GIRL SCOUTS: BACK IN SESSION!

Our Troop lost our leader this year, and in the process of finding a new leader, I became part of the steering committee (and the co-lead for the Brownies and Daisies, along with my friend Sarah). It's been harder to transfer leadership than we expected, but we finally got access to enough of the Troop files and accounts and information that we were able to recruit this week and have our first meeting!

Cora is a Brownie this year!

Emma (new recruit!), Celebryte (returning Scout), and Cora

 Learning the Girl Scout Law (with hand gestures, to make it more memorable):

 Autumn (new recruit!), Emma, and Cora

We had to leave early today due to Production Number Rehearsal, but Cora had a chance to sit and learn the names of our new recruits (and remember some of the veteran Scouts that we haven't seen since last spring). We all introduced ourselves and sang some songs!

FIRST FREE SHIRT FRIDAY

James earned his first ever Free Shirt Friday this week (by not getting any conduct marks, apparently - we didn't know he'd been getting any, since he never reports them to us - accountability is all on him in the 3rd Grade at Bowmar!)

SICK SISSY TAKES CARE OF HERSELF

Cora had an upset tummy on the way home from dance and an hour of playing at ChickFilA last night, hardly ate any of her dinner, and opted to go to bed early (7:20 rather than 7:30, or 8:00 as it often is on dance and soccer nights lately). Jay was out at 10 South, so I sent her to bed with the "big red bowl" and told her to call me if she had a problem, since I still needed to get James fed, showered, and read to before bed. All seemed well and James stayed up late reading (9:00, because he was really into his book and I was busy doing chores and lost track of time), so when I finally got him to sleep I checked on Cora and she seemed ok too. I filled my water bottle, grabbed my phone, and finally settled into the couch with my feet up only to hear "Mama! Mama! Mammmaaaaa!"

Poor baby exploded and did not quite make it to the bowl (thank goodness Jay walked in literally 30 seconds later to help with cleanup and Cora calming). Once we had her cleaned she refused new PJs and refused to go back in her room. We offered to set up a cot upstairs by our bed, but she refused to get off the bathroom floor. She said she didn't want to move because moving made it worse "and I feel lots better now that I vomited it all up anyway". So we got her a pillow and blanket (thankfully we had just purchased a new tub-length memory foam bathmat last week, which made a pretty comfortable bed, apparently), and crossed our fingers. And we didn't hear a peep. When our alarm went off this morning we rushed downstairs to check on her only to find her still asleep, with more yuck in the bowl. I gently woke her and questioned how she was feeling... "Still yucky" and a bit warm (almost a fever at 100). Obviously she was staying home regardless. When I questioned the contents of the bowl she said she got sick a couple more times, but didn't want to wake us, so she just took care of herself. Well then. Luckily she was almost 100% better by lunch (Jay stayed home with her and said she was dressing up and crafting by 10:00am...), so I didn't feel too guilty.

80s BOOTCAMP

Henry went all out (there was a prize competition)

(Of course the unicorn leggings made an appearance)

 The workout was all about the 80s (music included): 

800m run, 80 lunges, 80 push-ups, 80 banded squats, 80 weighted sit-ups (8 lb weight), 80 jump ropes, 800m run, then 10 minutes of Jane Fonda type legs/hips/abs

BOYS AND WORMS

Pack 104 Bears made portable compost bins tonight, complete with worms...

 (bags of dead leaves, grass clippings, etc.)

 Waiting on his worms...

SOCCER ON SUNDAY

Teaming up with Michelle's U8 Boys team (and big brother James, who needed Keeper practice) for a special U8 Girls practice (since they'd had 2 games and zero academy practices due to rainy Tuesdays). It was super hot out there at 3pm and I was really impressed with the kids' ability to work hard and hone their skills.

 (We rewarded our kids with a dip in the pool after practice to cool off - perfection!)

CURIOUS KITTENS

One or the other is always underfoot. Sometimes both of them. They give us less privacy than the kids did as toddlers...

8 WEEK STRETCH

Saturdays are now spent mostly out of the house between my long runs, two soccer games, Jay refereeing a game or two, lunch out, and whatever errands need to be done... And as much as I love soccer, that is why I'm glad its (usually) just an 8 week commitment. It's exhausting.

(We're already getting in the habit of showering, setting the kids up with their Kindles, and passing out on the couch for an hour or so once we're finally home... which isn't a bad deal!)

U8 GIRLS, FALL 2017

Jay has a really awesome team this season! He was missing one player today (another one of the little ones, Olivia), but here he is with Cora, Ally, Ella Kate, Camden, Anna, and Trinity.

The four big girls (the 7 year olds who have been playing for years) are appropriately aggressive, they know the skills needed to score, and they work well as a team (the planning and placement and passing I'm seeing after just two games is comparable to what I see with the U10 Boys).

DRESS REHEARSAL #1

RiverPointe is holding two dress rehearsals for the Vicksburg History Preservation Weekend's ballet because the on-site rehearsal (at the convention center) is limited to two hours (due to other weekend events needing time to rehearse) and they usually spend 4-6 hours on dress rehearsals. Personally, I think this is ideal (even though I hadn't packed all the necessary tights and accessories, and had to run home at lunch to grab them) because it gives the kids an extra run-through of the entire performance (in order) and practice getting in and out of all those costumes quickly. James and Cora were both smiling from ear to ear from the time we arrived (early enough to get Cora's hair into a bun and a little bit of stage makeup on) until the time we left (about a half hour later than their rehearsal usually runs on Fridays). It was really fun for the parents to get a chance to finally see some of the numbers too (I have my favorites, of course, but they're all very well done and I think even the little bitty dancers did a great job)!

