Graduation Girl!

Pip's a Preschool Graduate!  Kindergarten is really going to happen in the fall!  She's very excited.  Eli took most of the pictures and videos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHG5wM6aAIw&feature=youtu.be

Favorite thing about preschool

"Pause for pictures"

Our last preschool graduate

I will mail out copies of her graduation photo soon, if I can remember where I put them... Lots going on in this house!

Maybell

Last Sunday, Hans spotted a kitten in the neighbor's yard as we were about to head out for a walk.  Hans loves kittens and so he had to capture the little thing.  Now we have Maybell (Eli came up with the name).  Not sure if we're her forever home or not, but we're going to make sure she has a good one.

I took the kitten to the vet on Monday.  After evaluating her and testing her for serious cat diseases (and having her test negative for those), he said she was totally worth saving, but he would be hesitant to have her around his own children due to her wildness.  Okay...challenge accepted.  I had her dosed with antibiotics, de-wormer, and anti-flea, -mite, and -lice medication.  She weighed only 2 lbs. 7 oz. and was guessed to be at least 5 months old because she has her adult teeth.

At the vet's office

Day 1: After antibiotics

Day 1: Getting her to step outside of her "house" to eat

Day 2: Further out of her house, so emaciated

Day 2: This is actually her feeling better

Maybell is a pretty girl.  She's a long-hair calico.  She allows us to pet her and is warming up to be held and snuggling.  We can bring her into the house after June 3 if she seems recovered from her respiratory infection.

Probably Never Going to Own a Goat...

Actually told Hans I won't ask anymore for a goat.  Our nice walk in the bright, sunshiny evening on the Cascade Trail off of Hoehn ended oddly as two pygmy goats decided Hans and the kids must be their new best friends.  I took Harvey, Eli, and Hazel and kept walking quickly to the van while Hans and Abby tried to "encourage" the goats to return home.  Instead, those two goats ran, bleating, after Hans and Abby down the trail towards our van.  Every time Hans would get them turned back toward home, as soon as he was turned again to the van, those goats would high-tail around after him, running on their little legs, loudly bleating.  We finally all made it to the van with those two rascally goats hot on Hans heels.  We drove away, but did a u-turn just to see if those goats knew their way home.  They were standing in the middle of the road!  Hans had to jog them home, leading them down the trail, and I had to find the driveway to the house that owned them to pick him up.  Ridiculous animals!

fun.

Yesterday we were a little more spontaneous.  Waking up to blue skies can do that, I suppose.  Turns out, an awesome day with my family is as simple as wandering Half Price Books for an hour before heading to the zoo.

Okay, I need to elaborate on the zoo.  I don't think I've ever had more fun at the zoo than I did yesterday.  Maybe it was the slightly chilly weather or the fact that people were probably still either post-Thanksgiving shopping or still in that post-turkey stupor, but the zoo parking lot was only half filled.  The animals were more energetic than I've ever seen them.  There were three giraffe following a keeper about as she tried to get their food placed properly.  One little gorilla girl was really trying to assert her bigness.  She was leaping all about, pounding her chest, teasing her older sister, throwing hay, and generally acting like a moody teenager.  She startled Hazel too.  The kids were all against the glass when the gorilla turned and stared straight at Hazel, who screeched before running over to me and Hans.  The hippos happily crunched on pumpkins while swimming, the elephant scootched closer to her keeper for a scratch, and the jaguar skulked along the glass, glancing occasionally at onlookers.  Hans even held an elephant tusk!  Pip said she loves the zoo so much she just couldn't stop running.

After the zoo, Hans even treated us to Seattle's Spaghetti Factory for dinner.  Hazel was so wiped, she was sound asleep by 6 on the drive home.

My Girls' Hard Day

Today was a little hard on my girls.  The littlest one is sick.  She's had a fever of 102 and lots of coughing, even throwing up at one point.  She woke at 1:30 AM and had a pretty miserable night in our room.  I am not feeling all that great either, so I wasn't sleeping.  She spent all day on the sofa, napped a couple of times, and is resting again now after finally eating something more substantial than soda crackers.  It's hard to see my lively littlest girl as such a noodle.  Normally she never stops talking and now she complains that everything is too noisy and just wants to snuggle with me on the sofa.  She doesn't know, but she's going to have to miss Bike Day tomorrow because of the "no return to school until 24 hours fever-free" rule.

Abby forgot her lunch today and I didn't notice until about an hour before her lunchtime at school.  (I know this because I called the school to see if I could put money on an account for her.)  A panicky call to Hans revealed he'd given her $20 for lunch.  Well, she's my girl after all.  I got to talk to her on her drive home and it turns out, she tried waiting in line in the cafeteria to get food and got almost to the front before she got too nervous and just sat back with her friends.  Her friends shared a cheese stick and something else inconsequential.  Certainly not too much on the nutritious side.  At least she's fed now.  I feel terrible since I had enough time to race her lunch to her, but Hans reassured me he'd taken care of things.  Guess we forgot to make sure she'd be able to follow through with it.

Eli's at soccer practice now.  Pip is falling asleep on the sofa, refusing suggestions of readying for bed.  Abby is outside collecting potato bugs with her father for his classes tomorrow.  Sounds normal. :)

2012-13 School Year Has Begun!

I love the start of school.  I get so excited for all the things the kids will learn and how their brains will process all the new information and finding out what they think is interesting.  Eli started 3rd grade two days ago.  Most of his friends are in the other class with the wonderfully sweet teacher he had in Kindergarten, but he thinks his teacher is just fine.  He is a model student in the classroom, according to teachers.

Abby started 6th grade yesterday.  Hans and Abby left the house around 6:40 AM, which is a little late for Hans.  I had given him a gazillion instructions about how I wanted him to do her first day (basically I wanted him to do all the things I couldn't do exactly how I would have done them).  He walked her in and waited with her briefly for her new schedule...and then he left.  Darn his responsible nature making him try to be on time to work!  She did absolutely fine though, not needing me and assuring me I haven't caused damage by not being their myself to walk her through things.  I'm sure she was relieved I wasn't doing first day pictures by her locker, by her classroom door, by her school sign or any other place that would most likely embarrass her.  Her only hiccup seems to be combination locks, which she will eventually get comfortable using.  She claims to have made friends, although has no idea any names.  She's always, always been this way.  Even in preschool, she'd point out her friends, but have no idea what their names were, despite all of them calling their hellos to her by name.  Such a funny girl.  Eli is actually the same way.  Hazel, on the other hand, knows everyone's name, but is not always friends with everyone.

I had to attend a parent meeting for preschool last night.  It's the first one I've gone to for any of the children. I went because Hazel's preschool classes are being held in a different church due to the fire where her school is located.  Although her preschool itself wasn't damaged, all the construction creates havoc for little ones who need routine.  Hopefully the building will be repaired enough for the children to return by Christmastime, or we will likely have a year completely different than my other two had.  Little miss starts school on the 12th.

Hazel does not seem to be enjoying our days without her siblings.  She claims there is nothing for her to do.  I may just have to have more playdates for her.  Spoiled little twit.

Today is Mr. Eli's 9th birthday.  I can hardly believe I have had that boy so many years already.  He is a fantastic person and is growing into such an interesting individual.  He's requested an angel food cake this year and (surprise!) tortellini for dinner.  I best get cooking!

Beds

I found a trundle bed on craigslist a little bit ago and today's the day we're putting it in the girls' room.  Hans carried out the toddler bed--the one he made for the convertible crib/toddler bed for baby Abby all those years ago--and now I want to cry.  No more little beds in my house.

Really thought I was ready for this.