Easter Egg

Earlier this month, the mother of one of Ben's classmates emailed asking for each child's favorite color. I responded with, "Today it is yellow, though tomorrow it might be blue."  Little did I realize that Ben would bring home this amazing creation from his classmate's grandmother.  

She made an egg in the child's favorite color for all 15 children in his class.  Isn't it incredible?

According to the grandmother, we will be able to keep this egg for years if we pack it up after each Easter in the packaging she provided.  You truly don't see works of art like this any more!  

Hawks v. Lakers

A few weeks ago, Eleanor was invited to join Francie, her father, and her friend Maddie at the Hawks versus Lakers game.  I think Thomas and Hayes were both very jealous of Eleanor's attendance that night as we knew it would be an exciting game.  

Since it was a school night, we assumed that the girls would be ready to head home at halftime.  I think the intensity of the game surprised them, and they ended up staying until just a few minutes left in the fourth quarter.  It was a close game throughout with the Hawks ending up victorious.  

CNN Tour

Last Sunday afternoon, Hayes, Eleanor and I met up with Hayes's Cub Scout troop for a tour of CNN. 

I think Hayes was more interested in the massive NCAA bracket than he was in the tour.  (Atlanta is hosting the Final Four next weekend.)  

We captured one group shot before our official tour began.  

Because it was early Sunday afternoon, CNN was airing live from Washington D.C.  We did not see a live show being taped but did see all of the news gatherers at their desks reading up on the latest headlines.  

Other CNN affiliates, HLN and CNN Espanol both show previously recorded shows over the weekend so their departments were quiet.  

Overall, it was an educational experience for the kids and one that I actually enjoyed as well.  

Ben's Class Easter Egg Hunt

Last Thursday morning, I was charged with organizing Ben's class's Easter party.  Thankfully, the "main event" of the party was the Easter egg hunt!  When we gave the kids the green light for the hunt to begin, they went running onto the soccer field in the search for eight eggs with their names on them - four with their first names and four with their last names.

I wanted to capture Ben's buddy Charlie.  They have been in the same class since they were two-years-old but will be heading different directions next year.  

I thought the last name idea was a wise one, as it added considerable completion time to what would otherwise have been a less-than-five-minute event.  After each child found eight eggs, they then checked to make sure they had gathered the correct ones.  (Some kids grabbed eggs of those whose last names started with the same letter.) 

Once they confirmed that they had all of their correct eggs, they quickly opened them to inspect their loot and share with their classmates.  

Before they consumed too many jelly beans, we captured a quick class photo in the blinding sun and then headed inside to continue the party with an Easter snack.  

A Budding Hair Stylist

Ben has always been very interested in my appearance.  From the first moment he could express it around the age of two, he has let me know that he prefers my hair down.  He notices when I have a new outfit on or if I've just gotten my hair cut.  Last Friday night before the Brandon Auction, when I walked out of my room dressed and ready to go, Ben said to me, "Ooh!  Stylish!"  The other two kids barely noticed.  

Two times last week after dinner, Ben expressed an interest in "doing" my hair.  I love it when the kids play with my hair so I gave him permission to see what he would do.  Also, why would I turn down what is basically a free scalp massage?

He spent most of his time just brushing my hair down my back and then walking in front of me to check out how it looked. When he was done, he assured me that it looked "pretty."  I told him that I wasn't worried about my appearance and that I was very appreciative of the pampering!

NCAA Brackets version 2013

Its NCAA Tournament time!  I'm a week late in posting each member of the family's picks for this year's basketball championship but here they are after the first two rounds . . .

Ben looks like his bracket is in trouble.

He claims that when Hayes helped him fill out his bracket, Hayes told him that the higher the seed, the better the team.  After looking at his bracket, he's consistently inconsistent . . . and basically out of the competition.

Hayes was feeling confident after winning every game the first day of the tournament.  He's since had some losses but not many.  

All three kids picked Gonzaga to play in the championship game.  Eleanor's pick of Miami in the finals is still looking good.  

