Conor's 9th Birthday

Yesterday, Conor celebrated his 9th birthday and proclaimed the day to be a hugely great day. 

One of the fundraisers at the kids' school is purchasing the message on the reader board for a week. Both kids asked for us to buy this so we could publicly wish them a happy birthday (Conor) and happy half birthday (Annika). 

The night before his big day, Conor and I baked chocolate mint cookies for his classroom treat. Conor toiled over which treat to bring as he thumbed through our Duff cookbook, but finally opted on a tried and true option that Conor knew he'd succeed at making and were quite tasty.

Conor awoke at 6:05 and proclaimed that he wasn't quite 9 years old  yet... he had few more minutes to go. Hello, Mr. Precise! True, he was born at 6:13 AM, but Eric and I were perfectly happy to still wish him a happy birthday and call him 9... even if we were 8 minutes early. Ha!

Because it was his birthday, Conor got to wear free dress to school. Bonus!! He also dug up the "Birthday Boy" pin that I bought a few years ago and insisted on wearing it all day. Hey, why not??

For his birthday dinner, Conor requested pasta carbonara and grasshopper pie for dessert. (I threw in some green beans as a side dish during dinner, just to round out things a bit.)  I'm pretty sure this is the third year in a row that he picked carbonara and grasshopper pie as his birthday meal. The boy knows what he likes!

Speaking of things that he likes ... he likes opening presents!! He received some very generous gifts from our extended family members (thanks, all!) and loved every moment of unwrapping them. After the paper finished flying, he and Eric got to work assembling the Lego robot that we gave to him. (I'm not sure who had more fun with it, if I'm being completely honest!) It was really fun to hear their conversations while building the ever-evolving robot, not to mention their reactions to the robot's abilities as its skills developed with each new task/set of instructions provided by the kit. 

To everyone who has had a hand in this little guy's life so far, thank you for your love, support, and energy. He's a silly, busy, inquisitive, and imaginative little guy and we are excited to see where this next year takes him. 

Happy birthday, Conor!

Batman Fluxx card game and Hex bug

Cold hard cash, a Taco Time g/c, and a wallet, baby!!
(one $ for each year... clever!)

Woot woot! Remote control toys are awesome

Future scientist!

Lego Robot kit

Blowing out his candles

Do you think he'll let me take his birthday sign photos even when he's a grown up?
I sure hope so! :)

Last Day of School 2017

Yesterday, the kids bid adieu to 1st and 3rd grade.

They'd been counting down to it for the past two weeks with great anticipation. This week was filled with "wrapping it up" activities, including cleaning out their desks at school, bringing home piles of art projects and graded homework, field day, field trips, and a board game party (for Annika's class).

As soon as the last bell rang, the kids came flooding out... and that is when the reality of change hit Conor and he decided he wasn't quite ready for 1st grade to end. The proclaimed that he would really like to have another week or two of school. We talked about how change can be a bit unsettling and that's OK. We also talked up 2nd grade and how much Annika liked having her as a teacher. He seemed a bit more at ease, but also might have just been humoring his crazy old parents.

After school, we zipped home to reveal the surprise we had in store: a family outing to the newly-released Captain Underpants movie followed by lunch at Five Guys. The kids were beyond thrilled!! Not a bad way to start their summer vacation, if you ask them. :)

As I write this post, I can't help but be a bit amazed by how much the kids changed over the school year. Annika has grown almost 3 inches in height and is very close to her goal of growing out her bangs. Conor started out 1st grade without his two front teeth and is now about 2 inches taller than when he started the school year.

  

Conor's Year-end Interview

My favorite thing to play is: Hula-hoop tag

My favorite color is: Chartreuse

My favorite book: The Book with No Pictures

My favorite TV show: Pokemon XYZ

My favorite food: Suckers

When I grow up, I want to: Be a famous soccer player

My favorite thing about 1st grade was: Getting to play Ga-Ga Ball

Something cool I learned this year was: How to tell time

Something I want to learn in 2nd grade is: Multiplication

Something I want to do over the summer is: Go to the Dollar Store

Annika's Year-end Interview

My favorite thing to play is: Kitties

My favorite color is: A glowing red pink

My favorite book: Captain Underpants

My favorite TV show: How to Train Your Dragon

My favorite food: Swedish Meatballs

When I grow up, I want to: Take a vacation to Hawaii

My favorite thing about 3rd grade was: Having a very nice teacher

Something cool I learned this year was: That a right angle is a point of a square or rectangle

Something I want to learn in 4th grade is: Grammar

Something I want to do over the summer is: Go to the pool

Macros at the Arboretum

Last week, Annika's class took a trip to the arboretum near UW as part of their study of plants and their life cycles. I was fortunate enough to be able to go as a chaperone and am so glad I did. The kids were great and it was such fun to watch them learn from the arboretum staff as we wandered around the beautiful and lush grounds.

