Awana Awards and Swatson Smacks

We had our last CC meeting of the semester this past week.  It is nice to be finished and to have a little less work for the remaining weeks of school.  For their final presentations, Josiah presented on Charles Schultz, while Henry and Caroline performed magic tricks.  I didn't get to see Caroline's actual presentation, but I did see the practices at home.  She had a piece of black plastic that had an empty upside-down top hat on one side.  She said, "See the hat is empty."  Then she covered the plastic part with her other hand and magically flipped the thing around to reveal the rabbit in the hat on the other side.  The problem she was having in her practices was that her second hand wasn't large enough to cover the entire plastic thing so the audience could see the flip.  But I didn't take into account that she was giving the presentation to her peers and they were amazed at the trick.  She got many questions, "How did you do it?"  Like a true magician, she said she could not reveal her secrets.

Henry did the phantom vase trick.  He had a lidded vase, which he took the top off to reveal a red ball sitting inside.  He put the ball in his pocket and put the lid back on the vase.  Then he said he was magically going to put the ball back in the vase.  He made a very dramatic gesture, and then took the false lid off of the vase to reveal what appeared to be the same red ball.  Then he put the lid back on and said he was going to make the ball go back into his pocket.  He dramatically fell to the ground as the ball shot its way back.  He stood up to show the empty vase once again.  This is his third magic trick presentation, so his peers are getting a little wiser to his ways.  He gave a good performance, though.

It was a big CC day for Henry as he was awarded his Memory Master medal and certificate.

That evening we had his special Memory Master dinner at a very Texas restaurant.  They had a kids' table and an adults' table, so I only saw the back of him during the entire meal, but he was having a good time.  One of the older boys does card tricks and he was performing for the kids at the table.  The best part was the cake for dessert and they had so much left over that we were able to bring some home to Josiah and Caroline.  They were very grateful.

And as well as Henry has done academically this year, we are still (daily) reminded that he's only seven.  He has wanted to start cursive, so we started it this week....but we may be saving it for next fall.  Henry moves constantly.  Constantly.  He never sits still in his chair and this is proving a problem for learning how to form his letters correctly.  You have to sit child.  You have to sit still and angle your book and write slowly and carefully.  Sit child, sit!  He literally cannot do it.  He doesn't do it at CC either, which is one of the reasons I had to be in his classroom.

Caroline and I went to the Awana Award Ceremony one evening.  She was so excited to get her ribbon for finishing her second Cubbies book.  She sang up on stage with her group and did a great job.

The best part, however, was after the ceremony was over.  She got her cookie from the snack table and took it out to the playground to eat.  Then after waiting a very long time for a swing to open up, she got to swing.  She wanted me to push her for a while, but then said she was going to stop on her own.  Instead of slowing down, she figured out how to pump her legs and she swung herself for the first time.  She swung for a long time all on her own.  That's a big accomplishment for her and I'm glad she finally figured it out.

While we were at Awana, the boys went to the Skeeter's game with Todd.  Josiah sat at the end of the row and it happened to be the area where Swatson hung out before going on top of the dugout or out on the field.  While he was waiting, he had fun smacking Josiah in the head with his stinger. Josiah's pretty sure that Swatson remembers him from their race last season.


Later, the boys wanted some food.  Henry picked ice cream in a souvenir ball cap.  He enjoyed it, but then he was cold the rest of the evening, so he may not get that again.  Josiah picked cotton candy and he requested a fork with which to eat it.  So instead of having sugar all over his face, he sat there very neatly eating his pink sugar.  We appreciate his neat eating around here.

That was our week.  This weekend we didn't accomplish much because we were all just exhausted.  Henry took a 2 hour nap after church today and still went to bed on time tonight.  May we all wake up well rested and ready to start the school day tomorrow.  :)

Henry, Memory Master Extraordinaire

Henry had a big week.  On Tuesday, we went to a fellow CC member's house where he did his big Tutor Proof.  He had to answer 24 questions in each of the 6 subjects (144 questions total), as well as sing the entire timeline.  He was allowed zero errors and zero helps.  When he walked out of the room an hour later, he had a slight smile on his face, but his tutor wasn't smiling at all.  My heart immediately sunk as I thought Henry was putting on a brave face.  Even the lady next to me quietly murmured, "Oh no!"  He passed.  They were trying to mess with us.  We are so proud of him!  Later I asked him how she quizzed him on the Latin.  When we practiced at home, I'd say, "Latin Verbs: erat" and Henry would go into "erat - was, sunt - are, est - is, etc."  She quizzed him the opposite way, giving him the English word and he had to say the Latin.  He briefly got stuck on "light" (lux), but remembered it.

