I didn't know Jonas had updated the blog recently so I got all the photos ready to go and then saw he had done it...but he always does only 1/8 of the photos I would post, so here is my version of his post, haha. It's exactly the same, just MORE. 😂
But Jonas was right: this is straight-up activities season in our lives!
Cora LIVES for Boba Tea drinks.
I had tickets to go to "Mean Girls" the musical with Layla, but she wanted to go with a friend, so Renee gave me her extra ticket and we had a great time together as theater moms.
This was the last game of Cora's Spring volleyball season with Phalen. They lost but had a really great season.
These three girls are great friends and all live within 8 houses of each other on Hyacinth Avenue.
I took Kellan and Finn to the Science Museum on Kellan's birthday because he really wanted to go and get some shark teeth. He had an awesome time. My science boys!
On Finn's birthday I took the older three to see the Percy Jackson Musical at Stages theater in Hopkins. Layla of course dressed all in character, including the right necklace, t-shirt, and painted face scars, haha.
Meeting the actors (Percy here)
Easter Sunday at the Horsmans...Layla and Leah had to hunt for younger cousins who weren't there that day and I thin both were a little disappointed that they couldn't keep the candy for themselves anymore.
Layla was asked last minute to perform at a student-run coffee house at school, so with 2 hours of prep time she runs home and dresses all in pink and sparkles and then comes back and sings "Popular" on stage, calling in a member of the audience. It's wild to me. This must be Schaefer confidence, because she did not get that from me, haha!
Then she encouraged Cora to get up there and spontaneously play a piano piece.
Kellan requested Cane's chicken fingers on his actual birthday...
On Cora's actual birthday she had a sleepover with friends and then opened some presents in the morning.
Then later that afternoon she had ANOTHER party with all her friends...
For dinner on the night of her birthday she requested to go to a Pho restaurant near us, so I took her. Who wouldn't want amazing Thai food on their birthday?
Layla went to her first dance at GRS which had a starry night theme. No one loves a theme like this girl so she went all out in her makeup and accessories.
Then the NEXT weekend we had Kellan's friend birthday party in the back yard as well.
Cora read scripture in church that Sunday. She was very nervous but did a great job and go SO many compliments after the service that it totally made up for her nerves, I believe.
On Cora's birthday she got a volleyball net for the backyard, and since both Cora and Layla play on teams there have been several sibling pickup games after backyard dinners.
Kellan had a "work share" time at school where he showed me different things he was learning and how to use the Montessori tools in his classroom.
This was a family viewing of some Star Wars movie...
In early May it got WARM here, so loads of little girls headed down to the beach together...
Cora and Kellan both finished up a session of gymnastics together. I think this is where Kellan will leave it, but Cora was built for gymnastics and was promoted to their pre-competition level, so she is very excited to start that this Summer. I'm always amazed at the height she can get on her bar jumps.
As soon as Les Mis was over, Layla started practicing for a one-act play show at GRS. She played Apollo in a Greek gods themed play and had a lot of fun in that role.
Normally we outlaw fort building in the living room, but this one slipped by us before we could spot the sneaky little builders...
Jonas and Finn help with the livestreaming of the church service sometimes.
This is me in the kids health office at school. I was hired to work for the last 4 weeks of school only and it's been great fun for me. I think I waited too long to return to work, because this has given me a lot of energy. Hopefully I can return and work at the school again next year, but in some other capacity, likely a special ed EA or something along those lines.
Layla had her dance performance which was a song from "You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown." Neither of us have seen the musical, and the costumes were not exactly as cool as "Newsies" last year, but she still had a great time and was able to play the key character in the dance.
I think Jonas already mentioned this, but there was a spirit week at school and the kids on this day were supposed to dress in 70s clothing. Finn said that they didn't specify which century, so he dressed in 1870s style (or as close as he could wrangle clothing). Classic Finn: find the angle to any assignment, haha. He said kids at school didn't get it until he told them, but after they understood they all asked for selfies with him. 😂
We babysat our neighbors two dogs and I found a device on Amazon to stop their barking with a click of a button. LOVE it.
Cora and more Boba with different friends...
The previous dance photos were from the dress rehearsal where I could get close, this is from the actual dance day:
It's hard to get everyone together to celebrate birthdays when there are so many, so we had a family birthday afternoon in mid-May to celebrate all the January-May birthdays, haha. Presents for the kids only.
I was at work during this, but Jonas was able to go to a Game Show at Jon's new work that was hosted for the birthday of an old friend from SPF. Fun to see Jon in his element!
Watson is a good sport...
I was at work, so Jonas went to Cora's "work share" where she and three boys from her class explained their science invention to rotating groups of parents.
Finn is in baseball now (you can see him in between first and second base in the picture immediately below), so Cora and Kellan like to go sometimes and walk Watson around.
The sunset as I was sitting in a parking lot waiting for Layla to com out of her "Mary Poppins" play practice for this summer.
Cora participated in "Girls on the Run" this spring and had a great time, although her one complaint was that they talked too much...she wanted to run the whole time.
The same group of Hyacinth Avenue girls met up at GOTR too!
Cora and her running buddies.
Layla and I went to do some errands yesterday so she practiced driving.
Kellan became obsessed with chess in Alabama, and as soon as we got back he was able to participate in chess club every Wednesday afternoon. He's big into this game.
He convinced me to play one Sunday morning. I don't even know how to play, but there I was...
Me at "work":
Layla sent me this photo after she used her new debit card for the first time at Jimmy Johns. For the last 4 days of school all the upper and lower adolescent kids at school do a 4 day Spring Intensive. Finn is on a 100 mile bike trip (not his choice, haha, all 7-8th graders are required to go), and Layla is doing a 4 day dance intensive learning Bob Fosse dance to prepare for the musical "Chicago" next year. She LOVES it.
Yesterday it was End of the Year Carnival day for Kellan and lots of lower elementary kids, so I hired Anja to face paint. She was a big hit and I just happened to be there when Kellan spotted her.
On the way home from Carnival day. He ran quite a bit and this was the result.
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