Just for Fun

Danielle and I were bored today, so we created and then we ate. :)

 

Fridays are for Dancing

Ever look at your kid and wonder how the gene combination between you and your spouse gave you something so beautiful?! Thankfully both our children seem to be the best of both of us.

Danielle's 7th grade dance was tonight.

No credit here for her hair. I treated her to a hairstyling. The kid works so hard at everything she does, rarely complains, hardly ever asks for anything, and always seems grateful for what she does get. It was a nice treat.

At the Park

I enjoyed some time at the park with my mom this week. The weather didn't do exactly what the weatherman said it would do the day we went out, but it was still a nice temperature. It was a little damp, but damp isn't all bad. I thought this rain drop covered spider web was pretty, although the pictures aren't quite as sharp as I'd like.

We counted 9 frogs sitting on this little reed covered log. It's not unusual for tiny spring peepers to be out early, but it's way too early for these guys.

We saw some birds, chipmunks, and super fat squirrels when we were out, too. Some of the migrating birds like the killdeer and red winged blackbirds have made their way back already. There was a lot of bird song in the air.

Hairy woodpecker at the bottom & a downy woodpecker at the top

I like how this flicker's red feathers make a perfect heart!

Eastern bluebird checking out the housing market

We had a nice day.

School Ball Practice

Although Danielle pretty much practices softball year round, today was the first practice for the school softball team. I'll be honest, we don't have high hopes for the school team. There are a lot of players on there that haven't played too much, and who knows how good the teams we face will be. What we do have high hopes for is that school ball will be relaxed and fun. Tonight's first practice was exactly that for Danielle. She was so excited about playing tonight. She got to play with her school friends, and they got to play outside because the weather was so nice. She had a really good time. Hopefully it will continue. Practices are only 3 days a week, so she's hoping she'll have time to fit track in, too. I'm kind of doubtful that will fit into the schedule along with club volleyball, but we'll let her figure that out in a few weeks. (School track hasn't started yet.)

I took this picture of Danielle before she left for practice today. It made me decide to look back for some pictures of her before her first ever practice. Here are some of those, too.

1st school ball practice, Feb. 2017

 

First tball practice, April 2009.

First tball game, May 2009

 

 

First tball practice of the season, April 2010

 

Sometimes I feel like I'm in the way with my camera, but I've never regretted having pictures to look back at. In fact, more times than not, I'm disappointed I didn't take more.

A Nice Day for a Drive

Ron let Tyler practice driving in the school parking lot today. In a month he'll be able to get his temps. Seriously. How is he this old??

A Beautiful Ending

to a beautiful, un-February-like day.

The Groundhog Seems to Have Been Mistaken

It was a beautiful day today!! It's supposed to be in the 60s for the next week, and we are lucky enough to have a 4 day weekend. I spent some time sitting in the backyard in the sunshine and reading for a couple hours today. I know it's going to make it that much worse when our weather returns to normal, but it was so very nice today. Danielle spent the day playing with her friends and then jumped on her trampoline for a few minutes. There was still enough light at nearly 6:30pm to take this picture!

And just for fun, here is a picture of Danielle at her speed, strength, and agility class yesterday. I don't know how many more she'll be able to attend. School softball practices start next week.

Today's Pic

Happy Valentine's Day!

Danielle presented me with this homemade valentine today. I love her sense of humor.

She gave Ron one with a crudely drawn Yoda head that said "Yo-da best".
Seriously. We hit the jackpot when it came to our kids' personalities.

Scheduling the Future

Here we are again. High school class scheduling time. It's a rude, slap-you-in-the-face reminder that we only have 3 more years before Tyler graduates from high school. 3 years. That's 3 summer vacations. 3 birthdays. 3 Christmases.

Tyler's Honors Biology teacher recommended he take Honors Chemistry next year, which was part of his plan anyway. That's a class he can get college credit for, so I guess it's time to apply to community college.

How have 15 years gone so quickly?

Happy Birthday to Clara!

Yesterday was Clara's 8th birthday.

Tyler made her some cupcakes. She also got a new toy.

 

Yesterday was also Danielle's 1/2 birthday. We attempted to make it a 1/2 pan of brownies by eating some when they came out of the oven, but we really only accomplished making it 2/3 pan. There are 13.5 candles, though, and sticking with tradition, we only sang 1/2 the birthday song.

Clara - 8
Danielle - 13.5

A Fishy Gift

The custodian in my building at school took a position in another building and starts tomorrow. This guy is amazing. He's by far the best custodian in the district, and he works his butt off. He knows a little something about everything. He always goes out of his way to help me and make my job easier, even when he has a mountain of other responsibilities to take care of. It will be quite a loss when he leaves.

He loves to fish, so Ron made a pen that I could give him as a thank you gift. All I have is this cell phone picture, but it's enough to tell how beautiful the pen is. Ron had to piece together all those little parts in the fish before turning and finishing it. He did an excellent job - it was amazing. My coworker loved it, and seemed touched by such a personal gift.

Wake Up Call

We received a concerning wake up call from our superintendent at 5am yesterday morning. At some point the previous evening, one of the students in my building posted a meme on instagram about a school shooting that was to take place on Friday. It was a cartoon picture with a threatening caption. He was taken into custody and then to a juvenile detention facility where he will be charged with inducing panic or something similar. I have limited knowledge of the kid because I only see him for seconds in the lunch line, but I probably wouldn't have thought much more about it if I'd seen the meme myself. I understand all threats real or implied have to be investigated, and I believe our administration did the right thing. I just hate that one moment of stupidity is going to change this child's life for a very, very long time.

The call said they were going to station a sheriff at the school all day. I guessed the media would be there as well. We explained to Danielle that we felt there wasn't any danger, but gave her the option of staying home if she was worried. She chose to go. The absence list was double its usual size yesterday and there were indeed media vans there all day, but Danielle said she never felt unsafe. For the most part, school went on as usual. I was proud of her for choosing to go. First, I'm glad she trusted our assessment. Second, there are so many bad things going on all over the world, in all venues and at all types of events. We can be careful and vigilant, but we just can't protect against everything. We must have faith in God's plan and continue to live our lives according to this plan.  I'm glad Danielle took that leap of faith. (I also hope that this is the biggest leap she'll have to take in quite awhile!)

Reversible Sequins, Not Such a Bright Idea

Danielle and I went to the mall yesterday to look for a dress for her upcoming dance. We ran across this shirt in one of the big name stores. We thought it was hilarious that someone actually thought it was a good idea to put a design that changes when you brush your hand across it on a girl's shirt...in this spot. Seriously.