Honestly, we couldn't have gotten any luckier with the weather. It was warm and sunny the entire day. The muddy ground here and there was the only nod to the massively wet weather we've experienced lately. The kids shucked their coats and enjoyed the warm sun on their arms and faces for a bit. (What a novelty!!)

Before you wonder, yes, I did take photos of the kids and paid attention to them. In fact, I took a crazy amount of photos, but to respect the privacy of the non-my-child kiddos, I won't post any of them here.

That said, I did take a few moments here and there to snap some macro shots of the various flowers along the way, too. (Don't all field trip chaperones sling two cameras across their bodies while out with the students?)

Enjoy!

Yellow azalea

Pink azalea

Mushroom trio

Curly fern

Fuzzy fern

Teeny, tiny daisy

White rhodedentron

Shroom in profile  - up close and personal 

Conor's Prayers of the "Fateful"

All week long, Conor has diligently practiced his two prayers of the faithful (or as he calls them "prayers of the fateful") for mass this morning. Each week, one grade helps with mass by providing greeters, readers, and people to present the gifts. This week, it was the 1st grade's turn to help.

By the end of his week of practice, Conor was ready to go. Just like his big sister a couple of months before, he had no qualms about standing up in front of the entire school to speak. So proud of him!

Enjoy!

School Talent Show 2017

Each year, the kids' school has a talent show during Catholic Schools Week. Each year, our kids feel compelled to get up in front of the whole school and demonstrate a talent they possess. Eric and I are incredibly proud of them for showing so much bravery and self confidence to do this.

For this year's talent show, Conor recited the poem "Snowball" by Shel Silverstein. Annika did an Irish dance routine with her friend Madeleine. The kids did a fabulous job and had a lot of fun!!

Last night, Conor mentioned that he did feel nervous standing up in front of everyone, so opted to look at his paper to quell the nerves. Leading up to the event, Eric coached him on how to speak slowly and clearly. Conor obviously listened and took the lessons to heart.

Annika and Madeleine took the lessons from their Irish dance class as their performance inspiration. They picked music that was the right tempo, wore matching Irish knot shirts, and got their feet moving in sync. They practiced during their school recesses to iron out their routine and their dedication really paid off.

Way to go, kiddos!!!!

Annika's First 2nd Grade Soccer Game

This Saturday, Annika and some of her classmates donned their black soccer uniforms, tied their cleats, adjusted their shin guards, and took on the 2nd grade soccer team from St. Luke's.

We had an 8:00 game, which actually worked out really well (not in terms of fatigue levels, but in terms of the weather). We didn't see a single drop of rain during the game; the weather held off until we were packing up and driving out of the school's parking lot. Talk about luck!

Our kids really inspired me. They had a great time during the game and rarely were without smiles on their faces. It was incredibly infectious to see how much fun they were having. During halftime, one of the kids said he thought the other team had scored more goals, to which another student said, "We don't keep score in 2nd grade. It is all about having fun and I'm having fun!" (WOW!!)

This was the first time our kids played on a compressed sand field and did that ball ever fly on that surface!! They did a lot of running just to keep up with the ball.

The kids cheered for each other, helped each other, and worked together really well. SO proud of our Panthers for showing what having fun and teamwork are all about.

First day of the 2015-2016 school year

It is official! We now have a 2nd grader and a kindergartener. How time flies!!

I woke up the kids at 7 and when I poked at Conor, he immediately requested "1 more minute of sleep, please." I then poked at Annika, whose eyes popped open and she proclaimed, "Is it time for school yet????" Ironically, this is the polar opposite of how they both normally wake up.

After ushering the kids through the morning routine (breakfast, brush teeth, load backpacks, get dressed), we took some rather windy first-day-of-school pictures and then were on our way to school and the chaos that ensued.

Annika was practically clawing at the car door as soon as we were on the school's campus. She could hardly wait to see her friends and get the fun going. Conor was a bit more apprehensive and was very content to stick closer to me. It was incredibly loud and chaotic under the school's pavilion, so him sticking close was anything but a surprise.

Eventually, we got the green light for the classes to go into their classrooms. We stopped in the 2nd grade room first and got Annika all settled in for the day. The fact that she and her little bff Madeleine got to sit next to each other was the icing on the cake for Annika. I had to giggle that I had to direct her away from walking into the 1st grade room out of habit as we walked down the hallway to her new classroom ... old habits die hard! As I left her, I told Annika I was leaving so she didn't think I had disappeared... what I fool I was. She didn't bat an eye and gave me a half wave as I left ... she was far too busy socializing to care that I was leaving her.

