Beach Meet 2020

Before I share the video compilation for last weekend's meet, I thought I'd share a couple of pics from Vocabulary Parade day.  Ryleigh so wanted to be a bottle of Coke.  But, her parameters were that the vocabulary word had to reflect something they've already studied.  So, since they talked about the states of matter in science, we decided she would be "fluid."

And, RJ didn't really care--at first.  So, I chose his word to reflect his obsession with Minecraft.  Then the day before the parade, his teacher also said to make their chosen vocabulary word related to what they've been studying.  Well, luckily for RJ, Mom had chosen, "obsidian," which reflected Minecraft and his class's recent discussions about volcanoes.

Lastly, enjoy this month's meet recap.  Ryleigh's bar score is a personal best.  She so wants a 9.5 or better so she can sign a special board at the gym.  She's so close--maybe next time!

Until next time, cheers!

Tinkering/Crafting

We are all starting to feel settled back into a routine.  We all survived our first full week of school/work/volunteering, and now we're ready to do it all over again.

I didn't have a chance to share Ryleigh's gymnastics team pics before.  They came in super late, and well, other things took priority.  But, here they are.

Please forgive the poor quality.  I scanned them in.  The gym's photographer doesn't do digital files.  All the parents are trying to figure out if he checked the calendar to see that it is 2020.  Oh well.

Meanwhile, I did keep Jip busy with a few projects.  And, a couple more are waiting in the wings.  He built two boxes using furring strips and a cheap paneling.  Two types of casters, hinges, a hasp, and a handle made it so much better for storing my Christmas trees.

And, see that Noel sign in the last pic.  He helped me make that, too.  He used some of the leftover 1/4" plywood from the boxes for the porch and put some furring on the back to frame it/stiffen it up.  Then we painted it white paint, applied vinyl stencils that I designed and cut, painted the whole thing red, removed the stencils, and added a wreath that will light up.  I'm trying to use up some of the red paint that I bought waaaaaay too much of for the boxes for the porch, so if you have any more ideas, lay them on me.  Anyway, the sign fit perfectly on top of my white tree.

Jip's next two projects aren't time sensitive, but he has the supplies for when he is feeling ready.  He is going to make a display shelf/rack for gymnastics awards.  And, he is going to make a collapsible display for my Christmas village (obviously there is nooooo hurry on that one except to get the wood out of the way in the garage).

I spent a little time repurposing plastic trail mix jars into Lego minifigure storage.  We had outgrown the two I made in San Diego and those have been through kids drawing on them, guests scratching off the paint for fun, and more.  So, now we have three fresh jars.  Now if I could only get the kids to leave the heads and hands on the minifigs,  :/

Ryleigh has another meet this weekend.  She also has a playdate.  RJ has two birthday parties.  Jip and I have about 8 hours of scheduled gymnastics parent hours scheduled.  Good thing we have Monday off to recover!

As always, pics to come.  Until next time, cheers!

Holiday(s) 2019

I know.  It's been awhile since I blogged.  So, here's what's happened since my last post.

The kids' dance studio hosted a parent observation of a class.  Here are my favorite dancers.

We had a lovely Christmas day.  The kids opened the stuff in their stockings and quietly played while Jip and I took our time getting up that morning.  We then opened gifts, ate pancakes, built Legos, had a late lunch with one of Jip's officers who was without his family, and then just chilled.

Jip and I had another holiday party on the 28th, so the kids got to hang out with Meghan that afternoon.  We hosted two sleepovers during the break.  And, we went to Cirque de Soleil.  We each had a favorite part of the show, which made it even more fun as we all reminded each other afterward about how awesome the performers were.

Ryleigh had a few gymnastics practices and RJ coded and went to an all-day Minecraft camp.  Then it was back to school on the 2nd.

We hope your holidays were as lovely as ours.  We are eager to get back to our routines--at least until we have some sort of weather interruption.  :)

Until next time, cheers!