The Bits: April 1st Through April 15th

Round one of the April Bits!

If we have to be home from vacation, at least we have this smiling face to greet us.

Ben made a run for Freshman Class V.P.  The signs were awesome.  In the end, he wasn't elected, but he said it was no big deal (your loss class of 2021!).  We are so proud of him for trying!  Plus, I got to tell him my story of how I ran for Senior Class President, and lost, because I wasn't funny enough--the guy I lost to is a standup comedian now.  Ben said he thinks he lost because he wasn't female enough--there were two boys and one girl running against him, and the boys shared the majority of the male vote, while the majority of the girls backed the girl candidate.  I forgot that in middle school it's still boys against girls sometimes.  C'est la vie!

While I was showing Zac how to properly scrape and deice a car, we noticed these amazing ice formations on his car.

Snow day, snow YAY!

Grandma and Grandpa huddling for warmth during our April 4th snowfall.

A perfect depiction of springtime in the Rockies!

Family time is the best time!

There is no one I'd rather Science Fair with or be mistaken for!  The number of times I've been called Mrs. Baptist....  So grateful for my friendship with Kelli that has been a major source of sanity this year.

When Tommy was invited to the D20 Chess Tournament, it was as the alternate because the 3rd place first grader for the AIES chess team couldn't go, and he said, "I don't know why they asked me, Mom.  I lose A LOT!"  (Said with a chuckle--like, 'Those fools, don't they know I'm terrible at chess?!').  Well, not this time!  Tommy took 3rd Place in the district for the 1st grade, and our team, AIES, took 1st Place overall for the Elementary Division for the 17th year in a row!  The chess tournament was a new experience for me, and Tommy and I both had a lot of fun!

At the Pinewood Derby Car Clinic at our Pack Master's house, Luke was able to take old lead bullets and melt them to create the weight for his car.  We all thought that was pretty darn cool.

Luke turned his paper crane into a three-headed paper hydra.  Clever boy!

Springtime Sundays.

Two of my friends, Lexi and Jeffi, and I decided to use the finish times we had on the last half we ran together, the Zooma Half, to qualify and register for The Ascent, the half marathon that goes up Pike's Peak.  This month, I thought I'd start to put a training schedule together.  Some of the sites I ran across did not inspire confidence--nay, they, in fact, induced fear.  What have we done?!  Hahahaha!  Crazy town!

I remember, as a kid, my mom cutting our big carrots into tiny matchsticks and putting them in cups of cold water in the fridge, just to make them more appealing as a snack option because we wouldn't eat the carrots whole.  Then, when I was a young adult, along came mini-carrots in the bag, and voila!  No more need for cutting big carrots to make them more snackable!  We always have a bag of the minis in our fridge now, so it makes me laugh that the boys are mostly indifferent to them, and only go for them as a snack from time to time, but whenever I buy a bag of the big carrots, my boys get so excited about them and want to gobble them up.  Don't you dare ruin them by cutting them up, Mom!

Spring Field Project time at SITW!  It's been really fun getting out there to help with Luke's group, Terrestrial Invertebrates, a couple of times a week. 

Bedtime can wait....

I love a good midday movie date with this fine fella!  Excusal from jury duty left us with a free afternoon for "Kong: Skull Island."  A perfect movie to kick-off the summer blockbuster season!

A week before Zac's show--the RHS Theatre production of "Emma: A Pop Musical," we warmed ourselves up by going to see Pine Creek H.S.'s Beauty and the Beast.  Wow!  So well done and so much talent! We are a little jealous of such a well-funded theatre program.

The next night, Adam and I treated ourselves to "Bye Bye Birdie: at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center.  It was a well-done production and has such great music.

All three of our boys have trained to be referees to earn some extra cash this season, and Ben was the first to finish his training, so he had the first go at it.  He did a great job!  Here's hoping for a season of kids playing nicely and parents who are kind (yeah, right)!

Sliding through Saturday with this adorable bunch!  The boys happily volunteered to help one of my mom's friends, who lives in the area, move some heavy boxes and furniture up and down her stairs, and on the way out of her neighborhood, we ran across this random slide--no park, just a big slide.

Tommy and his pal, Connor, at Connor's Sky Zone party.  These two beg me for play dates every time I am at school.