Plugging along until the school year ends

We "sprung" back into school and everything else after spring break (except Carolyn who missed a week due to sickness). She had the strep/flu (or "stru" as her doctor called it). It was an unpleasant 2 weeks - 1 week of sickness and 1 week of double the homework to catch up from her week of missed school following spring break. She's better, we're all fine, and we're all winding down the school year.

I think we should start school at the beginning of August (when it's too hot to play outside anymore) and be finished before Mother's day (when attention spans have long since dwindled). 20 more days after today - we can do this!

After my school volunteering ended (yearbook and reading weekly with kids), I moved on to a project I started years ago and keep picking up, but have never finished. A Blog book. It took a really long time to go through just 2 years of posts, but they are all neatly arranged into a PDF, and after Rob reads through to edit, I'm sending it off to be printed. (It will be book 1 of a "series" of blog books.) I think the kids will really enjoy reading stories of themselves from 2007-2009. It's what I asked for as my mother's day present from Rob/kids since it's a bit expensive.

I'm not sure when I'll start the next one? Whether I make it a yearly mother's day thing until they're all printed to date - or whether I'll work on them and print them on some other schedule, I don't know? Alee's not in this first one, so I know she'll be begging me to get book 2 finished within a year.

(Title page)

Baby News:
The baby is really moving these days! I don't remember any of mine moving this often? I'm sure they did; it's just been a long time for me. Sometimes I think he might be doing gymnastics or karate, but of course, when the kids put their hands on my belly, he calms. Kaitlyn called him a ninja because of his "sneaky moves". Kaitlyn and Alee have the most patience for waiting for his moves, so they have felt him move the most of anyone.

I assume he's doing fine; OB appointments mostly just check his heartbeat and my size. I'm 30 weeks today. ("10 weeks left" sounds better than 2 1/2 months left) Third trimester symptoms have begun, but the swelling and acid reflux and tiredness aren't too bad yet, so I'm still pushing through projects and activities. The ultra sound image is from my 24 week appointment. We had to do a recheck on his kidneys (they're fine) and laughed to see him sticking his tongue out over and over again. (If you aren't ultrasound-savvy, that's his face on the right looking up towards the top of the scan. The "claw" is his open mouth. She couldn't get a clear shot of his tongue coming out.) Another licker like my others? Probably.

Our activities are winding down. The twins' honor choir is finished. The year ended with a trip to sing at Carowinds (they got a superior rating) and with a concert this past Monday night.

 First roller coaster! (It was a kids one, but it still went up high.) They loved it!

 But they still preferred to stick to the kids area rides. I, of course, was allowed to ride nothing.

I was able to take pictures of them, so I didn't mind too much.

The lines were crazy long (education day), so they really only had time for 3 rides the whole day. Even lunch took forever because of the long lines.

We had to rush back home in time for an extra dance rehearsal that Friday night.

We finished the long hot day with treats. (Kaitlyn's dippin' dots and my soft frozen ice were gone already. Natalie's ice cream was just bought but gone before we reached the van.)

Can you find the twins? They're on the front row side by side.

Rob's family came to see the final concert. (Grandpa's sporting a beach towel because the expected rain finally came right as we were all on our way to the school.)

They left for supper and to travel home. We went to Pelican's Snoballs for our FHE treat.

 Our flavors:
Rob - Root Beer and Wild Cherry
Beth - Green apple and caramel
Seth - chocolate snow cream (of course - do you expect anything but chocolate for him?!)
Carolyn - Pineapple and Strawberry
Kaitlyn - Birthday cake and Ice cream
Natalie - Fruity Pebbles and Ice cream
Alee - "Pretty Princess" (Grape and Pink Lemonade)

We had our ward fundraiser (which funds the camps for young women, young men, and cub scouts). Rob made a nice sturdy set of corn hole boards plus two 3/4 size sets, and I made the bean bags to go with them. We were both glad to see that project done. (And he made our family a set to keep. I'll make our bean bags after I go back to the store for more pinto beans!)

We have a museum membership (our first year) and it expired at the end of April, so the day before it expired, we made one last visit for the year. We used up our planetarium passes and our special exhibit passes. (The girls comment on this exhibit wasn't "look at those crazy beaks/teeth". It was "Aww...look at the little baby one beside the big one." girls.)

  I wish Seth could have gone too, but he had a camp out and hike that weekend for boy scouts. Thought about having him skip it, but I know we won't do those 10 mile hikes and other woodsy things on our own and he needs them to get his Eagle Scout one day. We took pictures in front of the huge prehistoric turtle displays for him. 

The next big thing for us is the ending of all other extra curricular activities. 

I have been teaching piano to one student this year as a trial - that will end next week, and I will not be continuing. (I enjoy teaching, but I want my afternoons for my own children.)

Kaitlyn, Natalie, and Alee have a dance recital mother's day weekend (which pretty much consumes the weekend). 

The school year will wind down with extra things - testing, field trip, awards, etc.

We will do our annual piano recital on May 29th (memorial day) at 10 am. 

We will broadcast this for all to see, and if you're interested, you can come see it in person. Our theme is Patriotic this year. And our skills focus is scales, chords, and song arrangements.

And of course, I'm going to try to cram in my last few projects in May (you'll find out what they are as I accomplish them!) And school will end the first day of June.