Luke Saves the Derby Day

May 20th was Luke's very first "official" Pinewood Derby.  Last year he raced The Minivan, but because his birthday was still a month away from Derby Day and he wasn't really a Wolf yet, he was participating just for fun, so he was extra pumped to be a part of the real deal this year.  We will be honest here, his car, that he called Zewedge ('zee-wedge') was mostly made by Adam, only painted by Luke.  Usually, Adam is VERY adamant that the boys make their own cars while he plays assistant and helps out however they need him.  Clearly there's a story behind this, so here goes....

Our derby was originally planned to be held back in April.  First, the Cubs received their car kits a little late this year, right before spring break (and we were mostly out-of-town).  Plus, the week of the derby was also the week of the science fair, which Luke worked really hard on, as well as right at the end of our long visit with my family for my mom's birthday, so we really didn't have time to put a car together.  Last year, while he was helping Josh make his last derby car, Adam also had made a car, just for fun.  So when we realized we had a time crunch on our hands, Adam pulled out that car and Luke repainted it to his specifications, and we called it good.  However, when the derby arrived, so did a snow storm, so it ended up being postponed.  Instead of deciding to make a car in our bonus time, we moved forward with life and tucked Zewedge away until the rescheduled derby was upon us.  So there it is.

Man, that car was a winner!  Zewedge killed it in every race!  Only one other car really gave it a challenge, but Zewedge inched into the win and came out victorious in every one of its races.  Luke had won the 2016 Briargate Ward Pinewood Derby and he was over the moon!  I think, at first, he was a little stunned that his car was so fast.  But after the first few wins, he dealt with his success with class.  He was a great winner.  It was such a happy night for him!

Meanwhile, his buddy, Daniel, was really glum.  His car had come in 7th, and he had really wanted one of the top-three trophies.  While the rest of us were cleaning up, Luke noticed that Daniel was tearful and asked if he was OK.  When Daniel told Luke why he was sad, Luke decided to give Daniel his trophy.  It was so hard for him, he wanted his trophy, too, but he wanted to see his friend happy more.  As clean-up continued, Luke came to me and said, "I'm ready to go."  He was smiling, but it was forced and I could see big tears in his eyes that he was trying to hold back, so I could tell something was wrong.  When he told me what he had done I was SO proud of him.  What a hero, sacrificing his own happiness for a friend!  However, neither Daniel's parents nor I were really comfortable with the arrangement.  As Daniel's mom said, it doesn't mean a lot to have a trophy that was meant for someone else.  In the end, Daniel returned Luke's trophy.  Luke was glad to have his trophy back, but also still sad for his friend.

So Luke came up with a plan.  On Saturday, he enlisted Dad's help and together they made Daniel his own trophy.  Luke did most of the work building it and painting it, making it look great for his friend.  At church on Sunday, Luke presented Daniel with his very own trophy, made by a friend out of generosity and empathy.  Daniel was incredibly pleased!  I love the look on his face in the photo.  When Luke gave him the trophy you could see that it made him so happy.  The whole affair was born out of kindness and my heart still warms just thinking about it!  What a sweet boy and good friend our Luke is!  He knows what true friendship and sacrifice for another's happiness is all about.   

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The Bits: May 11th Through May 20th

More of May!

Josh's 5th-grade handbell end-of-year performance was phenomenal!  They performed a complex medley of Phantom of the Opera songs that lasted for over 7-and-a-half minutes.  It was really well done and they had so much fun learning and perfecting it.  Josh and I are both so sad that handbells has come to an end for him!  He will miss it and Mrs. Cole very much!

It was one of *those* afternoons--the kind that is good to see the sun setting on.  It was almost comical how nothing could go just right.  But it all ended beautifully.

Chicken and gavel passed!  It's no longer deniable.  I am the AIES PTO President.  So grateful to follow in Diane's footsteps!  She is a remarkable, intelligent woman with a great heart for service, and a wonderful friend.

Strep has struck.  Thankfully, there wasn't any sharing.

One dose of antibiotics in and pain-killered up, we took Tommy to his end-of-season soccer pizza party for 15 minutes (confined to his seat), so he could see his coaches receive their gift from the team and be given his award for the season: "Mr. Ball Skills."  Great season, T-Monster! 

Another fantastic night of music with the 7th grade band!  In addition to playing in the concert band, Ben has been attending before-school practices for the jazz band one to two times a week.  He had a fun little solo in one of the jazz pieces and he did a great job!  It makes for extra busyness, but I love concert season and hearing the fruits of my little musicians' labors!  Bravo, Benny!

Luke had a fun week with Bob, his 3rd grade "class pet."  Bob was his teacher's favorite childhood stuffed animal that each of the kids get to take home for one week during the year--it's Luke's teacher's way of doing Star of the Week.  Bob joined us in all our activities, and then Luke journaled about all that Bob did that week.  Bob had a busy week!  In addition, Luke was able to bring in his favorite item one day, his favorite book another, share a special story about himself on a third, and then he brought the journal back in to share about Bob's week with him.  Luke also brought in birthday treats this week since the kids will be out of school before June 2nd. 

