Last week was Fiona's half birthday. She wanted to do something special. So I let the kids each eat their last Rolo from St. Patrick's Day - and that worked for her. Proof that one or two things are still relatively easy at eight. It's hard to believe she will be nine in September. And near impossible to believe that the next birthday will be double digits. I'm pretty sure this was yesterday.
We've been going through a bit of the winter blues the last couple months and it has been bumpy. Fingers crossed, I think we are pulling out of it a bit. Some of the bumps are new and some are just a continuation in our pursuit of life skills. It's hard to power through a school year when you have a delightful imagination and there are just so.many.rules and math lessons. This year, Fiona has a lovely teacher who gets her, but also expects her to learn the math lessons. It's a balance. It will be her whole life. And that's okay. We want to teach her to both be herself (because she's awesome) and to be respectful and productive. Don't we all need a refresher on that lesson occasionally?!?!
Bugs continues to love to read and is bouncing between Babysitters Club and biographies. We spent some time this weekend reading her new library book about famous artists. Little bro joined our art history session when we read about a few Italian artists named Leonardo (da Vinci), Michelangelo, and Raphael. Who knew famous artists were named after Ninja Turtles?!?! She also makes up the best games with her dolls or Barbies and I love hearing how her thoughts come out in her play.
She's been outside a ton the last week (hello, spring!) and her big muscle skills are hanging in there with her peers. She is a biking and scootering machine - just like the rest of the neighbor kids. She and Mike have worked really hard on adapting her technique and it's paying off big time.
Fiona is in week 2 of her drama class and comes home glowing from it. She was assigned her part tonight and will be the comedic relief as Boppy the Clown. They nailed her casting and she will be so great. She is in class with her friend Ellie and the two of them are also enrolled in a musical theater camp at the dinner theater this summer. She's so pumped and is ready to get to do "her thing" after several disappointments over the winter of classes being cancelled.
She doesn't like me taking her picture anymore and asked me this weekend if something made her look fat. We are hearing stories about "mean girl" behavior at school (she doesn't understand it). The bigger big kid issues are creeping into our world. We do our best to ensure she knows she can talk to us about anything. And assure her she's not fat (while desperately trying to instill positive body images). And force her to still take pictures because we love her smile. As long as we can see her sitting out on the driveway, drawing with chalk and giggling with her buddies, life is mostly good in an eight-year-old's world.
Spring fever is a real thing, you guys. The snow that was too deep to sled less than two weeks ago is pretty much all gone (Mike and I agree this may be the fastest melt we've ever seen). The sun has been out all week and it is glorious outside! We've been outside every day after school, polishing up our bike and scooter skills and remembering how fun it is to play with the neighbors. The fresh air has been restorative - and we are already struggling to maintain hygiene. Who wants to shower when it is so nice outside?!?! [answer: no Vannestes do. That's for sure]
Before we fully transition into spring (while knowing full well that it will snow at least one more time because it is Minnesota after all), we had a great weekend closing out the winter activities. We spent the weekend at Dec's very first Mites Jamboree (hockey tournament). He played four games in two days and let me tell you that the boy was TIRED. You know who else was tired ... Fiona. Of hockey.
Channeling her inner Gma J
Auntie came down on Saturday to watch Dec play. The girls were super happy to have her in the stands with them. The jamboree was just for the Shakopee hockey teams (they played each other), but they did the experience up right. Before the first game, the lights dimmed and each player's name and number was announced while they skated out from the bench. D thought this was the coolest thing ever. They all must have thought that - because his team played harder than we've seen all season.
Dec had a 30 minute break between games, so we got him a gatorade and a snack, hit up the bathroom, and sent him back out on the ice. He really focused on skating this year and has improved greatly. Now we need to focus on his stick handling skills and awareness of where the puck is on the ice. He'll get there. But right now, he is happy as a clam skating around the ice for his shift, regardless of where the puck is. He did get a few good touches in. And most importantly, had a blast.
Mike had to leave for his own game before D's second game was done, but the rest of us stayed and cheered. We got to keep Auntie for a bit after the game and then met the Ps at McD's for dinner before Jack and Coop headed back to the rink for their own game. I had everyone in bed at 7:31 and I think Dec was sound asleep at 7:32. Mike got home before 8:00, so went to say good night to the gang. The girls were still awake, but he said Dec was already snoring.
