Rhett Update

We're quickly closing in on his birthday. So exciting. He's still playing hockey and is enjoying it. Sure, it can be hard to get him to go to hockey, but once he's there he has a good time. I get that. At school he's doing fine. We picked his middle school and even chose his classes. I'm still in disbelief that in six months I'll have a middle schooler. So weird. He loves scouts and thinks he'll keep doing it even after the church isn't. He sleeps in the weirdest positions and would prefer to sleep in one of his polo shirts, if only I'd let him. He's had a couple of band concerts with school, so that's been good for him. He loves reading, but loves reading books below his level and repeatedly. We're trying to change that.





He's definitely in an easier stage right now, for which I'm grateful. I expect (or just am preparing for) that to change come sixth grade.

Rhett

I can't believe this boy is almost 11! This time next year he'll be a deacon. Big kids are the best kids (says the woman with no actual big kids quite yet). I got to take him in December to an event at the Capitals hockey complex. We skated with NHL mascots (and got photobombed by one!) and then waited outside in the mist to see if any players happened by. We got lucky! Lars Eller, the player who scored the game-winning goal in the Stanley Cup finals game, came out and graciously signed Rhett's jersey. So cool.

And, in other super fun news for him, he gets to go to scout camp this year! He'll only be 11, but as 11-year-old scout in the "real world" camp, our ward thought ours should too. It happens while I'll be at girls camp, which is both good and bad for Chuck and Ollie.

This is the closest either of my kids has ever come to a character of any kind. Ever.


Can you find Rhett?

Fun with Trampolines and Cameras

My boys love taking my camera. They especially love taking the camera to capture themselves jumping on the tramp. They take 100 pictures and about five are good. Here are those five. Note: There are more pictures of Ollie simply because Rhett is a better photographer.

Field Trip to Mount Vernon

Back in November I got to go with Rhett to Mount Vernon for a field trip. We won't talk about the horrible traffic we experienced both ways. Thank goodness for in-bus DVD players.

We did all the things you should do: churn butter, weave, put flowers on Washington's grave. It was a gorgeous day, and I was lucky to go. Especially because Rhett still thinks it's cool for me to go.











Haha. Kids.

Fun with Picture Collages

A few weeks ago the boys were creating some collages with people. Unfortunately for them, we don't have that many magazines in the house that they can create with. Fortunately for them, I did have a bunch of pictures I printed years ago that they could use. Holy crap. It was the most fun our family had together in a long time! We were all just laughing and giggling at every single creation. I highly recommend it. The next time Shutterfly offers 100 prints for a dollar, I'm doing it!

Finally...The First Day of School

FINALLY. Holy crap. This starting after Labor Day is killing me. But finally the first day of school came. I swear that Monday night was as exciting as Christmas Eve...at least for me. We did our usual prep the day before by stamping shirts and getting blessings. And, of course, I had to start the cinnamon rolls.




Holy crap. I really really love these things.






And then it was time to go! Rhett is starting his last year of elementary school, and he's in yet another new-to-him school building. He has two teachers, one for math/science and the other for the literacy/social studies. It's a nice introduction to middle school. Ollie is in second grade, in his second year in the new building. We love it there. Both boys are doing okay and at least one of them is happy to be back in school, but that's only because he hasn't had too much homework yet. We already lost, but then found, one lunch bag and fight daily about the "no screens after school" thing, but I think we're all adjusting okay.

Kid Kayaks

Remember how we rented kayaks at Rocky Gap? And then remember how after 15 minutes Ollie got bored and I had to take him back to shore? Then remember how I traded the double kayak for a single? Well guess what? Single kayaks are AMAZING. I could not get over how much lighter and easier to maneuver they are. I had so much fun and really enjoyed it compared to when I have to single-handedly propel me and a child in a double. It got me thinking: what if the boys had their own kayaks? Rhett and a buddy shared one at Rocky Gap and it was so much fun to watch them go, but also a little hard to see them struggle to try to control it (and control each other). So I scoured Craigslist for about a day, when two child-sized sit-upon kayaks came up for sale. Chuck and I talked about it and decided to go for it.

A lot of the campgrounds we stay at have some sort of lake. However, because we frequently camp in the off-season, we're not able to rent boats. So having these would be excellent and give us one more thing to do while camping. Plus, they're small. They fit in the Scamp, so we don't have to get a roof rack. And if we're just going locally, they fit in the car (not well, but we make it work).