If there is an upside to having a sickie, sick snuggles is it.

Warm weather = water balloon attack!

Foggy morning.

We are so excited for the opportunity Luke has to be a School in the Woods Naturalist next year!  We had a real taste of what living the outdoor classroom life will be like at the introductory meeting in the freezing cold fog.  Luke can't wait, and neither can I!  It's going to be amazing!

The golden season continues: 2-0 against the number two team in the state!  And guess who made those two goals?  Our Benny, that's who!

Another Josh save!

When the weather matches the mood.

This mama is not afraid to pull the jerk moves in Kings Corner.  (I still didn't win.)

That awkward moment when the new P.A. walks into the room for your annual well-woman exam, and you recognize her because she happens to be one of the kindergarten moms at the school. 

A super successful 2-day flash BOGO Bookfair put on by this dynamic duo!

Flying to the finish.  Seven days left until the school year is done!

There are just some things that play my heartstrings like a symphony, like discovering Tommy's evening walk collection laid out *just so* on the kitchen counter after tucking him into bed.  Evidence that he's still a little boy, even though time seems to be flying.

Tommy and the kindergartners were amazing today in the "Three Piggy Opera!"  Cutest thing ever seen, ever!  If you want to see a bunch of adults smiling like crazy people, just attend a kindergarten class performance. Every one of us was grinning ear to ear for the entire 30 minutes.  It was darling!  Bravo, Tommy; the most perfect Narrator #2 that this production ever saw!  You were wonderful!

The 20th was my last day as a weekly kindergarten volunteer for Tommy's class.  I have to admit, I got a little teary!  I sure loved being with Tommy and his darling classmates every Friday for an hour this year.

Having fun at our PTO Board end-of-year luncheon!  It has been a wonderful year working and serving alongside these amazing women as part of our PTO Board.  They have all become treasured friends.  One of the only reasons I agreed to be PTO President next year was because I know that these ladies have my back and will all do their part, and do it well.  Diane and Alexia will be missed greatly, but since their kids are some of my kids' best friends, they're stuck with me!

The Bits: May 1st Through May 10th

We are in the midst of May Madness!  The race to the end of the school year is on!

Wasn't everyone building snowmen on May 1st?

Seeing Zac's note card for his math test sure brought me back!  I feel like I probably had a card that looked just like this a long time ago...and I actually knew what all that meant back then!

Exploding Ivory soap science with Bryson on a Tuesday night after Cubs.

Ben's Colosseum poster board for his World History Fair project was awesome.  I'll admit...I LOVE projects like this!  No, I didn't make it for him.  I just helped Ben come up with an idea to make his vision for a Colosseum scene come to fruition, as well as playing assistant by gluing blocks and cutting out the arches.  Ben did a good job of saying, alright, Mom, I've got this.  [Read: Back off!]  Haha!

Seventh Grade World History Fair day!  Ben did an amazing job on his project, working on it for over a month.  At the bottom of the picture you can see his working model of an hypogeum, the lift that raised animals from the caverns beneath the Colosseum floor to the arena above.  It was fun for Adam and I to walk around and see all the ideas for projects and the effort put into them.  It was a testament to the fact that when kids can pick their own direction of study, they work harder and more thoroughly!  At the end of the day, Ben's teacher was so impressed by his project, she asked if she could keep it for an example.  What an honor for him!

It's been a looooong time since I was last at a baby shower.  I guess my friendship circle is trending toward being past those baby years.  Then, in one day, I had two!  One was for Josh's teacher, where I was able to hang with my favorite 5th graders and 5th-grade mamas (photo: Josh playing the nasty "guess the type of melted candy bar in the diaper" game), the other was for my sweet friend, and fellow Ragnarian, Saralyn, where I was able to visit with some of my favorite ladies for an evening.  Both are soon due with little girls.  It's a good day when you can celebrate new little lives with so many favorites!

Teacher appreciation week was crazy busy, but a big hit!

The middle school has an after-school club called Grizzly Challenge...er...um...Challnge (oh boy...spell check woes strike our middle school again!).  During this club the kids get to use the rock wall and high-ropes courses that are in the gym and by the track at the school.  Ben was able to be a part of the club this semester and loved it!  Somehow he convinced the track coaches to let him go to GC twice a week and track practice twice a week.  He did it all and didn't let them down, often going to the coaches after GC ended to find out what he missed and then doing the track workout on his own.  Impressive, Ben!  

I was able to go as chaperon for Josh's last elementary school field trip [breaking heart].  We went to the Steelworks Museum of Industry and Culture in Pueblo, which had some pretty interesting tidbits of industrial history.  The stories of people who worked under factory conditions in the 19th century always fascinate me!  What a life!  It was amazing to be reminded of how much the invention of steel and the ability to mass produce it has bent and determined the course of history.

