Winter Weather for the Winter Ball

The week started out on the pickleball court.  January is pickleball in gym class and Josiah and Caroline practiced with their partners on the Monday holiday.  Caroline was hoping to practice serves, but they mostly just played a game.  When they got to gym class, Caroline said they should have practiced their serves.  

On Tuesday the kids were filled with regret about moving to SC.  Our old neighborhood in Texas got four inches of snow.  Four.  It never snowed that much when we were there. But then, that same afternoon, it started snowing for us in SC.  Benson, Caroline, and I were the only ones that went out to play in it.  He absolutely goes crazy happy in the snow.  He is so fun to watch.  It snowed for a few hours and by night they had cancelled school for Wednesday.  The next morning we moved around at a leisurely pace enjoying the break.  That was until Henry checked his school email and discovered his teachers had posted assignments to do on the snow day.  The mood in the house dropped significantly after that.  By giving them assignments, they can make it an e-learning day and then they don't have to make up the day at the end of the year.  We just aren't used to the whole e-learning bit so we forget to check our email early.  They were given a fair amount of work, so that occupied them for the next few hours.  

Henry caught my cold, so he was happy to have the snow day so he could rest more.  He didn't go to school on Thursday either - he had a fever and felt really rough.  He made it to school Friday because he had two tests but when he got in the car at pick-up, he said he felt horrible and has spent the weekend recuperating.  He was supposed to go to the Winter Ball Saturday night but that wasn't happening.  Josiah made it.  Each grade ate dinner at one of their classmate's houses.  They took pictures together and then went to the dance.  This particular dance was held at our school because it was their time to put into practice all the dances they've learned throughout the year.  Once a month, a dance instructor comes to school and teaches line dances among others.  I always get to see Caroline's class dancing because my class has music nearby.  Josiah said because of that, he was forced to dance with people.  He did have a good time, but he was exhausted by the end.  He now seems to have caught Henry's cold and is coughing up a storm.  It's a cacophony of coughing and sneezing around here.  The boys have both appreciated my constant reiteration to Cover! Your! Mouth!

Caroline had quite the weekend.  Todd took her to SWU on Saturday for lunch and basketball.  They went back to a pizza place that makes really good meatball subs.

  

Then they watched half of the women's basketball game.

Currently, Caroline is up in Greenville at the David Crowder concert.  A friend from school, her pickleball partner, invited her.  When Todd looked it up, he discovered it was a Toby Mac concert with David Crowder.  They are both amazing Christian artists/bands.  Toby Mac has been around forever and has a ton of good songs.  It will be a very late night for her, but very worth it.

And Henry photobombed Josiah's dance pictures...

 

Corner Bagel

On Monday, Josiah and Caroline brought home their report cards and we saw with our own eyes their good marks.  At the end of the week we went out to dinner to celebrate their grades.  We tried a local place, Tucker's.  It is a steakhouse, but when it came time to ordering, we all ordered burgers, even Henry who is usually all about the steaks.  Henry said we rushed him into ordering so he didn't have time to think.  

Caroline had more celebrating in her Old Testament class.  If they completed their workbook by a certain date, her teacher said she would bring them to her family's bagel shop.  Caroline said they got to order anything they wanted and when asked for a name for the order, they all said 'Landis,' their teacher's last name.  No charge.  Caroline had a sausage egg and cheese bagel and a grilled muffin.  Then they got a tour of the back of the restaurant to see where all the dough was made.  She had a good time.  They made it back to school in time to enjoy the Upper School nacho bar.  In years past, the school had hot lunches twice a week, but the lady who coordinated them (it was Chick-fil-a and pizza), doesn't work at the school anymore so they ended the program.  So, this year they're trying a few things like a monthly nacho bar.  I was asked to bring a crockpot of ground beef.  That morning, I brought 6 pounds of raw meat, plugged the crockpot into the outlet and set my timer for 3 hours.  Then I went to my class.  When my timer went off, one of the preschool aides checked on it.  She came back and said the crockpot was cold.  Oh. No.  The outlet was a dud and another aide very generously cooked all my meat before the nacho bar opened.  Our kids said it was very good.  The bar that is.  They didn't try my meat.  

In my class this week, one of my students told me I was rude and to stop talking.  I don't think so!  I actually wasn't being rude and I did not stop talking.  There are a few kids that I would love to follow through their teenage years.  What are you going to be like??  The kids also got me sick for the long weekend.  It was bound to happen with the ever constant coughing and sneezing into the air for all to enjoy.  I am a broken record telling them Elbow! to catch their germs. 

I took no pictures this week, but several were left for me.  

And this guy.  

That was the extent of our week.  

Snow and Sixteen!

On Monday, the kids used their last day of vacation in their own ways.  Josiah used his volcano kit.  This was a several day project because he had to make the plaster and let it set for a day.  Then he painted it.  Then he used it as a volcano...several times.  He also made sugar cookies to use in their lunches for the week.

