School Talent Show 2019

Yesterday, the kids' school had its annual talent show, which is part of Catholic Schools Week, and what a show it was! The show is always on Student Appreciation Day, which this year, was their "crazy clothes day", too. Mix and match those patterns, my loves! MIX AND MATCH!

As you may recall, dear readers, that for past shows, our children have demonstrated such talents as singing while doing a headstand, whistling, making banana bread, and doing a stand-up comedy routine with a puppet. This year, Conor opted to demonstrated how to make a few balloon sculptures and Annika (pre-broken arm) planned to do a little Irish dancing). Once we got word that Annika would be able to avoid surgery on her arm (wooo hooo!!!), we recruited her to be Conor's assistant for his routine. Ta da!!

Conor (with a little guidance from home and with OK from his principal) opted to make a balloon heart and two different swords. He practiced very hard on his creations (the hills of balloon corpses left scattered around our home is a testament to his practice!) and what he could say during his act. 

When it came time for them to take the stage, the kids were amazing!! Conor adeptly created the heart and amazed all of the kids in the audience. (His deadpan instructions were probably the piece de resistance of the routine, if I'm being 100% honest.!! Without trying to, Conor embodied the comedian Steven Wright to a T.) Conor then moved on to the more difficult of the two swords (the trident sword) and really showed how much poise he has ... and Annika provided a great deal of moral support. We prepped way more balloons than we thought he'd need, but he wound up needing every one of those balloons because more than ever before popped during the sculpting process. Much to Conor's credit, the popping balloons didn't phase him or ruffle his feathers. He simply tossed the popped balloons aside and started over. Meanwhile, Annika would lean in to the mic to explain that "even if a balloon pops, that's ok! Just try again. It just gives you more practice!"

After quite a few attempts, Conor conquered his trident sword and (out of a sense of generosity?) opted to throw it to the audience, which basically created a mob that surged for the stage. As the the teachers jumped in and got the crowd back to their seats, the kids were still on stage with Conor at the mic saying "No! No! I'm not done yet!" (By this point, I was shaking with laughter... tears streaming down my face!)

He finished his next sword and, apparently not learning from the first time, also threw it into the crowd .... creating another balloon-focused mob rush toward the stage. The teacher, once again, jumped into defensive mode and got the kids wrangled and back under control. I'm pretty sure my laughter subsided around 10 minutes later after the last acts wrapped up. (Best ab workout ever!)

We are incredibly proud of our kids for having the courage to stand on stage in front of their entire school. They had poise, charisma, humor, and a great rapport. 

To our sweet performers, you two did a fantastic job!! We love you and are impressed by your bravery and love your creativity!

Conor, a Future Titan

A new show called "Titan Games" started on NBC a few weeks ago. It is hosted by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, and it is basically an obstacle course competition for some seriously amazing athletes. We've watched similar shows as a family, and we appreciate the lack of drama as well as the physical prowess displayed by the competitors. Honestly, these people are agile, strong, and determined beyond belief. 

For some reason, this show has inspired Conor to start working out. I don't know what clicked for him, but something did. He watches the show with weights in hand and now works out 4-5 days per week with Eric's small weights and my workout bands. Last night, we watched the latest episode of "Titan Games" and there was Conor with Eric's weights... doing curls. What really got me was his teddy bear sitting there next to him. It made my mama heart absolutely melt. 

Tough boy with his weights .... and his teddy. 

Sigh.... 

Annika's Owie

Soooo, this happened....

On Friday, I was at work doing my work stuff (doo dee doo dee doo dee doo ... yes, those are my "I'm at work sounds") when I got a call from the kids' school. The school administrative assistant explained that Annika had an accident on the playground during lunch recess and they suspected she broke her arm... again. My response? "Oh shirt." (OK, not those EXACT words, but this is a family blog ... but you get the picture.)

In emergencies, transit commuters can request a cab to take them to their cars. I did that. The cab was supposed to be there in 4 minutes. It took over 20. That's 16+ minutes of me basically pacing the sidewalk outside of my office building like a crazy woman. In that 16+ minutes, Annika went into shock and the school opted to call 9-1-1 because they weren't exactly equipped for that and it was taking me way longer than expected to get to the school. (Stupid downtown traffic issues!)

The ambulance took Annika straight to Children's Hospital (we knew to by-pass the closer NW Hospital from the last time she broke her arm ... wrist to be exact, knowing they aren't equipped to sedate children in the ER) while Eric drove there from his office and I drove there after getting my car at the park and ride. (Kudos to my cab driver for making excellent time once he had me in his vehicle!) One of the teacher aids from the kids' school went in the ambulance with Annika, and we are beyond grateful for her doing that!! The funny part was the ER had no notifications of an inbound ambulance with anyone by her name. They did have a "Monica Wilson" coming with with a suspected broken left arm, however. Once they arrived, it was pretty clear someone in ambulance-land just goofed up her name along the way! (Whew - I was starting to get nervous that they were going to a different hospital!)

