They Say...

The other day Zach and Staley were discussing a movie they were planning to watch together that had swear words in it.  Zach asked Staley if she knew any swear words, to which she answered, "I think I know a few."  Zach then asked if any of her friends used swear words at school.  Staley was a little appalled and responded, "No!  That doesn't start until 7th grade."

So apparently we have a few more years before our daughter starts cursing like a sailor.

Staley and I were having a discussion about internet safety.  We were talking about not communicating with people you don't know over the internet because they may not be who they say they are.  When Staley asked why someone would do that, I just said, "There are just some creepy people in the world."  To which Staley knowingly replied, "Like vampires."  

Vampires might not top my concerns of creepy people on the internet, but best to stay away from them too.

Adelie and Zach were having a discussion about saving money.  Adelie told Zach that she was saving her money for college.  Zach commended her for thinking ahead, but told her that we were saving money for her college so that she wouldn't have to pay for it.  Adelie said, "Okay.  I'm saving my money for kittens too."

College and kittens.  It's good to think ahead and determine those priorities that are worth saving for.

Briggs and Adelie have recently been reading and listening to audiobooks in the series 'A to Z Mysteries' about 3 kids in a small town who solve a variety of mysteries.  Tonight Briggs mused, "Do you know what confuses me?  In the A to Z Mysteries, why don't the people move away from the town since all the crimes seem to happen there?"

These kids never cease to amuse me.

He Says...

The other night Briggs started coughing at the dinner table.  I asked if he was alright, and he responded, "Yes.  My food just went down the wrong throat."

#lessonsinanatomy

Briggs' Birthday

Briggs was excited to turn 7 and wanted to celebrate with some friends.  His request: going to Chuck E. Cheese with his friends George and Hudson.  At the last minute, Hudson wasn't able to go.  So the day before his birthday, Briggs got to enjoy an after-school Chuck E. Cheese adventure with George followed by pizza and play time at our house.

This car racing game was by far the favorite.  The boys did this game over and over and over again.

Chuck E. Cheese is one of my least favorite places, so we chose to go right after school in order to hopefully avoid the crowds.  It worked!

The boys (and Adelie) had a lot of fun playing the games, but just as much fun playing together once we got back home.  After George left, Briggs told me, "This was my best birthday ever!"  (There is something to be said for setting the bar low.)

Briggs' actual birthday was on a Saturday, so it was nice to have a full day to celebrate all things Briggs.  In the morning, I asked Briggs if he wanted to go somewhere fun for his birthday.  Since his 3 choices...the Caterpillar Museum (closed on Saturdays), Wheels of Time Museum (closed until May), and the train at Wildlife Prairie Park (not running yet) were all out of commission, Briggs decided that he just wanted to eat at Steak and Shake for lunch and then stay home to play with Adelie.  Done!

We started the day off with a treat...cinnamon rolls for breakfast!

After a morning of playing with Adelie and a quick gift drop-off from Aunt Jan, Briggs got to have a birthday cake milkshake with his lunch from Steak and Shake...followed by an afternoon of more playing at home.

And then Briggs enjoyed his birthday dinner of choice (macaroni and cheese with chicken strips) and dessert of choice (chocolate cupcakes with white frosting) with Grammie and Grandpa and Miss Vickie.

And following dinner, he then opened a few presents.

Adelie used some boxes and tape and other things from the recycling to make Briggs a cruise ship for his figurines, complete with beds and a table.  Staley looked through the blog books and picked out 10 cute stories about Briggs that she wrote into a smaller book called "Top 10 Briggs Stories."

He also got some bug catching gear, a book, a rocket to put together, and the highlight:  a Harry Potter Hogwart's Express Lego set.  Legos + train + Harry Potter = awesomeness!

It sure is good to be 7!

