Conor and His Robot Prototypes

Last night, we Olsons unplugged. Annika and Eric worked on a robotics building project for much of the night while Conor and I played a few hands of Crazy 8s.

I see so much of Eric in his face from this angle. 

During our marathon of cards, Conor had the uncontrollable urge to put down his cards and pick up a pen to draw ideas for robots prototypes that were apparently zipping around in the depths of his imagination. Watching his creativity at work was a true joy. So often, as parents, we ask "What were you thinking???" Last night, I got to see what he was thinking flow from his brain, down his arm, and onto a lot of pieces of paper.

Yes, the tongue does help!

His focus and attention to detail were remarkable. Often, this kid can't sit still for more than 30 seconds... when he was drawing his robots, he was the poster child for self control, patience, and focus. His face would sqinch this way and he'd shift a little that way to get a better view of his art, but that was about it. He was steadfast and welcomed his ideas as they sprang forth.

Naturally, after the second or third cute face squinch, I grabbed my camera to work on my low-light, non-posed photography skills. Come one, he was being way too cute not to photograph!! Honestly, who could blame me??

Hard at work
(Please ignore his dirty finger nails!)

Conor and  one of his robot creations

Robots galore!

In all, I think he came up with ideas for 17 robots. One set the table for you. One was a robotic spatula that attached to your arm. One was a Mama foot massager (my favorite!).

Keep those creative juices flowing, sweet boy!! They will serve you well in life.

Conor's Audition Recap

A number of weeks ago, Conor's school music teacher asked me if Conor would be interested in auditioning for the NW Boys Choir. I said we didn't know anything about it, so she sent information about the program to me and we set up an audition for him.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I was really torn about the idea of the choir. On one hand, I knew he'd really enjoy it because of his love for music. On the other hand, it had rehearsals 2x per week in the U. District starting at 4:30 (hello, rush hour traffic) and would disrupt my work schedule and I wasn't convinced he has hit the maturity level needed for this type of group. I had more than one sleepless night trying to figure out how it would work out and my stress level climbed at the thought of it all. On the other hand (how many hands do I have??), I felt guilty putting my stress ahead of his potential growth.

Ready for his audition

Fast forward to Saturday. Conor's audition lasted 10-ish minutes and the man who ran the audition was lovely. He obviously is a natural with kids and was highly encouraging and positive with Conor. The audition began with Conor singing a song of his choice. He was then asked to repeat (clap) rhythms that he heard. Finally, he was asked to repeat one of two notes played simultaneously on the piano. Conor did a lovely job with his song and nailed the rhythms. He struggled with the portion of the audition where he needed to hear and then repeat a note. Because of this, he wasn't invited back for a callback; instead, he was encouraged to try again in 6-12 months. Sometimes this skill can still develop with practice; we aren't sure if he simply doesn't have this skill figured out yet or if his recent double ear infection and fluidy ears impacted his ability to hear the notes.

We are so proud of Conor for putting himself out there and taking a chance. Did he made the choir? No. Did he have fun? Yes. Did he try something new? Yes. Did he take a risk? Yes. Did he get a little reminder that life doesn't always go your way? Yes. Does he care that he didn't make the choir? Nope! (Is my stress level reduced? YES! Selfishly, I'm glad the choir people made the decision for us... it rids me of some mom guilt.) 😃

Way to go, kiddo!!

All Saints Day 2017

For the past few weeks, Conor's class has been studying the saints. As is tradition for the 2nd grade at our kids' school, each student picks a saint, researches that person, and then dresses up as that saint for the all-school mass on All Saints Day.

Conor chose St. Francis of Assisi, partially because he loves animals and partially because his friend Ollie didn't know any saints other than St. Patrick (which was Conor's 1st choice due to his Irish heritage). Conor learned all about St. Francis' life, his kind works, and his feast day.

Not only did Conor research St. Francis of Assisi and dress like him, he also helped his class lead mass today. He was the person who welcomed everyone to mass and, I must say, he did a fantastic job!! Don't believe me?? Watch below! :)

During mass, Fr. Armando asked the kids about their various saints, and each one did a fantastic job pointing out a fact or two about their respective saints. I love how these kids are unaffected by speaking in front of the entire congregation with such enthusiasm! After mass, I took photos of the class, both as a group and individually. So proud of this group and so impressed with the love of learning and the patience their teachers exudes on a daily basis!!!!

When Annika was in 2nd grade, she researched and dressed as St. Elizabeth Anne Seton. (I just realized after scrolling back through the blog that I never posted a photo of her in costume ... probably because she broke her arm 2 days later and that quickly became our focus. So, better late than never, here is Annika from her 2nd grade class' All Saints Day project.)