then just kick it right in the goal." Her little face fell and her mood changed and I felt like a jerk. I told myself I was just being honest, but I knew I could have found different words. Later that night, when I tucked her in, I apologized and told her I had focused on all the wrong things and that she did have a good game because she kept trying and never quit. 

She knew she wasn't a strong player and that soccer wasn't going to be her forte, but she never complained about going to practices or games. I felt frustrated because I didn't feel like she gave it 100%. I am not sure what my point is, I don't think either of us experienced any growth from the experience. Although, I was reminded again that I need to be a parent to the child I have, and not try and mold that child into the one I think I should have. And, I do know that I would rather have the kid with the good attitude than the kid who is a great player but a poor sport.

Jack had a very successful season at baseball. He showed a lot of improvement and really enjoyed himself. He is a good hitter and a great defensive player. Kara, unfortunately, did not really enjoy baseball this year. I think I mentioned this, but she grew more and more fearful of batting. She enjoyed being in the outfield, but despised batting. As a result, she stopped being able to hit the ball. I don't think she will play any more baseball or softball, at least not for a while.

Gettysburg

We did a quick day trip to Gettysburg last weekend. We had the kids get up a bit early so we could beat the rain and the crowds (it was over Memorial Day weekend). It took us a little over 2 hours to get there. The drive was pleasant on a Sunday morning. We had the kids eat breakfast in the car and we were sitting down to the movie in the Visitor's Center for the 9:45 showing.

After the movie, we were shuffled up to see the Cyclorama. The Cyclorama is a giant panoramic painting depicting the battle field at Gettsyburg. There was a short audio and parts of the painting would light up to illustrate what the audio described. It was originally painted in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the battle (1883). However, the one on display has been restored and I don't think it was the original from 1883. It was 42 feet tall and about 300 feet in circumference and very impressive. Luke did not enjoy the movie or the painting. He kept his hands over his ears the entire time and was very relieved when we left the show.

From there we looked around the gift shop and briefly toured the museum. The girls and Luke had reached their maximum educational input and were ready to get outside. We had a cd with an audio tour, but quickly discovered that it was way too much information and too long for the kids, so we just listened to bits and pieces. Jack really wanted to see Little Round Top so we spent a while exploring that site. The view is pretty untainted and it was easy to imagine what it was like for the soldiers there. We also spent a long time in the cemetery and we found the spot where Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address.

Overall, we spent about 4 hours there, 1.5 in the Visitor's Center and 2.5 driving around and exploring the massive battle field. It was a good trip and the kids were well-behaved. The town was really cute and I think it would be fun to go up and spend a night or two to really explore the area. There was really too much to take in in one day, plus there is a lot of information. It was difficult for me to stay focused and I am an adult with a genuine interest. Thomas said the nerd in him would like to do the battlefield over 3 days, which is how long the battle lasted. We would see the sites that corresponded to each day of the battle, I think he is on to something with that plan. Anyway, it was a nice day trip and we all learned a lot. It was also a good trip to take over Memorial Day (the masses would agree as it was crowded!). We want to make sure our kids know the true purpose of the day.

Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate for us to take our annual trip to George Washington's birthplace, so we stuck close to home for the other two days of the holiday weekend.

Mid-May 2016

As you can probably surmise from the title, it has been a quiet few weeks around here. There have been a few stand-out moments. Jack and Anna had the official ceremony for their hundred book club. It was much more challenging this year than last. The hundred books contained specific requirements including 2 fairy tales, 2 books about another country, 5 books about famous people, 10 chapter books, etc. Also, unlike in first grade, the majority of books were nonfiction. This wasn't an issue for Jack, who loves to read about history, but it was a challenge for Anna, who likes to read, but prefers fiction (the kids seem to take after their same-gender parents). They had an awards ceremony and then let the kids have lunch outside with their parents, followed by a dessert buffet. It was a fun afternoon and I was proud of them for completing the challenge.

