Our Life Lessons

February came and went. Below are highlighted below going from youngest to oldest then our family.

Hurricane

Mayoral Campaign - In 5th grade the school class, they learn how a city government works. Hurricane decided to run as the mayoral candidate for his classroom on a whim. No one else in the class had decided to step up to try. He gave a speech and got embarrassed but then won the nomination for his classroom. There are 3 classrooms meaning there were 3 candidates for the mayor position. He then panicked. We decided to do some food bribes. Hurricane said bribes work in real campaigns. We made cookies with the saying "Hurricane is the RIGHT cookie for Mayor!" and a note card with gum on "Chews Hurricane for Mayor!" He needed to write a speech and woke up early to write the speech only to learn it was a snow day. He gave his speech the following Monday with the vote happening at the end of the day. He did well on his speech. The gum was passed out in the morning and the cookies right after his speech. We learned Tuesday that he won.

Valentine's Box - This was our last year of Valentine Day boxes. Hurricane wanted an epic one. I was thinking something simple. It wasn't simple. We ended up making The Monster's Book of Monster from Harry Potter with fake fur, teeth, the whole nine yards. He loved it.

Battle of the Books Semifinals - Hurricane joined the school's Battle of the Books (BOTB) team this year. For BOTB, he read 10 different books then at the library had a competition for answering the questions against other schools. His team did really well and made it to the semifinals. They lost the semifinal battle. He did a wonderful job reading and participating on his team.

Underfoot

Sacrament Bread - The Deacon's Quorum wanted to learn how to make bread for the sacrament for an activity. They were hoping that the bread would be good for Sunday but 5 days with homemade is too many. On Sunday morning, followed through with the assignment and baked bread. He did a really good job.

Dungeons and Dragons Meeting - Underfoot has wanted to have a D&D night for a LONG time. He FINALLY made it happen. There were 4 other players, and he was in heaven. He made a quest and had a lot of fun.

New Cello - Underfoot has grown about 3 inches in the past 3 months. He has grown so much that the 3/4 cello was too small, but we were told it wasn't an immediate need. Then his case zipper broke and it forced the issue of the cello. We decided to take the leap and buy a 4/4 cello. Underfoot tried out 2 cellos that he named Vogel and Martinez. He ended up choosing Vogel, the German cello.

Dermatologist - Underfoot has been struggling with some skin issues. After getting a referral for a pediatric dermatologist, we got some answers. Underfoot has a few things going on for him like dermatographism, cold induced urticaria, and excema on his head. He now knows how to treat what he has and we are relieved to know he is going to be okay.

Court of Honor - Underfoot completed his Eagle Scout rank in December. This coming Saturday he will be awarded his rank. He's excited!

Sweetheart

Belgium Fence - Before it started snowing in February, Sweetheart put in posts for the guides for the trees. He cemented the posts into the ground then it got cold and the fence has been put on hold until things thaw out.

Supper with Tim - Sweetheart got to meet Tim, a friend from Tucson, for supper when Tim came for a work trip. They got to talk politics and other exciting things that I don't know about. It was good for Sweetheart to see him.

Wendy

Birthday - I had a wonderful birthday and felt very spoiled and loved. Grateful for the kindness from others.

Birthday Visit - The day after my birthday some ladies gathered for a birthday lunch. I invited my friend, Shaulan, from Arizona. She made arrangements to come to lunch. Big thank you to her amazing husband who encouraged her to come and makes it possible through his job for her to come. The lunch was wonderful with the ladies. Spending the day with Shaulan was awesome!

Book Club - As a group we read The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah. I liked the book once I got into. To live in Alaska takes skills and courage.

Completed CEUs - Every year I do 20 continuing education credits to keep my license current in counseling and social work. Some years I complete them early. This year I did it by the deadline. I learn a lot from some of the courses I've taken and it has made for wonderful conversation between Sweetheart and I.

PVA changes - February was filled with meetings on how to improve and change the Parent Volunteer Association at the boys' school. I have been serving on the PVA board this year and some very major overhauling has been done. Next year will look a lot different than this year did.

