Teen Number Two

Caroline started the week out spending the day at our church's Winter Retreat (for 4th and 5th graders).  Her table leader, Kayla, is the girls' junior high/high school minister.  Caroline was very happy to get her and said she was not only an excellent teacher, but an ah-maaazing person to boot.  When Josiah & Henry found out Caroline had Kayla, they were quite happy and interested and wanted to know what Kayla had said about them.  She just said that Caroline had a "Cockrell" face so she knew her immediately.  Kayla told me she had been praying for Caroline through all of September so it was nice to put a face to a name.  They had teaching sessions about creation throughout the day with free time, snacks, and lunch sprinkled in-between.  During one break, Caroline tried cornhole.  She did cartwheels with another girl.  She had a very good time overall.  

Mid-week we went to dinner at Henry's friend's house.  The Richardsons wanted to have us over before we moved and we were glad to make it.  This mom enjoys cooking.  The food was quite good.  She made homemade minestrone soup as well as an authentic Italian chicken, sausage, & pasta dish.  They said we'd have to do it again soon and that sounded good to us.  Eat amazing food?  We'll be there.  We all drove up to church afterwards and the boys had a service project that evening.  They packaged rice and beans for a local ministry.  There seemed to be some shenanigans going on with the boys because in Josiah's group some kids didn't seal their Ziploc bags and the beans spilled over.    Despite emphatically asking the 'sealers' to seal properly, their problem did not abate.  

Towards the latter part of the week, Henry celebrated his 13th birthday.  Our second teenager!  It was on a CC day, so originally he said he didn't want to open his gifts until the following day.  That changed when he walked downstairs and beheld their glory.  He then found time to open them all.  Josiah gifted him Shrek socks and V-bucks.  Caroline game him a hug - an act of love that can never be forgotten. As always he was blessed with gifts from cousins and grandparents -  Lego kits and Escape games (which he cannot wait to try if we ever get a day with a little downtime!).  He got a giant mouse pad that takes up nearly his entire desk, which is just right for the gamer in him.    

For breakfast, he went hearty, and we had bacon and eggs.  Since he'd be at CC for lunch, we picked up sushi to bring along.  Henry goes for the real deal now with sushi - always picking the raw fish varieties.  

Henry had signed up to give the devotional at CC that morning.  He spoke on the Parable of the Talents - a rich man, who was going off to travel, gave one servant 5 talents, another 2, another 1.  (A talent is a year's wages.)  After some time, he came back to settle the accounts.  The first two servants had doubled their money for the rich man, the third had buried the one talent and had nothing more to show for it.  Henry encouraged everyone that no matter how much you are given, or not given, to make the most with what you've got.  

Birthday dinner was to be Olive Garden, but we are dead to the world after our CC days, so we put it off until the weekend.  When we did make it to Olive Garden, Henry did his model pose to show off his shrimp fettucine...and the cheekbone.  It's all about the cheekbone.  So then we all tried our hand at the cheekbone pose.  We were so full from the salad and breadsticks, that we took most of our food home.  Our waiter asked why we were tapping out so early.

Birthday dessert was the tuxedo chocolate mousse cake.  Costco can make a mean mousse cake.

Henry spent his free time on Friday and Saturday putting together his big Lego kit.  This time he got the Bookstore to add to his Cityscape.  He also got a coffee shop that he plans to work on this week.  

The Legoing was taking longer because of the verbing this weekend.  He went to a Latin Verb Workshop for a good bit of the day on Saturday.  The first part of it was mostly review for him, so he wasn't sure he should have gone, but the second half gave him some good information about how to find the verb parts and endings and how to conjugate them.  

While Henry was verbing, Josiah was cheering on his friends at their last basketball game.  This was against the same team where the fight broke out a few weeks back.  Since that time, the coach and several kids got kicked out of the league because of the fight.  Their team had the minimum number of players and Josiah's friends were able to score a big win against them.  With the playoff games on weeknights, Josiah's cheering days may be coming to an end.  

At CC, Caroline's class learned about Roy Lichtenstein and painted in the pop art style.  She chose Brad Ward, which is her go-to name this year.  'Brad' came from the brads they used to put their body parts together last semester.  'Ward' came from a YouTuber video.  

