Science Fair

 Tonight after dinner we packed up the family and headed over to Owen's school for the Science Fair.  This year all Farnsworth students participated in a Science Project.  That makes me absolutely giddy.

 Owen and his group mates, made predictions and tested their resting heart rates and compared to their heart rates after jumping rope.  I thought they did a very nice job on their board.  It included a title, materials, a "big" question, a prediction, procedures, observations, a diagram and a conclusion.  That's a lot of work for both the students and the teachers and we were definitely impressed.

 Owen wanted to show his brother around a little.  I think he's getting excited about Evan (hopefully) coming to school with him next year.

 Future Farnsworth Students

Afterwards we took advantage of the warm winter and lengthening days by getting some fresh air out on the playground.

Celebrating Seven

11 boys and 3 girls celebrated Owen's birthday today.  Most of them attempted to cram into our reading cubby all at once like clowns in a car.  Then they did laps around the couch in the basement for a good 15 minutes before it turned into an actual game of tag.  Things were looking all too familiar, so Jim and I decided it was time to start an organized game.

Luckily a few parents stuck around (thanks Nina, Dawn and Jackie.)  Without them, photos would not have happened.  We played musical chairs in our living room.  My friend Jackie was the chair snatcher.  Jim controlled the music.  Nina and Dej Chia's mom held the little sisters.  It's a group effort, people.  

Owen was one of the first ones to get out, but that was OK.  We hooked up the boys' iPad and he became the new DJ.  As kids got out, they would head over to the corner to make requests.  

Owen's new buds from school.  They sat still barely long enough for me to snap a photo.  It sort of makes me laugh how Owen always ends up in a group of 3 (like his mom.)  First there was Owen & Alex, then Silas & Eddie, then Dej Chia & Christian, and now he's nestled into yet another triangle.  I honestly, truly enjoy the friends he has made. 

Next game: Owen Says, which is just like Simon Says except that Owen is the leader.  We should have prepped Owen a little for this one.  He was having some trouble coming up with things for the kids to do.  Jackie and I gave him a few ideas.  As a joke, he said, "Owen says do a backflip."  After a short pause, Owen's friend Juan Yeh suddenly flips right there, in the middle of the living room.  It was totally silent and many jaws hit the floor.  

Finally the pizza was ready.  It was awesome how well these kids all got along.  There were 6 kids from school, 2 from our mom's group, one neighbor, my bestie Nina's kids, and our kids and they all got along great!  

Singing was a challenge.  It proved to move why I must push to get music back in the curriculum at Farnsworth.  See the kid in the foreground with his fingers in his ears.  He really wasn't exaggerating all that much.  I joke a little.  Jim and I are not gifted in that department ourselves, but this rendition could have used a dress rehearsal.

With all his friends there, Owen still sat right next to his bro.  Love those two!!!

And a family shot.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY OWEN!

You continue to make us so proud.

Owen's 7th Birthday

 Last night Evan said, "Hey Owen.  Know what I'm going to get you for your birthday?" He left a big dramatic pause while we all formulated an idea in our heads and then he responded, "A fart!"  I'm not sure if he fulfilled that promise or not, but tonight Evan gave Owen Madden, a football game for Wii.  Earlier today, at preschool, Evan's teachers asked him what makes him happy.  He responded, "Celebrating my brother's birthday because he's turning 7!"  Mia got in on the giving too.  She gave him The Lorax movie (not the new one.)  She wrapped it herself.

 It's really hard to believe that I have now been a stay at home mom as long as I was a teacher, but in a blink of an eye, here I am.  Owen is 7 today.

 We got him a skateboard and safety accessories.

Owen always thinks long and hard before he makes his annual birthday wish.

I made a cake from scratch.  I've never done that before.  It was pretty delicious, although Owen didn't try any because was too full from the Punch Pizza and donuts he had with Grandma Connie and the requested dinner I made him later that he politely nibbled on. 

Happy Birthday Sweet Boy.

Let's Rock!

 

 Evan has really gotten into music lately.  He plays the piano.  He dug out our ukuleles.  And he requested I video tape his premiere rock video.

 

I wish I had continued to video tape because at the end of the song, he pretends to smash the guitar on the couch.  I have no idea where he learned all these moves.  We don't watch MTV or anything like it.  He's just a natural performer.

