barrett: 119 months old

I know I'm days overdue, and here's the story.  We had our entire first floor flooring replaced last week, and Barrett was none too keen on the inconvenience of it all - having to live in the destruction and chaos, not being able to lounge around downstairs, etc.  I get it, and so do Memaw and PawPaw, who let Barrett and Britton basically move in with them for a couple of days (and nights!) last week while we were in the thick of it all.  Then they took him and Britton camping (the kids got Monday off of school but the hubs and I had work), so Barrett has had a lot of bonding time with Memaw and PawPaw, but hasn't been around for me to grab his monthly photo.

Barrett started soccer!  Well.......kind of.  First practice was last week and we had downpours and hail, so that didn't happen.  Then the first game was rained out too.  So, technically, the season started but we haven't practiced or had a game yet, and we have a uniform, but haven't met anyone else on the team.

The hubs and I got to go up to school to see Field Day and cheer on the yellow team!  Barrett competed in soccer dribbling and golf, and his class came in first place!

Likes:  still a huge fan of Michael Jackson, and now also prairie dogs and capybaras (which he tells me we can keep legally as a pet, but I'm calling shenanigans)

Dislikes:  that I won't agree to getting a capybara 

164 months old

Now that spring break is over, Britton is counting down to summer vacation!  But before she can get to the luxuriously lazy days of sleeping in and riding her bike to Starbucks, she first has to tackle STAAR (standardized) testing and finals.  It's a lot of testing right at the end of school, and she's none too happy about it!  I told her that her teachers probably weren't overly excited about standardized testing either, since it takes up so much time to prep and administer.  She's probably just feeling the time crunch we're getting to end of softball season (already?!) with her last 2 games this week.  End-of-season tournament is in a couple of weeks, and she's ready to go because her team has been doing really well this season.  Last game Britton had a great hit and made it to second base!

                                                   

She also had her art show last week, and displayed her clay storefront - a pet store!  She made individual window items in her shop, including a really detailed cat in the upper lefthand window.  I love how it turned out!

Likes: my mediocre attempts at copying the Starbucks turkey and provolone panini, getting NJHS hours for volunteering at the upcoming school carnival - we're doing Plinko!

Dislikes: social studies and algebra 

 

barrett: 118 months old

 

Barrett is slowly but surely pulling up his grade in math!  Geometry has thrown him for a loop, and we're trudging our way through angles, leaf and stem plots (I had to Google this), graphs, and other fun things I can't remember/never learned how they teach it these days.  He loves geography though, especially civilizations and the history of countries, which honestly, he didn't get from me.  

Barrett starts soccer soon!  He's excited and loves soccer, and has absolutely no interest in ever playing baseball again.  Fine by me!  The soccer fields are 5 minutes away, the baseball fields are 30+ minutes away - I consider this a win.  

Likes:  looking up country flags, Harry Potter (still on book 4!)

Dislikes:  doing extra math homework

163 months old

 

Britton had here yearly haircut today!  Ok, maybe she gets haircuts more often than that (I don't), but she's just like me in that regard - she grows it long, then gets a decent cut, then grows it again until she can't stand it, usually when it starts warming up around here.  Speaking of which, you know when the weather starts getting warmer that softball season is right around the corner!  Britton had her first games on Wednesday night, and has another doubleheader tomorrow.  She's playing third base this season, which makes her nervous because infield is certainly more pressure than outfield!  

She finished up volleyball last weekend, so luckily we're no longer juggling two sports at the same time.  Britton really enjoyed playing volleyball, and I'm so proud that she would put herself out there to learn a new sport, on a team where she didn't really know anyone.  She's a great server, and an especially supportive teammate - cheering on the others and giving words of encouragement all the time.

Likes:  her new jacket - in her signature maroon color, Nella

Dislikes:  when Nella refuses to snuggle (as evidenced above) and tart oranges

barrett: 117 months old

 

We've had quite the creative weekend! Barrett is working on his annual school book shoebox float.  Last year he did "I Survived the Hindenburg Disaster" and this year he chose "I Survived the Bombing of Pearl Harbor."  A lot of disaster re-creation going on around here!  I ordered some model battleships, and Barrett and PawPaw put them together last night.  Today, we're elbow deep in tissue paper and glue!  We also made Barrett's class Valentine's Day cards and his Valentine's box.  It's fun doing crafty things with him, because he dives right in and likes to do the painting, gluing, and designing.

Likes:  Harry Potter (we're almost finished with book #3!)

Dislikes:  wearing a jacket in cold weather (and so it begins....)

162 months old

 

I thought the spring softball season started later, maybe around March, so I signed Britton up for volleyball, which I was certain would be over before softball began. Well............volleyball will be over before softball games begin, but practice started last week!  So, Britton is juggling both softball and volleyball right now.  

And, she just had to register for her HIGH SCHOOL classes for next year.  You have to register all 4 years, though of course she can change them up as she wants.  When it comes down to it, Britton has 2 openings next year, so she can choose two electives, and she's picked French and Art.  

Likes:  Nella, Cats & Coffee at the animal shelter

Dislikes:  running the mile at school

barrett: 116 months old

 

I took Barrett's photo on time but of course didn't get a post up!  That's what happens when the weekend rolls around - the days blend into nonstop errands and to-dos, and I look up and it's Sunday night way too fast.  I already miss the lazy days between Christmas and New Year's, and I know Barrett does too, because he has been ornery about getting back into the swing of things.  Luckily, he's only in 4th grade, so there's not a ton of homework or anything, just getting used to getting up at 7:00 am again!

Barrett has been resistant to our reading time over break - he wanted a break from anything remotely "school." But I've pushed and now we're back to Harry Potter!  We're well into the third book, when Sirius Black shows up and the story really takes off, and I have no idea how long it's going to take us to read the entire series - years probably!  Barrett got a couple of the Harry Potter Lego books and the big Harry and Hermione Lego statues for Christmas, so I think that's helped get his "Harry Potter spark" back.

Likes:  playing soccer with his new FIFA ball, riding bikes in the neighborhood with his BFF

Dislikes:  getting up early