We finished out our weekend with Caring for Katy.  This is the one weekend each year that our church closes and they go into the community to do service projects.  This year, our group was at the Neighborhood Kidz Club.  We were here in 2018 because I have a picture of little Caroline standing at table height.  This time around Josiah, Caroline, and I brushed weatherproofing paint on an outside stairwell.  Henry, who barely let me put the car in park, ran out to his group of friends.  His LifeGroup friends were there, so he had a great time doing landscaping work with them.  Every time they needed the wheelbarrow, there would inevitably be a boy in it on the way to get more dirt.  When we finished painting, we also did some weeding and mulching.  Josiah planted 3 shrubs and he and Caroline both planted little flowers.  We finished out our time preparing snack bags for the ministry there.  16 animal crackers per bag.  Quite a few made it into the kids' mouths as well.  Except Caroline.  She doesn't like animal crackers.

Since Caring for Katy always incites me to get my own yard in order, we came home and mowed, edged, blew, and raked our front yard.  By the end, we were quite tired.  

Benson has spent hours upon hours outside this week.  The weather has been amazing.  The only thing he wants to do is hang out in the backyard.  Our usual tactics for getting him inside have not been working.  He just looks at us like, Yeah, not coming in right now, thanks for asking.  

So starts another week.  All three kids are halfway done with the CC semester, so time has been flying by.  We need time on our side, too, because I have packed only one box.  I didn't even finish it - it's unsealed because I'm sure I can find something else to fit in it.  

Foundation Repaired

Monday morning, the foundation repair crew arrived.  They got to digging ten holes that basically hugged the back side of the house.  Because they had taken over the backyard, Benson had to be walked in the front yard to do his business.  He was on alert the whole day because of the different noises and people walking around.  Then in the afternoon, there were quite loud noises as they were dropping the piers.  Drop, boom! Lift the house, lots of creaking noises.  Benson was beside himself.  He was shaking more than we had ever seen him shake before.  He was so scared.  He went to his crate, but unfortunately that was against the wall closest to the workers.  He didn't know what to do with himself and he wouldn't let us do anything to help him.  When they left that evening, Benson finally calmed down, ate all his food, and drank tons of water.  He got to explore the backyard a bit, and then he slept hard on the living room floor.  

On the evening of day one, the kids wanted to explore the backyard and get a glimpse of the holes.  They were particularly fond of the giant piles of dirt.  They heard me say, Watch it.  Be careful.  I really don't want to call the fire department because you fell down a hole.  Caroline had hoped they could keep a few piles so they could play with them long term.  Alas, the dirt had to go back.  (They actually distributed the extra bits they had and filled in a few spots in the yard that had dips in it.  The yard looks much better!)  

The second day the foundation guys were here, we got smarter and put Benson in Caroline's room.  His bed was brought in there and it was the furthest from all the noise.  He napped throughout the day. Caroline did her school with him.  Over all, it was a much better day.  For him.  In the end, the house got lifted.  The very last thing the foundation guys do is check the plumbing.  Ours did not pass.  Now we need to get them back out with a camera to figure out where the leak is - always a potential when lifting the house back in position.  The back of the house was 2 inches lower than the middle, so it was a big difference.  We saw a number of cracks close up, which was nice.  Most of the doors went back to better positions.  

Henry had his Latin tutoring early in the week.  This time, Caroline got to come along.  Henry's tutor has a younger sister around Caroline's age.  They got to play while Henry learned to conjugate Latin verbs.  Caroline had a lot of fun.  They played the Floor is Lava, which is always a fun time.  They may make this a semi-regular thing, so win-win.  

For Valentine's Day, the kids made out double time.  Todd mailed them Valentine's and they also got some from me.  Josiah made cards for everyone as well.  Each one contained a handmade bookmark.  He gave me Star Bucks.  Clever kid.  

Josiah also got to have a lunch out on Valentine's Day.  I dropped him off at Chili's and he got his usual chicken tenders with the junior high pastor - his favorite pastor and his favorite food.  Knowing we're moving, they chatted about that.  

At CC this week, Caroline learned about the painter Andrew Wyeth and used watercolors to paint a landscape.  

She gave her presentation on the philtrum - the little indentation under our noses.  She had randomly asked what it was and I said that researching it would make a perfect CC presentation.  There actually wasn't a ton of information about it, which made the presentation all the more easier.  She learned most mammals have them, so then she tasked herself with taking a picture of Benson's.  He was not up to the challenge of sitting still, so she wisely screenshotted from a video.  It made her happy, because capturing Benson's nose is basically her favorite thing.  

All the kids' classes had Valentine's exchanges.  I didn't see too much candy make it home, but I know they got some.  