The ER staff was (once again) truly amazing! They were compassionate, kind, and efficient. (Unfortunately, Eric's cousin wasn't working this time.) Because she was in shock, it took quite a bit of time and effort to get an IV started on her, but once they did, the ER people offered to give Annika some pain meds before even bothering with x-rays, to which she responded "Drug me up!" (Better living through pharmaceutical science, people!!)

Pain meds are her friend!!

The x-rays showed exactly what we all suspected, she broke her left arm. Correction, she didn't just break it... she broke the holy heck out of it! Her radius was completely broken and displaced. Her ulna was also completely broken, but the bone wasn't as displaced as the other one was.

OUCH

The ER staff sedated her and did their best to realign the bones performing an external reduction. (AKA, two people pull on the arm in two different directions and rotate the bones attempting to get them in a better position.) The orthopedic specialist said she got the bones into a better position than she expected, but warned us that the radius could slip. If it does, Annika will need a rod put in (eeek!!!!). We'll go back to the hospital later this week for follow-up x-rays, which will determine the next steps in her care plan. (Fingers, toes, and eye are all crossed that the bones stay put and don't slip!)

Somewhat less ouch

No volleyball for her this season

As she came out of the anesthesia, Annika (once again) proved to be a funny "drunk". She saw double (and at times, triple) just like she did when she broke her wrist 3 years ago. One very touching part of her waking up experience was her gushing love of Conor and how much she wanted him to be with her. She even wanted to leave the hospital immediately so she could go home and be with him. (Note: He was a a family friend's house playing with friends and eating tacos!)

Eric left a little while after she woke up to retrieve Conor and take him home. Annika and I left the hospital about 7:30 PM. She was very drowsy (understandably) and napped most of the way home. We got a little food and some more pain meds into her, and then we hunkered down for the night. She awoke a few times during the night because of weird dreams (the ER staff warned us that could happen due to the anesthesia) but nothing overly disruptive.

By the next day, she was doing MUCH better and seemed to have very little pain. Talk about being a trooper! We are being VERY cautious around her to avoid any accidental collisions or silliness that could lead to the bones slipping. VERRRRY cautious!

The other casualty of the whole ordeal was Annika's school sweater. The ER staff wound up cutting it off of her so they could work on her arm. It's so mangled, that I just had to share a photo or two of it, too!

Victim #2

We kept Annika home from school yesterday to give her one more day of healing and reduce her chances of an accidental run-in that could undue the work of the ER staff. That didn't keep me from bringing home her school work that morning when I dropped off Conor at school and making her actually do her work. (I'm such a mean mom!) :D

She went back to school today and (knock on wood) things are going fine so far. (No word to indicate otherwise.) She even wore her new sling that I made for her (more fashionable and comfortable than the one from the hospital!) Fortunately, the kids got to wear their school spirit wear today, which made getting dressed quite a bit easier. (T-shirt sleeves fit over her cast more easily than the uniform shirts do.)

Back to school!

To everyone who has checked up on her, brought get-well gifts, dropped food at our door, and kept her in their thoughts, we thank you from the very bottom of our hearts. The kids' school community rallied like no other and we are touched by all they did to help her on Friday and after.

Lest ye not forget

So, the kids and I visited my mom on Sunday and this was the first time she didn't recognize one of the kids.

Annika, Conor, my mom, and I were seated at a table waiting for lunch and my mom asked, "Where are the others?" I asked, "What others?" She said, "Sister. Conor, where is sister?" To which, Conor and I pointed to Annika and she raised her hand somewhat sheepishly. Oh dementia, you are a cruel beast.

(Fortunately, Annika was OK after this having a good understanding that Nana's brain isn't as healthy and her memory isn't what it used to be. In fact, Annika was more concerned about me and the fact that my mom would, one day, completely forget who I am. Awww! What a sweet girl we have!)

To protect himself from the same fate, Conor did this after we got back home:

Honestly, I think he deserves double points. It is effective AND funny! Conor for the win!

Christmas, Holiday Activities, and NYE wrap-up

Well, 2019 is officially here and we are back to real life.... real busy life... real busy, chaotic-at-times life!

Leading up to Christmas was (needless to say), also busy, but in a different way. The pace was less frenetic and rushed than it is when real life is in place. We got to sleep in (most days) and set a schedule that fit our hopes and dreams... ok, enough waxing poetic!

Per our typical "gearing up for Christmas" activities, we decorated a gingerbread house, baked more cookies and treats and a small country could eat in a month, wrapped presents, made treats for the kids' classroom parties (see oranges below), and listened to so many Christmas carols that they played on a loop in our dreams!

