Week in Review

Cora had her final violin/orchestra class of the school year Tuesday, and she earned her medal for learning all the songs required for a beginning violinist.

She was thrilled.

And she is now thrilled to pack away that violin forever, except for the end-of-year school concerts.

It's OK, Cora. You are good at so many things. You don't have to do it all.

Later on Tuesday, we helped pack lunches for the homeless and took them to the shelter, where we met up with Mom2Mom friends to serve dinner.
Lucas and Cora filled the bags with chips and oranges, while Violet and Liana were busy making sandwiches.

On Wednesday, we went to the closing ceremony for Pioneer Clubs. I probably say this annually, but I still can't believe how fast each year goes by. Violet had a fabulous class and teacher - we love you, Shannon!

And, Cora is now finished as a Pathfinder, and will move on to the Trailblazers 5th and 6th grade group. Those are the BIG kids. I don't even know how this happened. She was two when she started as a Skipper!

Sara, Tony and the girls finished up their exciting weeks with Flat Violet, and sent her back to Mrs. Hawthorne's class.

Sara, a former teacher, is amazing, and Flat Violet had the best vacation ever. She sent a whole package of photos and keepsakes, and a long letter detailing the fun of a Diamondbacks game, Sedona and the state capitol.

I was lucky enough to be helping in class when Mrs. Hawthorne opened up the package.

On Thursday, I took my girls and Sophia to a special event at the library, where an artist was guiding the children in drawing characters from Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

Violet had a blast; she loves drawing, especially with guidance. She'll look up youtube videos on drawing and comes out with some amazing creations.

Metamorphosis

Watching the milkweed we planted last year host monarch caterpillars has been a joy for us this spring, and a firsthand nature lesson.

I saw an adult monarch fluttering around a few weeks ago, and later saw the eggs she had laid on the undersides of the leaves. We watched the tiny caterpillars get bigger, and Violet brought a few inside to continue growing.

The last week, we could hardly keep them content, as they munched through leaf after milkweed leaf.

The one on the right is bent into a "J," soon to become a beautiful green chrysalis.

After school and work the next day, Stace, Violet and I watched it shake and shimmy its way into a chrysalis. It was entirely fascinating.

The chrysalis changed over the ensuing days, adding a bright gold strand about one-third of the way down, and gold dots on the lower two-thirds. It was hard to photograph through the netting of the butterfly habitat, but my dad did a pretty good job here.

 On Violet's birthday, we noticed the chrysalises had turned very dark. The shell of the chrysalis was now clear, and the darkness of the butterfly's wings was in view.

I wish I'd taken a photo, but it was a busy birthday morning (and I didn't know what a tight time schedule I was on!). When I returned home from the school run and PTSA meeting, two new butterflies greeted me!

What a treat for Violet!

Following advice online, we fed them juicy watermelon and mango.

 We kept our winged friends a few days, and then prepared to release them. We hand-fed them watermelon - they each climbed onto a piece, and used its straw-like proboscis to suck up the sweet juice.

 What a miracle!

Watching them flutter away was beautiful.

We're now watching the plants, eager for more caterpillars to start the cycle again.

Week in Review

Violet had another turn taking home Clifford this week, and he was eager to play with Violet's Lego dragons. The yellow one was a birthday gift.

Vi also shared a brownie with the Big Red Dog...

...and read him the story of Jesus's birth.

It was Teacher Appreciation Week, and Violet wrote out this sweet card to Mrs. Hawthorne.

My dad picked up Violet from school while I took Cora to a specialist doctor appointment on Tuesday. Grandpa and Violet got creative - they made this plastic soda bottle into a piggy bank! We were quite impressed.

Violet had her well-check on Wednesday, and she is well, though she has fallen further down the growth chart. At 43 inches, she is smaller than more than 99% of girls her age - she's on the chart, but barely. Her weight put her at 14th percentile.

We spent a good part of the visit talking about Cora and her tummy aches, too. We'll be following up this week's appointment with the pediatric endocrinologist with more bloodwork and an ultrasound in a few weeks. Her first round of bloodwork showed some funny numbers, but nothing conclusive. In addition, we'll have a panel done on Violet, to see if she has a similar hormone issue to Cora.