Henry and his tutor.

When we got home that afternoon, they all got their reward.  I told them that after the Tutor Proof they could watch Despicable Me 3, a minion movie.  I typically cannot stand the minion movies because both boys talk like minions for weeks afterwards (they don't say words, just make noises).  They must be maturing, however, because they watched it and only spoke like minions for a day.

Two days later, Henry was back at it having to complete his Director Proof.  This one was much easier, as she only quizzed him on 25% of the material.  When I got his papers later, I noticed that she quizzed him on all the questions that he initially missed during the Parent Proof.  They're tough.  When Henry and our Director were walking out of the room, they both came out with frowny faces again.  I don't know why they mess with us CC moms!  Of course, he passed this one.  While he was being tested, I got to hold our Director's 5-month old baby.  I haven't held her a whole lot, so to keep her from crying, I sang CC songs softly in her ears.  I figured that way she'd hear something familiar.  She especially liked the Preamble to the Constitution.  Josiah and Caroline had a really good time playing peek-a-boo with her and were even getting some smiles.  Caroline loves playing with babies, but she doesn't have any concept of a baby not being able to support its own body weight in a sitting position.  At one point, I had the baby sitting on top of a table while Josiah and Caroline sat in chairs.  Caroline kept insisting that I let go of the baby.  She wanted that baby to have some freedom.  I think she was merely projecting her strong independent spirit.

After the Director Proof, we stopped at Dairy Queen on the drive home to celebrate.  They were excited about the ice cream, but then they saw that the store had Cartoon Network playing on the TV.  So, basically we sat there and they watched TV.  I had to keep reminding Caroline to lick her cone as it was dripping down her hand.  Then they didn't want to leave the store because they were showing what was coming up next.  We were not about to sit there for two hours so they could watch some pretty lousy programming.  They only get to see this particular station at a hotel on the way to Virginia and at the beach house.  Given what they were watching, that's more than enough. 

That evening, the kids got to open a box of 256 markers.  (Amazon had a good deal for our artsy kids.)  Before they could open the box, they had to pick up every single toy/Lego/piece of paper/clothing/etc. that they owned and put it away where it belonged.  We had tried to do this earlier saying they couldn't do electronics without putting away all their things.  They were (mostly) content to not do electronics.  But when they saw that big box of markers, they got to work.  These kids love their markers.  Josiah then asked if we got the same box in crayons, too.

At karate this week, the boys learned a new take down technique in which they pull the leg out from under someone while simultaneously pushing their chest down.  This causes you to go to the ground fast!  (Then you punch them in the side of the neck to make sure your attacker stays down.)  I love the self-defense techniques they are taught.  The boys had fun taking each other down, too. 

Josiah taking down Henry.

This weekend, Caroline finally got her time to go out with Todd.  Caroline got dressed up for the occasion.

They went to a new restaurant called, Willie's.  When they got home, I asked Todd what he ordered and he said he had, "Half a Bacon Willie."  Half?  I asked him to elaborate.  He ordered a Bacon Willie (hamburger), but Caroline thought it looked so good that she kept asking him for some and ended up eating half of his burger.  She had a good time out and she didn't come home hungry.

We have our last CC this Thursday and the Awana Award Ceremony this coming week as well.  Things are coming to a close for this school year.  Although the kids don't like to be reminded that we do school til the end of May.

I Want A Happy Wife

There has been a lot of talk about marriage lately.  I don't know if this is a normal kid thing or what.  In the car one day, Henry said that he wanted to room with Josiah at college.  He thought it would be the coolest thing for brothers to room together.  They figured out they would only room two years together before Josiah finished school.  Henry followed it up with, "Then you have to find a wife.  That's hard."  This turned the topic of conversation to qualities and characteristics that one would want in a spouse.  I told them they needed to figure out if they wanted to be with someone who was happy or angry, someone who told the truth or lied, someone who was loved the Lord or not, etc.  After listing lots of character traits, Caroline interjects, "And if you want her to be your servant."  I told her there probably weren't a lot of ladies up for the job of servant.  Josiah concluded, "I want a happy wife."  Later Todd told him, "They don't come happy, you have to work hard at that."  Thanks, dear.