Interview with a 7 Year Old

Favorite color:  Blue

Favorite food:  Mac and cheese

Least favorite food:  Broccoli

Favorite restaurant:  Steak and Shake

Favorite dessert:  Ice cream

Favorite toy:  Legos 

Favorite stuffed animal:  Bear Bear

Favorite animal:  Baby chickens

Favorite game:  The Blaze game

Favorite movie:  Paw Patrol: The Movie

Favorite sport:  Soccer

Favorite activity:  Swimming

Favorite thing to do at home:  Do Legos

Favorite thing to do at school:  Do Legos at indoor recess

Favorite place to go locally:  Wheels of Time Museum

Favorite place to go on vacation:  You know that one.  Disney World.

Favorite thing to do with Staley:  Read 'Land of Stories'

Favorite thing to do with Adelie:  Play box monsters

Favorite thing to do with Mommy:  Watch TV and play

Favorite thing to do with Daddy:  Watch TV and look at the computer and do Legos with him.  He's awesome at Legos.

Favorite book:  Magic Treehouse and Harry Potter

Favorite pajamas:  Footies

Favorite play that you've been in:  Seussical

Favorite play that you've seen:  Mary Poppins

What are you excited to do at 7 that you couldn't do at 6?  Going on bigger roller coasters

What are you afraid of?  Heights

What is the best thing about you?  Everything

What are you good at?  Driving a remote control car, jumping

Who is your best friend?  George and Hudson

What do you want to be when you grow up?  An artist

Love my footie pajama, Lego loving 7 year old!

Happy Birthday, Briggs!

Seven years has flown by!  My last baby is growing up fast.  I love seeing him grow in his emotional regulation and his increasing bravery (hello, roller coasters) and more independence.  He continues to change and mature with each passing year, but so much is still the same...he's my sweet, snuggly, smart, sensitive, vehicle-loving little guy.

My snuggly little baby...

my happy little one year old...

my vehicle loving two year old...

my silly little three year old...

my sweet little four year old...

my fun little five year old...

my smart little six year old...

and my amazing little seven year old.

I'm not sure how the years have flown by so fast, but I love being along for the ride.

Happy 7th birthday, Briggs!  We couldn't love you more!

It CAN Be Done

Adelie tends to be my slowest kid about getting ready for school in the morning.  She is typically the last one to get downstairs, the last one to finish breakfast, the last one to get shoes on, the last one out the door.  Typically, we are running late (or at least not quite on time), and Adelie is generally the one I'm trying to rush out the door.

Adelie was chosen for a before-school program two days a week called the 'Young Authors' program that started this week.  She has to be at school by 7:45 on Mondays and Wednesdays (as opposed to 8:15 all the other days) to work on writing a story for a literary competition.  On Monday Zach woke Adelie up at 6:55 instead of her usual 7:00 wake up time.  He sent me this picture at 7:18...

And so now we know.  As impossible as it may seem some mornings, Adelie is obviously fully capable of getting up and ready for the day in 20 minutes.  Too bad Young Authors isn't every day.

Volleyball...Again

Just a few weeks after Adelie completed her first volleyball season, Staley finished up her season.  Travel volleyball through the local sports league begins in the 5th grade, so many of Staley's friends chose to do travel volleyball this year.  With Staley's other activities and obligations, we decided to just stick with the in-house league.  Staley's team was comprised of 5th-8th graders who do not participate in local travel ball or the school team.

Staley's team

There was just one other team in the 5th-8th grade session, so Staley's team had a few practice/scrimmages amongst themselves and then spent the second half of the season just practicing and then playing the other team.

Staley continues to improve with each season she plays.  She got a number of her underhand serves over the net each game, although has already decided that she wants to work so she can serve overhand next year.  She was also more consistent with going after the ball when it was in her area and hitting it up or back over the net.

I liked the in-house league for Staley this year.  She had fun, but the time commitment and competition level were a better fit for Staley than trying out for travel ball.  As she gets older and more opportunities for activities and sports arise, it will be interesting to see what she sticks with and what gets left behind.  But for now, volleyball is still making the cut.

Hooray for my volleyball player!