With his Jack
We headed back to the rink right after lunch on Sunday for games 3 and 4. Dec was super pumped because his very favorite person came to watch him. Jack is original Ms. A's 15-year-old son and he and Dec have the sweetest friendship. Dec invited Jack to his birthday party last year ... and Jack happily came and played with a pack of 4-year-olds for two hours. He is just the sweetest boy and was so happy to cheer for his little buddy. He even asked Dec to teach him how to skate! [I sat by the Jack during the game and laughed at how often he commented on how good they were at skating for being so small]
We had another break before game 4 to hydrate and carb load. Then after the game, all three rookie mite teams hit the ice to get their trophies (again, with an announcer). We headed home and the kids begged to play outside. We let them do that for a while, adding muddy to the sweaty, and then plopped everyone in the tub to close out the weekend.
Oh - and one other item of note. While eating lunch on Saturday, Quinn casually asked if she would get to play in the jamboree "when I play hockey next year." Every other Vanneste was like "wait. what?!?!" Leave it to Q to casually drop that major piece of news! She cracks me up. So to Fiona's deep chagrin, time at the rink looks like it will double for next year. I may have to buy her something shiny!
Dec is super sad that hockey is over, so he and Mike have been discussing summer hockey options. Since Quinn is a bit behind on skills for her age level (she'll catch up quick), Mike is thinking about putting her in a summer program too to help her upskill and give her confidence for next season. So that thing I said about hockey being over ... I think it's like snow here. It's never really done. And that other thing about Fiona being tired of hockey ... oh, Bugs!
It has been proven year after year (through very unscientific research methods) that Vannestes "spring forward" much better than they "fall back." That's not to say that we sprung forward without issues ... and maybe just shows how badly we transition in the fall ... but nonetheless, we weathered the time change - with a little help from the weather.
The kids woke up at their normal time (so actually an hour earlier than usual), which was great as we had Sunday School and hockey practice first thing in the morning. Dec and I headed for the rink and the girls and Mike headed to church. We had gotten some snow the night before, but significantly less than the 12 inches predicted. The sun was out and there was fresh powder on the ground. You all know how we feel about those conditions. It called for as much time spent outside as possible! D and I ran into Auntie Cheryl at the rink and invited the P gang over for some afternoon sledding.
Right after lunch, we met our neighborhood buddies outside for snow painting and fort building. We brought the kids, the shovels, and Mike's 40 oz flask filled with Fireball. We were very popular neighbors! After some playing in the neighbor's yard, we grabbed a bunch of sleds and saucers, gathered six children and three adults, and made our way over to the sledding hill.
We had big work to do as there were no trails and almost too much snow for good sledding. We had lots of people, so it was all hands on deck (or butts on sleds) to get everything packed down. We even ended up with a few good jumps ... some intentionally created and some more naturally constructed. About an hour later, the Ps showed up. Our kids got a new shot of energy and we spent another hour on the hill. Everyone was happy, soaked, and sunburned (for real!) by the end. It was such a glorious, sunny day outside and everything our winter-bound bodies needed!!
The kids were wiped out by the end (it is a lot of work to continuously climb through waist-deep snow), so we threw everything and everybody in the bed of Uncle Brad's truck for the two block trek to our house. It was the perfect "northern Minnesota" way to end the day. Then we talked the Ps into coming inside to play ... and have pizza ... and maybe a beer or hot chocolate or two.
I love when we can make an impromptu plan with friends on a glorious day. And even better when that facilitates a "zero complaint" bedtime at 7:30 on the first day of Daylight Saving Time. Thank goodness for sunshine, fresh air, several feet of snow, and kids who are game for about anything - as long as it is outside.
We may love winter in this house, but the glimpses of spring have us all dreaming of bikes and scooters and the cabin.
Everyone has been a little gun-shy, since the infamous Oliver & Company incident, to expand our filmography horizons. Especially when it comes to movies that involve animals! However ... with a successful foray into the Christmas stocking movies (the original Parent Trap and the original Annie ... Santa went OG this year), I took a chance and suggested we try Homeward Bound. It was a favorite of Emmy and mine growing up and I thought the kids would love it.
