NEW CHICKS

Cora and I stopped by Tractor Supply for some chicken feed after we finished up at the cookie booth and they had BABIES already! Her coos and "Aw, they're SO CUUUTE" and the fact that they had bantams sold me that we should just go ahead and start our spring chick season early (don't worry, I checked with Jay before purchasing).

When we got to the car she asked if she could hold them on the way home and when I said yes she literally started crying tears of joy she was so happy. Her love of animals (especially baby animals) is so strong!

Cora is the BEST little chicken mama... she feeds them, keeps their water dish filled, checks their bottoms (days old chicks often have a condition called "pasty butt" that they need assistance clearing out), helps clean their bin, and gives them plenty of attention so that they grow up to be friendly hens!

James likes the chicks (and hens) too, but his interest is not nearly as strong as Cora's. She IS going to be a farmer someday, after all, so she's starting her training now (her words, not mine).

We got 2 bantams (that we later discovered are Silkies!), 2 Rhode Island Reds (guaranteed to be females), and 2 orpingtons (color variety unknown, but probably buffs).

(The tiny bantams and their feathered feet are Cora's favorites)

A week later we added a pair of white leghorns (known to lay daily and be really friendly, and also guaranteed female) and Cora got to have tiny babies all over again - she was in heaven!

JUST THE GIRLS

You may have noticed my mention of how QUIET it was during the all-boy sleepover... Cora spent the night at the Kennedys with Lauren and had the absolute best time! Christina and Al even let them go out to dinner in their princess dresses! Actually, I don't think they changed out of their princess dresses all evening (or the next morning) except for pajama time... I hear the girls were easier when it was just them, so we may have to do this sleepover thing as a switcheroo every now and then (though it is nice to get a full night off from the kiddos sometimes too!)

Coloring at dinner:

Finding painted rocks:

Snoozing with their American Girl dolls:

Painting their own rocks to hide:

Breakfast fit for princesses... pink pancakes and sprinkles!

Not sure we can top that the next time they're at our house, but we'll do our best!

VIDEO GAMES AND LASER TAG

That's what 9-year-old boys are made of!

James' birthday started out with presents, followed by two soccer games (Cora's Rec game in Bovina, his round robin Rec+ in Clinton), dropping Cora off at the Kennedys and picking up Will (then Adler, then Coltin - I bet that was a sight in my van - Jay did the round up so we could get the party rolling, since we were running later than planned due to last minute soccer schedule changes), and ending with a sleepover with his 3 favorite friends.

The Rec+ team has over 15 players, but not everyone attends every tournament. Their neon socks are the color "Volt", so they've named themselves the VSO Volts!

Once the party commenced, the boys started off on their handheld Switches, but eventually we convinced them to put a set up on the big screen. They played games, watched a movie (Percy Jackson), ate dinner (I decided to try and accomodate everyone's wishes. so we created a buffet and let them have whatever they wanted), played more games, talked, read, and eventually crashed around 1:00am (from what I hear... I crashed at 10:00pm and left Jay to supervise - not that they needed supervision - they were so well behaved and polite and even somewhat quiet - it was actually our goal to just give them space downstairs to do as they wished and it worked out perfectly).

(We figured the boys would crash on the couch and blow-up mattress, but we found them all back in James' room by midnight - Coltin in the top bunk, James in his, and Will and Adler tucked into sleeping bags on the floor).

(Cora was SO worried that the boys would get into her stuff... I promised her they'd be playing video games and would have no interest in her Calico Critters, but she didn't believe me...)

We had late night birthday cake (9:00pm maybe?) and the boys made me smile big with their willingness to sing to James and pose for a fun photo (I tried hard not to take many during the night because I really did want to just let them be)!

(Little bit sunburned from all the time on soccer fields today, but dang it if that isn't the cutest little happy smile - he really enjoyed his day!)

Obviously the boys slept in (some longer than others). Will was up first, with James close behind him, so they jumped on their Switches to battle it out in MarioKart while Jay and I prepped a big breakfast (no donuts this time - they requested pancakes and bacon and fresh fruit), then we sent them outside into the sunshine to play laser tag until their mamas showed up.

This was seriously the easiest birthday party we have done yet. James opted for the sleepover instead of a traditional party so that he could put the extra funds towards his Nintendo Switch. I think it was a smart move and I know he had the best time with these guys. Thank y'all for sharing your sweet boys with us - we'll definitely have to do it again!

SOCCER SWITCHEROO

First, Cora's game at the fields in Bovina...

...then James' round robin "tournament" at the fields in Clinton

(No, that is not James playing soccer. The field was too big for me to get good photos and Cora still had a lot of energy - despite a 1 mile race AND a soccer game - so I took her and Carter over to the playground where they climbed all over like monkeys, then showed off their muscles. And that was not Cora up above when I talked about her game - just my cute little dude reading in the bright sunshine with mama's borrowed sunglasses.)

RUN THRU HISTORY 2018

We took zero pictures at the Run Thru History today... that I can find...

 

(This one of Cora was posted on the YMCA's Facebook page after the race)

I ran the 10K with Michelle (well, most of it - I lost her in the last mile as I was walking up a hill), then Jay and the kids arrived in plenty of time to send them off for the Cannonball Run 1-Miler and School Challenge. They found a bunch of their friends, which made the run a lot of fun for them (no tears about having to run this race - we told them it didn't matter if they walked the whole thing, they just needed to be there to help their school try and win $200 in gym equipment by having the greatest number of students in attendance). We didn't stay for the after race festivities because we had to get to Cora's soccer game (then James' soccer game, then his party!) and Bowmar didn't win (Bovina beat us by ONE student), but we had a fun morning!

(None of us set any PRs, obviously, but I was happy with my time since it was a good bit faster than what I'd managed to do in training runs.)

COOKIE FOR HEROES

Cora decided to use the donations that she personally collected while selling cookies in her neighborhood, at dance, and to my work friends to buy boxes of cookies for local heroes in the form of our health and security staff at ERDC. They were very pleased to receive them when I dropped them off, and I have since had multiple security guards ask me if it was my daughter who made them the card and brought them cookies, so we might need to make this an annual tradition!

GIRL SCOUT PROMISE, LAW, AND FLAG CEREMONY

Today's meeting involved practicing the Girl Scout Promise and Law with a craft (we still have lots of girls, and moms, that need to memorize them), a lesson about government and some song singing (I was the loudest, and maybe the worst...), and a lesson on the flag ceremony (while practicing with a tablecloth, in case we dropped it). James was a big helper as usual. And we had one little Daisy Scout kindergartner earn her badge (the first of all the girls!) for knowing her Promise and Law (go Patty!)

QUICKIE CUPCAKE CELEBRATION

Oh this boy! Last day as an 8 year old, so we had a quickie cupcake celebration at school, and his sweet and gracious classmates led the birthday song (while he smiled shyly, but certainly enjoyed the attention).

NARCISSUS

The yard this time of year is always full of tiny blooms in the most random of places and I completely love it! This one is Jay's favorite of all :-)