Anna standing with her much beloved Mrs. Lowe

Jack getting his medal (pictured teacher was a substitute, but his teacher is also wonderful)

Kara completed the first grade hundred book list, but we haven't heard anything about her ceremony yet.

We have made a few more trips to Six Flags. Anna has now braved one of the big coasters. It goes upside down and in corkscrews and is her biggest coaster to date. She loves it!  Kara still avoids any rides with "big hills," which we have assured her doesn't make her any less brave than her siblings. Jack has now ridden every large ride the park has to offer and loves them all--including Batman, which we reluctantly let him ride.  I still think Kings Dominion is a better park, but Six Flags definitely has its own advantages, like the Superman rollercoaster which is my and Thomas' favorite. Regardless, both places are really fun.

You can barely see the barefoot little Anna

In other news, I applied for another job. I am a glutton for punishment I suppose. I still vacillate on whether I want to go back to work, but I think I do.  It would allow Thomas' to retire a couple years earlier and would let us save more money for retirement.  Plus, I really don't know what I will do when Luke goes to school in a few years. Plus, I really don't like to clean and would have no excuse left to avoid it.

And, a couple of random pictures:

Random picture of our "whisper tube." Me and the kids had a lot of fun one night giving each other secret messages.

The only benefit to having to drive to Annapolis to fix a broken iPhone--lunch at PF Changs.

Rebound Week

After our awful week last week, it has been nice to return to normal. In other words, there have been good moments, bad moments, and just plain moments. Here are the highlights.

In bad news: I dropped my new, expensive iPhone. I had taken it out of it's protective case because the case had something blocking the camera. We were at Jack and Kara's baseball game and it just fell out of my pocket, face down on some stone. Screen cracked.

In good news: no tantrums this week! Anna had her second soccer game yesterday. She had fun and her team played well. From there, we went to Six Flags. There was a cheerleading competition, so the park was crowded. We watched a little of it, primarily while Jack and Thomas were off riding the big coasters. We were impressed by the stunts. Cheerleading seems more like gymnastics than cheering. Even though there were more people in the park the ride times were still manageable, particularly in the children's area. I am not sure why Six Flags has such a bad reputation. We have found it to be clean and fun. Of course, we'll see what it is like in the summer.

I thought this was a fun one, we were all on the the same ride, just in two different cars. I took this one looking down at Thomas and Jack. Anna did not like me turning around, she was convinced I was going to cause us to fall.

A rare moment capturing the four of them having fun together!

Jack is doing well at baseball. He has gotten a base hit every time he's been up to bat and does good in the outfield as well.  He says he loves it and wants to be a professional baseball player. Unfortunately, Kara has developed a fear of the ball and doesn't enjoy batting. We aren't sure why, she was never hit with it or anything, but this season may be the end of her baseball career. She is still going strong with her gymnastics/dance class. She can now do cartwheels, splits, bridges, back-bend kickovers, roundoffs, etc. She is currently hoping to learn front and back walkovers. She loves, loves, loves doing floor gymnastics and is constantly doing cartwheels and other moves. Unfortunately, I have no knowledge, so she is limited to what she can learn in her 45-minute weekly class or teach herself in the yard.

Luke get his first big-boy haircut. Jack was ready for his summer buzz cut and Luke was very interested. When Jack was done, Thomas asked if he wanted his hair cut too. Luke responded with his typical "sure"  (sounds like sha). He climbed into the chair and handled it like a pro.

He liked throwing his hair on the ground. I didn't realize he had so much of it.

I never realized how much they look alike until this picture.

Thomas work schedule is still busy, but not nearly as bad. He is still working longer hours, but nothing like the previous weeks. He was even home in time to go to the school's annual sock hop. We go every year and the kids love it. This year, I overheard some older kids talking about being embarrassed by their parents' dancing. It motivated me to get out on the floor with my kids and Thomas, who was already dancing with them.  The kids were completely thrilled. It was a good reminder to enjoy them while they are young. Thomas and I are terribly uncoordinated and truly awful dancers, but the kids were just happy to have us being silly with them.

