Getting It Done

So, this is happening....Ben had future Jr. High night last week.  How did that happen?  I could tell he was super excited.  He's mentioned he'll miss his current school, but I tell him that he's ready for bigger and better things. He agrees. He was such a good sport. We were leaving and I realized I didn't get a picture of just him. So, he got out and posed for me.  Unlike his sister who gave me the major stank eye at future freshman night.




I did grab this selfie of Emily's friends and us. They are in 7th grade and in Student Council, so they were there helping out.  It'll be weird to have Ben at school with them and Emily is over at the high school.  They are sweet girls, and I know they'll look out for Ben like their own brother.

 

Ben had his thing on the same night Noah had to present his animal project at school.  He did a research paper on a black tip shark and had to put together a power point presentation.  Then, the parents came and we got to see it.  I had to miss it, but David went. 

 

He's so sweet.  He was sad that I missed it, so the next day when I went to volunteer at school we got a laptop and he was able to show it to me.  He did so great. He had to put pictures in there and make it fancy between slides. I was super proud of him.  He's 8!  

Then, Ben and Noah both have the dreaded Science Fair. Can I tell you how much I hate the Science Fair?  Just seeing the packet causes my blood pressure to rise.  The projects are due when we get home from vacation, and I didn't want to think about it while we are gone.  So, they hunkered down for like 3 or 4 hours on Sunday and got the whole thing finished!  Board is done. Prototype is made.  Sweet!

And can I just say that I did very very little.  Usually, these projects are more like parent 75%, kid 25%.  I got them set up on the computer with headers. Then, I helped with fonts and printing. They did everything else.  So, it was literally like me 10%, them 90%, which made the Science Fair not that bad.  I'd still prefer if we never had to do them, but it's not my call.  

Noah invented a snow launcher to defend yourself in a snowball fight.

 

Ben invented snow bibs that have waterproof built in socks so snow doesn't get in your boot and make your feet wet.  It's all attached, so it's like a snow onesie. He called it the onefreeze. 

 

I'm thrilled that's all done. We leave for Florida in 3 days and the Science Fair is the last thing I want to be thinking about!   

First Snow in 12 Months

I'm catching up on the blog before we leave for our Spring Break trip to Florida.

Last Wednesday, we woke up to a winter wonderland. The kids were excited. Well, not Emily so much since she didn't have any time to play in the snow. Shockingly, the school did not call a delay. The boys were out there at 7 to get in as much playtime as possible before school.

We got about 4 inches.

 

Rocko loves to eat snow. 

 

I love this Bradford Pear tree in the corner It always looks so pretty with snow on it. 

I love Ben too! 

 

David always wants Rocko to come in when it's cold and he never wants to. I found him out in the grass like this just sleeping in the snow. 

 

Then, I ran some errands and came home about 11 and this is what it looked like in the backyard.  What?  How can that be?  Seriously, it was all gone before Emily got home from school at 2.  

 

That's why we love snow here.  We get just enough to be beautiful, but not enough to be a nuisance!  And really, that's the best kind of snow!   

Cavalia Odysseo

Sometimes with my work blog, we advertise for shows coming to Phoenix. Our rep will have a discount code for us to give out and usually tickets to giveaway. Sometimes, my boss or I will get tickets too. It's a nice perk and we've seen a lot of things that we never would have, which I appreciate greatly. We live on a modest budget and splurges for shows for 5 people are not something we'd do often.

Our rep offered my boss and I each 5 tickets to see this new show in Scottsdale called Cavalia Odysseo. David and I had actually seen the first version of this show "Cavalia" about 15 years ago when we first started dating. I remembered it was awesome, but that was about it. It was great we'd be able to take the entire family too.

Then, a few days before the event, we got an email saying we'd been upgraded to VIP tickets and to get there a few hours early for a full buffet and drinks. Yes, please!

So, the kids hit the hot dogs, popcorn and coke right away.

 

 

Now, when I hear buffet, I think pasta salad, dry rolls, some sort of breaded mushy chicken.  But, let me just say, that's not how Scottsdale rolls, and I should've known.  There was kale strawberry salad, couscous, chicken piccata, smoked salmon, shrimp, beef strip steaks with chimichurri sauce.  We were like, what???  And as it turns out, my kids like all the fancy food more than the hot dogs.  It was very nice.

We hung out and chatted with my boss and her family for a bit. The boys went to the outdoor private VIP area and relaxed in the chairs.

 

Here's our view. We had great seats. David and I both remember last time, we were almost in the top row.  These seats run about $100 a ticket.  That's way too much money for us. Oh, and the VIP package added on, make them about $250 a ticket!  Yes, it was a $1250 package we got!  Holy smokes.  It was a nice treat.

 

 

You can't take pictures inside the show because of the flash,  But, it's a mix of beautiful horses (mostly white Arabians), acrobats, singing, dancing with live music and amazing set design. It was just a stunning show and so lovely to watch.  

