Science Extravaganza

Another Science Extravaganza is in the books! This one included more community scientists, including some of a most unusual variety:

 The dojo came to talk about Ninja Physics, and they were a huge hit!

 I also could not be more proud of my girl or more grateful for my mom:

 We had a scientist who was all set to do a slime demo, and Issa was ready to assist. Unfortunately, her little guy got sick and she couldn't make it. Enter Issa. And then Nana. They were so popular, and our girl kept her cool and helped all those little people see the physical reactions. Mom stepped in with the assist and stayed way longer than she planned to help.

The night was truly better than we hoped! Last year, we had just under 100 people; this year, we were well over 200! We doubled community participation and added additional clubs from the school. It was a good thing.

This is the one event Brad and I do together--just us. He handles the community stuff, and I handle the school stuff. It's a dream team. So much so the school administration is trying to get us to have another baby so we can stay at New Hope longer. (Not happening!)

Happy Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is kind of a big deal at our house. We spend the first thirteen days of February counting down to the big day. Every morning, the kids and Brad wake up to some little treat reminding them how much I love them. It's so fun.

And I wait for the big day! It was Brad and I's first date, so it's special in so many ways. Brad had planned the perfect surprise date for me years ago, and it ended hysterically when the restaurant lost our reservation and we ended up at Taco Bell.

Well...it's kind of been the pattern ever since. Life and work has been crazy lately, so we've been hanging on for dear life. I had huge plans of heart shape burgers and purple sweet potato oven fries, but there was a dance mom emergency that derailed the prep time. I called Brad to let him know dinner was going to be late, and he suggested we punt to plan b: frozen appetizers.

It's not what I envisioned, but we lit the candles and sat around the table. The kids chatted about their Valentine's exchanges, and Brad and I told the story of our first date. It was fun and warm and a celebration of love.

A few years ago, I'm pretty sure that scene would have put me over the edge, but I've gotten pretty comfortable with less than perfect evenings--they make the best memories...

A Very Successful Weekend

Last weekend, Issa and I headed South to Greenville, SC for West Coast. This year, we left early and rode down with friends. It was lovely. This is our fifth time in Greenville and the first where we have seen more than the convention hotel. Who knew Greenville had this lovely little park in walking distance from our hotel:

 Yes...there were waterfalls:

 And, Issa and I had a blast:

 This girl has grown so much in five years, and if I'm honest, I have, too. We know how to do these weekends. We have figured out what food fuels her and actually tastes good when she's dancing for six hours a day. We stayed around the corner so we actually got fresh air multiple times a day. I follow her lead and don't push. And she dances her heart out. It was so lovely to see her relax and actually enjoy the classes...and her friends:

 And even at competition time she was calm:

 These sweet girls made us so proud:

And the studio had a great weekend:

If you can spot Issa, you can see she was a scholarship finalist. She was so excited to hear her number called and go up on stage. She danced her heart out, and I couldn't be more proud.

Moving Up in the World

 I'm very behind here on the blog. It seems 2018 is the year of the blur. Everything is in warp speed and I'm just holding on for dear life. But...we are making it!

Last Wednesday was a very big week for our boys:

 The graduated to solid blue and solid red belts!

Mr. Justin pictures are always the best:

 This just wasn't a regular graduation, though. Evan had an extra thrill:

See that black belt in his hands? That's his! It has his name on it, and it is now hanging in the dojo where he can see it everytime he trains. With this graduation, he is now officially halfway there.

And this picture:

Well. My heart can't take it. It was taken at Winter Quest, and it might be my favorite picture of the two of them ever.

Big Weekend

We are caught in a bit of a whirlwind. School was cancelled last Tuesday for snow--totally unpredicted snow that caught everyone of guard. The rest of the week was a blur of trying to recover from that. It's amazing how one little blip can start a tail spin.

By the time we got to the weekend, we were all ready for some fun. Saturday, Issa and I worked about the house during the day, but then we went to see Les Mis with Nana:

 Issa was afraid the show would make her too sad, but she ended up loving it!

Sunday, the three of us headed to the ballet to see Romeo and Juliet:

 It is Issa's favorite ballet, and it was totally worth braving the pouring rain to see it! We all got home just in time to eat Super Bowl Food while not watching the Super Bowl. It was perfection.

While we girls were having all that fun, the boys were at Winter Quest at the dojo:

They loved training with Mr. Hayes, the founder of the discipline. They were both a little sore last night from two days of training, but they seemed to be moving pretty well this morning!

This week is looking just as crazy, but we can do it!