With some friends in the "photo booth" area.

I got the cap for my root canal. It cost a bit more than I expected, but because the tooth had no root I didn't need to get any shots. Since it was pain-free,  I am calling it a win.

Finally, a few more random shots from this week:

This one is actually from Kara's program last week. Wasn't she a cute monkey?

Jack built this awesome train track for Luke. Far more elaborate than what I usually make him.

There was no school Tuesday so we decided to go berry picking with some neighbors. We got almost 7 pounds and ate them in 2 days (strawberry shortcake, a strawberry balsamic chicken recipe, strawberry covered waffles, and plain strawberries). We need to back for another 7 pounds!

The Wilsons and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week

the BLUF (military speak for bottom line up front):Thomas working 16-hour days, root canal, major tantrum and a disappointing Saturday culminating with a car accident.

Thomas was recently assigned to a civilian personnel law case as co-counsel. The case has been on-going for the past year, with depositions scheduled for this week. He had approximately one week to get up to speed on a case with thousands of pages of documents. Then, he had to prep for the depositions and then actually be in the depositions. In order to do all this, he has been working long hours. Excluding the weekend, the kids haven't seen him in two weeks because he goes in before they wake up and is home long after they are in bed.  It hasn't been fun. He is going to miss Kara's first-grade performance tomorrow, which both Kara and Thomas are very sad about. He is also going to miss Jack and Kara's first machine-pitch baseball game. Fortunately, it is only temporary and his normal work schedule should resume next week. It reminds me of when he deployed and makes me thankful that we are no longer in the military.

On Saturday, we had great, fun plans. Anna had a soccer game at 11, then we were going to go straight to Six Flags. However, Anna got in trouble that morning and refused to go to her soccer game. There was a HUGE tantrum involved, the likes of which we haven't seen in quite a while. Obviously, that meant no Six Flags for her. Initially, I was still going to take Jack and Kara but we decided to forgo the trip and just have fun at home. Anna spent the day in her room. We gave her some alternative punishment options if she wanted to gain her freedom, but she refused. That afernoon I decided to take Jack and Kara out for ice cream. On our way, we got rear-ended. I was driving Thomas' car. You know, the one we bought to replace the car that was totaled in a rear-end collision a few months ago? The car only has 3000 miles on it. I am not positive, but I am guessing the girl who hit me was on her phone. She was very young (a teenager I think, maybe young 20s). We were stopped at a light with cars in front, behind and on all sides. The light turned green, I started forward and was just whacked from behind. Somehow, she hit us twice, the poor kids were scared! They both cried out to ask what was happening. 

Our car is going to need a new trunk and bumper. There is also damage underneath. The initial estimate was 6-7k! But, it may change after they put it up on the rack and see underneath (hopefully, for the better). It has been a hassle dealing with her insurance, but I am thankful she took full responsibility. They verbally told me I would get a rental car, but when I went to drop it off, the rental wasn't approved. I don't want to use our insurance, so I have to rely on hers. It wouldn't be such a big deal, but we had to change car seats and do car swaps to make it work since I obviously need the minivan and Thomas is too swamped to be able to deal with any of this.

In the grand scheme of things, it's not a huge deal. Insurance will pay for the damage. No one was hurt, although Jack had a nice mark on his neck from the seatbelt. It is just a pain and a bit sad to see our brand new car looking mangled. 

In the midst of this, I got a root canal on Monday. It went as well as a root canal can go. The worst part was footing the bill. $764 with insurance! Plus, I need to get a crown to top it off next week and that will probably be another $700. I really need a job. 

A few more complaints, because why not? 

-I twisted my knee. It hurts.

-We had some issues with our backsplash. When the guy came out to fix it, he just put new grout on top of the whole thing, but it is a different color than the old grout. It looks terrible! I imagine to fix it, they will have to remove it all and start over. However, I am not sure if the installers will do that willingly or try to say that they see no problem. 

See how the grout on the bottom is a different color than the grout on top?

