Middle school concert

Posted on January 19, 2017 by Tessa

Lex had his first middle school concert tonight. It was just 6th graders, which was great! Not too long, not too crowded, just right. Lex ROCKED!

The dress code was nice clothes, black on bottom, white on top. Lex managed the correct colors, but it’s debatable whether black sweats and Alan’s white t-shirt count as “nice” clothes. But hey, he’s up there and he’s rockin’, so all is well!

The band was snapping their fingers making the rain sound and Lex did the rumble of thunder.

I love, love, love watching him play in the band. His confidence is outstanding and he smiles and jokes with the other percussionists between sets. It does my mommy heart proud!

Dad, I’m going to find out when his next concert is and you totally should come. You’d love it!!

Unrelated, but funny, earlier today Arlo was begging for cheese. See his nose? :)

Cheese please!

More skiing

Posted on January 19, 2017 by Tessa

Looking good!

Here’s how Eve’s five week learn-to-ski program has gone so far.
Week 1: She walked around on skiis as everyone else fell over, but the first time she fell over she fell apart. Tears, pain, the world coming to an end. Eventually she angrily made her way to the lodge where she was cranky and mean to the parents and teachers there who tried to help her. (embarrassed)

Week 1.5: Alan and I took her and Lex on a Sunday and we all skied together. She loved it!

Week 2: She made it up and down the bunny slope a few times, but then fell at the the top and gave up. Several coaches and even the school principal tried to teacher her how to stand up, and I tried to teach her how to just take her skis off, but she insisted she could not and eventually (with help) got them off and just hung out at the bottom of the slopes for the remainder of the time. (tired and embarrassed)

Week 3: Today! She was up and down that bunny slope a bunch of times and loving it! She had different skis this time and insisted they worked better and came off easier. She worked on her snowplow and was having fun. Half way through I escorted a group of kids from the bunny slope to the next level up, called the “tow lift,” because, you know, you actually get to use a lift! :) The coach sent four kids with me, including Eve. I didn’t feel confident that Eve was ready for the bigger hill yet and I should have trusted my instinct, but I know she wanted to go be with her friends and with me and the coach thought she was ready, so off we went. Eve figured out the tow lift pretty quickly and made it up. A friend gave her some advice on going down, and she made it down, but definitely out of control.

She went back again, got more advice from a coach, and made it down again, equally out of control. She went back up again, but decided no was was she going down again! :/ I tried to help, coaches tried, friends tried, but no, she would not ski down again. She sat at the top with a very friendly coach for the remainder of the time and then took her skis off and walked down the hill at the end, in angry tears. It doesn’t help that she is getting bruises from these falls so all week she has bruises to remind her how awful skiing is. :/ (scared)

Next week is the 4th week and I’m going to insist she stay on the bunny slope until she gets that snowplow down with confidence. She won’t be happy, but hey, she hasn’t been happy for an entire lesson yet. There’s a chance I also bribed her with Dunkin Donuts (located right next to the ski place) if she made it through an entire lesson. We’ll see how that goes next week. Stay tuned!

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Skiing – take 2

Posted on January 8, 2017 by Tessa

On my mother’s brilliant advice, I offered Eve the chance to go skiing today and get caught up on the lesson she missed on Thursday. She thought for a moment then decided it was a great idea. She also told me she was really embarrassed that she fell and didn’t noticed that everyone else was falling too! We decided to invite the boys and after a little convincing for the younger one, we all headed off to the slopes on this sunny 18° day.

Smiles all around! (Alan was still getting his gear on)

Eve was eager to “teach” Lex all about skiing. That made me laugh.

Lex lasted for a little while, but didn’t love it. He wasn’t thrilled with the out of control feeling, and one time Alan caught him at the bottom of the hill, but they both fell down together since Alan was also on skis. Lex said he hurt his head in that tumble. He did a few trips down, but then decided he was done with skiing and went to sit on the bench and watch the lift go around. Eve, on the other hand, LOVED it! She was up and down and up and down and at the moment is better than anyone else in her lesson group! Assuming none of them went skiing this weekend!:)

Alan in the black and Eve right behind him.