Henry spent the day with neighborhood friends.  He was gone for hours - exploring the creek, playing darts and football, and just hanging out.  Caroline's goal before the start of school was to watch every Harry Potter movie.  She started this goal three days before school started, so she was watching three movies a day.  That takes stamina right there.  

The first day back to school allowed them to view, but not keep, their midterm exams.  They made A's on just about all of them (at least all I've heard about - I suppose there are some I haven't heard about...).  They constantly impress me with their adaptation to school and homework and studying.  This semester, Josiah is taking art.  Technically, he isn't supposed to take it until next year, but he took it upon himself to email the art teacher and inquire about the class - what sorts of projects they do, etc.  She then got him in the class for the spring.  Most of his classmates are juniors and seniors.  Henry has moved from art to drama for the quarter.  Meanwhile, Caroline had drama last quarter and loved it.  Now she has music and she was not looking forward to it at all.  It's more like music theory.  They make the middle schoolers try everything but they can choose in high school.  

At the end of the week, report cards were distributed.  Caroline, for the second time now, left hers at school.  She gets hers in history class, but she's always able to get her history homework done during study hall.  So her book and binder (with report card) sat in her locker all weekend.  She remembered her grades, however, and she did quite well.  She improved in each subject.    

Henry was the only child to bring his report card home, and he, too, improved in each subject.  His Latin grade, which we sort of discount (because he was put in Latin 3), he improved by 13 points.  He did quite well overall.  There is very little room for improvement for the next semester!

Josiah has the only excuse for not bringing his home, because he was never given it.  Technically, they were handed out a day early, because school was cancelled on Friday for snow!   

It started to snow mid-morning on Friday.  We were expected to get 1-3" but it felt like we got less than an inch.  It was the good snow, though.  The kids had a snowball fight and it was very easy to make the snowballs.  

Benson absolutely loved the snow.  He ran around everywhere. He loved loved the snowballs and would run around with one in his mouth before eating it.  We took him out many times to run and by the afternoon he was snoring on the floor.  

The snow turned to freezing rain mid-afternoon, so that was the end of our fun.  We were very, very happy to play in the snow again.  

And then came Saturday.  Josiah turned 16!  He shocked us all when he slept in until 6:30 a.m.  We were all happy for the extra sleep.  In keeping with tradition, we hid his gifts around the house with clues.  

Dinner was his new favorite restaurant...KFC... When it came time for cake, I went to get the candles but remembered I threw them away in Texas.  We improvised and made a 'J' out of a six pack of tea lights.    

Josiah spent his day putting together his new desk chair, a Lego kit, and decorating his room with his new LED lights.  He was very blessed to get a new camcorder from his cousins so we are awaiting his first video.  But what Josiah has played with most of all is his Spiderman webshooter.  I was a bit skeptical as to its quality, but so far it shoots pretty well.  It has a suction cup with string attached, so it has hit many a window and door so far.   

Despite turning sixteen, Josiah still has no interest in driving a car.  He was telling us his plans for college the other day and said he would catch a ride with Todd when he went to work.  

We are back to school as normal in the morning.  The spring semester has a lot less breaks than the fall, so here we go.  

Christmas Time Is Here

Christmas with the Immediate

This Christmas, Henry was in for the biggest surprise.  Weeks ago when I asked the kids for gift ideas, he gave me none.  Absolutely zero.  No hints.  Nothing.  Then, a few days before Christmas, he kept asking if he was going to get what he asked for.  Definitely.  He made out just fine and spent his day working on his Costco warehouse puzzle, throwing his new football, and putting together a very large Lego kit.  

Josiah is always the most excited about Christmas.  He has the same excitement that he's had since he understood what Christmas was all about.  He cannot fall asleep on Christmas Eve because of the excitement.  On Christmas morning, he woke up at 1:00 a.m. and, fortunately, was able to go back to sleep until 4:30 a.m.  Then he was forced to wait, which is pretty hard at 4:30 in the morning.  6:30 a.m. was the agreed upon wake-up time, but Josiah woke up Henry and Caroline at 6:20 as a warning -- 6:30 was coming soon.  He warned them again at 6:25 before officially waking them up at 6:30.  

Josiah is also the easiest kid in the world to shop for.  He likes and wants everything.  He likes stuff and he always has an endless list of items he'd love.  It's hard to surprise him sometimes because of it.  For Christmas, he got a phone tripod with a remote so he can take pictures and start video from a distance.  It was to help out his filmmaking endeavors with friends.  He, too, worked on a new Lego kit all morning long.

Caroline gave me her three gift ideas weeks ago, but then put the onus on me to remember them.  When I asked for a reminder - just to verify - she said what was said was said and it was on me to pull it out of the file folder of ideas in my head.  Okay.  Risky.  She is now into face products and clothing.  A big leap from the kid gifts.  This was her year of sweaters.  Here's a green one! A teal one! A brown one!