-Our neighbors just put their house up for sale. We moved in days apart and they have been great neighbors. We have an understanding that Thomas shovels their sidewalk (they are an older couple) and they bake us cookies. I am going to miss them!

-We bought a new computer and it doesn't work. After an hour on the phone with Dell support it finally booted up, but it still doesn't seem quite right.  Our old computer forced us into a Windows 10 update, but doesn't have enough memory to effectively run the program. It has been very frustrating.

This concludes my airing of grievances for the week. Next time, I will try and make a post about all the positives.

Speech and Theme Parks

Luke had his evaluation with Infants and Toddlers this morning. The short is that he is completely normal and is not eligible for any services. I am glad that he is developmentally on target, but I was surprised when she said his language is where it should be for a 2-year-old. Regardless, it is good news. Although, I am sad that he won't get the point that would help him get a spot in public Pre-K (the only benefit I can see of having a child who is not quite where they should be).

In other news, we are theme park season pass holders again! But, not for Kings Dominion. 2015 was the Summer of Kings Dominion. 2016 will be the Season of Six Flags. We decided it would be good to change things up a bit. I was afraid we would get sick of KD if we spent another summer visiting. But, we still wanted another fun option when looking for summer activities. Six Flags fit the bill. This year they are having a Christmas event so we figure we will easily be able to go enough times get our money's worth.

We had our first visit over the weekend. The good thing about low expectations is they are easy to exceed. Granted, I don't think many visits can top this one. The weather was slightly cold, which meant the park was virtually empty. We didn't have to wait in line for any rides. Everything was clean and appeared well-maintained and the employees were friendly and helpful. What more can you ask for? Well, running rides would be nice. Three of the main roller coasters were closed due to "wind". However, it was not at all windy while we were there, under 5mph according to weather.com. Fortunately, the kid rides were all working and the little ones had a great time.

Thomas and I rode one of their big coasters, the Batwing (separately, we didn't leave the kids unattended). Jack was going to ride but changed his mind when he saw that they lay you flat on your back. Thank goodness he did! At points during the ride you are on your back and then you flip to your stomach to give you the sensation of flying. But, you are relying completely on your restraint to support you. It was very unnerving. I felt like I was sloshing all over the place and I am a giant compared to Jack! I would have spent the entire ride terrified he was going to fly out. It was good to experience, but I doubt I will ride again. Thomas felt the same way.

Thomas and Jack went on the two wooden coasters and said they were really good. They said both felt more intense than the wooden coasters at KD. KD has 4 wooden coasters and 5 metal. Six Flags has 2 wooden and 5 metal. So, fairly comparable in the area.

While off riding coasters with his dad, Jack ran into these guys.

Six Flags has two kids areas and I would guess about the same number of kid rides (probably 20) as KD, but not as many that Luke could ride. He got a little frustrated at some of the things he wasn't allowed on. Maybe he will reach 36" by the time the season ends, which would open up a lot of things for him. Six Flags also had 2 play areas. One was really cool; it was fully enclosed and had lots of soft balls and shooters. It also had slides and other activities. I think the kids could have spent hours in there. Although, maybe it wouldn't be so fun if it was crowded.

Of course there was a carousel.

The kids loved the giant water slide. We didn't get wet, but we sure got dizzy. I rode once and Thomas rode once. Next time, we're sending the kids alone.

Our sweet, sweet boys.

And, the lovely girls.

This was one of those rides where Luke didn't understand why he couldn't go too.

Anna using the force to make the balls stay in the air.

Finally, the kiddy coaster. Right up Kara's alley. The first time it went around, she held on tight, the next time, she put her hands in the air. The third time she called out to us, "can we do it again?"

Here are what I see as the pros: SF is closer, it took us just over an hour to get there and the drive was pretty pleasant.  Also, it was cheaper. We got season passes with the food plan for about $200 less than it would have cost at KD. And, the food plan includes unlimited soft drinks and a snack in addition to lunch and dinner.

