Retreats, Rockets, & Progress Reports

The boys went on a retreat last weekend.  When they got back on Sunday, we tried to keep the questions to a minimum after seeing some extreme tiredness (dare I say crankiness) on their faces.  Henry said he went to bed at midnight, but that he slept really well.  I asked Josiah if he stayed up until midnight as well.  He replied with a quick, No!  He was always the first asleep in his cabin.  Josiah's always been an early-to-bed-early-to-rise kind of kid.  Henry's lack of a full 10 hours of sleep caught up with him on the drive home.  He was out quick.  

Henry later told us of his shower strategy at the camp.  He let everyone else go before him so that he wouldn't have a time constraint with his showering.  Apparently their leader only allowed them to have two-minute showers and he timed them.   Henry wasn't having that.  He has also become a fan of Irish Spring body wash.  Mahn-ly.  They seemed to have had a good time.  They had Bible lessons.  They played games, in particular Capture the Air Mattress.  They ate well.  They came home tired!

We appreciated the cooler weather this week.  It allowed us to open the windows at home and air it out.  Caroline has taken the longest to recover from last week's sickness.  It seems she got bronchitis after the flu, but the viral variety.  Her cough was very rough sounding and she started her week out on the couch.  Once she got her energy back we knew she was doing better.  She was thrilled when I directed all her new-found energy into her school work.  

At CC we learned about rockets and propulsion.  We had a demonstration at the start of the day with two liter bottles, vinegar, and baking soda.  We had all the kids stand far back.  Yet when the rockets shot up, they all veered in the direction of the kids, which thrilled some of them to no end.  Henry and his friends tried to catch the plummeting 2-liters.  Later in the individual classes, the kids got to make film canister rockets with water and Alka Seltzer tablets.  Those shot up really high as well.  It was a fun day.   

Josiah got a really good progress report at CC this week.  As soon as we got in the car to go home, he tried to make his case.  I did a devotional, read two papers in class, and got a good progress report.  Can we go out to eat?  He signed up to do the devotional in the morning.  All the challenge classes (Jr High & High School) meet for a morning assembly and one student does the devotional each week.  Josiah spoke about choices.  He said the most important thing we can do each day is make choices.  Whatever we choose, we must take responsibility for those choices and accept the consequences as well.  All of life is a series of choices.  It was a really good topic.

So we went out to eat.  There was a Texas Roadhouse near us that we had never been to, so we gave it a try.  Josiah loved it.  He ate four rolls before his food even arrived.  We had really great service and Josiah, especially, raved about the food.  What food?  Chicken tenders, of course.  Henry and I always get the steak and shrimp.  Caroline and Todd had burgers.  Good times.  

Josiah has been drawing every night.  He drew a really cool Daffy Duck.  Then he drew Proto Man for a friend's birthday.  This weekend, he went to a small birthday party for his friend Bobby.  They had a fire pit there so Josiah cooked his own hot dogs.  He would have cooked his own smores as well, if he didn't have braces.  He compromised and enjoyed a deconstructed  'uncooked' smores.  Can we say chocolate bar?

Josiah wasn't able to eat the Frankenstein Rice Krispie treats we made for a pumpkin carving party either.  Our neighbor had their annual event today and we all brought a treat to share.  The kids were very into the Frankenstein face decorations.  The concept was pretty simple, but our chocolate hair never really hardened, so they were a bit messy.  

  

We had more fall festival fun earlier in the weekend.  Caroline had her Character Quest night at Awana and this time she brought a friend.  At first they went to different rooms, each one with a different Bible character.  They told their story in first person and then the kids had to guess who they were.  After that they went outside and there were carnival games.  The cake walk was a favorite.  If the spinner landed on your number you got two treats (cupcakes and cookies).  If it didn't land on your number, you got one treat.  Caroline and her friend were happy to learn you could do the cake walk as many times as you wanted.  (Googly eyes on her friend by Caroline.)

We'll spend our evenings this week watching the Astros in the World Series.  

I wasn't sure about our Halloween plans.  Henry is not a trick-or-treater.  Josiah wants to walk to a few houses.  Caroline has made zero mention of Halloween until this evening.  

-Are we going trick-or-treating tomorrow?  

-Well.  I don't know.  Do you have a costume?

So we shall see how the week begins.  

