Katherine Catch Up

School gets out on Friday, so I'm scrambling to get caught up. Of course, I just realized that I have missed some big events (like spring break). I guess my next few blog posts will be more like a shuffle...a little mixed up. But isn't that how life is?

For today, here are some Katherine moments:

Katherine was chosen by her teacher this month to be star student as a reward for demonstrating exemplary character qualities in the classroom. She had to gather interesting facts about herself to share with the class.

How well do you know Katherine?

(answers at the end - and don't cheat by enlarging the picture!)

a. Favorite Color?

b. Favorite Foods?

c. Favorite Movies?

d. Hobbies?

New haircut! Mom thinks it's cute. Daddy is upset.

This is Kat standing with her art teacher. Her art was chosen to be displayed at the high school at the district-wide art exhibit in May.

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Answers to How well do you know Katherine?

a. cerulean blue (that is so Katherine)

b. tacos, spaghetti, rice, lasagna, and cornbread

c. Parent Trap, Napoleon Dynamite (dad's sense of humor)

d. coin collecting, piano, photography, Girl Scouts, and cooking

Six Flags and TobyMac

We took the kids to Six Flags earlier this month. This was the only Saturday in forever when it didn't rain. Hallelujah!

Ferris Wheels. Whoever said these things aren't scary doesn't have my fear of heights.

Petunia and Porky! And Dylan and Ava.

Sydney and Katherine picnicking.

Isaac and the Batmobile. He's convinced Batman was lurking inside those tinted windows.

TobyMac concert!

Isaac singing along to "Lose My Soul" - his favorite song. Except he sings, "Wooze my soul."

And finally, Isaac demonstrating how I felt at the end of the day!

Fountains of Joy

We had our new youth pastor over for dinner last night. It was a picture perfect day, so we grilled out and got everything ready to eat outdoors. It was nice - the girls had set out a pretty spring tablecloth...we had fresh flowers...music playing over the speakers.

Katherine and Isaac were sitting next to us at a smaller table, and just as we were taking our first bites, I heard Katherine calmly say, "No, Isaac." Not in a loud - or panicked - voice. Just a quiet, "No, Isaac." I assumed she was reminding him to eat with his fork and not his fingers. It was not the kind of voice that you would expect from someone who is watching her little brother pee right next to the table - about 2 inches from our guest's feet.

You know what they say about first impressions. I'm sure Ed will be busy the next time we invite him to dinner.

Be Afraid...Be Very Afraid

This...



plus this...



plus this...

equals THIS.

The Kat (Not) in the Hat

Oh, the joy of school assignments. By the time I get through three kids' worth of these, I think I deserve at least one more college degree.

For her latest assignment, Katherine was to choose a biographical character to study and immerse herself in all the details of this person's life. She corresponded with a pen pal, writing as her character, and then participated in a live "wax museum" where she and the other students would pose as their characters while parents and guests would come to observe them.

Katherine chose Julia Morgan, the turn-of-the-century female architect from San Francisco. My part in the project was to help her pull together her outfit for the wax museum. It wasn't a problem getting together the clothing, but we had to come up with a Victorian style hat to complete it. We raided the holiday decoration closet, the gift wrapping box, and the pantry for materials. Then, with the help of scissors, paint and a glue gun, we were able to transform a paper plate and bowl into what I thought was a pretty darn good replica of a Victorian hat. I'm not sure how many hours it took in all, but we were happy with the end results.

On the day of the big exhibit, I knew I would be able to spot Katherine because of the hat. But I couldn't find her anywhere. There was a girl who vaguely resembled our Katherine, but she wasn't even wearing a hat. But, wait. What was that thing this girl was holding in her lap that looked a whole lot like that hat that I spent all that time making? I couldn't believe, after all my hard work, she wasn't even wearing the blame thing. I started motioning and whispering for her to put the thing on her head. But, since she was a wax figure, she ignored all my attempts to get her to move. I mean, she should seriously consider guarding Buckingham Palace. I could have jumped up and down on that hat in her lap and she wouldn't have budged.

At home, later that afternoon, I made her pose with it on her head so that I would have at least one picture. Such an injustice.

Mother's Day

My favorite Mother's Day gifts ( in no particular order):

Dylan brought home a flower from school that she had bought with money she had saved herself.

Katherine made a "spa box" filled with the little shampoos, lotions and soaps from Scott's travels.

From Isaac, a half-eaten piece of bacon, accompanied by an enthusiastic "Happy Mudder's Day!"

And Scott gave me a little something to get my feet ready for flip flops. Hip Hip Hooray!

Kat's Softball

For our girly-girl, she's doing great in her first year of softball. Yes, she's more concerned with the cheers and dances from the dugout, and yes, how her hair is fixed is a higher priority than her batting average. But she has consistently hit the ball almost every time she goes to bat. It's just a good thing that there's a coach yelling directions for where she should actually run after she hits it! All in good fun!!