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.

Baseball / Softball

The kids had a great baseball/softball season this year.  They played live-pitch, which was new for Olivia.  Both got on base more than they struck out, so it was a positive overall experience.  For Olivia, this season was bittersweet because it was her last.  She ages out of the rec. program after this year and won't play for the school because it interferes with other activities.  She was happy to spend one last season behind the plate as catcher, but is also ready to let it go.   For Owen, this season marked a return to the sport after opting for spring soccer last year.  He was one of the youngest kids in his age division but he held his own and says that he plans to play again next year. 

Easter

We had a great Easter this year.  We celebrated the holiday by attending the morning church service and then having lunch at Granny Buie's house. 

Olivia and Owen have reached the age where they can now dye the eggs by themselves.  They did a pretty good job, I think.

 On Easter morning, the kids got up to find lots of goodies from the Easter Bunny.

 Granny Buie's birthday was during the week of Easter, so we celebrated that while we were at her house for lunch. 

After lunch, we had our family egg hunt. This was Maren's first year of hunting, and it was neat to watch her get into it.  The older kids are about to be too old to hunt, so they were trying to make the most out of their remaining time of eligibility. The weather was perfect for an egg hunt and for being outside in general.  It was a great Easter Sunday!

Church Easter Activities

This Easter season was special for us.  This is Owen's last year in our church's children's ministry.  We have participated in the children's Easter program and egg hunt for so many years that it will feel funny to not have a kid involved next year. 

 The children's program was amazing (as always).  At one point the kids acted out the story of Easter and they all did so well. Owen played the role of Jesus and did a good job. 

 After the Easter performance, it was time for the egg hunt.  The speed with which the kids can find and collect the eggs always amazes me. 

 A big deal at our church is the greening of the cross on Easter Sunday.  People bring flowers to decorate the cross before the morning service.  The roses in my front yard were blooming, so I cut some to bring so that the kids in my Sunday School class could put them on the cross.  I also took this time to snap a few pictures of these sweet kids who are so dear to my heart.

I also got a picture of Olivia with her Sunday School class.  This is a sweet bunch of girls.

Gettysburg

On our last full day at Poppy and Nana's we took a day trip to Gettysburg.  There was a lot to see here.  We hired a licensed battlefield guide gave us a tour while driving our own vehicle.  We were all impressed by the knowledge of our guide. We learned so much about the battle.  The tour was very interesting.  After our tour, we spent a little time in the visitor's center and then drove to one spot that we had seen on the tour and wanted a closer look at.  I have always wanted to visit Gettysburg, and I'm glad that I had a chance to do so this year.