Photo Recap...

Wow, I don't know why I can't blog anymore... but... clearly I can't.

So, the last month and a half has been full on CRAZY TOWN.

It started with Kid's Science Camp...

(did I mention that?  Me, the only female chaperone for 12 girls??  Yet, 5 men for 8 boys??  WTH?  Anyway, I did it.  Outside of the sleep deprivation I thrived.  Seriously, I was like... "I should be a professional camp counselor... this is my calling!", but don't tell anyone... I'm still trying to milk the situation for sympathy from the other parents at school.)

 (Fire building)

 (Lean-to making)

(archery)

(high ropes course)

(ziplining)

The trip was great.... and... because of that, we've decided to keep her in this school for middle school.

Then it was like...

Mother's Day:

 (breakfast in bed)

 (Baby made me these little tarts)

 (and she was pleased)

 (they didn't get me another statuette from Hallmark!!!  Rejoice!)

Mr F's Birthday:

 (46!!!!!!)

Our Trip to Holland, MI:

 (what can I say??  Yes, this place exists.)

Baby's Spring Concert:

(back row, bangs, next to white bonnet)

Kid's Spring Concert:

(front row: she plays the flute in the Beginning Band)

(choir: back row last on left)

Our Trip to Chicago:

 (Baby's on a mission)

(after the harshest winter on record, we finally got her out here to spend her birthday gift cards!)

 (Um, please look to their right... )

(Chicago is such a beautiful city)

 (The Container Store!!  Cue angles singing)

(right after this picture, I told her he was still alive.... hahaha... that was awesome)

(Sue the T Rex @ The Field Museum)

Baby's Field Day:

 (wheelbarrowing... fyi, she HATED it)

(Mr F helping for a tug-of-war win)

Kid's Field Day: (oh, that's right, I didn't go... I can't be everywhere at once!)

Kid's Award Ceremony:

(competitive reading for the WIN!  She took 2nd place, behind an 8th grader.)

Ice Cream Social: (uh... I might have forgotten to document this...)

Kid's Last Day of School:

(If only she had friends and could function in society...)

(as you can see they are keeping their feelings for each other a secret...)

My Birthday:

Baby's Dance Rehearsal:

Baby's Dance Recital:

 (The only person she really wanted there was my step brother's girlfriend... she came!)

(Put a ring on it, Jason!!)

Baby's Last Day of School:

 (It took the whole year for her to work up the courage to climb up this structure!)

(Baby and her teacher... P.S. it was a dress up reward day)

Our Trip to Mackinac Island:

 (Ferry trip over)

 (Baby getting our trip off on the right foot by being strangely uncooperative...)

 (I'd like to report that we received a room discount for this view... alas... that is not the case)

 (I guess I'd live there...)

 (Hiking with Kid)

 (Baby peeking in the ballroom)

 (Sleeping beauties... at least the inside of our room was just as fancy as we had promised)

 (Lilac Festival Parade)

 (the parade continues)

(Best part of the trip was the evening kid's club, which allowed us two built in date nights!)

And now Summer Vacation has officially begun!

And Now...

Super short:

Time Traveling

22 months ago at ages 9 & 5:

TODAY at ages 11 & 7:

What the hell??!!?

Please note Baby's head in relation to the light switch.

And Kid's legs in relation to...

oh... I don't know...

The Empire State Building.

Fast Forward

Life is like that

In these last weeks of school

8.5 days left for Kid

who holds back tears

not sure if she is ready to leave

for good

or for the summer

it is up for debate

(again)

11.5 days left for Baby

who hates math

and

so

is happier for the break

Cutting Edge... As Always

These weeks are hard.  Not hard like difficult, I guess, just hard to get the lay of the land.  Hard to feel you have a firm grasp on it.

These are the end of the year weeks that make your calendar look like you put in in a blender and poured all the little bits out in an indiscernible pile.

Every single day, I have to neurotically check my calendar and double check my phone and set 100 alarms so I don't forget where I am supposed to be with which kid, at what time, with what food/equipment.

This is a month for hotdogs and watermelon for dinner... oh... let's just say more than once this week, and leave it at that.

You know.

In other news, I just decided to take my walking HARDCORE (ooh exciting, tell me more).  I typically walk 3.5-5 miles a day of hills on the treadmill.  So, theoretically the next step is a 10K which should be pretty easy and then a half marathon.  Did you know there are marathon walkers?  Yeah.  I'm coming for you.  I just feel like I need something to train for.  Walking 13.1 miles is not a joke.  Either is 26.2... but I do think that might in fact be CRAZY.

But first I'm going to join up with these guys:

Because Volksmarching is 100% my jam.

Old people Badasses with walking sticks.

Yes.

You are my people.

You who collect badges as you walk around the country and THE WORLD.

You who give out hard candy along the route.

If I could create a sport this would be it.  I'm pretty sure.

Even though these old timers are too bad ass to consider it a sport.

(despite routinely walking 10Ks well into old age... don't even pretend this is lame)

All I'm saying is make some room at the table folks!

Next year's Christmas party is going to have one more in attendance.

For Your Reading Pleasure

The other day I stumbled on the exact kind of read I've been looking for:

The Bear by Claire Cameron is fast paced, tense, and has a compelling point of view and narration style. You will not be able to put it down (I promise).  It is an edge of your seat read. ( I mean, Mr F is reading it now... and getting him to read anything that doesn't feature car photography is extremely rare... so take that as a serious endorsement!)  The Bear is somewhat reminiscent of Room, if you read that (you SHOULD!!), mostly due to the voice of the narrator, which is both cases is a five year old child.  In both books the child's voice lends an endearing, naive, and sometimes humorous view on terrifying events.  I read Room a year or so ago and think I recommended it on the blog, and it may very well be the last book Mr F ever read in its entirety... so again... its a good read.

If you enjoyed (which seems like the wrong word for such a disturbing book) Room by Emma Donoghue I'm pretty confident you'll be into The Bear.   The suspense of your adult understanding of the situation and very real dangers, mixed with the child narrator's magical thinking and perception of events is powerful and deeply thought provoking (and kinda intense!!).

For what it is worth, as a mother of a similar aged child I do think the voice of the child narrators in both of these books are interesting and believable.

Just keep in mind, that after The Bear, you may never take your kids camping again.

Here are book trailers for both books...

Room:

WATCH HERE

BOOK SITE HERE

The Bear:

WATCH HERE

BOOK SITE HERE

Read them both!!!

Taking It All Off