While not the way I would typically want them to watch a movie, I recapped the entire thing ahead of time - complete with repeated reassurance that EVERYONE makes it home safely. [after Oliver & Company, I would most definitely not show Fiona a movie where the golden retriever dies!!] They seemed on board and excited so I popped it on our Netflix list and then watched for weeks while it continued to say "long wait." On a whim, I looked it up on Amazon. The DVD was available on Prime and only $4.50. One click later and it was on its way to us.
The movie arrived the same day that we decided not to head north, so perfect timing to add to our fun things list. We watched the beginning on Friday night and finished it up on Sunday night. They loved it. Like really really loved it. They laughed. They were so worried (at one point, all three bodies were mashed against mine ... I didn't know I had that much surface area). And they were overjoyed at the end. Fiona told me it was the best movie she's ever seen. Quinn cracked a smile and briefly showed concern. Dec had all the feels. They continue to quote it and giggle about the funny parts.
Before our movie night on Sunday, we spent the afternoon at the rink. Dec had hockey practice and we went straight from that to free skate (he just left all his gear on). The girls have been itching to get on the ice too. As we stepped on, we saw our neighbors and some of the big kids from Dec's school. The kids were all over the rink with their friends, having the best time. Dec was the most joyful I've ever seen him on skates - one of his coaches even stopped him to ask where that speed was during practice! With three independent skaters, it was the most fun we've ever had at free skate. And by the end, Dec had skated for over 2.5 hours straight!
Sometimes you peg the perfect activities for the gang and the smiles in the photos and the memories are joyous and genuine. And sometimes spending $4.50 and trusting you know your kids really pays off.
I saw one of my new favorite memes the other day. It went something like "February was the snowiest month on record. And March said 'hold my beer.'" I laughed really hard - because that's what it feels like. However, March and I are good friends because it seems to be much more willing to do major snowfall on.the.weekends (February, take note). We've had two March weekends so far and two major weekend storms. That "in like a lion" thing is happening!
The Vs generally love a good weekend snowstorm. However, we had plans to go North the first weekend of March to see Gma and Gpa before they took off on their southern roadtrip, hug ALL the cousins, and celebrate Milo and Otto's birthdays. It was a really great plan. Quinn had her music informance at lunch time on Friday, so we pulled the girls out of school right after that, picked up Dec, loaded the car, glanced warily at the snow, ate a quick lunch, and were just getting ready to buckle everyone in when Mike checked his phone for the traffic one more time.
The roads were a mess and it was already looking to take us over 5 hours to get up there. Sadly, we made the call to cancel the trip. It was one of the hardest decisions ever. Even though we knew it was 100% the right one. Ugh! As the day wore on, it became crystal clearer that it was the smart move. Mike's sister and family ended up being stuck down here because one of the major freeways heading north closed down due to several multi-car pileups. So much for the good plan!
Mike headed back to work and I found myself with packed car and three very disappointed children. I assured them we would still have a fun weekend - and buried my disappointment by unpacking all the stuff that I had just packed up (sigh).
Saturday morning, we decided to take the crew to the Science Museum. In preparation for our big spring break trip to Chicago, we bought a membership - as that will also get us into the Field Museum and Planetarium there. The kids had never been and we were excited to see what they thought. I shouldn't have been worried - there was tons of hands on stuff, dinosaur bones, and a mummy. What more could one want?!?!
We had forgotten it was state tournament time, so downtown St. Paul was bananas. We ended up parking quite a distance away and trekked through the skyway. It was good practice for our Chicago trip - which will definitely have a lot of walking. Q and D hung in there pretty well and Bugs and I were able to do some piggyback maneuvers to give her legs a break when she needed.
We were at the museum all afternoon and didn't even see it all. They were beyond fascinated by the dino bones and the sports/movement section. Everyone got in on the simulated race with a T-Rex (fun fact ... if we get into a real Jurassic Park situation, it's highly likely the Vannestes will be eaten ...).
It was a great day and they are already asking to go back. It also inspired some science lab activities to pass the time at home - with Dec and Quinn elbow deep in slime. While it definitely was not as good as cousin time, everyone agreed that we had an unexpectedly fun day.
