Celebrations continued with quarter two awards at the middle school. Michelle earned at 4.0 again but this time we knew about the awards ceremony so she got to go. You can’t see her but she was there! Kate was also invited but opted to not go to school almost an hour early. She was nominated by her art teacher to receive an award saying, “Kate takes pride in her art-making, going above and beyond what is expected. Her pieces are interesting and well-made. She’s a great representation of someone who take pride in her work.” I have asked Kate in the past to see her artwork but she has told me it would cost $20.
When I asked Michelle if she wanted me to write anything down about her first trip to the temple to do baptisms she said, “it was amazing!” I am tremendously grateful I got to be there for her and my Activity Days alumni. It was a joy to have four girls talking in my car along the way and hand out towels and hold their masks. My mother had dropped off family names for Michelle to choose from and Michelle picked out 10, including names like Clara, Lena, and Hedwig. I about burst with joy that I got to witness for the 6 baptisms she was able to do (because none of the girl were back from the dressing room yet). I took deep breaths to keep from bawling happy tears. A big thanks to A’s dad, Brother L, to be there with her in the font. Since Michelle was allowed to perform 6 baptisms, the same girl she was baptized with years ago got to proxy for the other 4 names Michelle had brought along. That made us smile. Such a lovely experience.
The next day we headed south instead of north and went to Immersive Van Gogh exhibit with Hubby, my mom, and Natalie. (Danny opted to play in his basketball game and Kate wanted to hang out with friends.) The exhibit wasn’t what I expected but was neat and different. We were also able to drop off my wedding ring for a repair, eat Smashburger for lunch, get Menchie’s for dessert, and stop by Costco on the way home. Turns out Danny’s basketball game turned out to be very different than his first game. They went into overtime and only lost by one point even with a couple players missing and their best player hurting his wrist. I loved hearing Danny tell me all about it with his amazing attitude and perspective. Speaking of basketball, I got to put up the posters that came in the mail for his room. I love the way it completely changed the look. That wall really needed some help after replacing the small loft bed with a full bed.
Happy Lunar New Year! Michelle is excited we are back to the year of the Tiger, which is her Chinese Zodiac sign. I told her she should have a lucky year this year. We decorated the house, turned on the Jellyfish lights outside, ordered take out from our neighbor's restaurant, and the two younger kids even let me read my books to them about it. I am still so grateful for my time in Taiwan and happy I get to share a bit of Chinese culture with them this time of year. P.S. We also decided it's very smart to have the tradition of a new hair cut and new clothes for the new year. It just makes sense.
Groundhog Day was a snow day! I was not surprised at all when Natalie told me Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow. This snow day Michelle and Natalie played out front with our next door neighbor, A, and Danny asked me to pick up a friend, C, and take them to the sledding hill. There were so many middle schoolers there and it was a blast to watch them and their tween antics before I decided I was cramping my boy's style and better head home. And it really isn't a snow day unless you bake, right? This time we went for chocolate chip banana bread and Valentine shaped sugar cookies.
Not pictured: Natalie and a handful of other children got to eat lunch with her school principal for being awarded the “Citizenship Award.” Even though she couldn’t tell me why she was nominated, I’m sure it has something to do with her hard work, positive attitude, and kindness.
In hopes of avoiding the holiday crowds, my mom babysat so Hubby and I could go out for a fancy pants dinner to celebrate Valentines Day. I can’t recommend Sugarbeet enough. Soooo delicious.
The next day it was my turn to take Kate to her volleyball tournament and I was so excited. The sun rose as we drove down and it was a joy to see all the girls in a circle enjoying each other’s company before it was time to warm up. They won their first match pretty easily but had to work hard to win their second match. (1st game, first set was 25-11 & 2nd set was 25-6. 2nd game, 1st set was 25-23 & 2nd set was 25-14.) I only got one good picture when it was obvious they were going to win that first match. Other than that I’m not allowed to take pictures because the superstition continues. Lol.
I got Kate In N Out when they had off and Kate was on fire their 3rd match. Sadly, she dislocated her shoulder during the first set. Luckily another dad watching the game is a physical therapist and was able to pop it back in for her, helping greatly to reduce the pain. She sat with an ice pack to cheer on her teammates as they won 25-17 both sets. I had Tylenol and Advil in the car and she took it willingly after the match finished. Kate and I stayed to cheer on her team as they won the crossover 25-14, earning this team’s 1st pin! I am so grateful for all the helpfulness and kindness that was shown to Kate while she was in pain. Hubby took Kate to the orthopedic appointment I had set up and she was diagnosed with a shoulder subluxation (not a full dislocation) and prescribed physical therapy to strengthen the muscles around her shoulder. We are so glad it doesn’t seem to be anything too serious.
I wanted to record a story from work that made me feel like I had a guardian angel. One of our students would be able to take a nap by going for a walk in an adaptive stroller in the afternoons. Because it was such a rickety old thing donated to the school I became the one to usually push our student because I didn’t mind. After months of doing this I noticed the back wheels started to be funky. Usually we walk as a group so there is more than one adult and we almost always have a walkie-talkie on us (until one of the walkie-talkies stopped working). So imagine the thoughts going through my head as I walked one afternoon with just my student and I and no walkie-talkie, going. around the track when the back left wheel literally lost a piece and seemed seconds away from falling off completely. I quickly realized I couldn’t fix the stroller with my bare hands and prayed we could make it back to the school building before the wheel came completely off. My relief was immense when we not only made it back to the school but also made it to the classroom. Our student got out of the stroller and as I turned to place it back in its storage spot the wheel fell completely off before I even made it out of the classroom. Talk about a close call!
I was so impressed with Michelle’s orchestra concert. All the grades improved so much since their last one. 6th grade played Celtic Dance by Mark Williams, The Abandoned Funhouse by Brian Balmages and Colossus by Larry Clark. The Abandoned Funhouse was our favorite one. So spooky.
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