Josiah gifted Todd the painting he did of our house.  Now I have to figure out how to frame canvases so we can display his artwork properly.  

Benson was hilarious when we opened our gifts.  He would pick up some wrapping paper then trot off to the living room and tear it in pieces.  He didn't eat it, just tore it up.  So, he had his own fun that morning.  His big gift this year was a new dog bed.  In Texas, we always tried to look for the coolest material for the dog beds.  Now we can look for cozier, warmer fabrics.  It was vacuum sealed and once opened, it just kept growing.  It is big enough for Benson and a child and they often cozy up with him on his bed.  Benson also got a new collar.  Todd went with army green, which looks good with his harness.  

We spent a lot of Christmas outside.  We played four square, my first time in 30 odd years.  Caroline and I played volleyball until our arms and wrists hurt.  She played with Josiah as well.  Henry and I threw his new football while the other three threw his old one.  We got a lot of football time in at the beginning of the week before the rain started towards the end.

Josiah's wish over the Christmas break was to get KFC.  It has been his wish to get KFC for probably a year now.  I made him wait until Todd could take him.  They decided it should be an annual thing.  All enjoyed the chicken, but Henry surprised us with how big a fan he was.  Josiah said it was finger lickin' good.  

Caroline finished out Christmas week at a birthday party.  Despite the temperatures being in the 40s, they stayed outside nearly the whole party - playing sardines (a version of hide and seek) and pickleball.  Caroline loved pickleball.  

Josiah finished out his week with a low taper fade.  He loves his new hair and is planning on keeping it this way.  

We spent the weekend hanging up pictures.  Those have been the final boxes that are hardest to unpack - all the picture frames and things we had on our walls in the old house.  It is amazing how much cheerier the rooms look with pictures on the walls. 

We also made it to the movies over the break.  We saw The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, which has been a favorite book of ours.  They stayed pretty true to the book, which was nice, but we all had different images of the Herdmans in our heads that conflicted with their portrayal onscreen.  Josiah thought they should all have dark hair.  I pictured them younger.  But it was a good movie.  Good message.

Christmas with the Extended

We drove up to Staunton last Sunday and spent the day staying ahead of the storms.  All through South Carolina and North Carolina, we received emergency alerts about severe thunderstorms and tornadoes.  We were told to take shelter immediately at least five times, but when I listened to the counties affected, we would nearly be out of them, so the wisest move was to keep driving.  The kids asked if we were okay each time we got an alert (I stopped counting after 10).  The rain was my gauge - if it wasn't raining too terribly hard, I figured we were still ahead of the worst of it.  We made it unscathed, although we did miss our scenic outlooks on the mountains.  Our beautiful view of the inside of a cloud:

At Grandma and Grandpa's, we were able to meet Max's cat, Carlos.  There was instant love and Henry hesitantly said he may be a cat person.  He loved Carlos.  

Josiah and Caroline did as well.  

We had fun exchanging gifts.  

Despite the long drive, Caroline made cookies with Aunt Claire that first evening.  They had stamina!

The following day, we went to Gypsy Hill Park to see their Christmas displays.  Josiah wanted a photo with each one.  He got most of them.  

Henry acquiesced to our request to take a picture of him under his Merry Christmas Henry sign.  In smaller letters it said, Funeral Home and Cremation Center.  

All the kids enjoyed climbing the hills and Caroline found herself a walking log.  When it was time to leave, she brought it right in the car and it is currently on our porch in South Carolina.  

We were so happy to see cousins again.  We missed them this summer.  Caroline read to Arthur and she played with Eleanor.  

Henry and Josiah helped Arthur make his Lego kit from Grandma and Grandpa.  

It was tough to leave fun times and family.

New Year's Eve, we drove down to Hampton to see Nana and Grandad.  This was a much easier drive, with neither rain nor traffic.  Despite the strong wind, we tried to play badminton several times.  The boys and I played a little baseball, too.  

One evening we played Bingo with prizes.  When Josiah won, he and Abe played the rest of the rounds together.  And when Caroline won, George stuck around, too.

These were each short trips - only about a day and a half at each house.  So, it was tough to leave family again and trek back to SC.  

One reason for the short visits was because we had to get home by Friday.  We had our new patio furniture set to arrive.  This was our fourth delivery appointment so we were a little apprehensive that it would actually show.  Fourth time's a charm, however, and it looks great.  Now we need temperatures over 30° to really enjoy it!

At home, I put together Caroline's favorite Christmas gift - a bread box.  She always made comments that our kitchen countertops would be so much cleaner if only we had a spot to put the bread.  And a Christmas gift was born.  Her face says it all.  

We have one last day of break tomorrow and then it's the start of the spring semester.