April 7, 2019

  I don't want this to turn into the Brynn Blog. I didn't do very well this week with this goal.

Not Brynn! This was Sydney's choir concert, where she had a solo part, and had to hold a HIGH A for eight counts.  It was awesome.

The return of warm weather means the return of sandy kids and footprints on my wood floors.

It also means this girl is begging to go outside every minute of the day. It's gotten to the point where I've banned the kids from using the O word ("outside") in her presence.

Have I told you what a terrible eater she is?? She plowed through her pinto beans, but when I suggested she eat her oranges, she told me she couldn't reach them.

Hot dogs for dinner on the patio. Super fancy.

 Tennis for Bailey

Treating us to a lovely, loud rendition of Twinkle Star.

March 31, 2019

This week could be titled, "You win some, you lose some."

A win for Erik.  His team won first place in the city Battle of the Books competition.

Ryan's sweet team, trying to put on brave faces knowing they didn't win this year.  They had such high expectations, having won first place two years ago, and second last year.  We're calling this a learning  experience for him, because he seems to win whatever competition he enters.

Jeff and Erik preparing his catapult for its first test shot.  It didn't go well.  Erik decided to compete in the school catapult contest, but didn't leave much time to work on it considering Jeff's work schedule. They were up late the night before the competition, trying to get a successful launch.  The day of the competition, a misunderstanding of the rules meant Erik's catapult didn't work as planned.  He sets his expectations so high in these kinds of competitions, and then gets so upset when things don't turn out as he hoped.  I had to remind him that this was for fun and that nobody made him sign up for it.

Shelbi was in Odessa Friday and Saturday for the district UIL competitions.  She and her team competed in Number Sense (basically solving math problems in your head), Science, and Mathematics.  She got third in Number Sense, second in Chemistry, fifth in overall Science, and Second in Mathematics.  Her team took first in all events.  She did better than she had hoped and is off to Arlington in a couple of weeks to compete at the regional level.  Definitely a win!

A friendly game of Tenzi before church.  Not sure who won.

Erik is hoping to try out for the 7th grade basketball team next year, but realizes that he's got some practicing to do to be ready.  Without a hoop at our house, all he and Ryan can do is dribble and try to steal the ball from one another.

Brynn, happy as a clam playing in my empty bathtub as I did my hair and makeup.  Eventually that doll ended up with the washcloth draped over its head, making a very spooky ghost.  She's obsessed with "ghosties" these days.

And now, the most important win of the week...

Duke's loss meant I was the big winner of the family bracket contest this year.  

Erik was oh-so-close to winning this year.

March 23, 2019

So far this month...

Guess where we went for Spring Break!

In preparation for our Disney trip, we introduced Brynn to "Frozen."  She loves the snowman from "Frozie."

Dole Whips, a must

We stayed at a hotel at the park and they had this pin ready for her to wear all week.  She loved her "sticker."

She did, however, refuse to wear the birthday ears.

Teacups, a classic

Too exhausted to enjoy her birthday brunch.

This is the dirty look I got when I wished her "Happy Birthday!"

A nice man offered to take our picture so all of us could be in it, but totally cut off the "Foster 2019."  Didn't quite get what we were going for.

Celebrated her birthday once we were back home.  

As soon as Jeff placed the cake in front of her, she started blowing, no matter that we were still mid-Happy Birthday song.

Celebrated Ryan's birthday just a few days later.  Birthday festivities were still fresh in Brynn's mind, so she was right in the action.

Annual March Madness family competition.  I was feeling pretty good about only missing one game the first day, but it's gone down hill since then.

Last night was only the third time the tornado sirens have gone off in Amarillo since we've lived here.  Bailey, Brynn, and I were the only ones home.  I kept my eye on the news and the radar and was fairly certain we weren't in any danger.  But Bailey wanted to stay nice and cozy in our safe spot, just in case.

Just lots of hail after the storm, no damage.

Thoroughly enjoying her "nonut" this morning.

April 8, 2018

  The Easter bunny has a secret talent that I never knew about until a few years ago.  He's really good at coming up with rhymes.  This note to the kids would have taken me a few days to get right, but he did it in about 10 minutes.  

  I went to my bedroom to shut the blinds and found this.  I asked Jeff how much longer he thinks we have until we don't come upon random messes in the house.  He figures 3-5 years.  Then it changes from random to neglectful messes.

Before and after phase 1 of braces for this boy.

"Look! I'm wearing a clip!"

  Wearing their Easter finest, a week late.  Ryan has really mastered his picture pose, whereas Erik still doesn't even look at the camera.  

April 1, 2018

  Spring has officially arrived when it's time to trim all of our decorative grasses for new growth. Incidentally, last year we were doing this with my Mom two days before Brynn was born.  It was just Jeff and I this year.

 These are the bags from the front yard trimmings.  The back yard took about four bags.  Jeff's in the picture to make up for his absence in the Spring Break pictures.  This is just as good.

  It sprinkled rain all day and finished with a proper rain shower in the evening.  I'd take a month straight of these days in the Spring.  Especially this year when we haven't had measurable rain for over 6 months.

  Bailey's teacher took this cute picture of her on cowboy day.  They ate chili and cornbread and played cowboy games.  I love 1st grade.

  Yearly Easter egg dyeing.  The kids pooped out on us again, leaving before all the eggs were colored.

  My neighbors hold an Easter party every year on Easter weekend. The first year it was mainly just our cul de sac and a few extra friends.  This year it was bigger than ever.  She had a food truck come and park in the cul de sac.  Everyone ordered what they wanted for dinner, the kids played on the grass and on bikes and the adults stood around and chatted. It was my favorite year. We live right in the middle of everything, so we just put a blanket out on our lawn and friends would come and sit by us for a while.  I'm a pretty lazy socializer.  

  Later in the evening all the kids hunted for eggs at the golf course and then did confetti eggs at the elementary school playground.  

 Easter/General Conference weekend did not disappoint.  We got to lounge around all Sunday, eating Easter treats, listening to conference and doing new puzzles.  We might be nerds.

  This was probably my favorite part of Easter.  Jeff went out to get the paper and found this on our doorstep Easter morning. I have no idea who it's from.