Weekly Wrap Up: Braces and a Birthday

Well, we have started our hurricane prep. I recieved our emergency phone call from the county today saying, "Now is the time to prepare for hurricane Florence". Paul has the generator hooked up and plenty of gas and we have water and won't starve. I'm hoping with all this prepping we won't loose power. My fear is a tree falling on the house. We are surrounded by trees....lots of trees. I'm praying that it won't be as bad as we are anticipating. 

We had a good week. Only a three day school week for us. We celebrated Labor Day with a cookout at my parents. I was too busy enjoying the pool and the company that I didn't get any pictures. I'm hoping to get in more pool time next year. The kids have enjoyed it this summer though. I think they spent a day every week in the pool. It's the first year that Kristen has actually tanned. 

Here are some pictures from our week...

We did watch Chitty Chitty Bang Bang...or half of it. It was really long. I don't remember it being that long. We had good intentions to watch the other half. Well, Kristen and I did...everyone else was over it. I did make Monsieur Bon Bon's "Fooj", which was fudge...but really hard fudge. I couldn't cut it with a knife and had to break it apart. Dallas told me that next time I didn't need to freeze it as long. Umm...I didn't freeze it at all.

So, Kristen loves writing. We started her writing curriculum back up this month. She started with learning how to research a topic and had to write a short paper. It was really just an introduction to a research paper. She really enjoyed it and decided to work on her free time on it and also wanted to type her paper. I wasn't going to complain.

She decided to do her research on Fennec Foxes and also did a display for us and a presentation. 

She wants to do a research paper a month. I mean really? Maybe she has a future in writing.

She also got her bottom braces on this week. 

She was dreading it. She has one tooth that sits back farther than the rest and since her teeth were so sore with the top braces, she just knew it was going to be really sore moving that tooth up. She was happy when they didn't put anything on that tooth. They have to make room for it first. While her teeth have been sore, they haven't been as sore as when she got her top. It is the first time we have had to use the wax though. They seem to be rubbing, where her top braces didn't. 

And Dallas washed some cars for a fundraiser for Cub Scouts. It was not a great day for car washing though. But he looked very cute in his Tiger hat. I mean, I'd stop and let him wash my car. 

And we celebrated my dad's birthday. We couldn't fit 67 candles on the cake, but it sure looks like we did.

Those were the brightest candles. Dallas said, "Wow, it just got very bright in here". We are so blessed having Meme and Papaw in our lives. They deserve to be celebrated more than just their birthday's, so we made them both a special gift for Grandparents Day. 

And lastly, I have to share my success at growing some flowers from seeds. I planted them in the spring and spring sprung and nothing happened...until August when they decided to bloom. I had another flower that I planted. I think it was a runner of some sort and it took over fast. It tried to kill these poor little flowers. Like I really need any help with that. I couldn't unwind them, so I had to pull them. But, we've been able to enjoy them more being inside. This is all we got from the many seeds planted. I'm going to try it again next year. I really do want to be surrounded by flowers, but I just forget to water them or water them too much. 

Weekly Wrap Up: Spy School

Dun dun dun dun

Dun dun dun dun

Dun dun dun dun

Dun dun dun dun

That was my written rendition of the theme song for Mission Impossible, which was probably impossible to figure out. 

But...this boy learned to tie his shoes this week. Not quite a mission impossible, but one he learned in a day! Once he sets his mind to it, he doesn't quit until he's accomplished the task.

He was so proud of himself! Another milestone met...another task he doesn't need my help with. It's kinda sad. 

Sooooo....this week was Spy School. My kids are obsessed with Spy shows/movies and books. KC Undercover, Spy kids the movie, Heidie Hecklebeck and the Snoopy Spy, and The Boxcar Children Spy Game...just to name a few. Before our neighbors moved, all of the girls sat down and came up with a secret code so they would be able to communicate without the boys being able to read it. It was quite brilliant and very effective. Of course, they would always spy on each other and none of them thought the others knew where their secret hiding spot was, but they all knew....hence the spying. 

When I was planning the school year and searching Pinterest for hours at a time, I came across a website where someone had put together a spy school for their kids. I originally thought our neighbors could participate in it too, but they sadly moved away. Although my kids weren't able to get to do this with their friends, they still had a great time and had tons of laughs. 

On our first day of spy school we made our spy identification cards.

They had to write a message in "invisible ink" (lemon juice) to someone and that person had to go and decipher it. Once they put it under a hair dryer the message appeared, but you had to do it before the lemon juice dried. 

While all of this was spy-ish and semi-fun, the real fun was when they got to go through the "invisible laser maze". That wasn't invisible...or laser...or a maze really...but it was fun. 

Kristen was the fastest, all times. She moved very quickly and inspected the course prior to going through so she would know the best way to go. 

Poor Lauren was the slowest. Her elbows kept hitting the string when she went through on her belly, so she decided to go through it on her back, which made her move as sssllloooowwww as a ssssllloooottthhhh. 

