Family Portraits

Tonight, I promised Jane I would "do something fun" with her if she met the challenge I gave her to finish her homework packet in the 15 minutes I set on my phone timer while I got Alex in bed.  And since Jane LOVES to start art projects at bedtime, the "fun thing" she came up with was drawing pictures of the whole family, using the eye stickers she got in her Easter basket.  She assigned Ethan, Alex, Sophie, and herself to me, and she drew Scott, myself, Isaac, and Grace.  The results are almost better than actual family pictures.  ;)

I thought I'd use the following masterpieces as a framework to give you a run-down on what everyone has been up to these days...

Isaac has been LOVING the warmer weather and the opportunity it has given him to play outside more and to walk down to the neighborhood playground and "swing-a-swing-a-swing-a."  The kids keep hounding me to cut his hair, but I just can't bear to part with the curls yet.  So I've given them an 18-month deadline.  If I can pull the trigger, come May 10th Shoo Shoo will be getting his first haircut.

Alex's Mario obsession is still going strong and in case anyone is wondering, he is no longer into superheroes.  Hahaha.  He has been doing AWESOME lately with his anxiety and worrying and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he will manage our triumphant return back to the gym's Kids Klub in a couple weeks' time without any flare-ups.  A mother can always dream, right?  Hahaha.

Jane had a super stellar start to the day this morning when she got dressed right away on her own, came downstairs and poured Alex's cereal for him, STARTED MAKING HER OWN LUNCH, and got her own cereal to boot.  For the record -- this NEVER happens.  When I came down and saw her industrious little self in action, I made sure to really overplay my dramatic reaction to her good deeds, and she totally ate it up.  Hahaha.

Sophie had her first "Kidz Home Alone" class after school today and came home knowing how to give herself the Heimlich Maneuver should she ever need it.  When I picked her up and asked her if the class was interesting or kind of weird, she said it was a little of both.  Hahaha.  She has been super helpful lately with taking care of the baby and I'm grateful for any help I can get!

Grace continues to be a marvelous work and a wonder, and keeps us on our toes on the regular.  After a complete refusal/borderline meltdown on her part last week to even contemplate attending her "6th Grade Recognition Night"/Graduation next month (because heaven forbid she would have to wear a dress) she has done a complete 180 and is now totally on board.  And has even turned the reins over to me to find her a new dress.  Although we'll see if she really means that.  ;)

Ethan, meanwhile, is continuing to plug away at his plans to earn enough money to buy an iPhone 7 by the end of June.  It has ensured that I can count on him for babysitting on a weekly basis and he's pretty much the only kid who regularly completes his chores in order to earn his allowance to go towards that phone, so I'm not complaining.  Although it WOULD be nice of he were earning some of those funds from someone OTHER than us.  Hahaha.

The biggest excitement on my plate right now is that I'm going to Book Club on Saturday night, and I didn't even have to organize it!  The invite fell right into my lap and I'm super stoked.  It's been a couple of years since I've participated in one and I can't wait to talk about books with other people again!  Because I'm kind of a dork like that.  Hahaha.

And finally, Scott's {seasonal} allergies have been hitting him with full force in the last week or so and as a result, he spends most of his waking day (and night) with a wet washcloth over his face to keep the pollen away and help him to breathe.  I'm thinking it JUST might be time for him to go to an allergist and maybe start getting some shots again.

And that's a wrap!  Until next time...