Hanging out with Adler while Cora got her hair and makeup done, and while waiting for daddy to arrive (yes, it now takes two parents to get two kids in and out of costumes at recitals).

Cora's Colonial outfit and James' Spanish flamenco outfit

I told them to "be serious" since they were dressed as soldiers. Cora made that face, then told me very solemnly that she has to die at the end. We should have put them both into acting...

(P.S. Their wooden rifles are still in-progress here - Jay will be staining them)

I took more videos than photos (which are too long to post here and not high enough quality to worry about it anyway - lets just hope somebody records the actual performance!), but this one of Cora fussing at little Lyla to keep her hat on made me laugh. Lyla is 3 years old and not totally into this whole dancing business yet. In the little kids number (the Coca Cola scene, where they're all dressed in 1930s-1940s attire, since Coca Cola was bottled in Vicksburg in 1938), set to "Little Bitty Pretty One", Lyla is supposed to go sit on Cora's knee a couple of times. It takes some encouragement from Cora. That number is near the end of the show too, and today, by that point, Lyla was DONE. The second time Cora turned around to get "her baby" (she's completely obsessed with Lyla and completely loving being one of the "big girls" this year), she was gone (off sitting against the wall with no intention of dancing anymore - though she was persuaded into the Proud Mary finale after a quick break and promise of getting Cora's old Minnie Mouse leotard afterward).

If nothing else, this show will be entertaining!

LOVERS OF THE LIBRARY

I learned this week that the kids can take AR tests after school in the library if they have parent permission, so we decided that if one of them "forgets" to take a test we assigned, they'll spend 10 minutes doing that (and less time on the playground) when they get picked up at the end of the day. Today it was Cora who forgot her test, and James didn't even mind missing a little playtime because apparently the Bowmar Library is one of their favorite places to be at school. James quickly disappeared into the reading nook with a book that he later "put on hold" since I wouldn't let him check it out immediately (we're trying really hard to get them through one book at a time rather than multitasking stories, since we're finding the latter results in less ideal AR test scores).

Meanwhile, Cora was highly distracted by all the parent and student traffic, and the Reading Fair prep that the librarian was doing, and did not do so well on her test... Hopefully we won't end up in the library for AR tests too often (and if we do, next time we'll have her use the headphones to help keep her on task better).

(I really love the mural on the divider wall and wanted a picture of it.)

SCOUT SILLINESS

SCHOOL BIZ

Daddy let her go to school with her dress backwards and her sweater underneath. And he doesn't care that I disagree with this arrangement. Cora is undecided on whether she cares...

While we're very proud of his 100 (bummer it was just for a candy reward and not a grade, since he needs a little help with his science grade - no idea why, since he knows all the stuff when we quiz him, but his real quizes and exams have not gone as well as this candy quiz), it was his graffiti up top that had us cracking up!

A common scene on Tuesdays (and sometimes Thursdays) as we plow through homework before Bootcamp starts (since there is Scouts and soccer after, and thus no time for homework at home).

FROZEN CRITTERS

Cora has relocated all of her Calico Critters from their shelf in her closet (where they lived in the Lodge and Ballet Stage) to Elsa's Frozen Castle (since Elsa never really lives there). She doesn't think she has enough rooms though, so don't be surprised grandparents if she comes asking you about an even bigger dollhouse this Christmas... (which may or may not be cheaper than the kayak she was originally asking for...)

GUMMY BEAR MATH

(Photo from Mrs. Sorrels' 3rd Grade Math webpage)

SUNDAY BUSYNESS

SOCCER SMILES

Soccer started this week!

MAD SCIENTIST 5K

ERDC held their first (open to the public) running event on station this morning and it was a huge hit! They had more registrants than Chill in the Hills! Being one of the few 5Ks in town, if they can get the lawyers to agree to let it become an annual event, it could become very well attended (and raise some much needed funds to improve our on station fitness center, which is not Army funded and thus is full of very old equipment).

I did not run fast (I'm just not there yet - not even close, really), but I did actually run the entire course, which is a first for me. Yes, I know that seems weird to say - I can run a 50K, but can't run a 5K?! Well, ultras basically require walking (and it's expected). 5Ks are supposed to hurt, and they do, but I'm not the best at pacing myself and usually burn out before the end (and require a walk break). So, slow and steady made me very happy today! Plenty of time to get some speed back next year when I'm back in shape and more confident in my knee strength.

AUTUMN'S BIRTHDAY MOVIE NIGHT

Cora attended an evening birthday party tonight with 10 girls to celebrate Autumn's birthday. I ended up sticking around for the party to help Autumn's mama (and be the photographer), and it was quite entertaining watching the girls pair off, group together, reunite, regroup, etc. throughout the 3.5 hours. It was generally chaos, but everyone behaved and had fun. And there were only 3 minor injuries (Cora was not included - don't worry, they were toe stubs and foot scrapes from running around without their shoes on, nothing at all serious).

(Taken right before they sat still for 20 whole minutes of the movie)

 (Kauri was not pictured because she arrived late)