Chapter Books

Owen has a bit of a competitive streak in him.  There is a boy in his class who has been reading chapter books since before Christmas.  Owen really wants to read chapter books too.  He's been working really hard every night to improve his reading.  Each night he brings home a leveled book from school.  He's suppose to read the book three times.  They started the books in November.  He was at Level G then.  Some nights it's really hard to squeeze in 3 readings.  A few nights the books he brought home were 30 pages!  That's 90 pages of reading between 4:30 when he gets home and 9:00 bedtime.  Also add in an hour of play, a math sheet, a homework packet, dinner, and bath.  Thank goodness we don't have any other after school activities right now.  Being a former teacher, I get a little giddy over child development.  I love watching the process of growth in my own children.  As, I mentioned before, I'm a rule follower.  Only/oldest child thing, I think.  Anyway, when the teacher says read the book 3 times, that's what we do.  

The first time Owen reads his book it is decoding time.  I admit, it is agonizing.  It takes forever.  He has to look at each page thoroughly before he begins reading and the words struggle to find their way out of his mouth.  Mia interrupts a gazillion times: usually has to go to the bathroom, needs a snack, wants to listen, doesn't want to listen, needs a hug, wants to play play dough, eats the play dough, spits the play dough on the carpet.... you get where I'm going here, right?  Then Evan starts in or the neighbor comes over and wants to play.  Meanwhile, I'm trying my darndest to give Owen my attention, knowing that I need to get dinner started or Mia will start whining.  That first time always makes me want it to be the last, but then he reads it again.  And this time, there is fluency.  He only pauses for a moment on those words that gave him trouble the last time.  We know the ending of the story and there is building excitement this time as we work our way through the rising action.  He realizes his own progress and feels the rewards of practice.  Dinner happens, homework, play, hygiene, routines and then we read it once more.  This time there is expression.  Reading with expression gives an element of art to literature.  Spoken word.  Forensic linguistics.  Narrative.  Theater.  Story Telling.  And, when he reads the story this third time each night, I become recommitted to this program.

 So, back to this night.  Since November, through his nightly readings, Owen has gone from level G to level K and is now reading chapter books for FUN!!!  We have ourselves a reader.  He reads everything.  He sees a sign, he reads it.  He sees a book, he reads it.  He reads the mail, labels, captions, billboards, EVERYTHING!  He has reached his goal and I am very proud of the commitment and perseverance by which he achieved his goal.  And speaking of "perseverance," he was also chosen to read the Word of the Week over the loud speaker at school last week.  "Perseverance" was the word.  Seems appropriate.

Football in February

 Most years an entry made from Minnesota with this title would show pictures of a snow covered field.  There has been rare a day this year that we have not been able to see the tips of grass peeking through the pathetic dusting of snow.  Occasionally Mia will spot a small pile of snow in the shadows of a yard where the sun has failed to reach and she will squeal, "It snowy out!" with the delight of someone who has just seen something rare, like a rainbow or the Northern Lights.  Many of our colder mornings, I have had heated arguments with our oldest, head-strong child about why he must wear snow pants when there is no snow.  He is a rule follower, like his Mama, and this winter has thrown all the rules out the window.  Today was another such window-throwing day.

 Mid to upper 40's.  We were outside in sweatshirts, running around in brown grass, playing spring and summertime games.

 Most winters we would be sledding or making a snowman, but this winter we can play football ... football without snow pants.

 Jim and Evan played against Owen.

 "Evan!  Get ready for the pass off!"

 Turn over.

 Owen drives the ball down for a touch down.

 Mia's turn.

Let's Go Bowling

We had a nice, quiet morning at home playing games and reading books.

 This afternoon we headed down to St. Peter to go bowling with Jim's dad, sister, brother and his brother's family to celebrate the January & February birthdays.  The original plan was to go sledding, but this strange winter hasn't given us enough of snow for our usual seasonal entertainment.

 This is our first time bowling with the kids.  One of our lanes had bumpers and a ramp.

 Evan takes aim using the ramp.

 Owen has bowled before.  He decided to try a few times without the ramp.

The balls travel pretty slowly down the lane with the ramp.  Young bowlers must patiently wait for the results.

Mia is so easily amused.  No matter how many pins fall down, it's exciting.

 The grown ups bowled on the adjacent lane, minus bumpers.

Afterwards we went to Jim's brother's house to celebrate the birthdays.