I hope we can get Lex back on skis again someday, but for now I’m just thrilled that I won’t have to fight with Eve about ski lessons for the next four weeks! Hallelujah and thank you mom!

Girl Scouts in politics

Posted on January 7, 2017 by Tessa

We had the best field trip today!! Eve’s Girl Scout troop (finally) got started again with their first meeting last Wednesday to hand out cookie sale sheets. (buy cookies, you want cookies, cookies, cookies, cookies) They also talked about the badges and which ones they might like to pursue. One of the badges is called “Inside Government” and it involves interviewing an elected official and attending a town meeting. We joked about how that would be an easy one! When we got home we told Alan about it and he loved the idea and readily volunteered to help out. He told the Select Board about it at their meeting the next night and one of the women on the board told him about a “women in politics” (EmergeVermont) meeting happening on Saturday. One rapid thing led to another and by Saturday morning the troop was gathered at the leader’s house and preparing to attend this event. We weren’t sure what to expect, but we knew the agenda said “Lunch with a local Girl Scout troop.” We were expecting to walk around and ask a few questions (“take a poll” is what the badge requirement says) of various women, then leave. Instead we got so much more!!

She jumped right into Alan’s chair! This girl is going places. :)

When we got there we were welcomed warmly and eagerly. The girls were invited to sit in the Select Board chairs and they held a mock meeting with conference attendees coming up to the podium and asking the girls questions. When there was an extend pause in the questioning I said that really the girls are supposed to be asking the women in politics questions, so they all swapped rolls and the girls asked the questions. We had several Select Board members there (from our town and surrounding towns) and even a woman from our town who is a Vermont State Representative and an amazing person!

Eve is the only one not making a funny face here. LOL! Becca White, in black, ran the “meeting” and everyone loved it.

Our future town government! Holding a “mock” Select Board meeting. Discussing important issues such as banning cigarettes and rescuing puppies.

Ruth from EmergeVermont even had a presentation prepared to show the girls, all about how to get involved even if you aren’t old enough to run for public office. They gave the girls stickers and coloring sheets too.

How to be and involved citizen, even as a child.

After pointing out the humor in it, Ruth presented the Girl Scouts with some cookies her daughter had made. She said, “When I told my 12 year old daughter that Girl Scouts were coming to the meeting, she said, Oh, Can I make them Cookies??” So she did. Very sweet.

Time for a few fun pictures at the end. Ruth asked if we would be ok if they used them in promotional materials and online forums. That would be fun to see!

Your Candidacy Begins Today. #runlikeagirl

Our Girl Scouts with Becca White, VP of the Select Board, and Gabrielle Lucke, Vermont State Representative. They are hanging with a good crowd!

I am so pleased with how well the day went, how eager the women were to have our girls there, and how happy the girls were to be there! Gabrielle Lucke invited them to tour the State House too, if they wanted to Girl Scout field trip. She offered to personally give them a tour if she was available. I love our state!!

Learn to ski… or not.

Posted on January 6, 2017 by Tessa

Look at that face. She doesn’t entirely look happy, even before the fall.

Our school offers a five-week learn-to-ski program in partnership with a local ski hill. When the paperwork came home a few months ago Eve said “thanks, but no thanks” and threw it in the recycling bin. However, the final day that forms were due she decided to join (several friends are also doing it), filled out the paperwork herself, and delivered it all to the office on her own. The school says it’s available at a discounted rate, but oh boy, it is still expensive! Especially since we had to rent everything.

Last week my boss emails me and says, “Since Eve is skiing… would you have any interest in volunteering on the slopes with them?” I double checked Volunteerspot, where the PTO posts volunteer listings, and saw that no parents had signed up! I asked Eve if she was ok with me being there (I like to check first with her), she said “yes, definitely!”, so I agreed.