The cons: I worry what it will be like when it is crowded. It is much smaller (area wise) than KD. Also, apparently there is a problem with line-jumpers. There are notices everywhere and I was asked to fill out a survey on how they handled said jumpers (not an issue when we were there since the crowds were so light). It is Prince George's County, which doesn't have the greatest reputation for safety, although the park itself seemed to be in a very nice area.

All in all, I am confident we will go enough to get our money's worth. The kids all thought it was great and worst case scenario is that we stay away in late June, July and August and appreciate KD more next year.

Oh, one other benefit is that there are 4 different times when we can bring a friend free. On those days, we can get in up to 5 people for free. So, if you have any interest in checking it out--let me know! Priority will be given to anyone who actually reads my blog ;)

And, in closing, a picture of Luke's feet. By Luke.

Back to the Routine

We have been home from our Spring Break vacation for almost 2 weeks. The peaceful rest, limited scheduling, and togetherness has given way to work, school, pink eye, soccer and baseball.

Let's start with Luke. He had his two-year check-up last Thursday (3/31). He is very healthy. His weight was 50th percentile and height was 85th. I don't believe the height though, because they measured him much taller than we do (and the ride operators and Legoland and Busch Gardens did). I asked the doctor about his speech and it is behind. We have an appointment with Infants and Toddlers on Tuesday for an evaulation. He talks A LOT, but most of it is not understandable, which is frustrating for both him and us. By 2, a stranger should be able to understand 50% of what he says and he is not there. However, he is advanced with his motor skills (the doctor said, "this one is going to be an athlete" after watching him jump across the room) and is otherwise developmentally on target, even advanced in some areas. So, I am not worried. I am hoping that infants and toddlers will work with him, so he can get a point for public pre-K. :) While at his visit, we learned he had an ear infection, which might be why he was so cranky in Florida. We opted for a wait-and-see approach since it didn't appear to be affecting him. Then, on Saturday, he had weepy eyes and I learned pink eye can come with an ear infection. It never occurred with any of my other kids, although they rarely, if ever, had ear infections. Hopefully, this was his first and last. The crusty eyes lasted a few days and then turned into a very runny nose. But, his mood has been good and I am hoping this is the end. It's been another long week of forced isolation.

In Anna news, we had an appointment at school to discuss a 504 plan. We had her evaluated and learned that she has a gifted IQ (yay!) accompanied by ADHD and learning disabilities, which might be attributed to the ADHD (boo!). So, we are working with her school to come up with a plan for success. They have been great to deal with and let me just say again that I love her teacher. The difference a good teacher makes is incalculable and we have been very lucky! During the meeting, I got to hear such nice things about both her and Jack that it made my day. (I am sure I would hear the same about Kara, but she is in a different grade with a different team of people that know her).  She has also started playing soccer.  She has practice on Mondays and Wednesdays and even though it is only her second week, she is already making great improvements. She has a good attitude and a learning spirit, so I am sure she will only get better. She even scored some goals during practice. Her first game was cancelled for rain, so we will see what happens on Saturday.

Kara and Jack started machine pitch. They have practice on Wednesdays and Fridays. Thomas is an assistant coach and I think it is going well. Since I don't get to see their practices, I don't have as much information. Kara is still doing her gymnastics/dance class on Fridays, so she only gets to go to baseball once a week. According to Thomas, Kara has a great attitude and is enjoying practice. Jack is a little iffier. School is still going well for both of them. Unfortunately, Jack broke his 2-month streak of "clipping up" at school and had to clip down for talking in the hall. He was slightly bitter and insists that someone else was talking to him. The newest thing for Jack is to engage in giant light saber battles with the boys in the neighborhood. It is pretty hilarious when they "force push" each other, which means one of them holds up a hand in another person's direction and that person has to fall back as if The Force has moved him.

Luke decided to join in one afternoon. This is a small group. Yesterday, we had 8 out there with lightsabers!

Work has been rough for Thomas. He is extremely busy and it is causing a fair amount of stress. It makes me glad I am at home! Sports will make home life busy for the next few months, taking up 4 days out of every week with practices and games.