Just Another Friday Night at the Museum

 The Minnesota Children's Museum.  It's where all the cool kids hang.

One minute you can be a total crabby crab to your mom and the next you can look like this.  That is the power of the museum.

Tonight at the museum, University of Minnesota students were gathering the information for a toy making project.  The boys decided they would oblige the students with their expertise.  They spent the better part of a half an hour listening to the students describe their perspective toys and then voted on their favorite from each table.  Such little helpers, they are.

Mia, fascinated with the wee ones, let Wyatt enjoy himself for all of 30 seconds before she came over to assist him with all the things he could do himself.  She likes to be a little helper, too.

Like I said, The Children's Museum is where all the cool kids hang.  For thirty and forty somethings, a Friday night at the museum is the place to be, like First Avenue was not all that long ago.  Tonight we met up with our usual friends The Yeagers, The Knights, and The Smiths, but we also ran into The Krawcyks.  (Don't even try to say it.  Just sneeze and that will be close enough.)  Paul is our mortgage guy, but before that happened his wife Janna was our friend.  They went through the shock of parenthood at the same time we did, so there is an eternal bond.  You can catch Janna over at Our Lives, Our Stories. (I've always wanted to say that.) Psst, Janna!  This is your feature.

On with the museum buzz.  How things work - not that impressive in my opinion, but mostly because I had a toddler with me.  Do not take a toddler in this room.  It sucks for you and everyone else in there.

Take your toddler to the ant room.  The ant room is always fun. a.k.a. Earth World.

The Bad Waitress

 I'm going out.  It's Thursday night and I'm meeting my ladies at The Bad Waitress to discuss the revelations we've made while reading A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose by: Eckhart Tolle.  But before I went out, I had to take one of those, "What I wore last Friday" shots that I see all over Pinterest.  Or maybe it's more like one of those professional photographer self-portraits that they take because they never can get in a shot.   Anyway, I just couldn't help myself.  See me trying not to snicker? 

 The stars were aligned or my ducks were in a row or some other cliché that I never use because it doesn't happen in my world.  I arrived to Eat Street early.  Early.  As in, none of the other ladies were even in the vicinity yet!  I had a half an hour all to myself with absolutely nothing to do.  Unheard of.  I had my camera around my neck and I decided to take some street shots and play around with the low light environment.  This is one of several retro looking lights that glows a menthol color in a green space outside of Vertical Endeavors.  The space also houses an angel like rock sculpture that you can see blurred in the background.

 Across the street from my final destination, stands The Black Forest Inn, a German restaurant that has a really nice outdoor patio for summer time dining.  Tonight, as luck would have it, a bicycle was parked outside as if it was a scene straight out of Germany.

 Finally, I decided to go in the café and enjoy the experience of sitting alone.  The Bad Waitress is committed to supporting organic and local farmers.  The food is unbelievably fresh.  The atmosphere inside could not be cozier.  I felt as if I was in some kind of 1960's beatnik café.  The juke box was filled with good music too!  Like 89.3 The Current music, not KS95-like music (no offense.)  As I waited for my peeps, I hopped from table to table, trying to find the one that would best meet our book club needs and the best thing?  Nobody looked at me funny.  They all seemed to understand.  It was great.

 Then, even after the ladies arrived, we decided to move once more.  We finally found the perfect spot.  You remember in High School when you would find your spot in study hall?  The perfect table or carrel?  And then if you walked in late and somebody else was sitting there, what a disappointment that was?  No?  OK, well...  That's how I feel about this spot.  It is a big round booth so there's always room for one more.  It's in the far corner with a straight shot to the door, so you can see everyone who walks in and yell, "Norm!" when they arrive.  The table's theme is Dr. Strange* - 'nuff said.

 

The walls are decorated with retro horror movie posters and photographs of such outliers as The Munsters.  And to add to the surreal feeling, the restaurant sits slightly below street level so everybody walking past on the sidewalk looks 8 ft. tall.  It took me awhile to realize it.  At first, I thought The Timberwolves must be meeting at a nearby restaurant.

 The illusion is enough to make your eyes go buggy...

 or facial hair to grow instantly.

I had to take another self portrait just to be sure I was still in Kansas.

* All the tables at The Bad Waitress have a villian/monster theme so they know where to deliver your food, since she write your own meal ticket.