The Flu

The kids had a rough week.  We determined that they had the flu. (Covid test was negative.) Henry threw us off at the beginning with his sore throat.  We expected strep.  Then when Josiah fell sick, and eventually Caroline too, they didn't have the extreme sore throat that Henry had.  Besides that, they all followed the same pattern.  Fever day, followed by an extremely high fever at night, followed by a "normal" fever day.  There was throwing up and headaches, muscle pains and just a general sick feeling.  All three of them said their legs hurt.  When they were finally able to eat, Gatorade and crackers were their friends.  We rotated who slept on the couch.  When Henry felt well enough to go to his own bed at night, Caroline rotated down to the couch.  Nights were very rough.  When Caroline first fell sick, she woke at 1:30 a.m. and was up the rest of the night.  At 2:30 a.m. she asked me why my eyes were closed.  I'm tired....

By Tuesday, Henry was feeling better and actually completed his school work on his own volition.  

By Wednesday, Henry was feeling well enough to go to our neighbor's orchestra concert.  Our neighbor had invited the whole family, but that wasn't happening.  The neighbor kid was really excited for us to come because the kids were allowed to wear costumes and he was going as a banana.  After they played their first song, Henry asked if that was it.  Nope!  After an hour of three different school orchestras playing, Henry was pretty much done with middle school orchestra concerts.  The best costumes were the cello players from the high school orchestra.  They all dressed as Expo dry erase markers.  It was a very clever costume.  

By Thursday I had to tell Henry to "slow down" a hundred times a day, so he was totally better except for a lingering cough which will take a while to kick.  

I knew Josiah was doing better when he kept asking for taquitos and burritos to eat.  

Caroline has had a slower recovery.  On Friday she seemed to be getting better, but over the weekend it felt like she was regressing.  It sounds like a sinus infection has taken the place of the flu, so we're off to see her doctor this week.  

We did get one thing accomplished.  Caroline's loft bed finally arrived and we spent the afternoon putting it together.  Todd got a new drill out of the deal since we needed a more powerful one to build it.  We also determined quite quickly that the loft was never leaving this room.  With every screw Todd drilled, it became a permanent structure in this house.   I hope she likes it...for the next nine years at least.  Caroline had previously had a queen size mattress since we've used her room as the guest room.  Neither boy wanted to have a queen size bed, so we got Caroline a queen size loft.  Once she feels better, we'll get her comfy chair and bookcase set up underneath to make a cozy reading nook.  Her room has been a long time coming, but we're finally at the end of the all the changes.  

From Bounce to Bed

Henry and Caroline were able to spar at jiu-jitsu this week.  It was the end of class and they were doing 1-minute rounds.  Everyone had already fought with their partners, so they were allowing the kids to pick a different opponent to fight.  Henry and Caroline decided to have a go of it.  Caroline came for him as soon as they said, Combate.  In the end, Henry got the more dominant position, but Caroline fought.

The kids revitalized their Bounce game this week.  Josiah worked on a new logo incorporating the tennis ball and hats that they use to play.  He got worn out from the artistic contribution, so Henry and Caroline played the game.  They explained the rules to me again before they played a round.  Caroline celebrated when she got a ball past Henry.   

Josiah was looking for more to draw and found inspiration in old children's books.  He drew his favorite scene from Frog and Toad - when the ice cream melted on Toad's walk home.  My favorite story is the one with the cookie jar and Josiah drew that next.   Later in the week he got his SkippyjonJones books out and drew him.  

Between every activity, every subject, maybe even between every math problem, Caroline likes to snuggle with Benson.  She cannot get enough of his soft ears.  She is hugging on him constantly.  He is a very good and patient dog.  One day she stayed still long enough for Benson to sleep head to head.  She was very proud of herself.  

In school we did a science experiment on the heat of fusion and vaporization, or as we laymen call it, melting ice.  We have been learning a lot about thermal energy, conduction, and convection.  Caroline was our ice stirrer.  Josiah was our temperature taker.  Henry was our time keeper and data collector.  Our goal was to get the ice from 0°C to 100°C (or close to it).  We went from 3°C to 92°C but couldn't get it past that.  We also used a meat thermometer because we didn't have a scientific one, so that may have affected things.  The kids got to see how the temperature did not rise at a continuous rate and why.  