Then, there is a 30 minute intermission and because of our passes, we got to go back in the big tents for desserts, cheese, fruit, coffee, wine. We were spoiled rotten.

 

It was a super late night. The show was over about 10:30 and we still had to drive home. The kids got in their pj's, cuddled up with their pillows and blankets and fell asleep.  I asked all the kids what their favorite part was. Emily liked the girls and horses with white silks. Ben liked the water. At the end, they literally fill the stage with 40,000 gallons of water. I'm not sure how, but they do and the horses run through.  Noah couldn't pick just one favorite part.  I'm with him. They were all just unbelievable. We are so lucky that we got to have such a wonderful experience. 

Twelve

This sweet boy turned twelve! How is that possible? He's growing up so fast. Oh, this kid...he really is one of a kind...so smart, always up for an adventure, happy most of the time, so funny and content with being alone. Which is really saying something. Most people feel they need someone with them all the time, and I admire that Ben is happy with his own company. I think it's because his mind is a fascinating place.

I tried to make his birthday special. He had to go to school and wasn't feeling great.

I made him cinnamon rolls for breakfast. I packed his favorite salami sandwich for lunch.

And for dinner, he had his absolute favorite...pasta!

He opened cards and a few presents. I think he felt special.

And Grammie and Grampie called in the middle of gifts to wish him a happy day.

David made him his favorite dessert...cheesecake!  David's cheesecake is amazing.

I think he's contemplating a great wish.

I hope he had a good day. But, he ended the night with a breathing treatment.  

He stayed home from school today. It was his first sick day since third grade. He's in sixth!  Pretty impressive.  The boys are going to see the Black Panther movie this weekend too.  Next year, we'll have to go somewhere fun for the three day weekend and his thirteenth birthday!  

Photography and An Early Birthday Celebration

Emily has expressed an interest in photography recently. The good thing is we already have a nice camera. Of course, I can't help her with learning to use it. I put it in auto mode and take photos. That's as far as I've ever learned. She watched some you tube videos and learned what the settings do.  Luckily, she has some perfect subjects to practice on.

Sweet Rocko's face is getting all white.  He's almost 11, which is an old man in golden retriever years.

This may be my favorite.

Ben's birthday is Thursday.  We decided to head out today and do a few of Ben's favorite things.  So, we headed off to his favorite spot to hike.

This should be a picture of Ben, but he was off crossing a creek.  Emily took the camera and took some of these pictures too.  Some are my cell phone photos.

 

David and Ben headed off 'sploring.

 

Why is Noah the only kid that holds still for a picture. He'll be a male model one day. Lord knows he has the abs for it. 

 

This rock looks like a fish or whale, doesn't it? 

 

He's me and my three dwarfs. 

 

 More 'sploring... 

 

 

Poor Em wasn't feeling great, but she hung in there. She just needed more breaks than usual. 

 

Eek...I hate when he gets so far in front of me. 

 

These rocks make me nervous. I know it's probably been nestled like that for thousands of years, but eeek!  My kid is under there!

 

Then, we went to Olive Garden.  Ben loves Olive Garden.  Well, he only eats breadsticks and salad and gets chicken fingers, but whatever.  He likes it and that's all that matters. 

 

Em loves their mac n cheese.

  

 

Ben got his free birthday dessert and chowed down on some strawberry cheesecake.  YUM! 

 

Then, we went through the drive thru car wash. The kids had never been. David usually always washes our car, but I realized for $5, it's a total time saver. Then, we use the free vacuums and clean the inside well.  It's worth it.  Anyway, they thought it was so cool. Who would've thought? 

Future Freshman Night

I haven't posted in a few weeks. Things have been going on, I just haven't taken pics or posted about it.

We went to the new planetarium in at the college in our town. It was super cool. I didn't take a pic.

We had a Superbowl party at our house. It was fun. I didn't take a pic.

The kids and I are playing tennis on Wednesday's at our clubhouse. It was so nice out this week. We had a great time. I didn't take any pics.

But, tonight...ugh, tonight was future freshman night at the high school. I tried to take pics, but my future freshman said I was embarrassing.

So, I got a pic of her back as she walked with one of her friends.

 

Then, I got a pic of her talking to another friend. 

 

Then, she cuahgt me.  She doesn't look happy. Abort, abort, phone down! 

 

We learned so much and all I can do is encourage her to get involved. School is so different now with so many specialized courses. I fully expect her to graduate high school with at least a semester of college credits under her belt, if not 2 semesters.  It's crazy.  

On the way out, when the crowd had thinned, she let me get this pic. 

 

How can my baby be old enough to go to high school?   

High school was a blast for me. For David, it wasn't. I'm hoping she meets lots of new friends, has new experiences and has the time of her life; all while earning a handful of college credits.  :)