Yesterday was the first day. Mass chaos (on our end AND the ski “resorts” end)! Eventually everyone ended up where they were supposed to be, fully equipped, and ready to ski. Two parents and several teachers ended up going, so we had enough adults to get the job done. Finally we were in our groups and off, learning to ski! I was with the beginner group because 1) that’s where they needed help and 2) that’s about my level these days! :) I spent most of the time picking kids up off the ground! Lots of them fell, some of them cried, but they all got back up and tried again… except mine. She was doing ok until she fell, then she fell apart. Tears streaming down her face. I got her back on her feet but she cried so hard, telling me her ankle hurt and her leg hurt. I mostly thought it was drama, but it is possible to hurt yourself in ski boots so I finally relented and let her go inside, hoping she would regroup and come back. I told her to check in with the parents in there, have them take a look at her ankle and leg, then come back. She never did. Later in the lesson I texted a parent inside asking if she could send Eve back out, but nope. Another teacher went in and later told me she had tried to encourage Eve to come back out but was shocked when Eve barked at her (not literally!) She told me she’d never seen Eve so angry before.

By the end of the lesson all of the kids were making it up and down the tiny hill and some of them could even stop themselves at the bottom. When I got everyone situated and made my way back to Eve I found her friends with her, consoling and encouraging her. It was sweet. One friend told me privately, “I feel bad for Eve, but I kind of want to tell her to just do it! Get back out there and try again!” I said “YES, please tell her that!”

At home that night Eve and I had a chat about quitting and why it isn’t an option. We talked (again!) about the importance of trying again, and how everything is hard in the beginning, and how everyone has things that come easily to them and things they have to work at, and how I paid a ton of money for this program and she’s not allowed to quit after ten minutes, and about how I’m volunteering and she’s not allowed to quit at all. Notice how I start off empathetic and compassionate, but by the end it’s down to the cold, hard facts?! :) We’ve been down this road before.

Eve was angry and sad and frustrated. I hope she is willing to put those skis back on next week though and give it a try again. It will be even harder next time because the rest of the group has a whole lesson under their belts and she is still starting from scratch. Sigh. This is why I hate volunteering for things! :)

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Throw back Sunday.

Posted on January 1, 2017 by Tessa

That’s a thing, right?! Anyway, I came across this video today. Are they not the cutest things ever?!?!

It’s from January 2011, so she was three and he was five. (the original post is here)

AND this one from January 2009!! Someone take me away from this trip down memory lane! They were so darn adorable!!!

Happy New Year!

Posted on January 1, 2017 by Tessa

Happy 20117! I hope your year is off to a good start. We had an eventful night to close out 2016. My friend hosted a NYE party that was supposed to be a classy grown-up affair, but when it turned out no one had babysitters for the kids it ended up being more of a family affair. Eve and I got prettied up anyway.

All gussied up and ready to party! (we both have very tired eyes :/ I need to find the ‘awake and alert” filter! )

The kids did some night sledding, watched Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, and ate their weight in Jax and snacks. The adults discussed the past year, the future, politics, the economy… ha, just kidding, the adults drank wine, talked about the kids, and ate their weight in fancy food that Bill prepared.

My bestie is so clever! We had fun identifying all of the deceased celebrities and choosing our favorite one. I went for Gene Wilder, and Alan took Alan Rickman. :)

I love this picture and I hate this picture. Maybe next NYE I can call this my “before” picture and have a much svelter “after” picture to post! Eve’s stuffies in her hand and under her arm are odd additions to the photo as well.

We told the kids that we could leave whenever they were ready and by 9:15 they were ready. However, there was still more good food coming and cats to pet and beverages to finish, so we didn’t end up leaving until closer to 10:30… only to discover the road was totally icy and our little car was going nowhere fast! They have a steep downhill driveway, then a 90° turn onto a steep uphill road. We tried backing way down the road, getting a running start, inching slowly, and everything else Alan could do, but the car just slipped, slid, spun, and refused to go up. After a few tries the kids and I got out (two full spins is enough for me and Eve was in tired tears). The other couple that was leaving at the same time as us had the same problem. At this point it was nearly 11pm. I took the kids back inside, tucked tired Eve into the guest bed with a book, and helped clean up the party with the remaining guests while the men went outside and did their best with whatever salt and kitty litter they could round up. Lex and the other boys resumed their pillow fight with “I wanna rock and roll all night,” cranking on Alistair’s CD player! :)