And Dallas couldn't keep his backside down enough to make it through. He really needs to work on his military crawl. 

The best part about this mission was the teamwork it promoted. Everyone helped everyone and wanted them to do their best....it was a good mom moment watching them be so helpful.

And while THAT was spy-ish and fun, the real fun part came when they made marshmallow shooters and shot each other as they completed the course. Now, my original marshmallow shooter was going to be made with a styrofoam cup and balloon, but that didn't work. Then we tried a red solo cup and a balloon and that didn't work. We ended up using toilet paper rolls and a balloon, but in the end it was more effective to just throw handfuls of marshmallows at each other. 

Every time Dallas would pick one up, he would say, "Five second rule" and eat the marshmallows. They were on the floor for a lot longer than five seconds. 

In the end, this is what my kitchen floor looked like. Actually, I think it was worse. 

One thing I didn't take into consideration was the fact that these marshmallows would get trampled on, and even after mopping my floor, it was still sticky in spots. It required me going around with a magic eraser. Multiple times a day. For multiple days. My biggest pet peeve is sticky stuff on a floor. Eww.

On day two they had to walk a tightrope and stay on the tightrope, even though there were distractions. The distractions being things being thrown at them. I think they were all a little too happy for this mission.

Then....da da dum...we had a nerf gun war. I thought Lauren looked all cute with her bag, but then she started pulling extra bullets out when we had all fired ours. She basically let us waste all of our bullets, then she went to war on us before we could reload. Brilliant!

It's all fun and games until someone gets shot in the nose...accidently...by their mother...oops.

In the chaos, I snuck off and hid in Dallas' closet. They decided to to have a secret meeting in Dallas' room to figure out where I was. Lauren was supposed to check the closet and said she had. The only thing she did was jiggle the door handle like she was going to open it. So I knew exactly what they were planning and was planning a sneak attack of my own. Dallas kept yelling, "Mom, this is a nerf gun war not a nerf gun hide" and "if you don't come out you're disqualified". Lauren was hoping I wouldn't be found so she wouldn't have to do school. In the end, I did sneak attack them, but my aim was a little off causing our first wounding. 

Day three brought disguises. Kristen had the best. Dallas was too cool to participate. 

They also learned to dust for fingerprints.

And they had to unfreeze things using their "laser" beam. I froze marbles in ice cube trays and they used water squirters to unfreeze them. 

Day four was the day they put their MacGyver skills to work and made magnifying glasses out of soda bottles. 

They had no clue who MacGyver was, but they did a good job cutting out a circle from the curved end of a plastic soda bottle.

They then put a few drops of water on it, which made it magnify, and tried to find things in I Spy books.

We haven't finished Spy School. They still have one more day to go, and boy are they looking forward to that. Our Friday was a little busier than I was hoping it would be.

School this week was great. We've enjoyed our light load, but that changes on Tuesday. I'm anxious to see how our schedule will work. 

We finished our book for August...Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. I didn't realize it was a series. I'm hoping to watch the movie this week. 

And Dallas was really dedicated to school on Thursday. Even with a nose bleed he still did his school. Didn't even take a break.

He's so cute, and getting so big. 

And, just like that....another summer is over

Weekly Wrap Up: Paratroopers and the Tooth Fairy

Yep! School's back in session.

Forty-five books checked out from the library, and the last thing you want to hear when standing at the checkout counter with your two full bags and three armfuls of books is, "Ms. Harris, the library manager would like to speak to you." Ummm...okay. That has never happened to me, EVER. Even when loosing a book or having an $8 library fine. We follow all the library rules, pay our fines in a pretty reasonable time and my kids are mostly quiet (when they're not arguing). Well, Dallas does like to jump off the stools, but surely we aren't getting in trouble for that. I do use the kids library cards to put school books on hold. Maybe there's a limit of books per family? Maybe they had a meeting and Ms. Harris and all her checkouts came up? Shouldn't my love for books make them happy? My mind ran through 800 scenarios, but never came up with the actual reason the library manager wanted to "speak to me". Apparently, a book I placed on hold is missing. It's their only copy, but they've ordered another one, but it won't be available for a month or two. Whew...no worries there. She even looked it up on Amazon and told me if I needed it before then she found it used in good condition for $4.99 and free shipping. She wanted me to know my options. Wow! That's why we love the library. They do want us to love books and they're not having secret meetings about me. 

School went great this week. We're starting with the basics: Bible, reading, math, language arts and vocabulary. We'll add in writing, science, history/social studies and some other stuff in September. I'm hoping our school day will still be the same length. Right now we typically start around 9:30 and go until 12:30. Since each kiddo is doing their own history/social studies this year, it might take a little longer. Meaning, we might have to start earlier, much to the dismay of the girls. They have a hard time getting up at 8:00 as it is.  I just really like being done by lunch. It's so hard for my kids to refocus after lunch. It's when we have the most tears and meltdowns, myself included. 

Dallas lost his first tooth during Taco Tuesday at my sister's house.

