Around Here Week 17: 04/26-05/02

 A glimpse into what it is like to live in our home just this moment. 

photo cred: St Davids Youth

photo cred: Michael O'Ship

photo cred: Michael O'Ship

photo cred: Becky C

photo cred: Diane F

photo cred: Megan M

photo cred: Maria G

selfie cred: B

selfie cred: B

selfie credit: B

photo cred: B

Intentional Outdoor Hours: 89+ hours (of 1000)
Spring feels like it's trying to wake up, especially with the rain that wiped out two days of spring sports this week! 

Reading Lost Man's Lane by Scott Carson and The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough.

Listening to and finishing Lady Tremaine by Rachel Hochhauser. I really liked it and appreciated how much detail was added to make the story come to life from a historical fiction lens. I unfortunately couldn't attend book club this time because on we had five games on the same night - but I did send my book notes over our host in time for the meeting! Then I started listening to Say You'll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez so I could finish some cleaning/organizing house projects. 

Hanging out with our favorites, the Kochs, after the girls' soccer games. We had pizza and played and laughed and started the Sunday evening in the best way possible - with friends. Always so nice to be with our people. love youns xxo

School events this week: 

• Violet had scrabble practice this week and then participated in the Somerset County scrabble tournament (with her partner Alina!)
• Olive and Reddy had their first PreK field trip to the fire and police stations in Somerset
• Violet & Jayce got to visit with the high school video production class to learn about videoing, acting, and editing! (thank you Mrs. Feathers and high school kids!) 
• I updated the calendars as we are about to flip into May and start the Maycember madness (spring concerts, field trips, carnivals, and finals!!)
• So endeared that two of my Spanish 2 students continue to write notes back and forth with Red and Olive. They both know how to spell only a few words on their own (mom, dad, love, from, to) but they both know how to spell Abby and Emilia because of the penpal notes! 
• Down to the last 20 days of school! 

Thankful for our barber, Lamont, who have all the fellas in my house looking fresh and handsome after haircut this week. 

Date night with B to Nyko's for sushi. We had a gift card that has been burning a whole in our pocket, so when we had a free night because of the weather - we ventured out for some one on one time and yummy food. Lucky for us we also ran into Miss Emma and Kolten who were there too! 

Butter's bachelor fishing party in Potter County. B and Grey went up on Friday to set up and check out the streams (and also fish!) Pappy and Rusty went up on Saturday after the baseball games. They fished, hung out by the fire, had good food, and laughed like the good 'ole days at fishing camp when they were young with our Gilmore cousins. We are all so excited for Butter & Becky's wedding (in June!) 

Feeling very grateful for all the family, friends, and sports' families that squeeze in during every season - but especially spring sports season when we have SIX athletes in the house! We have grandparents and teammates' families making sure we have rides to all the things and smiling, cheering faces in the stands. Reminders texted, photos and videos sent, camp chairs shared, snacks offered, and concession stand money sneakily slipped into little sibling hands. We could never do it without all the support - we are so grateful for you! 

Time with family and friends. Violet got a sleepover with Bria at our house and then had a playdate with Bristol and Bria! Gemma volunteered with the St David's youth group to help paint a cabin at Camp Sequanota. She also had a playdate with Abigail at our house and babysat two days for the Bridges. We all stopped by Silver Bell to get ice cream and visit cousin Caleb and our friend Zolina who was working. The rest of our crew stayed home and the babies were happy to sleep on Daddy's side of the bed so I wouldn't be sad while Dad was away- hahhaa. those sneaky, sweet babies. 

