Mid-Month Randoms

Sophia is incredibly excited about our strawberry plant coming back to life this Spring.  As of the 3rd week in May, it has already starting producing berries.

With that being said, she has also been helpful in getting some new tomato plants in the ground.  We were gifted 12 tomato plants from one of our neighbors and we anticipate having a bountiful harvest of them in about 2 months.

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A fun Mandalorian-themed craft project:

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Getting the favor bags ready for Jack's upcoming Mandalorian-themed birthday party:

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Whenever Jimmy is feeling a little bored, I suggest doing a painting project.  It is one of his most favorite things to do and I love displaying the artwork in his room afterwards.

I drew the tiger and then he added the trees as an extra embellishment.

This occupied him for almost an hour from start to finish and I admire his intense attention to detail and color.

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Another boredom-beater now that school is over for the year?  Finding old puzzles downstairs in the game closet and putting them together.

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And 'tis the season for sidewalk chalk!  Sam started this and then over the course of a couple of days, all of us took turns adding more veggies and fruit to the collection.  

By the time that we were done, we had filled more than half of the driveway.  

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Speaking of Sam, she started her first official big-girl job!  She is working at a newly-opened banquet center/winery just 1.5 miles from our house.  This was taken on her first day and so far, she is really enjoying it.  She is also loving the paycheck that comes along with it!

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Rock-painting!  Many of the rocks in my front flower garden are faded, so Jimmy was excited to be able to add some new ones to the garden that is blooming with color.

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Jack's 11th Birthday

We began the celebration of Jack's 11th birthday with cinnamon rolls bright and early before school.  As a 5th grade captain, he was wearing his "house shirt," representative of his group of classmates that make up Mahalo -- the House of Respect.

While he was at school, I set to work wrapping the gifts that his siblings had picked out for him and set up a special table showcasing the Mandalorian theme that he had chosen for his friend party.

After his dinner of choice -- pizza! -- he was able to open the gifts, beginning with a new pair of camo shorts to replace his favorite ones that were about 3 sizes too small.

One of the presents that he opened was a laser tag set, which has already turned out to be a great gift.

Up to four people can play at once, which is perfect for the 4 kids or they can play in teams if friends come over.

The new chain around his neck was also a gift and I am certainly pleased with its size.  Not too bulky and the optimal length.  He asked for both a gold and a silver one and we were happy to oblige.

He asked for a chocolate cake and I tried out a new recipe for a coca-cola cake (since a coke is one of his special treats once in a while).  The cake turned out pretty good, but we all decided that it was a bit more dense and sweet than we are used to.

We will be celebrating with friends and family in 2 weeks and he is pretty excited about both of those parties.  I opted to push out the events a bit on the calendar because of the upcoming holiday weekend and because I surprised Jack with a video game trailer rental again and wanted to be sure that the date that we picked would allow the majority of his invited friends to be able to attend.

Mid-Week Randoms

The total solar eclipse took place on Monday, April 8th.  We pulled the kids out of school and headed down to Ohio to see it even better than we would have been able to see it in Michigan.

Initially, we had plans to meet up with one of Steve's friends at a park not far from his house, but we ended up just going directly to his house.  We had glasses from the library and then waited patiently for the big event.

It was such a remarkable thing to observe and the kids are STILL talking about it.

The neighbor had chickens and the boys loved being able to feed them while we were there.

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James went on a field trip with his 2nd grade class and was required to bring a "sack lunch."  He set out a paper bag the night before on the counter to remind me that it need to be packed in a disposable bag (instead of his reusable lunch bag) and I surprised him by decorating it first.  It definitely made him smile and he told me that he was SO excited to show his friends.

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Recital weekend!  Sophia has worked so hard this year and I was excited to surprise her with some flowers and one of her favorite beverages of choice before her first performance.

Her tap costume!

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One of our neighbors gave us a smaller set of gold clubs and James has been working on his 'swing.'

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James has also been working on his art skills.  He chose to do his 2nd grade research project on "jellyfishes" and we worked on his poster at home.  

I suggested that he do it in watercolors (one of his favorite mediums) and he loved that idea.  I helped with some of the outlines, but he did the writing and all of the colors.  It turned out perfectly and after bringing it home following his in-class presentation, he now has it hanging up on one of the walls in his room.

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Mother's Day with my babies:

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10th Grade Band Awards

Mr. Cousineau has been such a strong role model for her and Sam has thrived under his leadership in playing the trumpet for jazz band, concert band and marching band.

Sam is only about 4 inches shorter than her dad right now.

I can't believe that she is going to be 16 years old in just a short 6 months' time.

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