We took them out the first weekend after we got them and they were amazing! I expected my boys to last maybe 15 minutes, but they paddled around for AN ENTIRE HOUR. They stayed together and even made my little mama heart beat fast because they were so far from the shore (and therefore from me!). I expected Ollie would be comfortable straying far, but not Rhett. I thought for sure he'd hug the shore, but nope. They were off and gone.

We're camping at another lake this weekend, and I'm so excited to give the boys another chance to try them out. (I should add: Chuck took them out in August. Ollie was freaked out by signs warning them about the (bad) quality of the water. Sigh.)

Classic Rhett: obeying all safety rules.


Classic Ollie: making a ridiculous face.


Also classic Ollie: shirking all work.


Brothers high five!

Last Day of School

After an additional three days (thanks snow--and no, that's not sarcastic), the boys finally got their last day. Well, technically Rhett had only an additional two days. His school is being redone and so they give teachers an additional day to pack up because they'll be moving into the new building this fall.

They both had fun days but were happy to have it all over with. And of course: candygrams! I put Chuck in charge this year and he did a way better job than I did. Looks like someone got himself a new job.

Overall, it was a good year. Ollie did SO GREAT with his teacher. Oh how I wish she was doing second grade this fall. Rhett, well, he did okay. Academically he was fine. The program was just enough of a push for him, but not too much so that it pushed him over the edge. His behavior, however, could have seen some improvement. But here's to summer!

Another (overly long) Video

The boys have been having too much fun with making movies. Although, I think they're really only fun for them because ain't nobody want to watch this 12-minute video. But try it if you dare!

How To Make a Fort

Last Saturday Chuck was on a Scout campout, so I was alone with the boys. I showed them a video of two of their cousins doing a trampoline routine, and encouraged them to make their own. I thought this was a great idea. So did they...until it just turned into fighting and yelling, like so many things. However, by Monday the animosity had abated somewhat so I thought we'd do it for Family Home Evening. The boys had a lot of fun. I was just happy to sit there recording. And Chuck was totally into his job as prop manager.

Spring Break, Part 3

We didn't sleep as long as I'd hoped (but I've been parenting long enough to know better than to hope to sleep long), but given it was (1) early and (2) chilly, Rhett was happy to stay in bed while I went running. I planned to just run on the hotel's treadmill, but I couldn't do it. I can't be in NYC and not run on the High Line! I was cold (I packed for an indoor run), but it was so worth it, as I'll find out later.

Saturday's Itinerary:
Breakfast
Dylan's Candy Bar
Central Park biking
High Line

I was so impressed Rhett knew this was the Flatiron building...until he told me it was in some video game. Ha.


Oreo pancakes for breakfast. Rhett had never been in a restaurant for breakfast, so that alone was a treat.


Another candy store.


It turned out to be such a lovely day! The park was crazy crowded, but it was still super enjoyable.




There was just enough time for a walk on the High Line. I could not get over how many people were there at 2 p.m. compared to my 7 a.m. run. I know: it's NYC. I should have known. But DANG. Next time it's the first thing we do in the morning.


We both had a really fun time. I gotta say, riding Amtrak was awesome! It was quieter than a regular car and had more space than a plane. We had a bit of anxiety getting on in New York, but a very nice woman gave up her seat so we could sit next to each other. I totally endorse taking the train.

Spring Break, Part 2

Every time we go downtown D.C., Rhett complains that there aren't any skyscrapers. So when I started thinking about his 10th birthday, I thought it would be fun if I took him on a special mom-and-10-year-old trip to New York City. Chuck doesn't really like it, and Ollie would have been really obnoxious. Plus, I generally like my kids more when it's just one-on-one. So we went! It was quick: we left early Friday morning on the train and returned Saturday night. But because NYC is all about walking, it's enough.

I really wanted him to pick the things we did. So I gave him some ideas and let him pick. Here's the itinerary for Friday:
Lego Store
Nintendo Store
M&M Store
Statue of Liberty (via the Staten Island Ferry, so just views from the boat)
Trinity Church (to see Hamiltons' graves because he's almost as big a fan as I)
Economy Candy (because, duh)
Pizza.





Raspberry M&Ms are delicious!


He's been playing Zelda a lot and apparently this is a villain from the game. On one particularly whiny stretch of walking, I had him explain the game to me. I remember none of it, but I did stop the whining (temporarily).










Although it was only 6, we were both happy to get to the hotel and finish the pizza in bed while watching TV. Perfection.