Camp Update

Posted on June 26, 2022 by Tessa

I got my babies back today. Yay! They had a *great* time at the Governor’s Institute. This morning there was a whole presentation where the director talked about the experience and showed a slideshow of everyone’s final projects. Then we had time to walk around and check out all the final projects. They ranged from digital designs, to video games, to physical robots and “makerspace” projects. They were all pretty cool.

Eve made a really neat wooden box with her drawings engraved in the side. She also created the graphics for a video game that Lex programmed, and a screen printed poster of the game logo. They had fun working together. They also both joined a Dungeons and Dragons group and are now fully addicted. 😄

Eve also made cool/weird/pretty earrings and a little mushroom out of clay and paint. They are adorable, but the earrings are huge. :)

After we were packed up and checked out, we headed to Church Street for yummy bagel lunch and Lake Champlain Chocolates ice cream. We also made a stop at the local game store to buy D&D dice. Yep, they are hooked!

Alan took Lex and Eve back to his house for a bit while I dropped B’Lake off at his Governor’s Institute mathematics camp. It was a very different drop off experience than last week with Lex and Eve. For the math camp they were disorganized, lax, and extremely informal. I hope it ends up being as much fun for him as L&E had.

Em the snail went to camp to keep B’Lake company. 💙💛

After dropping him off I stopped at Alan’s house to pick up the other two and we headed home. Huxley was VERY glad to see the kids again! He slept in his crate every night this week and is definitely missing his cuddles with Lex. 🤗

Tomorrow we’re off on another adventure! Life is good.

Governor’s Institute

Posted on June 19, 2022 by Tessa

Eve and Lex are spending the week at a fancy tech camp called the Governor’s Institute. The camp is held at Champlain College, a beautiful location on Champlain Lake. I dropped them off yesterday, in the rain. I was a weird nervous person trying to be double sure on the parking and plans. I think I drove Lex crazy. LOL. The camp is a super cool camp. Lex and B’Lake did it last year, but it was virtual due to Covid, so it was fun, but not AS fun as in-person. This year Lex and Eve signed up for the “technology and design” session and B’Lake signed up for the “mathematics” session, which is next week.

Eve was up at 4:30am, feeling anxious, I think. She didn’t say as much, but she said she had a stomachache and worried she might have Covid (she tested negative before I even work up). She was excited and nervous, so I knew it was all ok.

I helped them both get packed, ran a few errands with Eve (she needed headphones and Lex needed laundry detergent –he’s planning to do laundry!), then we headed to college. It was a super weird experience.

First things first — Covid tests. One poor camper who had driven 2.5hrs tested positive and was sent home. It was a nerve wracking – yet boring – 15 minutes.

I don’t think I was too much, but by the end when I wanted one pic of the two of them together, Lex was done with me. :) I jokingly said something about Lex being ready for me to leave and he less jokingly said yeah, he was. :) That boy is exactly where he should be for a rising senior!

Eve, on the other hand, needed extra hugs, texted me before I was even home, and called me at night. She said she was having fun, but that there was a lot of people and activities and she was very tired. I’m hoping she’s having a good day today. She texted me a picture of the clouds this morning, so that’s a good sign.

HBD ERJ

Posted on March 31, 2022 by Tessa

Happy Birthday to this beautiful soul!

She took the day off, watched YouTube, baked brownies, and slept late. We celebrated this afternoon with presents and sushi for dinner.

Miss E brings us joy and laughter every day. This world is lucky to have her.

💗💗💗

Big little things around here

Posted on March 3, 2022 by Tessa

Eve come home yesterday with a few forms to show me. She started pulling them out of her bag and announcing them — course planner for next year, course selection sheet, and a drivers ed application. DRIVERS ED?!? I was NOT prepared for that.

I have been bugging B’Lake to bring home an application so he can take drivers ed this summer. Lex got his license and I was prepared to do the next two in order. The idea that Eve could take drivers ed this summer NEVER even occurred to me! Of course, she will be old enough and could have her permit in time, but in my head it was one kid at a time, not two at once!

Also, Lex and B’Lake are at a FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) meet this weekend. They left with their team after school this afternoon, which means they were packing and prepping last night and this morning. This is the first time Lex is off on his own. Not really on his own, of course, but not with parents or grandparents. They are staying in a hotel and taking the bus to and from the competition. Unfortunately (for me) FRC isn’t allowing non-team attendees, so I can’t go watch.

