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.