Happy 33rd Birthday Kevin

Happy Birthday Kevin!! I am embarrassed to admit that I thought he was going to be 34 until I counted it up. He is still so young. Aahh, to be in my early thirties. We celebrated with his family, all weekend long. He wanted ribs and black bottom cupcakes so that is what his mother made. He got lots of gift cards and a really nice suit. He looks very sharp in his suit, although I don't have a picture of it yet. I hope you had a great birthday weekend--Kevin always stretches his birthday out as long as possible.

Taekwondo Tournament

Andrew competed in his first Championship Tournament. It was pretty small since it took place over Memorial Day weekend. It was great because it only lasted 5 1/2 hrs. instead of much longer. There were some great demonstrations. Andrew competed in his form and sparring. He took second place in both. In forms, he was competing against adults as well as other children, so I am really proud of him taking second place. He was very pleased that he got two really nice medals.

K_2 Music Program 2009

Each spring, the school puts on a music program showcasing some of the songs that the kids have been learning throughout the year. This year, they had a new music teacher who seemed like a real hipster. He did a very eclectic mix of music with the kids, from the Beatles, to Coldplay, to patriotic songs. They were both very cute, singing with their grades.

Publishing House Spring Tea 2009

This might be the kids' last publishing house tea. Our school budget is shot for next year. I actually went to my first PTA meeting to try to keep Publishing House around but it was voted out for next year. I am hoping that they will find some money between now and next fall so that we don't lose this valuable program. Marin has published countless books this year through the program. Andrew's class hasn't shown up much but in year's past he has also really benefited from it. At the tea, they both were so cute reading their stories. I love to see the progress that they make throughout the year.

Mother's Day

The kids have been really sweet, giving me presents throughout the week. It started with Andrew giving me two plants and a very sweet card from Scouts. You can tell that the scout leaders are mothers. They did a fill in the blank card which guided the boys into writing more than they might otherwise write on their own. Very nice!! Marin's class had Muffins with Mothers on Friday morning. The mothers were invited to have muffins and juice with their kids. We decorated pots and got a plant, as well as the clay face that Marin had made earlier in the year. That was also really nice. Andrew came home from school on Friday with a clay pinch pot that he told me is a candy dish. He had also written me a poem that sounded like he copied it from somewhere. He told me he wrote it all by himself, which made it even more special. The poem is called "And I love you."

Every frosting loves a cake
Every barbeque sauce loves a steak
Every beaver loves a lake
And I love you.

Every owl loves a snake
Every snowman loves a flake
Every glass loves a shake
And I love you.

Every fireplace loves a fire
Every wire pole loves a wire
Every bicycle loves a tire
And I love you.

Every smart person loves a test
Every bug smacker loves a pest
Every bird loves a nest
And I love you.

Every rainforest loves a parrot
Every tunnel loves a ferret
Every dip loves a carrot
And I love you.

How sweet is that poem. If Andrew did indeed write this, he is an excellent poet. Time will tell.

Strep Throat

Andrew has had a sore throat the past couple of days. A couple of kids in the school have had strep throat. Of course, if it is floating around, Andrew will get it. He woke up last night at about 12:50 to go to the bathroom and asked if he could sleep in my room. Kevin was out of town so I said yes. He was having difficulty breathing. I got nervous and decided to take him to the ER. That meant I also had to wake Marin up and take her too. We ended up spending 2 hours in the ER. Andrew tested positive for strep and decided to get the penicillin injection, at my urging. I hate worrying about antibiotics for 10 days. Too many opportunities for missed pills. Anyway, he took the shot like a trooper. We got home at about 3:30. I told the kids to sleep in since we were up during the night. At about 7:15 I was awaked by Andrew yelling, "Mom I think I'm going to throw up." He was in the bathroom already, so I ran in and told him to puke in the toilet. He didn't end up throwing up then but went to lay down and threw up in the bucket I got for him. I took it to wash it out and he threw up on the blanket. That has been the end of it though. I think he was reacting to such a big dose of penicillin in his system. His butt is really sore from the shot. When the nurse asked him which cheek he wanted the shot in, he put his hands to either side of his mouth. The nurse laughed and said, "Not those cheeks." We had a good laugh over that. I have been spraying Lysol over everything that Andrew touches and making the kids wash their hands frequently. We are also using Purell by the wholesale. I can't afford to get sick this close to my marathon. Hopefully the rest of us escape and Andrew heals quickly.

Keri and Charlie's Wedding Rehearsal

Things have been quite busy lately, getting ready for the wedding of the year. Keri and Charlie were married May 2, 2009 at the Fairview Inn. It was a beautiful place. I didn't get any pictures taken of the kids in their clothes, so I will have to wait on putting some in. Andrew was a ring bearer and Marin was a flower girl. Andrew looked super handsome in his tuxedo. Marin was adorable in her dress. Kevin and I were in the wedding party: bridesmaid and groomsman. It was a beautiful ceremony and we are so happy for them. The only pictures I have right now are the kids outside before the rehearsal.

Baseball 2009

Andrew is playing baseball again this year. He moved up to AA Little League this season. He is with the same team and coach again. They are the KC Royals. Andrew has been having a difficult time. He swore up and down that he wanted to play this year, but as soon as the season started he wanted to quit the team. Some of the boys on his team are very good players. You can tell that it is all that they do. Andrew, being more well-rounded, spends less time devoted to baseball. He has felt a little bit less than, which has caused him to want to quit. We have been working together to improve his skills, which aren't terrible. He just needs to spend a little time refreshing them after 10 months of no baseball. This is also the first year that the boys have had to wear a cup. It took a little bit of adjustment for that one. I can only imagine how uncomfortable it is. Needless to say, I am making him see the season through, given all that we have invested financially as well as to teach him that when you commit to something you don't quit. We don't raise any quitters in our family. Andrew has had some great hits. In fact, his last game, the coach really praised his hitting. Hopefully, by the end of the season, he will have grown and progressed.

Easter 2009

Easter was a busy holiday for us this year. We did an egg hunt at our house, inside, due to the pouring rain. The kids got so much candy it was ridiculous. In previous years, I have put other things in their eggs, such as money or non food items. This year, I was too busy and too lazy to do that. They got tons of chocolate eggs in various flavors. My favorite was the Reeses eggs with peanut butter. They were delicous. I keep sneaking them out of the kids' stashes. We also had a ward Easter breakfast and egg hunt. Again, my kids cleaned house. Andrew got the most of anyone there. Both the kids were generous enough to share their goodies with some of the younger children that didn't get very much. We spent Sunday reflecting on the true meaning of Easter. It is nice to separate the secular from the spiritual. We went up to the Harkers'. Kyle was sick with RSV so he and Lisa were not there. It was relatively quiet. We had a good day.

Art Museum Field Trip with Marin

I have been busy with life that I haven't had much time to post, although plenty has been happening. These entries may be a little outdated, but better late than never.

Marin's class went to the Art Museum to study portraits and then they went to the central Library to get library cards, have story time, and check out a book. The kids were so excited. It was hard to contain the excitement of 20 plus kindergarteners. We took the city bus which was great for Marin's class but not so great for the rest of the people commuting into downtown. We pretty much took over the bus. The art museum was quite a challenge for some of the boys in the class. Although we did not stop to discuss some of the other exhibits, the little boys did not miss the nudes that were on display. They had quite a field day discussing the various anatomy that they saw. Each group got to see different portraits. Our group saw some really interesting examples. Marin had a good time, but I think she preferred getting a library card and checking out her first book with her own card. I swore at the end of the day that I would never again do an all-day field trip again. It wore me out.