My bracket took a hit when Georgetown, a team I predicted to play in the championship game, lost in the first round to Florida Gulf Coast University.  FGCU!  Crazy tournament this year.  

Finally, Thomas is the only member of the family with his two championship teams still in the tournament.  

We'll see what the next two weeks do to our brackets! 

Cold Days - Fort Days

Two weekends ago, Atlanta had an Arctic blast hover over the city.  We tried our best not to leave the house.  Thankfully, the kids were quick to come up with their own entertainment - FORTS!  Eleanor helped the boys make forts in their respective rooms 

and then she made one for herself.

All three of them proceeded to spend much of the weekend in their forts, either listening to music, reading books, or drawing pictures.  

All of the separation made for a rare, peaceful weekend!

Hot Chocolate 5K

(Written under the theory of "Better Late Than Never" . . . )
On Sunday, January 13th, I ran in the Hot Chocolate 5k down near Turner Field.  When I registered back in November, I was worried that the hot chocolate promised at the finish line would be necessary to stay warm over the second weekend in January.  Thankfully this January 13th came with a balmy 60 degrees - running heaven!  I made Thomas and the kids head out with me bright and early because I really wanted the kids to see their mom run in a race.  I have been struggling with plantar fascitiis for the last 18+ months so I was eager to finally get out an do an official run.

Prior to race morning, each of the kids actually made posters to hold up to energize me down the final stretch to the finish line. Ben "messed up" and did not think his was presentable.  Then, the night before the race he spilled his milk at dinner, and it went all over his poster.  That was the end of its life.  Hayes and Eleanor both made posters, though, that they brought with them.

(Later that Sunday, the Falcons had one of their biggest games in franchise history here in the NFL playoffs in Atlanta so Hayes's mind was on the Falcons more than supporting his mom!)

Overall, the race went smoothly, though I would have preferred a flatter course through downtown! The kids and Thomas were there to cheer me on close to the finish line as I kicked it into high gear the last few tenths of a mile.  We met up after I had gotten my hot chocolate in the Turner Field parking lot.

I hope my performance made the kids proud this morning!

Easter Art with the Art Chicks

A week ago, Eleanor, Hayes, Ben and I decided to go visit the Art Chicks one more time, as they had organized an Easter Bunny Family art class.  When I signed up a few weeks in advance of the class, Eleanor and Ben both said they wanted to participate while Hayes stated that he would just bring a book or something to do during the class.  Once we got there, though, Hayes quickly changed his mind and decided that he wanted to make his own bunny as well.  

Eleanor ended up creating the Mother Bunny while Hayes and Ben both made Boy Bunnies.  

I was grateful that, after reflecting on the class, all three shared that they were glad we had attended.  Yeah!

Ben's Last Preschool Days

Two Sunday afternoons ago, we attended our final Preschool Days performance at the Preschool.

(The 5/6 class, which Ben will be a member of next year, does not do this performance.) Ben and his classmates sang numerous songs such as "God Bless America" and "Georgia On My Mind.

They also talked about different eras of music and Ben's class danced to some good ol' rock-n-roll.

He sure enjoyed showing off his dancing skills, and we loved seeing him and his cute Pre-K class perform one more time together.  

H's Neil Armstrong

This past Monday, Hayes's class presented their "Famous Americans" book reports.  Whose biography did Hayes choose to read and then share with the class?  Hayes's selection was Neil Armstrong.

(Thanks for the Rite-Aid astronaut costume, Mimi!)

Prior to last Monday, he spent a good bit of time preparing what he was going to say.  He then wrote it all out on a piece of paper and rehearsed for us.  He had a maximum two minute presentation time limit so we were working around that guideline . . . though that became a non-issue with Hayes's speed reading!

When Monday finally arrived, his first experience speaking in front of an audience of comprised of peers and parents was a success.  He made eye contact, kept his volume strong and presented his material in a clear, concise voice.

We also heard presentations about John F. Kennedy,

 Betsy Ross,

 John Chapman aka "Johnny Appleseed",

 Harriet Tubman,

 Jane Goodall,

 and Benjamin Franklin to name a few.

Well done, first graders!