This is our last first tooth. I really hate for him to loose his teeth. They're so little and cute and the teeth coming in are so big and awkward. It's going to change his appearance so much and remind me everyday that my little boy is growing up. We did find out at his last dentist appointment that he is genetically missing his lateral incisor's, so hopefully he won't need braces. 

He was a little sad because that was his favorite tooth. Then he put the Tooth Fairy pillow in the living room because he didn't want the Tooth Fairy coming in his room while he slept. 

In the end he was happy though. 

And the one thing I have learned during all of this is to always save my dollar bills because you never know when a tooth will fall out, or be pulled out. Thank you to Meme and Papaw for coming through at the last minute, but if it had been up to Papaw, Dallas would be a lot richer. Let me just say, the "Tooth Fairy" wasn't that generous when I was a little kid. 

Speaking of teeth, Kristen got four spacers put in this week to get her teeth prepared for her bottom braces that will go on in September. It's amazing how much straighter her top teeth look in just two months!

Dallas, Paul and myself had an exciting Thursday. We decided to sign Dallas up for Cub Scouts this year. He just wants to do fun things like the girls, but with Paul.  We are super excited for this opportunity. We got invited to an event at Blackstone Army Airfield and got to meet the Troop Leader and some of the parents on Thursday. It was a great experience.

The most exciting part was watching Paratroopers jump from a Chinook. 

The Paratroopers flew in from Fort Lee. The Chinook and crew actually flew in from a base in Pennsylvania. The first group that jumped were, I guess you could say, the professional Paratroopers. They jump from 10,000 feet up in the air. Ummm....no thank you. That helicopter was rrreeeaaaalllllyyyy high up, and they didn't make it all the way up to 10,000 feet. I think they jumped at like 9,000 feet. By the time it made it up there, it was a speck in the sky. I like the ground too much to do that. 

After they jumped, they then had to walk a very long way to make it to the hanger where we were at, lugging everything with them. If they would've let me drive the hummer, I would've went and picked them all up. 

We were able to see the second group preparing for their jump and talk to them before they went up. The General from Fort Lee made an appearance too. 

The second group that was jumping were students. They were completing their course and to graduate they had to pack their own parachute and jump using that parachute. While the Chinook looked big, it didn't look big enough to hold all of them who were left to jump. But, once we were able to go inside I realized it's huge!

Their parachutes were different from the first group that jumped. There was a reason for this, I just can't remember what it was. Since they weren't professionals yet, they only jumped from 1,500 feet. Still way too high for me. I've been on the drop zone at Kings Dominion once, so I imagine jumping from an airplane to be like a really high drop zone, without the teenager running the ride. Who would want to do that?

The problem was it was really windy, so only about half, maybe a little more, were able to jump. They had to fill the Chinook up two times with gas while we were there. That's how much flying around they were doing. It gets about 3 hours flight time on a full tank of gas. 

Dallas was also able to sit in a Hummer. The doors on these vehicles are so heavy! It's amazing what these vehicles can do.

He got to take a look at a Military Ambulance.

Two helicopters were coming in to fuel, so they let us inside the helicopters. 

Dallas and Paul also got to go up in the air traffic control tower.

They fed us hot dogs, potato salad and fruit. The Boy Scouts provided the water, grills and cobblers. It was a pretty awesome day!

The girls had their kickoff for Girl Scouts. We normally never make it to this event because it always falls on the weekend we have Lauren's birthday party, but we were able to make it to this one. 

The girls look forward to getting their Girl Scout yearbooks every year, so that was the main excitement of this event for them. 

It really is a great idea. We've been really blessed with a great leader. When I grow up I want to be just like her! She leads all of the groups with only a co-leader for after school Daisies. And she has it together. 

The kickoff was a spaghetti dinner and ice cream social that the Cadettes led. It was part of their Silver award. They painted a labyrinth at New Life United Methodist Church.

I had no idea what a labyrinth was, but apparently they are found in cathedrals all over Europe. Basically it's a maze used for meditation or prayer. You have to be quiet while walking the labyrinth and this particular labyrinth takes about ten minutes from start to finish. Each group of girls got to walk it.

After everyone went through, I then walked the labyrinth and it was really calming to walk and pray for ten minutes with no interruptions. I think I'm going to need one in my backyard. 

The girls also got to play some games, including Kristen's favorite game...Gaga ball. I found out that she's really good at it too. She won most rounds and was always the last two people left. I think she only lost one round. These girls love Gaga ball. It does look fun.

It was a great kickoff with great friends. We're excited to start another year in Girl Scouts. This makes Kristen's 7th year and Lauren's 6th year. Kristen will be a Cadette and Lauren will be a Junior. 

Some other happenings this week:

Lauren's final birthday gift came.

She needed headphones. She loves listening to music on her Kindle and I was tired of hearing, "Turn it down Lauren". So now she doesn't have to. Hopefully she won't break these. 

We also made edible slime, per Kristen's request.

It was basically just edible and not very slime like.