Hair cuts

Both girls were due for hair trims, and Aubrey decided (the day before the hair appointment) that she wanted to cut her hair shorter and donate her hair. It's so much easier to handle when it's shorter--great for summer. Cute, too! Kari's hair is also easier to manage now that it's had a good trim. Both girls have such beautiful hair. Kelly, our hair stylist, suggested donating to Children With Hair Loss, so that's who we mailed it to. They are a non-profit who provide wigs for free to children for a number of medical reasons and give them a new one every year until they are 21-years-old. Aubrey was glad she had something she could give to help some other kids. She likes her short hair, too. :-)

Spring band concert and piano recital

Last middle school concert for Kari. Second one for Joel, and he didn't tell us he was going to be part of a small group who were recognized for earning their band "black belt" for working hard and passing certain benchmarks. That was a fun little surprise. 

I didn't remember to take photos at the girls' piano recital, so I made them sit for a photo after we got home. Both did very well on their pieces. Proud of their hard work!

Field trips

Greg and I both went on field trips on the same day. Grant was so happy to have his dad on his trip to a farm, and I went with Aubrey on the overnight Oregon Trail field trip. We had a good time, too--great weather and good company, as some mom friends were able to go, as well.

Spring Sports

This spring we had our four kids in five sports, plus piano. It was nutty! But we made it through--Kari in soccer, Joel in basketball and track, Aubrey in volleyball, and Grant in basketball. It was a month and a half of absolute craziness, and then things taped off a bit as soccer ended, then basketball, then track, and then the YMCA teams. Tennis started up right when it all ended, but it's very low-key and just over at Barlow, 3 minutes from home.

I already posted about Kari's soccer. She went right into training sessions for high school soccer after the spring season ended. That will continue through the summer until try-outs in August.

Joel deliberated over whether or not to play Hoopsource basketball. After a tough winter season of getting very little playing time and feeling pretty discouraged, he wasn't sure he wanted to do it, and we weren't sure we wanted him to do it. Two different dads decided to coach the team, and Joel ended up deciding to go for it. We are so thankful he did, too. It ended up being a wonderful experience for him. He regained some confidence, got to play more than he did all winter season, learned some new skills, and had a lot of fun. The coaches were super encouraging and did a great job of talking to the boys each time they came out of the game, making sure they knew what they did well and giving them pointers and tips for doing things better next time. We are so thankful for them and the way they helped Joel and the team grow.

Joel enjoyed his first track season, too. He was pretty busy with track practice every day after school, then basketball practices until 9pm two nights a week. He tried long jump, high jump, 800 meter, and the 4x200 meter relay. Lots of his friends were in track, too, and he just had a great time overall. His relay team took first in the championship.

Aubrey played another YMCA season of volleyball and got better and better. Their games got more and more exciting as the season went on. It's fun to see some volleys now. :)

Grant joined a YMCA basketball team with kids from school. About half the team was girls who had never played before. Their games were entertaining to watch. Grant and one other boy were the only ones who had played before. Grant had a great time, even though it was chaos much of the time. He was very good about passing the ball to the girls, and he was one of the only kids on the team who could dribble with one hand and not double-dribble. He had a great time on the bench, too. He talks to anyone nearby and makes friends wherever he goes! I didn't take a single picture of him playing this season. Oops!

Negligent no more

Finally taught this poor fourth child to tie his shoes. We have been remiss in this area of parenting, and by “we,” I mean me. Greg was responsible for teaching the lefties, and both girls were proficient by kindergarten. I was responsible for the righties and put off teaching Grant by buying velcro shoes the last couple times. New shoes with laces were a must. 

He is so proud of his accomplishment. He went around tying our shoes for us the next day on Saturday and said, "I should start a shoe-tying business!" Funny kid. On Monday he came home and told us he had tied shoes for several friends at school. Such a useful skill! :) 

I snapped the second photo after school one day. I subbed at East Orient that day and saw him on the playground with quite the mismatched outfit and made a mental note to take a photo later. He goes to school like this many days. I comfort myself by thinking, "At least he gets himself ready!"

😂

Piano Festival for Two

Aubrey participated in her first piano Junior Festival this year. She did well and earned a Superior ribbon. We got a smoothie at Silk afterwards to celebrate. A couple hours later, it was Kari's turn, and she, too, earned a Superior. She was upset after her performance, though, because she wasn't perfect and didn't play her second song perfectly. We had a good chat on the way home about how to give ourselves grace and not expect perfection. Only Jesus is perfect, and we can try our best but perfection is not something we can attain. Kari is very hard on herself in many areas of life, including piano. Her choice of treat was a Wendy's Frosty. That smile was a genuine one. She was cheering up by then. I love having beautiful piano music played in our home. I'm so grateful the girls are able to take lessons from Katie. She is amazing, both as a teacher and as a person. 

Honor Roll

Both Kari and Joel have earned 4.0 grade point averages this year, and I was able to go to the last two celebration assemblies, much to Kari's chagrin. She does NOT enjoy being in front of people and does not want me there watching, but I went anyway! :) Joel likes me being there. He's not too cool for his mama yet. He smiled for me to take his photos. Kari literally ran away from me after the assembly, but Kevin snapped a photo of her and Kylee and sent it along to me.

Last Rec Soccer Season for Kari

Kari played spring soccer with her same team she's played with for years, and this was their last season together. Next year they'll all be in high school, trying out for the team at Barlow. Contrary to what her expression says, Kari loved being muddy and dirty. She prefers to play in some drizzle, and that day was a bit too stormy, but she was still happy. Their last game had perfect Kari soccer weather--overcast, a little wet, and cool but not too cold. It was a tough, intense game, but Kari played well, and they ended up tied in the end. It was a great way to end her rec soccer career.