Caroline talks about what she's going to wear to her wedding every time she puts on a fancy dress.  This weekend, she went to a friend's birthday party.  She was so happy to dress up and was really proud of her outfit.  She genuinely thinks this is her future wedding outfit.  Right on down to the princess socks.  While we were driving to the party, she said, "Mommy, do you know what I wish you were wearing?"  I asked if it was a fancy dress.  "Your wedding dress!" she exclaimed.  She couldn't believe it doesn't fit anymore.  She asked if the dress was too big.  Oh, sweet girl.  I wish.

The birthday party was a Troll's theme and Caroline loved every bit of it, especially the snack table which she frequented.  She watched some girls teach the kids how to make slime.  They had pinatas and chicken nuggets, pin-the-tail, and veggie straws.  Her friend also had a sprinkle cake.  She was a happy little girl.  Caroline said she wanted a party exactly like it.

Making slime.

We didn't have CC this week, but we did have a field trip at CC.  A man came and taught the kids how to do CPR and the Heimlich maneuver.  He was very good with the kids and they all got to try it out on the dummies.

After CPR training, we met up with a friend at the park.  After a while, some more friends unexpectedly came and we all had a really nice time together.  Then two school buses showed up and Henry freaked out.  "Two school buses are here!  They're going to come and take over!  There's going to be 50 kids on the rope thing and 100 kids on the playground."  We took it as an opportunity to walk to a little memorial/monument area and the kids played nicely until the mob of school kids boarded their buses.   

When we got home from the park, we watched an older Disney movie, Newsies.  We had read about the 1899 newspaper strike by the newsboys over a price increase.  I had always wanted to see the movie, so it seemed like an appropriate thing to watch for entertainment.  It was also a musical.  This is how Henry felt about it:

Not impressed...

One night this week, I was checking on the boys and found Henry sleeping with his football.

This weekend I took Henry to the library and he went straight to his section - the 790's - football books.  He has a hard time finding any to read now because he's read all the kid football books.  He just looked so old and mature standing there.

This coming Tuesday, Henry has a big Tutor Proof for CC.  He passed the Parent and Peer Proofs and has moved on to the big one.  He has to know and recite everything from the entire CC year (24 weeks).  Each week they have to memorize a fact from history, science, grammar, Latin, math, and geography, as well as memorize a timeline song from Creation to 2001 (the timeline song is 12 minutes on the CD, so it's a lot).  He knows it all, so he's going to earn that t-shirt he's been wanting.  Josiah, sadly, didn't make it to the Tutor Proof.  He knows every subject except timeline, so we're going to make sure he learns it over the summer.  It'll be easier then anyway, since he can focus solely on one thing.  I really felt bad for Josiah and take some responsibility for him not learning timeline.  However, I told him, he needs to be singing timeline instead of humming the Star Wars theme song all day long.  Priorities...

Caroline did not want to be left out of the CC proofing process.  So, one night this week, she wanted me to test her.  We got to geography and we went through a few states/capitals just orally.  Then I pointed to a state and asked her what it was and she said, "I only know two."  They were Texas and Virginia.  She got through the first few weeks of each subject pretty well, but then there were a lot of, "I don't know that. Can you help me?"  It's good she wanted to try.



And that was our week.
Just so Josiah doesn't feel left out with no big pictures of him.  Here's a throwback to one of my favorites of him.

The Instrument Petting Zoo

This week Caroline had a friend from her CC class come over to play.  Our kids all had a good time with her friend, but they really loved her one-year-old brother a whole lot.  Our kids are soooo good with little ones.  They were so curious about him, so they just squatted down and spent time with him.  They followed this little guy all around our house trying to protect him from everything.  It was very sweet to watch.  They also enjoy having friends over because we usually buy juice boxes, which we did this time.  I had to cut Henry off when he tried to take his fourth Capri Sun out of the fridge.  That and muffins.  We baked blueberry and chocolate chip muffins for our friends.  Caroline's friend ate half of one because she was more interested in playing.  Our kids sat down and gulped down 3-4 each.  Play dates with the Cockrell kids.  You play. We eat.

Josiah and I made a milk run to the grocery store one evening.  We need one gallon of milk.  One.  Josiah got his little cart and said, "This cart can hold more than just milk."  And he found quite a few more things with which to fill it.  Shopping with Josiah allows me the constant opportunity to use the word, "no."  That kid asks for nearly everything in the store.