This arrived in the mail this week.  Our 8-Year Colorado Anniversary was actually at the end of March.  Wow!  It's hard to believe that the wide-eyed boy in this photo wasn't even one-year-old yet when we moved here!

I believe Ben has wings on his feet!  During the first of two track meets last week, Ben took first in the 1600m with a 5:36 PR.  It was a great race against the other kid in the photo, a runner from Challenger MS who we found out is named Caleb, who also PRed that day (randomly, I happened to be sitting right next to his friendly mom).  Good things happen when we face tough competition!  Great job, boys!

International Tour Day!  The best day of the year for our elementary school!  The kids get to "visit" four different countries throughout the day.  They travel to a classroom where a presenter from our school community (parent/past parent/interested party) teaches them about the culture and traditions of a country for which they have special knowledge.  They usually do a craft or participate in an activity unique to that country.  Favorites from this year were learning about the country of Lebanon and tasting their traditional foods, like baklava and falafel; dancing like the Masai of Kenya; playing soccer like the Spaniards; and making cupcakes like the Scandinavians.  But there were so many countries and cultures the boys learned about, it was hard to choose a favorite.  Josh also entered a piece of his artwork in the hallway Art Walk.  Such a great day!

Because our schedule seemed light this spring (ha!), when the call for Landsharks Run Club coaching help went out, I decided to help as an assistant for the younger groups.  Tommy was my only elementary boy who was interested in participating, it was drive-me-crazy disorganized, a few of the coaches seemed to think that showing up was optional (even though we do get paid a tiny bit--they took their money and ran...ha), and all the meets were on Sundays, so Tommy never got to go.  BUT, there were some fun moments and Tommy loved having me there, which made it mostly worth it.  If I do it again though, there is going to have to be something done about the lack of structure...like, I don't know, maybe a practice plan.  Crazy thought....

Let's say that Tommy is "unselfish" with the ball during soccer, but really, he doesn't like to touch it if anyone else wants it, even if they are on the other team and we need possession if we ever want to score.  So we were so excited for him when he scored two goals and had an actual, intentional assist in his most recent game.  Six-year-olds CAN pass!  Go Tommy!

It was a fantastic track season for Ben, even though 3 of their 6 meets were cancelled due to spring snow (blah).  He really enjoyed himself and pushed himself hard!  I texted him one day to tell him that I had worked extra hard in my own treadmill class, knowing how hard he worked at his own practices and races.  He inspires me!  Saturday was the day-long Pike's Peak Regional Middle School Track and Field Meet (I had forgotten how long those meets are!).  There were 14 teams represented.  Ben ran the 1600m, 800m and was anchor for his 4x400m relay team.  He placed first in the 1600m with a PR of 5:32.  It was one of the most a beautiful races I've ever seen.  Nervously sitting in the grandstands, I kept thinking he needed to surge to pass some guys in front of him, but he played it just right, sticking to his pace, letting them tire out while he chased them and then easily passed them all in the last lap.  Gorgeous.  He also won the 800m with a 2:34, and his 4x4 team came in 2nd.  A great day for my speedy kid...who went on to play in a soccer game that evening after spending 7:30am-2pm at the track.  I, on the other hand, took a nap.

Keeping it classy at church with the ankle socks (note the child in the background is also sporting ankles).

Here is one of the reasons why I love serving in the Primary: it can feel like nothing you do makes a difference with the ever-present bouncy kid-energy, the constant chatter and sometimes blank stares, but somehow you are getting through, even if it's just by a smile.  Lily's sweet words made my week!

Nooooooo!  I've been dreading the day that I would start losing my last set of baby teeth, but was comforted by the knowledge that I have late shedders.  Unfortunately, thanks to his innate clumsiness (notice the scraped chin) and a darned set of stairs, Tommy is now down one baby tooth...EARLY!  I should just give in an start calling him Tom, because he's basically graduating and getting married tomorrow.  And those darling baby-toothed smiles...now it's just scraggly teeth and braces forever.  Tommy, I mean Tom, couldn't be happier.  Darn his adorable cheerfulness about his first lost tooth!  It's making it hard to be grumpy with him about it.

Zac has a job!  He's been working for a couple of weeks as an apprentice "handy man" for an elderly gentleman in our ward who can no longer do the work he wants to do around his house.  Zac gets a lesson in whatever task Brother Stevens needs him to do, and then goes to work, all under supervision so that he is being educated the entire time.  This week he did some drilling into a ceiling, so he was covered in wood shavings.  It's really a fantastic opportunity for him to learn to do household jobs, and he's really enjoying it!

We are so proud of this little smartie and his induction into the National Junior Honor Society!  As a member, over the next year he will have to work hard to keep up his grades, which I don't see as much of a problem for this brainiac, as well as perform 30 hours of service.  Way to be Ben!  And, as a perk, he's got a pretty great group of smartie friends. (Owen, Ben, Thomas, Leo and Will).

Flour Tag Face-off: Deacons vs. Teachers.