At CC this week, we had picture day.  Josiah set out his clothes the night before.  Despite it being a hot day, he chose a full ensemble with long-sleeve dress shirt, vest, and sports jacket.   

One mom was in the room while his class was getting ready for their picture and got a shot of Josiah modeling his GQ pose.  

In the afternoon, Caroline had math games.  This time it was a multiplication relay race.  Caroline was not too happy to be on the girls' team because, as she stated, the boys were faster.  Then, when the boys won two rounds in a row, Caroline said they cheated.  

We went from a good week to a sick weekend.  Henry started not feeling well in the middle of the night on Friday.  He laid on the couch for the next two days with a fever, a very sore throat, and a myriad of other symptoms.  We were prepared to get him a strep test this morning, but he woke up feeling a good bit better.  Because he was still recovering, Josiah and I went to church alone.  On the drive home, Josiah laid in the backseat saying he didn't feel well.  Now he's feverish and in bed, so it'll be me and the girl doing school tomorrow.  Josiah is determined it will only be a two-day virus because he has things to do this week.  Yearbook meetings and a church retreat!

Emoting at the Dentist

Henry started out the week by earning a new stripe on his jiu-jitsu belt.  This was his first yellow stripe.  Two more and he moves up a belt.  

One afternoon early in the week, Henry finished his school work, and instead of burning off energy like he normally does, he sat on the floor with a dry erase board.  When he was finished, he presented his creation to me with pride.  I noticed he drew me and all my favorite things: coffee, school/math, and my family.  Then upon closer inspection, I read the shirt he had drawn.  "My fav son is Henry!"  Oh, Henry.  He is endlessly trying to get me to say he's my favorite.  Often, he'll tell me to say his name on the count of three.  Then, when he reaches 'three,' he'll quickly say "is my favorite" when I say "Henry."  His one regret about his picture was that he wrote "son" instead of "child."

The kids and I had a dentist appointment this week.  We got there early, so instead of waiting in the office, we hung out in the downstairs lobby of the building.  It was empty, so the kids came up with a game.  It was based on charades, but instead they did Fortnite emotes and we had to guess which one they were doing.  It was quite a show.  

The dentist appointment was successful and cavity-less.  My favorite kind.  

In CC this week, we made sun prints.  Caroline got discouraged when her class made their sun prints.  Everyone was using the letters to spell their names and she couldn't find enough of the same type to spell hers.  She was given the option to do it at lunch with all the letters at her disposal and she jumped at that chance.  Hers turned out well.  

Henry made a tree.  Unfortunately the prints his class made did not turn out as boldly as the others.  They even tried again at lunch and had the same issue.  All the other classes turned out correctly, so we're not sure what happened.  It didn't bother Henry any.  He just used a Sharpie to outline his tree.  

In class, Caroline told car jokes for her presentation.  

    What car likes to run into things?                              A Ram.

    What car never gets into an accident?                        A Dodge.

    Why did the taxi driver lose his job?            Because he kept driving his customers away.  

She told nine jokes and when she finished her presentation, she closed it with, Thank you for listening to my presentation.  Any questions?  It was then that all her classmates raised their hands.  Zero questions, but they all had jokes they wanted to tell.  

The church where we meet for CC had their annual pumpkin patch and most classes went out to take pictures.  

Todd thought it would be funny to bring a cake home on Thursday to celebrate Elisabeth Shue's birthday.  She is his favorite 80s actress.  As we enjoyed it, Caroline said, "Mom! Dad is savoring it!"  Truer words had not been spoken.  He most definitely was savoring it.  

The boys enjoyed more cake when they went to a birthday party this weekend.  The party was for a friend from jiu-jitsu.  Josiah drew him a picture of Peely (from Fortnite), but put him in a jiu-jitsu gi in the same style as the birthday boy.  He even got the belt stripes correct.  What was more impressive was that Josiah drew the whole picture in the car while driving to Latin class.  

While the boys partied it up, we took Caroline out to eat.  After dinner, we stopped by a new store called Cinnaholic recommended by none other than her dental hygienist.  Caroline chose the peanut butter explosion cinnamon bun.  It took her several days to finish it because it was so sweet. (It looked way better in person.  The picture doesn't do it justice at all.) 

And that was our week.  I did see a really wonderful meme this week.  It spoke my language.