For Josiah's Cost of Living Project, he had to figure out renter's insurance as well as the utilities he would be responsible for in his apartment.  He called State Farm to get estimates on renter's insurance.  It was pretty funny to listen from my end.  He sounded very grown-up and he got the information needed.  I paid $5 a month in renter's insurance back in the day.  With inflation, it is now $15-20 a month.  Still the most affordable insurance out there. 

Caroline is looking forward to tomorrow morning.  She will be at our church's Winter Retreat all day.  It is for the 4th and 5th graders and it's always a good time.  

Parks, Picasso, & Pals

Our break week from CC got sufficiently filled up with fun with our CC friends.  

Early in the week, Henry and Caroline joined a friend at a park.  We had tried this playground last year, but some (truant) teenagers took over the top of the slide area, so we thought we'd make another attempt.  This time, the kids had it all to themselves.  They played a tag sort of game and later did obstacle course races on it.  Caroline filmed herself jumping and doing cartwheels.  On the very last cartwheel, she slammed her leg into a bench and ended the day with a 2"x 4" bruise.  It hit her right below the knee.  But overall, a good time was had by all.  

That evening, Josiah wore his new gi to jiu-jitsu.  All three kids have been wearing highwater gis.  The idea was, I could buy Josiah a new one and then each child could move up to their sibling's gi.  Henry was a no-go on this idea, so Josiah looks very nice in his new white gi, Caroline looks great in her new-to-her blue gi, and Henry is standing ready for the flood.  

One morning, Henry asked me if he could use the flaps from the top of a box.  I gave him the okay, he cut them off, and then I didn't hear anything else about it.  Until Josiah got to drawing.  Josiah drew President Reagan in the style of his Rat Town characters.  He liked how it turned out, so he asked how he could hang it in his bathroom without ruining it.  Why did he want to hang it in his bathroom?  So Reagan could tell Henry to "tear down this wall."  The cardboard box flaps became a wall that Henry erected between their two sinks.  So, this is the current state of their bathroom.  Divided like Berlin in 1987.  

Later in the week, we had a most busy day.  Josiah had a yearbook meeting.  They all gathered at a teahouse and worked on their pages.  Apparently the school photos were not uploaded by the start of the meeting so they spent the first two hours playing games on their computers.  For the latter two hours, they worked.  It was a boba tea place.  Boba meaning there were little tapioca balls in the drinks.  It is a very popular drink among some CC families.  Josiah had never tasted it, so he got a friend's recommendation and ordered one.  Josiah tried the tea, but was not a fan of the boba part.  Ever the wise child, he learned if he downloaded the app, he could get a free drink.  He did so, and got himself a boba-free free tea.  At the teahouse, for whatever reason, the men's bathroom had no toilet (literally - it was a hole in the ground as they were doing repairs).  So Josiah left to find a bathroom.  Three doors down, he walked into a different business, not realizing they weren't open yet, and explained he needed to use the bathroom.  They were kind and allowed him and he bought one of their cream puffs as thanks.  He said they were amazing cream puffs, so now we want to go back and try them.  The adventures of Josiah.  

While Josiah was enjoying his puff, Caroline was at the Fine Arts Museum in downtown Houston.  She went with another CC family and had a very good time.  There was art by Lichenstein (the 'dot' guy) and O'Keeffe.  But they also had a Picasso entitled, Woman With a Large Hat.  It was bequested by a Caroline Wiess.  Our Caroline saw the name Caroline next to the painting and thought it meant the painted lady was named Caroline so she was even more excited since it was her favorite painter.  One mom made a scavenger hunt for the kids - they had to find different paintings throughout the building and got a small prize for doing so.  They ate lunch on the grounds and then the family Caroline went with stopped at a dessert shop on the drive home.  They each got a cupcake.  It was a very good day.  

Meanwhile, Henry and I stayed home and cleaned house.  We were having friends over that evening for a Game Night conceived and brought-to-you by Henry.  Two CC families came over and we ate pizza and then we played Apples to Apples all together.  It was so, so fun.  Apparently we have the adult version, so the other kids were a little surprised by some of the cards.  So many laughs were had.  Caroline ended up winning it.  The key to Apples to Apples is to know who is judging the cards.  After that initial game, the kids split off and played Clue for a while and then switched to Bang!  The other moms and I played a mean game of Scrabble.  We got a picture with the two big winners of the night.  