My next stop was taking Conor to the kindergarten room. We found his hook and got his backpack/coat hung up and then ventured into the classroom to find his desk. As soon as we entered the room, Conor's little bff Emilio shouted out Conor's name, which made Conor smiled from ear to ear. Seeing familiar faces around the room was exactly what Conor needed. His desk is right next to his church buddy (Caitlyn), which was probably pretty perfect for him. A familiar face right next door. Before I knew it, the parents were being ushered out of the room and it was time to give Conor a quick peck on the cheek. I wasn't sure how he was going to do with me leaving, but he did really well. Not a tear or sign of fear on his face. He wasn't looking overly comfortable yet, but that'll come in time. The kindergarten teacher (who Annika also had and who is MARVELOUS) had pictures for the kids to color waiting on their desks, so he was too busy working on his project to care that it was time for me to head out. Whew! :)

Before I close, I want to say how blessed we are to be part of such an amazing school community. Our kids are surrounded by good kids who are true friends to our kiddos. The teachers and administrators are the epitome of caring, nurturing, and dedicated ... the perfect trifecta! The last piece of the CKS puzzle are the other parents; we know that there really is a village involved in raising our kids and many of those parents are key parts of our village; they are friends to us and wonderful role models for our kids.

I can hardly wait to hear about their first days and hear all of their thoughts on how things went. Such a fun new chapter in their lives!

Conor: All spiffed up in his new uniform

Annika: Social butterfly extraordinaire 

This perfectly sums up part of our morning

And this sums up the other part of our morning

All ready for 2nd grade

Watch out kindergarten, here come Conor!

Last day of school 2015 photos

Last Friday, Annika had her last day of 1st grade and Conor had his last day of preschool. (Excuse me while I take a moment to wipe away a few tears...)

The day started out a bit more relaxed than more mornings because Eric and I both took the day off of work. So, the kids were able to sleep in a bit and we didn't have to rush out of the door quite as hectically as we do on most other school days. Both kids had the opportunity to sleep in a bit, which was good practice for the upcoming summer break! With the kids getting out of school quite early, Eric and I had a more leisurely morning, too... no lunches/snacks to pack, homework to track down, etc. No complaints!

Naturally, the kids were very excited about their last days of school, but Annika was also a bit down because she was going to miss her first grade teacher (Mrs. Portolese). I tried to comfort her by pointing out that the 2nd grade classroom is next door to the 1st grade room, so they'll very likely still see each other at school.

Before we left for school, I took a some photos of the kids so we could compare the first day and last day of school photos. It astounds me to see how much the kids have changed and grown over the school year. Academically, they have soared, but also as maturing little people. What a wonderful journey!

Annika's first day of 1st grade

Annika's last day of 1st grade

Conor's 1st day of preschool

Conor and Stop 1's last day of preschool

Eric picked up the kids from school at 10 (I was helping clean out my Aunt June's house, so I had to live the day vicariously through texted photos!) and that afternoon, he took the kids to pick up Annika's first pair of (reading) glasses. She had been anxiously awaiting them for days and was thrilled when the big day finally arrived. Doesn't she look adorable???

Pretty girl who can see better!

End-of-the-Year Teacher Appreciation Cookies

It is impossible to believe that another school year is in the record books!

In addition to participating in the school's teacher appreciation SCRIP program (brilliant!), I wanted to give the kids' teachers a token of our appreciation. That said, I didn't want to clutter up their houses/desks with more teacher "stuff" that they probably didn't need/want.

So, I opted to make cookies for the teachers. To make them more personal, I asked the kids to give me one-word descriptions of their teachers and then I used edible ink markers to write "My teachers are..." on some of the cookies. I also wrote some summer phrases "think sun", "enjoy the summer", etc. as well as plain ol' "Thank you" on the rest of the cookies. To top off the gifts, I had the kids write their names on a few cookies, which acted as the gift tags (in addition to the thank you notes I wrote on behalf of our family).

Channeling Aunt June ... the straw makes me more efficient while decorating cookies

Batch #1

Batch #2

Batch #3

All ready for Annika's extended care teachers: Mrs. Bandares and Mrs. Hellerman

All ready for Annika's 1st grade teachers: Mrs. Portolese and Mrs. Higgins

All ready for Conor's Caritas (pre-school) teachers

We delivered the cookies to the teachers on the kids' last day of school. They were a huge hit with the teachers and office staff (there was a plate of "Thank you" cookies for them). So glad this gift idea gave me the opportunity to walk around to the various teachers and thank them in person for all they've done for our kiddos. 

Potlatch 2015 Cookies Are All Done!

In a recent post, I mentioned how a good chunk of Sunday was spent working on the cookies for the kids' school's 8th grade ceremony called Potlatch. Last night, I put the finishing touches on the cookies, i.e. putting them in cellophane bags and tying them with white bows. I'll deliver them tonight. 

While it was a really fun project, it'll feel wonderful to hand them off to the project coordinator. Knowing they're in my care and that anything can happen to them at any time is a little unnerving. I like looking at the final products, but I'll also like not being responsible for them any more. :)

I think Annika and Conor will also like having them out of the kitchen. Seeing all of those cookies right there on the counter and knowing they can't even touch them is probably their version of child abuse ... or, at least, sweet tooth abuse! ;)