Lex joined the team his freshman year and we went to our first FRC competition in March 2020. Two weeks later the world shut down and all further FRC competitions were cancelled. We all really enjoyed the competion and were bummed that we couldn’t attend any more. Last year the season was all virtual, which wasn’t much fun for Lex. This year they are back in person and able to hold the competitions, even without an audience. I’m happy the kids can do this, even if I can’t be there to watch. :) Luckily they will be livestreaming it, so if you want to follow along, you can do so here: https://www.thebluealliance.com/team/95

I’ll be watching and cheering them on! Maybe my buddy, who can’t possibly be old enough to take drivers ed this summer, will watch with me.

One Act

Posted on February 11, 2022 by Tessa

Eve did a thing! The high school does a play called “the One Act” each year. It’s a play, not a musical, and a smaller cast. Eve and two of her friends joined this year. She had a really good time with rehearsals. The final performance was tonight. It was a really funny show!

Eve is in the middle, in the black tank top, and the one on the chair with the semaphore flags. 😂

Weekend facials

Posted on February 4, 2022 by Tessa

Eve and I have started a weekend tradition of facials and Queer Eye, our current binge show. On Saturday nights both boys are generally out of the house, so Eve and I have our own fun.

We like to experiment with different facials. We haven’t settled on the best one yet.

We did learn that it’s hard to eat snacks while facial-ing. Your face gets mighty hard to move very quickly. 😄

Also, dragons!

We didn’t design this, but did have fun printing it!

Presents for the pets

Posted on January 13, 2022 by Tessa

Eve took her pet store gift card and spent it all on presents for the pets. :) She’s so cute. She loves it there too. We had a really fun time shopping. The staff is so friendly and the girl helping us had hot pink hair. Eve will be working there some day!

Thanks for the gift card, Mema! We had a lot of fun with it.

A Saturday morning walk in the sunshine

Posted on September 4, 2021 by Tessa

Eve and I took a walk this morning in the beautiful 70° sunny weather. There were lots of people out and yard sales and joy. We talked about fashion, body image, self positivity, etc. I loved that it was a conversation and not a anime monolog like it usually is when hanging out with Eve. I also loved that she let me take a selfie of the two of us out walking together. I don’t normally take selfies in my exercise clothes, but this one was just necessary.

She is the cutest thing ever. My blue shirt looks soaked in sweat, but it’s actually just a shadow! I wasn’t *that* hot and sweaty!

We found a few other interesting things along the way too.

This is a questionable choice in fencing for the bridge up the street. We both immediately noticed how low it is and how climbable it is. Eve said, “It’s like the built a short ladder instead of a fence.” 🤔

There is a nice little ledge to stand on on the other side of the “fence” as well. With zero trouble both of us could have been standing on this ledge within a minute. 😬

On a lighter note, the fairy door in the tree stump is open! The door has been there forever, but I’ve never seen it open before.

Happy three day weekend! 🌞

A mini photoshoot

Posted on August 28, 2021 by Tessa

Eve and I had fun watching Season 2 of Making the Cut, featuring Gary Graham, a hometown fashion designer. He was the runner up, but we both thought he should have won because his work was so artistic and because he made his own fabric with interesting country inspiration. We both really liked one of his dresses so I bought it for her! It came this weekend and she loves is. The style is rustic, the cut is perfect and fitted, and the fabric is heavy and durable. We talked about the difference in quality between well made products and cheap clothes. Then she added a few of her own unique touches and let me take a few photos!

I love this kid more than words can say. She and I had a fantastic day. After our photo shoot she threw on her usual hoodie and we went to Starbucks and the grocery stores. We laughed and giggled and talked about stuff and it was heart filling. When we got back she took the dog for a walk in the rain, skipping and singing to herself. This evening we cuddled on the couch and watching an episode of Making It, which of course brought on a few more giggles. 😊💗

(if you want to see all the pics, click here)

Mermaids at the lake

Posted on July 5, 2021 by Tessa

We had a break in the rain today so I decided to take everyone to the lake! We brought a few friends along. It was low 80s, sunny, and a really lovely afternoon. The girls swam, some boys kayaked, other boys read, and the moms chatted.

Mermaids at the lake

Reminds me of a recent whale watch. :)

Just lounging about

Lex didn’t actually want to come, but he did a great job putting up with it and keeping the complaining to a minimum. He wasn’t in the mood to swim, so while the girls were in the water….

Fun in the sand

Lex was in the shade! :)

Do you see him way back there?! :)

We stayed for a few hours, then headed home. Ready for another rainy day tomorrow.

Calm and Chaos: Life with kids

Tag Archives: Eve

Camp Update

Governor’s Institute

HBD ERJ

Big little things around here

One Act

Weekend facials

Presents for the pets

A Saturday morning walk in the sunshine

A mini photoshoot

Mermaids at the lake