St. Patrick's Day happened... we didn't celebrate much, other than wearing the cute shirts grandma gave us and eating lucky charms for breakfast!
We decided to get Sea World passes for the year. Our LegoLand passes had expired and we really do enjoy visiting SeaWorld. There is something for every member of our family. Evelyn loves the coasters, Anna loves Sesame Place, Grant and Dane love the sea life and buying souvenirs. Obviously there is a ton of controversy right now because of the killer whales. We rarely watch the shows. But oh boy... try telling a group of moms at school that you are headed to Sea World. Yikes!
You don't get a pleasant reaction.
We typically hold our "We Love To Be A Family" day in February, however, this year, it just was not working out for us. We kept scheduling the day and then having to cancel due to games, and/or other projects and service opportunities. I was beginning to lose hope and wondering if we should just put it off indefinitely, but the kids were so sweet in asking and begging for this day. I had to go forward! I re-wrote the scavenger hunt for the 10th time, it seemed (we kept having to change the days' events!) and pressed ahead. It was so fun. Evelyn videoed the entire day and it was very sweet to watch back. We started by heading off to Sea World. We ate lunch together, cleaned out the car, played soccer, went shopping, had our favorite Japanese food for dinner and then watched a movie with chocolate fondue. These were all events/activities that the kids had picked out prior and I worked in to the day. Not everyone was a fan of everything listed above..... but they were all good sports and we loved being together. We love to be a Family Day is a great tradition!
Evelyn has managed to keep herself as busy as ever. She is begging to do gymnastics again. That came out of nowhere! She wants to become physically strong again...and I'm happy to add a physical activity to her schedule--it never hurts. She also continues to love running. Lately, I've been able to talk her into walking/running with me during the boys' practices. We have been meeting at a school with a very nice track. It's been such a treat to have a walking buddy! It's good for the both of us. Evelyn is getting to be quite the videographer. I simply adore the videos she creates. Often I'll beg her to video our family events (she filmed an easter video and we love to be a family). She wants desperately to have an instagram and to be famous. She spends the afternoons researching an agent or acting manager. Her youtube channel is quite hilarious with everything from Oreo Challenges with the kids and their friends, to vlogs of her weekend events to music Mondays. She loves to create tutorials as well--- mostly for baking or creating treats. I have a pinterest board for her and love to pin all sorts of creative endeavors for her to try. She is my creative outlet- ha! Her latest obsession is the desire to be homeschooled for 6th grade. She asks at least 5 times a day and even wrote the following essay displayed below. Her friends at school have written to me, begging me NOT to homeschool... it's a fiasco, but that's my little girl for you! She always has something up her sleeve.
Dane has also kept quite busy this month. He has made great strides in our "work" together to create more green talk and less red talk. In fact, when he was asked by a friend to join their basketball team for a tournament, he initially declined quite emphatically. But after we discussed the fears that can hold people back and cause them to miss out on wonderful opportunities... he decided he'd go for it. We have spent the month discussing perfectionism and the idea that mistakes or an ok part of life. That throwing away new experiences due to fear of failure, is a sad way to live. I'm very proud of the progress he's been making.
We've also been attempting to "fix" the sore throat problem. Sheesh. It's gone on since August! Our latest strategy was visiting the allergist. She gave him quite the array of tests-- only to find that he really was only allergic to cockroaches and ash trees which don't even blossom until the spring so could not have been responsible for his sore throat. We are trying Flonase to clear up a possible sinus infection. I tell you what... kids and the concerns they bring into your life! It's astonishing! I feel terrible that he has been suffering for so long. Poor kid. We've been to pediatrician three times, ENT two times, and now the Allergist with no real answers. Our next strategy is antibiotics if the Flonase doesn't work.
On a more pleasant note, Dane has been working so hard on his Bear achievements for scouts. I actually really enjoy doing this with him. We've written out his family tree, learned to cook pancakes and peanut butter/ banana sandwiches, pinewood derby cars and all sorts of other interesting activities. Dane was an excellent sport when he didn't even come close to winning. I was so proud of him! His passion at the moment is his gel ant farm that he saved up for and ordered off of amazon, and his football games. He is quite the cute little football player and is really enjoying the season with our friends- the Reardons.
Grant has had a rough month. The accident on the treadmill was quite the ordeal and he's been working through the pain now for a week and a half. He also hurt himself at football with a big bruise on his leg and was scratched on the face at school by his friend (on accident). He looks like he just survived some sort of wilderness boot camp training! Poor thing! With his asthma kicking in too this month, he has been feeling a little miserable and I miss the old boy. Grant typically is my enthusiastic, and energetic little boy with nothing but happiness to share! I look forward to his return soon! But, that being said... rarely does anything at all get in the way of his desire to play sports. He absolutely adores football and he's a pro. He really is amazing! He has scored at least 3 touchdowns in each of his games. He grabs flags left and right and he loves every minute of it. He is always up for futsal, soccer, football, basketball, you name it. Sports are his life. Love to watch he and Blake get into the games at night on TV. Dane prefers to watch only highlights, but Grant will sit down and watch from beginning to end. It's quite adorable. Love that little boy of mine.
Anna's become a huge fan of coloring lately. The girl will color all day long if left to her own devices! She loves to learn her alphabet and read books outloud to her dolls. It's been so sweet to watch the kids put on easter egg hunts for their little sister. They'd do anything for her. They love to watch her getting excited about anything and everything. And Anna loves to watch her brothers and sister do whatever it is that they are doing. She is their biggest fan, yelling and cheering from the sideline- day or night.
Last week, Anna was star of the week and mom forgot to bring in a toy to share. Anna thought up the idea to just show the class the video that Evelyn had taken of she and Anna dancing. It was darling. Anna is so social. She just loves school, after school activities and her friends so very much. This month she learned to buckle herself in the car seat! Whooooo! So happy about this! It rained this month-- doesn't happen all too often around here- and Anna was in heaven running around with her umbrella and enjoying the wetness in every direction. She is a happy little person who enjoys everything she comes across. Her greatest passion is for sure her clothing at the moment. She will change her outfit 3-4 times a day. She loves dresses and refuses to wear anything but. Here she is in the dress Grandma gave her for Easter. Blake and I enjoy Anna creeping in to snuggle with us every morning... she is our little baby even though she's almost four years old!
Life is busy and full and wonderful! I laughed out loud when I read this sentiment on my daily calendar. It's certainly how I feel... always running a little behind with the fullness of my days. But I wouldn't have it any other way!
