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. 

Easter/A Week in the Life

Saturday was a super busy day. Luke had a baseball game at 10 (had to be there at 9:15). He played well and his team crushed the other team. Then, I took Anna ice skating. She practiced for about an hour and then I took her home and Thomas and I went to Jack's basketball game. He scored 9 points, which is his most yet. His team was also victorious. After that, Thomas took Anna to "Stars on Ice." I had won the tickets in an auction benefitting the local high school. They were donated by a county commissioner, so the seats were in the Orange County Government's suite. Both Thomas and I wanted to go, so Anna flipped a coin and Thomas was the winner. I stayed home and watched one of my favorite movies, Hoosiers, with Jack and Kara, who both said they liked it. Thomas and Anna didn't get home until around 10:30. Thomas thought the show was slow-paced and a little boring, but he enjoyed spending time with Anna. Anna liked the show and knew who most of the skaters were. They both liked sitting in suite, which had leather reclining suites.

Sunday was Easter. We started the day with an egg hunt. Supposedly, the Easter Bunny hid 80 eggs, but only 77 were found. Kara made lemon poppyseed muffins and we cleaned the house. We invited everyone up, but only Marta and Frank were able to come. The girls helped me cook and we had deviled eggs, ham, macaroni and cheese, asparagus, rolls and a bunny dirt cake. The food was all delicious! We played Apples to Apples, which Kara won and I came in last. It was nice hanging out with Frank and Marta and we all enjoyed the day.

Monday, Luke had a baseball scrimmage at the park near our house. Thomas took him at the warm-up time and I rode my bike up a little later. It was a beautiful evening to sit outside and watch baseball. Luke's team played really well. Luke had 4 at-bats and got on base all 4 times (although two of them were a fielder's choice). Jack had basketball practice.

Tuesday: Thomas and I went out to grab something for lunch. When we came home, the pool people were here! We were told it would be around two weeks until they came back, so this was quite a surprise. They had a crew of 8 and spent about 4 hours plastering and putting finish on the pool. They said they would be back on Wednesday to finish.

After school, Luke, Kara, Thomas and I went out and played catch. It was a nice, quiet day.

Wednesday: Jack stayed home from school with a sore throat. In good news, we had a much-anticipated new washing machine delivered! In bad news, when I went to walk Luke home, I noticed water appeared to be flowing from our yard into the street. I texted Thomas to tell him to take a look and went and grabbed Luke. When we got back (less than 15 minutes later), there was a massive flow of water. I walked to where Thomas was and the ground was moving underneath me (like walking on a waterbed). I can't even imagine how many gallons of water there was just below the surface! It appeared to be coming from underneath the pool company's "holding slurry" but why that would take 24 hours to appear, I don't know. We made calls to them, the water company and sprinkler repair people. The pool people said they would be out later in the day, but never showed up and the sprinkler people did not call back either. Thomas was able to turn off the water and stop the flow, so at least it didn't feel so dire, although I am still afraid of getting a sinkhole where the ground is so saturated.

I don't think you can really see it in the picture, but the grass around the "slurry" is raised from the water underneath.

Bubbling grass is not good!

Thursday: Everyone went to school. Jack went on a field trip to see the high school perform "Something Rotten". He said it was amazing.

Someone came out to do the final step on the pool (an acid wash) but he did not have the ability to pick up the slurry. We called the company again and they sent out the project manager. She looked around the area and said she would have someone out today or tomorrow to pick up the slurry. They didn't show today. Fingers crossed they come in the morning, I can't imagine all that weight sitting on it is a good thing, and it definitely isn't helping the trapped water fully drain. After dinner, Luke, Kara, Thomas and I went to the park and played baseball. Then, Kara, Jack and I finished watching Shang-Chi (which we started last night).

Friday: The older kids got home from school around 4:30 and shortly thereafter we left for Universal. We had dinner at City Walk and rode lots of rides at Islands of Adventure. Luke, Kara and I did Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls and got absolutely soaked! Since they were already so wet, Kara and Luke also went on Bluto's Barges. It was a little chilly (surprising for Florida this time of year, but very nice) so there was no line for either ride. Everyone had a good time. We got home around 10. At some point while we were gone, they came and picked up the surry! It is too dark out to see what it looks like now, but I am hopeful that we can get the sprinklers fixed and be done with this mess. 

In honor of Earth Day, they stopped to hear the Once-Ler recite the Lorax.