Teaching and watching Ferdinand in the elementary school because it was the last week of state testing - so I also proctored this week for my small group who finished their Math State Testing. I got the last group of eighth graders for my Spanish Expo class! Spanish 1 started reading TUMBA chapters 1-8 and completed mini quizzes and activities to make sure comprehension is clicking since they are mostly reading it alone/with a partner for the final novel of the year. Spanish 2 continued practicing present progressive verbs and furniture/house vocab as they prepare for their final projects: Una Casa Famosa. They will each randomly pull a name out of a bucket of a well known Hispanic person (Bad Bunny to Frida Kahlo to Roberto Clemente to Rey Mysterio, etc) and then design at least four rooms in a house inspired by their life based off of their research. I completed the example house this week and used Diego Rivera as the person. Nerding out so much with gleeful joy to design the house and then write the essay to go along with it. #lovemyjob 

Sporting with no games for Olive and Coach Momma in 6U AYSO because both nights were rained out! Reddy and Rusty each had two baseball games this week including Opening day ceremonies. Violet had two 12U AYSO soccer games, one Sparks soccer practice, and one Sparks game. Gemma had one Gators soccer game and two softball games. Grey had one baseball practice and two baseball games this week.  I worked the concession stand at Gemma's softball game, donated 2dozen strawberry crinkle cookies to Opening day at the little league fields, and scheduled Grey's next sports massage with Miss Emma at Peak Performance Therapy. 

Making copycat Olive Garden chicken pasta, cheddar and beef sammies, ground beef taco pasta, teriyaki chicken, broccoli, and noodles, pierogies, homemade pizza, sheet pan kielbasa tortelini. For desserts I made pb oatmeal chocolate chip cookies (the boys took some to Potter county too), and I made strawberry crinkle cookies to donate to the Opening Day baseball concession stand.

Around Here Week 16: 04/19-25

 A glimpse into what it is like to live in our home just this moment. 

selfie cred: Uchie

photo cred: CTHS

photo cred: Maria G

photo cred: Becky C

photo cred: Tribune Democrat

photo cred: Tribune Democrat

photo cred: SASD

photo cred: Uchie

photo cred: Uch

photo cred: Uchie

photo cred: Uchie

Intentional Outdoor Hours: 79+ hours (of 1000)
The chill in the air is holding on - I wore a winter hat to Gemma's soccer game and I was wishing I would have worn my winter coat too! Blairy's birthday party was a maybe for awhile because the weather was rainy and cold (thankfully it cleared up in time!) And then somedays it is beautiful sunshine and I'm filled with hope that the season is changing over - I even laid in the front yard reading my book with Nova to bask in the sun. Only to have my heart broken when the next day is cold again. 

Reading Lost Man's Lane by Scott Carson and The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough

Listening to Lady Tremaine by Rachel Hochhauser

Looking ahead into the next few weeks and making sure all my t's are crossed and i's are dotted in my planner because holy cow it's about to get even more wacky around here. AYSO soccer games will start with baseball and softball still going strong. Add in a mix of end of year concerts, assemblies, field trips, spirit days, mother's day, birthdays, Gemma's confirmation, and a bachelor party weekend. Yeesh, hang on to your horses, Tabitha! 

School projects underway this week: 

• proofreading Gemma's senior high student council essay
• proofreading Violet's jr high student council essay
• Grey attended the track meet to do his video production assignment taping
• I created activity packets for the kids to do while they are exempt from state testing
• Violet had scrabble practice after school once this week
• Olive had snack day!
• B had a school board meeting
• Reddy won the coloring contest in Pre-K, first place!

Snacks with someone special for Red and Olive at Maple Ridge. Chum, Pappy, and Aunt Kitty all got to have snacks and make crafts with the babies for a while in the morning. They were so proud to have them there! 

Dazzled by our Gemmi who attended her jr high semiformal dance. Uchie came over to do her make-up (God bless and thank goodness because I am basically no help at all in that department). I attempted to do her hair but quite honestly, Gem is just better at it herself so I provided the enthusiasm and photography (LOL). Uch and I took her over for photos at Zolina's house and all the kids looked so great all dressed up. Gemma went with her good friend Abram and he was such a good sport at all the different poses and photos I requested (hahha - thank you Abe!) The dance was fun (as reported by the kids!) and then B and I transported most of them in Lucille the Studermobile to Chili's for the post-dance dinner and then to Zolina's house for the post-dance hang out. Sometimes I just cannot believe we get front row seats to our kids' lives unfolding! so so grateful to be their momma. 

