Summer Kick-off at Universal

On our first day of summer vacation, the kids and I headed down to Universal for the day.  We've been wanting to use our passes again and decided it would be best to go before it got too hot and before the crowds got too crazy.  We did not encounter large crowds- I think 30 minutes was the longest we waited for anything- but it was hot as hades.  We left the house around 6:30, arrived at Universal around 10:30 stayed til 4:00, and were home by 8:00.   It was a full day to be sure, but we had a good time. 

 We've decided that each time we visit we'll each pick one thing that we definitely must do.  We've also decided to eat somewhere different and to have our picture made with a new character each time.  On this trip my choice of activity was to ride the Kong ride because we've never ridden it.  Olivia wanted to go walk around in Harry Potter World and Owen wanted to ride the Transformers ride.  We ended up doing everything we set out to do and more.  We ate at the Three Broomsticks, which was very good.  I about busted out laughing at what Owen ordered for his lunch- a turkey leg and butterbeer. 

 We saw Doc Brown walking down the path toward the DeLorean and the kids ran to have their picture made with him.  They were so excited.

We ended up cooling off in the American Tale play area where the kids found a waterslide that I had never noticed before.  It was a big hit.

Before leaving, we stopped by Toothsome Chocolate Emporium to get a milkshake.  We ate at Toothsome's on our last trip and saw these yummy desserts, but were too full to order one.  We were sure to leave room in bellies so that we could get one this time.  They were amazing. 

Owen's Elementary Graduation

 Owen's fifth-grade graduation and honor's day was held on the last day of school.  He finished elementary school with all A's and in the top 10% of his class.  The ceremony was great and included a slideshow and class song sung by the students.  We are so proud of our little buddy.  He works hard in school, and it's nice to see him be recognized for it.  I must admit that I was a little sad as we pulled out of Wacona for the last time.  I have been dropping kids off at this wonderful school for the last seven years, and it will feel weird to not have to go here next year. 

Olivia's Honors Day

 Olivia has had a wonderful sixth-grade year.  I was a little worried at first because the school is so much bigger than her elementary school and because she would be meeting all types of new people.  And while this year was not without its challenges, Olivia seemed to find her way rather well.  She received several awards at her end-of-the-year honors day.  She was recognized for earning nothing but As all year, for having perfect attendance, for being the system winner of the Fair Bear writing contest, and for participation in tech fair and robotics.  She also received a Principal's Award which is based on a combination of grades, attendance, and behavior.  We are super proud of our girl and of all her hard work.

...And since she has been so responsible all year, we went to the Verizon store and made a very special purchase.  I guess she is no longer "the only kid in her class" without a phone.

Summer Waves Blast

 This is Owen's last year in the Blast program at church.  To celebrate a successful year, the kids took a day trip to Summer Waves.  Since their parents were chaperones, Olivia and some of the other youth were able to tag along.  We had a great time.  We left after the church service, arrived around 2, and stayed until closing.  We will definitely miss being in the Blast program.

End of Year Band Activities

Olivia has really enjoyed her first year of band.  She has gotten better with her French horn and even made the sixth-grade district honor band.  She really liked this because she got to miss a day of school to participate in the honor band clinic.  Owen and I were able to attend the concert at the end of the clinic.  Her group performed several songs- including "We Will Rock You", "Another One Bites the Dust", and the "Mickey Mouse Club March".  Olivia saw several of her friends from other schools and really enjoyed this experience.

 A week after her honor band concert, her school presented their spring concert.  The sixth-grade band played several songs including the theme from "Star Wars".  At the end of her school concert, there was an award presentation.  Olivia received recognition for participating in honor band and she also won "Outstanding Band Member" for her class.  We are so proud of the progress she has made this year.

Spring Miscellany

 We have had a very busy spring.  Between school, church, and extracurriculars, it has been go-go-go.  This post is going to detail some of the highlights of the last two months. 

The weather has been really nice this year.  There have been so many beautiful, cool, sunny days- and most of them have been during the week when we're stuck at school.  Still, we did find one Saturday to sneak over to Laura Walker and hike the Big Creek Nature Trail.  I love hiking.  It is so good for my soul. 

It wouldn't be spring without a little spring cleaning.  We participated in the church's annual cleaning day, and I had to take this picture to prove that Owen does indeed know how to operate a vacuum cleaner (even though he acts as if though he doesn't when we're at home). 

One of the highlights of the season was the release of the new Avengers movie.  We are huge Marvel fans and have been eagerly awaiting the latest installment for months.  We saw it on Friday that it opened because we knew that we wouldn't make it long without hearing spoilers.  I had two students who went to the midnight showing on Thursday and I literally had to threaten to write them up because they were threatening to spoil it for me. 

 The kids and I also attended my school's spring musical, Shrek.  Our drama department always does such a fantastic job, and this year was no exception.

 Brian has also had a fun spring.  He was able to spend a weekend with his buddies in Fernandina and attend Shrimp Fest.  They had a great time hanging out and catching up.

 While Brian was at the beach, the kids and I attended OkeCon.  This was our first comic convention and we had a blast.  We only went to check it out but ended up staying there for hours.  The kids participated in all kinds of events like trivia, video game demonstrations, and nerdy karaoke (watching, not singing).  Their favorite thing was the virtual reality headset.  There was so much to do that we were a bit overwhelmed.  Next year, we know what to expect and will go in with a plan.

Olivia's robotics team had an end-of-the-year party to celebrate this year's accomplishments and to watch the reveal of next year's challenge "squared away".  We have already ordered our kit and are in the process of assembling the new field.  The kids are planning to work on their robots this summer and be ready to roll for the first competition next year.  We are hoping to get this and many other things accomplished this summer.  Here's to hoping. 

Academic Boosters

Olivia and Owen were recently honored at the Academic Boosters Awards Ceremony for their extracurricular pursuits.  Olivia received recognition for winning the system's Fair Bear writing competition, for placing at district and regionals in tech fair, and for robotics.  Owen was recognized for placing at district at tech fair, for getting a first place ribbon at the regional science fair, for being a member of the first place math team, and for robotics.  Both kids also received lamps of knowledge that can later be added to their academic letter jacket.  Brian and I are certainly proud of the kids' hard work.