Saturday, March 23, 2013

Spring Break

It's spring break week here, even if the weather feels more like Christmas break!  Like last year, we were able to get away for a few days and spend some time together on White River.

Throwing rocks in the water, picking wildflowers for a Solo cup "vase", shooting your BB gun...I think it's the little things that are the most memorable.  This is how I remember my own childhood, and sometimes I worry that our kids will only remember iPods, iPads and Disney channel!  They all had fun playing outside--they didn't mind it being chilly.  Alexee and Crosby dug up an earthworm and put it in a jar.  Alexee intended to bring it home to add to our pet population, but we convinced her to let it go.
Crosby was so tired Monday afternoon.  He slept for 2 1/2 hours before I woke him up to get ready to meet my family for dinner in Mt. Home--it was a fun night.  Rhett and Alexee went back to my parents' house with them after dinner.  Dad had asked Rhett if he'd like to go to staff meeting with him Tuesday morning, and of course Rhett wanted to.  Alexee went to feed with Mom and had a chance to play with Princess Louisa.  
R had asked Mo and Grandad for a briefcase for his birthday.  I think his specific request was "a locking briefcase like a real businessperson would carry".  Maybe a slightly unusual birthday wish for a nine year old boy, but he has never had much interest in toys.  He took his new briefcase to the meeting and made himself comfortable.
Lane kept a pleasant fire going most of the time we were there.  It was nice to come inside and warm up.
Crosby and Jeryn caught a few fish from the bank on Monday.  So cute!
The sun finally came out on Tuesday, and it was a little warmer.  Dad took us all out in the river boat to fish for a while, and they were biting!  Everyone caught several and had a good time.
We were calling Alexee "Lucky Lex".  She was reeling them in one after another!
One time Crosby said, "I think she caught a shark!"  :)
The boys were catching fish at the front of the boat, too.  Rhett can cast by himself now. Crosby got bored after a while and moved back to the back to check out the motor.  He wanted to know exactly how it worked.
Dad told Alexee that he thought she might be the only person on the river that day fishing in Hello Kitty shoes.  :)
one of my new favorite pictures:
That evening we built a campfire and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows for S'mores.  Mom, Mo Nina and Grandad Forrest all came to join us. (Bogart enjoyed his time outside too.   He was happy to eat one of the hot dogs that fell on the ground.)
My Grandparents trying S'mores 
Thankful for my family!
Spring Break Family Photo
3.20.13
*****
As I mentioned, the weather wasn't super spring-ish for spring break.  Mom sent me these pictures two days after we left their house.  They got a very late-season snow!

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Happy Birthday to Rhett

March 17
We started Spring Break with a family celebration of Rhett's 9th Birthday!  I made chocolate chip waffles that morning then he opened gifts, and we were on the road to Flippin by 11:00.  We were looking forward to a few relaxing days together by the river.  Lane took the week off for the kids' spring break!
We love you so much, R!!!
That night we had great March birthday dinner at my parents' house with my grandparents and Micaela, Jaiden and Jeryn.  Dad stood outside and grilled steaks for us in the rain!  Mom made slaw, corn and garlic bread for us, too--it was all delicious!  Crosby wasn't at the "kids' table" in the picture below because he asked to sit beside Mo Nina at the other table.  :)
NINE!  Hard to believe!
March is a big month for us! 
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to:
Micaela on 3/12, Rhett 3/17, Jaiden 3/18 and Crosby 3/26
For some reason I can't access my 2004 photo files--I wanted to post a comparison picture.  It truly seems like just a few months ago that I took Rhett to Conway for the first time to meet Jaiden very soon after they were born.  Rhett pointed out that in nine more years, he'll be leaving for college...and I'm trying not to cry as I type that sentence.  I really can't even let myself think about it.
We could only find one candle to share-ha!  But everyone had a chance to make their birthday wish.  :)
A birthday picture with his Great-Grandparents
And the kids (two nights later) with Mo and Grandad
The boys get to stretch out their birthday fun...this weekend is Rhett's swim party with friends and a visit from Lane's parents.  Crosby is going to share donuts with his preschool class next week, then we're having a birthday playdate at the park with a few friends one afternoon.

More Spring Break pictures to come...

Math Championship

We were proud of the school's (2) math teams for making it from the original 40 in the district to the final 5.  They placed 2nd and 3rd!
Rhett made some new friends through this event. 
Rhett and Raga were excited to see their teacher at the competition that night.
Congratulations, Team 1!
2nd Place
Team 1 with the math coaches and their school principal and vice-principal

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Crosby's Starts Soccer

Crosby is playing spring soccer (4 yr olds) with a few of his buddies.  Monday was their first meeting, and he LOVED it!  I think the idea was for them to practice for 30 minutes, then play a 30 minute "game", but I honestly couldn't tell when practice ended and the game began.  :)  He had a lot of fun though, and didn't want to leave at the end of the hour.  He keeps asking me when he'll get to go back.  

I made everyone a PB&J to eat on the way to the field.  I thought he looked so sweet, and I loved how he had his cap on his knee in the car.
He was excited about taking his new ball!
 Alexee had friends to play with there, and Rhett took his chair and iPod.
 Playing Red-Light-Green-Light
 The C's:  Cole, Crosby and Carson!
 Alexee, Kylie & Alex

Monday, March 11, 2013

We're Still Here

We're still here!  I'm not sure how time slips by so quickly or why I've had such a hard time making myself sit down at the computer...Here's a long catch-up post:

The last few weeks have been somewhat of a blur.  Lane has worked what seems like 100 night shifts in a row...it hasn't been quite that bad of course, but when he works nights things just seem off around here.  I think today was maybe the 8th Sunday in a row that he's been scheduled to work, so he hasn't been able to go to church with us in two months.  I miss having normal Saturday-Sunday "weekends".

