I loved this funny video my brother in law, Mark, shared about February being the worst month of the year. It acknowledged how bleak winter can be after the holidays but reminded me there is good in all the mess and that spring always comes. We had gorgeous weather to finish February and begin March. I teased the Activity Days girls it was about time the weather was nice for us when we got to have a wonderful time ice skating together!
The day Michelle and Natalie and I went ice skating both Kate and Danny had a friend spend the night. Middle schoolers can be hilarious. It was entertaining to see the difference between the boys and the girls. Let’s just say price wise it all worked out the same but in much different ways. The boys played on the PS4, went to Get Air, and watched the new Batman movie in the theater (and loved it). The girls went out to eat, went shopping, and spent time resting. Turns out Kate was sick and had to miss three days of school until she felt better. I was grateful my mom could come be with her (and it turns out Natalie too) while they were home sick.
While the 7th & 8th grader were busy with all that on Saturday, Michelle and I went and supported her dance friends at their first competition of the season. (Michelle is missing dance competition and is looking forward to trying out and accepting the invitation this time for next school year.) There were many great performances and her dance company brought home plenty of awards. We were both glad we went!
Track and Field practice began for the middle school. Both Danny and Michelle were signed up but after attending the information meeting that first day Danny decided he’s going to stick with baseball. Michelle came home with horror stories every day of all the things they had to do at practice but also adding at the end “it was fun!” She would wake up every morning more sore than the day before but determined to keep going. I look forward to seeing her first meets in April! Michelle also came down sick and there is nothing like a good puzzle or two to give you something relaxing to do while you're not feeling well. The dog liked not being left home alone but was still jealous of all the attention the puzzles were getting.
Kate got better just in time to go to her second out of state volleyball tournament. This time Hubby got to take her and they traveled to St. Louis, the first time there for both of them. They seemed to have a good time playing in really neat venues (the old Rams stadium and the convention center), spotting a celebrity (Tracy McGrady watching his daughter play), catching the city's St. Patrick's Day parade, and seeing the famous arch. They got a lot of game time in playing teams that were much more advanced but rallied to work together and keep playing their best.
Meanwhile, back at home, Natalie and Maisie quickly took over Hubby's side of the bed, Danny got to play in a 3v3 basketball tournament where they made it to the championship game and had a blast, Michelle had a Waldorf school friend over and they did things like bake cupcakes, and Natalie and I made Oobleck after she learned about it during a guest presentation for Mesa. Somehow no one took me up on the offer to read them Bartholomew and the Oobleck by Dr. Suess this year. lol. I did convince all of us to watch The Adam Project on Netflix together Saturday night (I highly recommend it but the kids just thought it was ok) after Natalie and I had watched Turning Red the night before (we don't recommend that one but the red panda is super cute). I was able to team teach Primary with Natalie's tutor on Sunday as we talked about Joseph in the Old Testament but the rest of the day was pretty quiet/restful. While I was walking the dog that afternoon I was able to meet our new neighbors and it turns out they went to the same Junior High as I did AND we were all there at the same time! Plus, her dad was my family's USPS delivery driver back then. Small World!
I must comment that Natalie has learned so much so fast with her dyslexia tutor that she doesn’t qualify for an IEP because her test scores were too high. Instead, it was agreed that her 504 would be changed to include more dyslexia friendly accommodations. With only a quarter of the school year left we are already taking about fourth grade and who will be best for her. I am so grateful she has a teacher that knows her so well and cares so much.
I am also super grateful for my mom’s idea to have the Activity Days girls celebrate Purim this year. We had a blast talking about Esther, blotting out Haman's name as we acted out the story, making crowns and eating traditional Purim cookies with dried fruits and a variety of nuts. May not sound super fun but I promise it was! These girls are so marvelous. And how neat was it that when I randomly chose girls to play the different parts, the girl I chose to be Esther unzipped her jacked to show me she was wearing a t-shirt that said, "Girl Rule." Perfection.
Last but not least, we had our annual St. Patrick's Day scavenger hunt to find the pile of Rolo's. It had to be quick before school but it was great to watch my children work together and laugh together. I promise Kate was in the room too but made sure to stand outside of my photo frame. This is the one time of the year I buy Lucky Charms, make sure everyone is wearing green, and my mom even came over after school to help make orange and green Jello with Natalie while I took Kate to her physical therapist appointment and volleyball practice. Her shoulder was looking better and we talked about how we might not need to go back depending on how the next week or two went and then Kate injured her other shoulder while at practice that very night. So back to the PT we will go! She is one tough cookie, though!
Comments