Another night, Caroline and I decided to stop by the grocery store.  Josiah wanted peanut butter graham crackers for his lunch at CC.  Of course we didn't have any graham crackers, so she and I made a quick trip on the way home from church.  She got the little cart as well and nearly said the same thing as Josiah, "I can fit more than graham crackers in my cart."  And she did.  She wasn't happy that I wouldn't buy her the Oreo Cereal and said that when she's a grown-up she's going to buy only desserts and eat them whenever she wants.  I'm pretty sure I said the same thing as a child.  I know I thought it.   

This week was the Family Fun Run.  At 6:30 a.m. I went outside because it was supposed to be cold that day.  It was 77° and humid.  We still made everyone put a long sleeve shirt under their race shirts, but the kids were telling me how hot they were.  I debated on bringing jackets with us, but didn't since we were all so warm.  By the time we got to the race it had already dropped 10°.  Before the race began, we were able to get some pictures with Toro, the Texans mascot.

I opted to not get in the Star Wars picture.  I figured if I couldn't identify all of the characters, I really shouldn't be in it.

By 10:30 a.m. it was 54° outside with an incredibly cold, biting, wind.  We were all freezing.  They still wanted to do the bouncy house type things.  Their first stop was the big balls.  They all landed really well - the boys made it all the way across.  Caroline kept on for the first three and only dropped off on the last one.  They did it a number of times before we ushered them onward.
Henry:

Josiah:

Caroline:

Caroline and I stood in a slow line because she wanted to do the rock wall.  It took a while because everyone in front of you had to actually climb the wall, which wasn't exactly a quick process.  I was proud of her for wanting to do it, as I've always thought it looked fun.  Finally it was her turn.  She got suited up.

The worker lady asked if she had ever done it before and when Caroline said, "No." she hooked another rope to her back.  Caroline got to climbing.  And then, about 20 seconds later, she turned back and said she was done.  She made it this high.

I think she thought she was higher than she was.  But at least she tried.

We did the cliff drop as their final fun thing, because Todd and I were freezing.  Now one would think that this line would go fairly quickly.  You climb the stairs, stand at the top, and jump into the giant inflatable target.  30 seconds and boom, you're done.  But then you had to add in the fear factor.  While Caroline was in line, we witnessed two kids who, upon reaching the summit, stared down at the target and completely froze.  Then they turned around and slowly descended the stairs.

Henry

Caroline

The school bus ride to and from our car was still a hit.  Each time we walked off the bus, Caroline told the driver, "Thank you.  I really like to ride buses."

We left the fun run festivities early.  Nearly all of the vendors had already packed up and the people were flocking to their cars to get warm.  So, we got home much earlier than anticipated.  That left time for another activity that afternoon.   A local library was to have a children's orchestra concert.  They had an outdoor amphitheater, which is where they were scheduled to perform.  We anticipated this and bundled up a bit more.  When we arrived at the library we were pleased to see that they had moved it indoors.  The orchestra was scrunched up in the lobby of the library, but we were happy to be warm.

The orchestra did a nice job and for a few songs they taught sign language to go along with the songs.  Caroline paid attention and did the signs right along with them.

The best part, though, was the instrument petting zoo after the concert.  They had four tables set up with percussion, string, woodwind, and brass.  The kids could touch the instruments and play them.  All the kids liked to try them out, but Josiah and Caroline really seemed to love it.  Caroline kept going back to the violin and the lady said she played it strong/loud.  I don't know if that was a compliment, but Caroline loved it.

Josiah was taught how to blow into the horn's mouthpiece.  After he got that down a little, the orchestra man attached it to the French horn and Josiah actually got a strong sound out of it.  It surprised us all.  Maybe his hopes of playing the tuba will be realized.  Although, now he wants to play French horn.

Henry tried some of them, too.  He enjoyed it, but he has a cold and was tired.

Towards the end, Caroline was just sitting with the bass clarinet guy on the stage, chatting him up and pushing his keys while he blew into it.  That ended up being her favorite instrument.

So, now we're talking a little more seriously about music lessons in the future.  Although, Henry still wants to play football.  If only there was a way to keep brains from getting concussions, we'd consider football.  We need to keep his brain well so he stays the sweet boy that he is.  One day this week, I caught him reading a Snoopy comic book to Caroline on the couch.

We have another busy week.  Three more weeks of all our regular activities and then things start to slow down.  I'm looking forward to May!