Happy Easter!

This week the kids had spring break and they enjoyed a week of being lazy and just hanging out.  Of course that also was a bit on the extra boring side but there isn't a whole that we can do to help that unfortunately.  On Saturday we got ready for Easter by coloring some eggs and they turned out very bright!

And we decided to start getting the kids more accustom to taking public transportation so we took a bus trip from our neighborhood to downtown.  We then stopped by the library, got a sweet treat, and I ran an errand.  Then we got back on the bus and came home.  It was a great trip but showed how odd the weather has been.  On our way to the stop it was windy, drizzly, and cool.  On the way home from the stop after our trip just two hours later, we needed sunglasses and took off jackets because it was much warmer.  It was nice that the weather this week has been cooler but Saturday was a good reminder to wear layers!  And the week ahead looks to be more of the same, which is nice to be honest.  And although we only got drizzle this weekend, we may actually get measurable rain late next week.  Fingers crossed!  

This morning the kids hunted for eggs.  They found 104...we think there should be 106...thankfully none of them have anything that will cause issue if not found for a while but no way to know 100% if there are two still hidden.  Time will tell!  

Back to school for the kids tomorrow with today being the last day of spring break.  Now the countdown begins for the end of the school year!

Not a lot of photos for our busy week!

This is one of those weeks where I feel like I should have a whole slew of photos with everything that we have been up to...but I don't!  The reality of being busy!  On Monday the boys left for camp with school.  Thankfully they didn't need to get the crazy early, just 7 a.m.  And off they went!  We need to get the disposable camera photos developed to see what they snapped photos of, but in the mean time here is a photo from one of their teachers of a banana slug!  

They had a really good time and enjoyed learning and being in nature.  They came back Thursday afternoon and it was a bit of a shuffle because that night Matt took Anna to the high school for a bit of an open house for incoming 9th graders.  Yikes!  She enjoyed learning more about the campus and it helped sort out which classes she wants to either learn more about or take in the fall.  And it ended an exciting day for her, she is now trying out contacts!  

On Friday morning when Matt and the boys were eating breakfast and I was sitting near by there was a fox that went through the creek behind our house.  It was crazy to see!  I tried to get a picture but I was slow in moving to get the photo because I was excited!  So sorry no photo!

On Friday afternoon Olivier played in a soccer game with his classmates.  He is enjoying it and I think Matt is enjoying showing him the ropes of soccer!  

On Saturday we attempted to pet the new ponies at the barn but they were not interested.  One was at least curious to watch us.  

And one was just too tied to notice us!  

The kids are looking forward to no school next week for spring break and I can't say I blame them!  It has been busy and an excuse to be lazy will be welcome!  

Exciting news!

This week Anna got some very exciting news!  She found out that she got into honor band and into Spanish 4 next year.  Both are as a result of her hard work over the last few years and we are very proud of her!  And now to practice that music to get ready for the big performance!   

And yesterday Anna enjoyed the local high school performance of the Wizard of Oz with her dear friend Lupe.  And the scarecrow was played by one of former teachers kids.  it was a fun performance!

And tomorrow the boys head off to sixth grade camp!  Exciting week!

Good conferences and getting ready for rain!

This week we attended the school conferences for Olivier and Mason and worked on what classes they want to take next year in junior high!  Yikes!  And then we got home and Anna had information about classes next year when she starts high school!  Yikes!  It was a weird feeling knowing they are getting ready for some major changes but also exciting because they are ready for the new adventures.  

On Saturday Anna took a spill during her ride.  It wasn't her worst but each fall shakes her in a new way so it is hard to watch and then push her to get back on and fight through the fear.  But she does it and her instructor does an amazing job of supporting her through those nerves.

And tonight we are hoping that a rain storm does actually come in like they are forecasting and we get just a little more water to help our very poor rain totals for the year.  We hope!  

Awards at school and visit with family!

On Friday the boys received awards at school for being strategic thinkers!  Matt was able to attend and got these videos!

And photos!

We are proud of all their hard work!  It continues to amaze us that not only are they doing all the work a normal sixth grader is doing but they are also doing another language at the same time.  Not easy but so much easier to learn now than when they are older!

And today we visited with my cousin who was in town with her two kids.  It was fun to see how her daughter reminds me so much of Anna as a kid and how sweet all three of them are with her baby brother.  This is a good reminder of how big they have gotten in a few years!  (Yes, the sun was bright and caused some closed eyes.  We had another week of up and down temperatures with some drizzle yesterday.)

Olivier had a lot of fun on the merry go round with her sweet kiddo!  Just look at that grin on both of them.  Makes a mom's heart melt!

 

Next steps

This week marks the end of masks being required at school for the kids two years after it all began.  I have been struggling to put into words all the emotions.  Part of me feels like we have a big cut that has a giant scab and we are not only taking the bandaid off but we are taking off the scab and just letting the wound fend for itself.  The single layer of new skin may hold, or it may burst open again and be bad or worse that it was before.  We are not ripping the bandaid off but will cautiously watch as others make that move and hope that things going well.  The constant hope that everything will be okay has drained the emotional bank that has been overdrawn.  Not sure if these are the right words but want to give a glimpse so when we look back there is a sense of that what it was like.

We celebrated my dad's birthday yesterday and it was nice to be together, and remember the last to years together.  It was a strange time to remember.

And today, we took the kids to a magic show.  It was at the local performing arts center and we really enjoyed it.  A nice special treat for all of us!

We also said our goodbyes today to Olivier's dwarf hamster Pop who passed away late yesterday.  He had a good life and we will miss his crazy adventures that he went on every morning in his ball around the kitchen and family room.  We think he targeted us and the cats and had gotten good at not crashing into stuff!  He brought joy and will be missed!  

First colds in over two years!

The weather took us on another wild ride this week with Monday and Tuesday having a high of over 90 degrees and Friday it didn't make it over 60!  And the chance of rain they were getting our hopes up for, came crashing down with no real rain.  Boo!  The wind sure did pick up which means the pollen is now out in full force.  Ready or not, here come spring!

And with all this weird weather, we had a kid come home from school with a cold!  To be certain it wasn't COVID we used some rapid tests to monitor but thankfully it was just a cold.  And then they passed it on to a sibling but thankfully the third kid hasn't gotten it...yet!  Let's hope it stays that way!  The mask requirement for the kids at school ends after this Friday (the 11th) and it makes us all anxious because we don't know what's ahead and some of these COVID variant (like the one that just caused huge issues!!) had them telling us to wear high quality masks and that fabric masks weren't enough.  And now, less than two months later, masks are not needed...  We will keep them around a bit longer and see how it shakes out!

Other than that we are getting the garden ready for planting in a few weeks.  I always like having a garden and don't mind the work to get it ready!  Fresh stuff is yummy!