Family

Super Bowl Party - We watch one professional football game a year. This year we actually had a team to cheer for since my sister and her family live in Kansas City. The game was a lot of fun. It also doubles as our friend's birthday party. I made some wonderful treats for the food competition - cupcake footballs, deviled eggs, and a berry layer cake.

Changing Beds - We have 2 sets of bunk beds - one is easy to make and the other is really hard to make. One Saturday we changed the beds so the boys could make their beds easier in the morning. It took a few hours. The boys are so much more successful at making their beds.

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo - Checked off our bucket list! It has been there for 3 years. We splurged and fed the giraffes. It made us giggle as the giraffes devoured their treats. We enjoyed the day. On the way home, we got ice cream at Josh and John's, our favorite place in Colorado Springs. Hurricane decided that he wanted the vegan ice cream. Underfoot and I weren't fans.

Seed Starts - Tomatoes, peppers, flowers, onions, and other goodies are some of the things we started. The boys decided to start a bunch of extra seeds so they could potentially sell the plants. The seeds have started to sprout. Hurricane is fascinated by the process and has taken one of the plants as class plant.

Men Helped with Move - Underfoot and Hurricane love to help people move. They ask to go with Sweetheart with there are moves As a group, they helped our friends load their truck to move to Utah and as a bonus they got pizza too.

Pancake Day - Hurricane LOVES pancakes. IHOP has a free pancake day which was supper that. Hurricane got his pancakes. He was a happy boy.

Star Wars Film at the Colorado Symphony - The movie was played with no music in from the soundtrack. The symphony played it. After intermission, the conductor greeted the audience with "Hello Nerds!" and shared about the music. The last 58 minutes of Return of the Jedi is non-stop music until the end.

*****
Extra Photographs

Photo Bomber

Sickie

Garden of the Gods

Pretty Rolls

Bubble Bath

Birthday Picture

I am trying my hand at become a family photographer.
Here are some pictures that I took for the boys' completion of Scouting ranks.

Our 2020 has a big bucket list this year. It is good to have something to look forward to and work towards. This last week we checked off 2 activities and 1 project is in the works.

Family:

Breckenridge Ice Sculptures - Each year there is an international competition for carving a 20 ton cube of snow into a sculpture. Teams literally come from around the world. We met friends. The boys favorite was called Greed by Mexico. A man with his pants unbuttoned laying in a huge glass indulging in marshmallows. We liked the one with from India with the person surrounded by snakes choosing be good and evil. There were quite a few that were spectacular.
Monet Exhibit - The Denver Art Museum had a Monet exhibit. Underfoot saw the exhibit with his class. We saw the exhibit. The works were beautiful. While people waited, there was an art room that you could paint your own works of art. Hurricane could have stayed in the art room the entire time.
New Scout Troop - Hurricane has decided he would like to pursue his Eagle rank. So as a family we will support him. We all joined a troop. Underfoot joined as well so he can go on camp outs and still earn merit badges. Sweetheart will help as an Assistant Scoutmaster. I will help on the Committee as the Advancement Chair. Hurricane completed his Scout rank.
Donuts with Dad - Breakfast at the school with Dad is one of the community events the school.

Sweetheart:

Belgian Fence - We have decided to put fruit trees in our backyard. The method Sweetheart has researched and wanted to build a Belgian Fence. He has spent the last few Saturdays preparing the soil. Bare root trees will be delivered in early March. We will plant cherry and stone fruit trees.

Wendy:

PVA Changes - This past year I have been the PVA President. PVA is parent volunteer association instead of PTA or PTO. Part of the perimeters this year were to simplify and set boundaries. As a PVA board, we have decided change the PVA set up for the coming school year.

Underfoot:

Planning Court of Honor - Underfoot will have his Court of Honor on March 7. He has created a program. You are invited to come. Please let us know so we can get you the details.
Released from Sling - Underfoot broke upper humerus the day after Christmas. He has been wearing a sling for the past 4 weeks. We went to the doctor, and his arm is healing well. He was released from the sling so he may now play the piano and cello. He will need to do some physical therapy of swimming.

Hurricane:

Battle of the Books - This is a competition when students read 10 books chosen by the library then compete against other schools. Last night was the first battle. Hurricane was the spokesperson to give his teams answers. They won their battle.

Be Well.

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