After everyone went home, we celebrated Benson's 4th birthday. Earlier in the day, Henry and I had made him some birthday treats - a peanut butter, pumpkin, and oat flour baked concoction.  Benson was so interested in the treat Henry was holding, that it completely distracted him from having the hat on his head.  Score!  Once the treat was eaten, the hat was immediately shaken off, not to be put on again.  

Josiah had a sport-filled weekend.  He cheered on his friends at their basketball game on Saturday and then went to a Super Bowl party with the same friends on Sunday.  To show support for both teams, he intermingled their logos. 

Caroline finished out her weekend with curls in her hair.  She got a curling iron for Christmas, but had yet to break it out.  We practiced on her mannequin head for the first few passes.  Then we tried Caroline's actual hair.  There was a learning curve but we got a few curls going.  Caroline did comment that if she wanted to curl her whole head, she'd have to wake up an hour earlier to do it.  Yep.  Then she said she could pull most of her hair back and curl just two little strands in the front.  Much more time efficient!  

It was a very full week.  Tomorrow morning, bright and early, we'll have the foundation repair guys digging around our house.  

The Results

Henry started out his week with his first red stripe on his grey belt.  While Professor Mike was putting the stripe on, he told Henry that he is ready for the adult class.  Henry is only keen on going when he knows other friends will be there, but we'll try to work some adult classes into the schedule.  Josiah is even less enthusiastic about the adult class because he likes to work with only one friend who is in the kid class.   

Mid-week I spent the entire afternoon at the car dealership.  Ironically, whenever we've priced car repairs, the dealership typically comes out better.  My car was quite bouncy every time I braked.  It had been happening for several months and was getting worse.  They replaced the rotors and brake pads and when I drove out of there, my car was as smooth as could be.  The wallet was a bit lighter, but the ride was nice.

The kids helped me practice a science experiment before CC.  We bent light with a mirror partially submerged in water.  They had a lot of fun with it and it looked like a cross between a campfire and a bomb pop (popsicle).  The pan with the water in it was on the floor of our dining room while we did the experiment.  Benson came over out of curiosity and kept trying to lap the water from the pan.    

CC went well this week.  Caroline did a Norman Rockwellesque Saturday Evening Post cover picture.  

She also gave her presentation on the origin of Pringles.  She talked about who invented them and offered little fun facts.  Then she brought out little cans of Pringles for her classmates to enjoy.  That went over well.  

Henry received his science fair results.  His main goal was to beat Josiah's score of 87.  Josiah came in 3rd place with that score.  Henry was less concerned about placing.  When Henry received the judge's sheets back, he averaged his scores and got an 89.25.  That score earned him 5th place among his classmates.  His score sheets all commended him on the same points - Good job memorizing your presentation.  You were well-prepared.  You explained all the points well.  The judges also all agreed on 'What could the student improve?'  Every judge wrote, Could slow down a bit while presenting.  Slow down.  Pause.  Slow Down. Breathe!  Pacing yourself is a skill to be learned.  Besides first, second, and third place, there were judges awards as well.  Henry received the Most Practical award, which seemed apropos.  Measuring the acidity of the liquids would have helped him mightily, but we know better for next time.  

Josiah has to present a Cost of Living Project towards the end of the semester.  I told him that the class above him had done a lot of Power Point presentations for this particular project.  So Josiah played around with Power Point this weekend.  He and Caroline both created funny presentations as if they were executives at Google answering emails from patrons.  At least Josiah familiarized himself with the program, so now he's ready to do the real thing.  

Josiah also set up his own streaming area in the playroom.  Everyone wants to be a YouTuber or a video game streamer.  He made his introductory video by superimposing his head over another streamer's face violating all sorts of copyright laws.  Then he superimposed his streamer name over the original one as well.  Another violation.  Nothing was broadcast - it was just for his friends. He had a lot of fun with it and the video he made was actually pretty funny.  

The grocery stores have had an abundance of pomelos lately, so Henry and I tried one this week.  It is very similar to grapefruit, still tangy, but not as acidic.  Quite good.  We went back for more.  

As we finish out our time in Texas, we're all trying to spend as much time with friends as possible.  This weekend, Josiah cheered on his friends at another basketball game.  I got to go out with a friend for lunch (Bobby's mom).  It has been a long time since I've done that and forgot what a boost it could be.  There was a lot of laughter!  In the spirit of getting together, we have two activities planned for this upcoming week, as well.  It is a break week from CC, so we have a park date and a game night event.