Eventually Alan got the car up and over the hill, one of the guys came to let us know, I rounded up the kiddos, and we made it home safe and sound. It was snowing and slick so we stuck to the side roads and took our time. We got home at about 11:50, put on PJs and brushed teeth, then found the NYE ball drop on YouTube just in time for the final 14 seconds of the countdown! We counted along, yelled Happy New Year, then didn’t know what to do withourselves because it was midnight, we were all wound up, and only barely just got home. We ended up hanging out, opening our Family Fun Jar, downing lots of water, and chatting until 12:30. The kids wanted to break out a game, which is what we usually do on NYE, but Alan and I decided NYE was over and everyone had to go to bed!

Everyone slept late this morning (yay!), then we spent a quiet day reading, playing card games, and (of course) a little screentime too. Eve and I went in to school for a little while to work on the fish tank (more on that later!) then picked up take-out for dinner. Now we are watching a Marx Brothers movie and the kids are laughing and laughing.

Here’s to many more exciting (but not too exciting!), fun-filled family days together in 2017!

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Christmas!

Posted on December 29, 2016 by Tessa

Hey, Christmas happened this year! With the usual trimmings and trappings and fanfare. :) We had Rosy and Barney with us, and Grandpa Don and Pat. We missed Pop Cube and Grandma though. The kids are growing up and (slightly) less exciting at Christmas (shh! don’t tell them I said so), but we had a house full of puppies to keep us all on our toes.

The fun started Christmas Eve when everyone arrived. Well, we had fun cleaning on Christmas Eve EVE (and teasing Eve, Eve, Eve), but the party started the next day with company and pizza at our house. Fortunately the pizza place is open on Christmas Eve. Fortunately for us anyway, maybe not for the pizza place employees.

After a nice dinner and family catch up time, the kids went to bed and Santa came!

I always love our living room on Christmas Eve. <3

Santa leaves two presents in for each kid in their bedrooms (in the hopes that mommy can get a little extra sleep). This year the presents were books and Legos and the kids gloriously stayed upstairs until 7am! Then they had to wake Aunt Rosy, wait for us adults to get some caffeine, then pose for pictures before finally, FINALLY, busting into the living room to examine the goods!

I love watching them look from afar. :)

A Beanie Boo!! What more could you ask for than a weird, big-eyed stuffy in your stocking!! She has dozens already, but she still loved this one too.

Even Arlo got a stocking full of treats, and even Arlo ended up with a belly ache from eating too many treats on Christmas morning!

Then it was time for breakfast (who am I kidding, more candy coming right up!) and waiting patiently (ha!) for the rest of the family to get done with church and come over. We do presents in stages around here. Bedroom presents first thing in the morning, stockings when the parents are awake, then the rest of the presents with the whole family. Good thing those early presents are strategically chosen. :)

Bodhi is getting so big! And so very tolerant. Arlo would never calmly allow this to happen to him. :)

For all the present unwrapping pictures (and all the pictures from Christmas), check out the Google album.

The kids got Ozobots for Christmas and had fun drawing paths for them to follow.

Lovely ladies.

Christmas dinner consisted of ham (honey glazed or something with pineapple and stuff, someone else could give you a much better title than I), and veggie lasagna, and salad. It was all delicious, of course. Then we washed it down with wine and cookies!

The obligatory selfie-stick pic. The crowd was small this year.

The next day we spent exploring our presents, reading lots of books, painting, and shopping with holiday gift cards. :)

Eve got face paints, which she promptly turned in to whole body paints!

Fruit Ninja on the XBox Kinect with Uncle Barney. Life is good.

Something went wrong that evening and several of us ended up throwing up all night. Not really the best way to spend a night (or the following day!), but at least it was over vacation. Poor Rosy had to drive home with a sick belly. :( Fortunately it didn’t last long and by the following day we were all feeling better again.

We are home today, totally snowed in (or so the weather forecast tells me, I don’t know, it’s dark outside), eating dinner on the couch, watching a Marx Brothers movie, and enjoying our vacation to the fullest.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

For all of my Christmas photos, head on over to the Google album.