barrett: 10 years old!

 

This dapper dude is 10 years old today!  He's not usually wearing a suit and fedora, but this is a "Smooth Criminal" costume he got as a birthday present, and he didn't take it off all day.  Barrett loves all things Michael Jackson - I'm not sure if I've told you the origin story yet.  His art teacher plays Michael Jackson music during art class, and Barrett latched onto the music quickly.  He's a huge fan now, and badly wanted a "Smooth Criminal" costume.  I also got him some Michael Jackson miniature figurines - 5 of them in various poses, and he was so excited to see them!

For his party birthday yesterday, the weather cooperated and we had a fantastic pool party!  The theme was "Harry Potter" and I totally ran with it.  Barrett and I are halfway through the 4th book, so I focused on vignettes of Snape's potions laboratory, the owl post, the goblet of fire, envelopes coming out of the fireplace, and finally, Honeydukes, which was set up with tons of Harry Potter-named candy for self-help goody bags.  The kids were sugared up and crazy, and all must have fallen asleep hard last night because they never stopped swimming and jumping for the entire party.  

Likes:  Michael Jackson, Prime lights, the World Geography board game Cammy sent him, the Harry Potter themed Legos (TWO faves!) Aunt Jessica sent him, the telescope Memaw and PawPaw gave him - we need a clear night because even us adults are vying for our turn to use it!

Dislikes:  homework - he's so ready for summer!

165 months old

Look who is almost out of junior high!  Britton has a few weeks left, and then she's on to high school.  I am in disbelief just writing that - it feels like a cruel joke that junior high just flew by.  She started junior high in virtual school, shut down and kept out by Covid, and now, three years later, she's ready to leave the quiet and safe hamlet of junior high for the big bad world of high school!  Her mother, however, is not ready, and sources say she most likely will never be ready for the big life changes of either child.  Ahhh, such is life!

Britton just got her report card - all As and 1 B, so she's doing a phenomenal job with her schoolwork.  She just had 4 STAAR tests in the past few weeks (the standardized state testing) and is not happy that her teachers have now switched focus to projects and finals, so quickly after STAAR.  

For a first, I asked Britton for her "likes" and "dislikes" this month, and here is what she said:

Likes: coffee, her friends

Dislikes: STAAR testing, the classmates that get on her nerves