Rhett started getting sick on Tuesday 2/19.  It seemed like just a cold (no fever) so he went to school all that week.  Then that Saturday he started running fever and continued to until the next Wednesday night.  It got up to 103.1 at one point, which is high for him.  One night I had him sleep with me, and he was having fever dreams, I guess.  He was saying weird things with his eyes wide open and laughing hysterically.  He didn't remember saying any of it the next morning--so strange!  When I picked Crosby up from school on Tuesday 2/26 he was crying and he said he didn't feel good.  He had fever.  I called the pediatrician's office first thing the next morning and got them an appointment.  They both tested positive for the flu.  R had had it too long for Tamiflu to help, but C got a prescription for it and started it immediately.  He felt better the next day--no more fever, back to running through the house doing karate kicks, etc.  So thankful his was mild.  Rhett didn't go back to school until Friday of last week.  I hated for him to miss so much school.  Even after he was fever-free, he was coughing and didn't have much of an appetite.  If he did try to eat much he'd cough and throw up--I felt so bad for him.  Then I got sick at some point.  I'm not sure if I had a mild case of the flu too, or just a cold.  Thankfully Alexee and Lane stayed well!  We're all fine now.  Rhett seems to have his energy and appetite back to 100%.  Enough about being sick!

house of germs:
Medicine, taking temp, doctor's note, etc.
We've played a lot of "firetruck" lately.  Crosby is the helicopter pilot that looks for the fires.  He likes for us to make check lists of things to repair on the helicopter--that's what Alexee is doing in this picture below.  
On 2/28 Alexee was invited to the February "Kids with Character" assembly because she and her friend Carrie received monthly character awards for "Cooperation"!  They had cookies and juice before getting to go up on stage to get their certificates.

Proud of you, Alexee!
A's class had a Dr. Seuss celebration last week, complete with green eggs and ham.  Her teacher sent me this link and asked if I'd make green eggs for the class like the ones in that post.  I'd never made deviled eggs before, but I was happy to try to help.  I'm glad I didn't have to eat them though...I'm afraid I'd be in the "I do not like green eggs and ham" group!  ha!  I hope they were okay--I didn't even taste them!  Alexee said she didn't like them, but said that a few kids did.  I'm really excited about her reading.  She can read these whole Dr. Seuss books to us now!
We're still going to gymnastics--carpooling with two of her friends:
She loves to draw and write stories.  This one was in her school journal:  "The mermaid is on a rock wishing to be in the human world."
There is one positive to Lane working nights.  He sometimes picks up Krispy Kreme donuts for us on his way home in the morning.  The kids love this!  Thanks for breakfast! :)
Alexee had her friend Chloe over one Saturday afternoon and they co-wrote and illustrated a book about fairies searching for lost jewels.  She read the finished product to me that night.  :)  She has quite an imagination.  We also painted Easter pictures that weekend.  Rhett and I painted chicks and Alexee and Crosby painted bunnies.
How cute is he in his plaid PJs, robe and his hair combed to the side!?  :)
This was in R's backpack recently--I think it was a Valentine writing assignment that they did in class.  So sweet.
At church last Sunday the kids learned about Jesus riding into town on a donkey...and there was a real donkey there for them to see during the story...so neat!  It just happened to be in the hallway as we were leaving so I got to see it too.
Rhett was recently chosen to be on the school Mathletes team, a group of 11 kids (3rd-5th grades) that competes in the school district's math competition.  We are really proud of him for being one of only two 3rd graders selected.  He was sick on round 1, but I took him to the competition anyway (I didn't know he had the flu at the time or I wouldn't have!!)  He didn't compete on the team that day because he felt so bad, but it was good for him to see how it worked because both of our school's teams advanced to round 2, which was last Tuesday.  He was excited to be able to participate that day, and both teams advanced to the finals/round 3!
Round 1
(poor guy--he looks so pale in this picture.)
Round 2
Feeling better this week!
Team meeting
The girl on the right is in his class.  He took this picture and e-mailed it to their teacher.
Team 1 with coaches
Both school teams after finding out they'd qualified for the finals!  Round 1 began with 40 teams from across the school district.  There are five teams competing in the finals.
Last Thursday I was excited to go out to dinner with friends to celebrate Emily's birthday.  (I felt guilty going without Lane because we've been wanting to try this new restaurant for a while now, but it just hasn't worked out).  The food was great, and it was a fun girls' night.  Happy Birthday, Emily!
On Friday I had a meeting at school.  Crosby went with me and was so good.  After the meeting we went shopping for his new soccer ball.  He's playing on a soccer team with a few little boys from our Bible study group, and season starts this week!  I think he'll have so much fun!  Hoping for good weather for the first game.
After school on Friday we met some friends at the park.  Everyone is so anxious for spring.  It was windy, but nice to get fresh air.  We picked up pizza for dinner that night and the kids had a "sleepover" in Rhett's room.  Crosby fell asleep while they were watching a Scooby-Doo movie.
The weather was beautiful on Saturday.  Rhett asked me to take them to the park downtown that has tunnels, rock climbing walls and rope ladders.  We'd been once before, and I remembered once I got there why we had not been back--a fun park for them, a scary one for me.  I told them we wouldn't be going back there without Lane to help me watch them.  Crosby and Alexee found the ice cream truck there and wanted to get ice cream, but Rhett had a Cold Stone Creamery gift card in the car so he waited for that stop on the way home.
As soon as we walked in the door Crosby grabbed his footballs and curled up on the couch and went to sleep!  He never does that, but he'd missed his nap and played so hard!  The time changed last night, so I went ahead and moved the clocks forward at 7 p.m. and everyone went to bed early!
We've got both boys' birthdays, spring break and Easter coming up now.  Never a dull moment!