More April and Some Renovation Pictures

Anyone who knows Thomas knows that he loves baseball. His favorite team is the Tigers, who happen to Spring Train about an hour from our house (with traffic, it's probably more like 90 minutes on most days). This year, the baseball season got off to an inauspicious start with the owners locking out the players over money disputes. Alas, it appeared as though Spring Training would be canceled. Then, they miraculously reached a deal and an abbreviated Spring Training season was announced! Thomas missed out on attending last year, due to Covid restrictions on attendance, so he really wanted to make it to a game this year. He finally got his chance for the very last home game of the Spring Training season. Kara and Luke skipped school to join him and a good time was had by all!

Luke also loves baseball. He loves playing on a team and practicing. We go out into the park next to our house and play catch and sometimes wiffle ball (not quite enough space for real baseball hitting). Thomas will hit him balls with a tennis racket to work on catching fly balls. Luke was breaking in his new glove and reached above his head to catch a ball and it fell out of the stiff glove and hit him on the eye. I was outside too and it really looked like nothing, but Luke collapsed to the ground, crying (unusual). He had his hand covering his face and when he removed it, there was already a huge bump under his eye. It doesn't quite rival the Jack Shiner of 2013, but it was a pretty good black eye.

Jack's band participated in a competition (MPA--but not sure what that stands for) and Thomas went as a chaperone. He said the band was amazingly good and he enjoyed the experience. They ended up getting straight superiors and Jack even had a solo in one of their songs. (We have told the kids they don't have to wear masks, but for some reason our middle-schoolers are still wearing them to school.) 

And, some pictures of the "finished" house. There is a problem with one of the thresholds that will not stay down, but hopefully we can get that taken care of. I agree with those who said we should do all wood, I was a little worried, but I am very happy with how it looks. Although, I know it will be harder to keep clean than the tile. Finished is in quotes because we already are getting estimates on a few other projects to complement the work that was done--especially in the upstairs bathroom, which is now half updated and we want it all updated. I had a contractor out here last week, the same one who fixed the roof, but he still hasn't sent me his estimate. 

And, in final news--work on the pool has begun. Another saga! I will spare you most of the details, but we signed a contract on January 6th, work was supposed to start on March 14th and take 2.5 weeks.  Work started on April 4 and they are still doing the prep work that was supposed to take 2 days (they have only been here 3 days, there are just a lot of days in between when they aren't here). In fact, the prep person (supposed to be a "team" but only 1 came to work today) got here today at 8 to finish. Then, at 10 his work called to pull him to an "emergency" situation. Emergency is in quotes because they seem to happen too frequently to really be considered emergencies. Anyway, they couldn't reach him, so they called and asked me to tell him to call the office and to let him know he was being pulled away. And, he refused to go! He said words to the effect of: "I've been pulled away from your house 3 times now and I am not leaving this half done to sit over the weekend. Plus, what emergency is one guy going to solve? I will call them when I finish if that is okay with you." Obviously, that was very okay with us and we were happy to buy that man lunch!

Drained pool with tile chipped away

New tile installed!

More birthday and other news

We have fully recovered from the cruise and everyone proclaimed it one of their favorite vacations. I asked everyone their favorite thing on the cruise and here's the answers:

Thomas: the Ultimate Abyss

Jack: Chacchoben ruins

Kara: Central Park

Anna: the Boardwalk

Luke: Coco Cay

Kori: Having dinner and a show almost every night

Now, we are back to reality. We celebrated Luke's birthday at home on Saturday, the 19th. He doesn't like frosting, so I made cupcakes, some with frosting and some without. He went to his good friend Mike's birthday party on the 20th at Defy, a trampoline park. Then Mike took him back to Defy to celebrate Luke's birthday the following week. Then, he had donuts in the park with the Cantells and Jacobsens on Sunday, the 26th. So, really he had 4 days of celebration. That's not even considering all the gifts he got. He was definitely well-loved!  

While we're talking about birthdays, I went to Winter Haven to celebrate my dad's 80th! He turned 80 on the 24th, but we celebrated the 27th. My sister and I went to lunch with him and Maggie and then back to his house to spend some time together. My family will go visit soon, but I thought it would be nice to have a quieter lunch. Unfortunately, I did not take any pictures. I guess I will do it the next time he turns 80. 

The kids finished another quarter at school. Anna was on the A/B honor roll and the rest had all As. 

Jack and Luke are continuing with their sports. Anna hasn't been able to ice skate recently, as she had some problems with her foot, but I think she is better now and maybe she will be able to go to the Wednesday lesson this week.

We went to the library and Lake Eola craft show this weekend. The work on our house is almost done. There are still some finishing areas that need to get taken care of, but after 2+ months, we will officially have our kids bathroom back in use starting tonight. I will take pictures and do a post when everything is really complete.

And, I think that brings us to present day.