Right before they started Christmas break, the kids participated in their school's annual Advent/Christmas concert. They did a great job and sang their little hearts out. Conor had the added bonus of playing the xylophone during his class' performance and proved to be quite the xylophone player ... xylyphoner? xylophonist??  Annika even wound up with a surprise solo performance during the band's portion due to the other flutist being sick that night. It is one thing to get up in front of the entire school and parents with your class to sing a song, but it is a whole other thing to get up in front of that huge group and play something by yourself. Huge props to her for that! (Side note: It didn't even phase her ... she has nerves of steel!)

On Christmas Eve, the kids (once again) found themselves in front of a very large crowd. Conor portrayed Caesar Augustus in the parish's nativity play and Annika was an altar server for Christmas Eve mass. The church was packed to the gills, but (once again, again) the kids were amazingly composed and did a great job at their respective tasks.. 

After church, we came home to a lovely dinner that Eric made (thanks, hon!!) and had ready for us as we walked through the door. Our family tradition for Christmas Eve dinner is to have breakfast for dinner? Why? Because it is easy and there's very little clean up!! Duh!

We made sure to put out cookies and milk for Santa, read "Twas the Night Before Christmas" together (another family tradition), and made our way to bed ... very much excited for the next morning to arrive. 

Needless to say, Christmas morning was a bit chaotic, but in a good way. The kids were brimming with excitement, and Eric and I weren't far behind. We were all spoiled by the generosity of others and are deeply touched by the thought put into our gifts. Around noon, Eric's folks came down from Whidbey and joined us for Christmas, Phase 2, which included more presents, playing dice and card games, and a lovely family dinner.

Conor was VERY excited about Santa bringing him signed copies of one of his favorite book series.

Pokemon shirt for the win

Eric amongst the Christmas chaos

Annika was thrilled to receive another book in one of her favorite series, too!

Eric opening a present from Santa

Yup! She's excited!

Pretty sure the hit of the day was the Nintendo Switch we gave to them as a combo gift

Annika opening her gifts from Bestemore and Bestefar

On New Year's Eve day, the kids and I headed to Snoqualmie for our annual day o' tubing. Unfortunately, Eric got hit with a stomach bug and wasn't able to join us. We missed him greatly and wished he could have been there to enjoy the snow with us! The sky was blue, the snow was perfect, and the temp was cold without being frigid. Aside from Eric not being there, it was an ideal day on the mountain. (Although, I'm pretty sure the kids considered calling CPS when I suggested we hoof it up the hill instead of taking the magic carpet every time!)

Last year, Annika was the only one of us to stay up until midnight and rang in the new year with her stuffed animals all wearing homemade party hats. The idea of her having to do that again this year basically guilted us into powering through until midnight and staying up with her. Conor opted to go to bed around 9 with the request that we wake him up 15 minutes before midnight. Clad in our jammies and party hats, we rung in the new year together at home and watched the Space Needle fireworks display on TV. By 12:01, we were all heading to bed longing for sleep. 

Eric had to go back to work on Jan 2, so the kids and I had a few days to fill on our own. We made a trip down to Tacoma to visit our dear Fr. Fred and swing by Johnson's Candy ... because we apparently didn't have enough sweets from Christmas! We had a marvelous time chatting with Fred, who very kindly fed us a lunch of waffles and peanut butter! We also made a trip up to Whidbey to spend the day with Eric's parents. The kids played outside between rain squalls while Eric's mom and I sewed fabric card holders. Eric's dad even made me an AMAZING growler holder.

Of course,we had to put them to use after making them!

Seriously!! How cool is this thing????

On the day between our out-of-city trips, the kids and I hunkered down at home and caught our collective breath. To ensure their brains didn't melt too much over the break, I challenged them with a few STEM projects and they had a blast! First, I handed them marshmallows, spaghetti, 3 feet of yarn, and 3 feet of tape and then challenged them to make marshmallow structures with the provided supplies. Then, they were challenged to create structures (using supplies of their choosing) that would protect a dropped egg. Impressively, both kids' eggs survived the drop... of course, Annika made a "champion" sash for her egg and now we aren't allowed to eat it! :D

Our final holiday celebration was going to the holiday lights display at Woodland Park Zoo. Each year, there are more things to see, and we often find ourselves playing "I spy" with the new additions. The lights were lovely (no surprise) but the big hit for us was the shadow wall that we discovered this year. Basically, there was a wall that was painted with glow in the dark paint that we stood against (facing the wall) and then a staff member would flash a REALLY bright light toward us. When we moved away from the wall,we could see our silhouettes left (temporarily) behind. So stinking neat!

From our family to yours, we hope you have a peaceful and fun-filled 2019!!