Outdoorsmen and their equipment all over this place. The fishermen were at it again on Sunday at the Wilmore fishing tournament (B, Grey, The Conn Twins, Rusty, and Reddy). How lucky we had a double sleepover with the Conn boys; our bonus big brothers! Pappy took Grey and Rusty turkey hunting on Saturday for youth day too (they saw some and Rusty took a shot, but no luck!) 

Celebrating our nephew Blair's 2nd birthday. The party was at Tia's house and we had good enough weather for rockets and playing outside! Blairy picked baseball and grass cupcakes for his cake and I was honored to make them for him. (this sweet fella boy is obsessed with the Sandlot and it's so cute it's unbearable. like literally hurts me with the sweetness). It was a perfect night with family and all the cousins running around and playing for the Blairykins. 

Time with family and friends. Olive and Red had the best day ever when they got to sleepover at Uch and Kevin's and then spend the whole day with their cousins while Miss Emma babysit everyone (five kids six and under! She's the best nanny ever and we are so lucky to have her in our lives - we love you Miss Emma!!). Rusty had a playdate at his friend Logan's house (while all the big siblings attended the semi-formal). Violet had a sleepover at Evaley's house and got to go out to eat with the Moores after her sleepover with Uch, Kevin, and the boys. Gemma slept over Zolina's house after the semi-formal and we hosted Abigail and Amiyah at our house on Thursday night so the girls could do their nails for the semi-formal (they turned out beautiful!) The Moores and Pappy came to hang out on Friday night to catch a glimpse of Gemma before she was off to her dance and we played and shot off rockets (hahaha, Uncle Drip - a professional). 

In international news this week, the US has decided to blockade the Strait of Hormuz. Does this effect my family right this second? No. But will it have global and eventually local effects, yes. Also, like wtf? I bought a rain barrel kit because we've had a barrel here for a long time to turn into a water collector and now is a good time as any.

Teaching during PSSA testing week! I had a small group for ELA testing at the elementary school (3 days) and the other days, we were watching Ferdinand. My Spanish Expo 8th graders also had state testing, so we took it easy doing our last week of learning the classroom objects vocab. Spanish 1 started their pre-novel work about Mexico and Cenotes before we read the last novel of the year. Spanish 2 worked through Somos Unit 16 about La Guerra Sucia - but it was a wacky week for them with many students out for the last period of the day due to track, softball, and tennis. On Friday, I had a substitute because Ella and I spent the day at the Methodology conference at IUP. 

Sporting with two 6U AYSO soccer practices for Olive and Coach Momma. Reddy had one coach pitch baseball game. Rusty had two baseball practices and Violet had two 12U AYSO soccer practices, two Sparks soccer practices, and one Sparks soccer game. Gemma had two softball practices, two softball games, one open gym for basketball, and one Gators soccer game. Gemma also attended a six hour training to ref for the AYSO season on Saturday (!) Greyson had one baseball practice and three baseball games. B had a meeting with the football coaches to plan the 7v7 alumni event, attended the college signing event with the football seniors going to play sports next year - Congrats Baker, Barty, Brennan, and Burnie! We are so proud of you!! We all waited patiently to hear the final vote on the Shade co-op (they will stay with us! Yay!!)  I worked with Jenn V to plan and organized the upcoming baseball tailgate event and I organized and sent the full spring sports schedule to our family and friends.

Making bbq chicken sammies, homemade stromboli, buffalo chicken dip, chili, chicken/ broccoli alfredo, Korean beef over rice with green beans. For desserts I made cake box chocolate chip cookies and I made pumpkin roll at the request of Violet's friend Brookie for her birthday on Friday (love you sweetie pie!). I made baseball and grass cupcakes for Blairy's birthday party!