But, Cora's hormone issue or non-issue doesn't seem to be relevant to her anxiety, and we'll continue to pursue help for her in that arena.

For one of the days of Teacher Appreciation Week, the students were encouraged to wear their teachers favorite color. As a room mom for Mrs. Shafarman, we brought in balloons for her. And of course, we couldn't bring in balloons for one teacher and not the other.

Cooking Fun

 Cora and I went to the final GATE enrichment night of the year; this one was focused on cooking. GATE students from across the district gathered at one of the schools for a TV show-styled cooking challenge.

The students were divided into teams, and given a set of ingredients to fashion into a meal for the judges.

 Cora blended the yogurt and various frozen fruit into a smoothie...

 ...and later helped decorate the fancy chicken-topped salad the team created.

 Then, it was on to the judges.























When the winners were announced, it felt a bit like the type of ceremony where every group gets some sort of award. But no matter - why go home from an enrichment night feeling like a loser?

Cora's team was awarded Best Presentation.

Our principal, Ms. Sorenson, took this photo for the school's social media pages. Nice to be in one, for a change. 

American Girl Experience

Since we first went to the American Girl store and cafe after Christmas, Violet has been talking about going back to the cafe for her birthday.

That dream became reality Friday after school, when I took her and her friend Camryn (and Camryn's mom) to lunch in American Girl Heaven.

Camryn is also an American Girl fan, and brought her red-haired counterpart along for the occasion.

The dining table comes complete with seats for the dolls, naturally. The lunch is quite fancy, with three courses, cloth napkins and real glasses. The girls loved it.

After lunch, Violet got a birthday cupcake, along with a chocolate pudding dessert made to look like a flower pot.

After our fancy meal, Violet and Camryn looked around the store to spend some of Violet's birthday money. Vi picked out doll eyeglasses for her other American Girl doll.

Then, in the front of the store, a young singer/songwriter with a connection to American Girl put on a short show.

Violet and Camryn got an autograph and photo with Savannah Keyes, and a small gift - a shirt for their dolls with a guitar on it! Lucky girls.

It was a lovely afternoon, and Violet hopes to do it again for future birthdays. Thanks, Camryn and Jenn, for coming along!

Violet's Big 7th Birthday

Our Violet Mae has turned 7 years old!

Her birthday started out Thursday on a happy note, with a video call from Nan and Pop, who watched her open their card with the "7" badge inside. With their gift of birthday money, she bought this beautiful American Girl Doll.

Daddy stayed home for the morning, made a special breakfast of crepes, and walked with us to school.

Another birthday treat - Aunt Patty came up for the day, as a surprise to my girls and my parents.
She was in town visiting family for a week, and it was lucky that the day she was free to see us, happened to be Violet's birthday. We pulled Violet of school for an hour for a special birthday lunch at Chick-Fil-A.

Violet has been VIP this week at school, and it was a perfect coincidence that the day for her to bring in a Royal Reader was Thursday. Having Big Sis come in to read is definitely a birthday treat!

(Cora, the student council member, is wearing a purposely mismatched outfit for a Student Council Spirit Day.)

Auntie Mel couldn't come to dinner with us, but she met us after school at the park to give Violet a present and a hug (and get a surprise from Aunt Patty).















We met up with my parents at Black Angus for dinner; Violet's request. She said she wanted steak, but then looked confused when it arrived. What she really likes about Black Angus is the big fountain outside.


We returned home for an Oreo ice cream cake. Uncle Bill got to get in on the birthday song, when Aunt Patty video-called him.


Cora provided musical entertainment (and knocked out some violin practice minutes), and also read us her draft of her Gold Rush report.

She's been tasked with writing the autobiography of a miner who participated in the mid-19th Century California Gold Rush. Her miner emigrated from Cornwall, England, after his tin mine was closed. She's doing an outstanding job with it.

Happy Birthday, Violet. You continue to light up every room you enter, with your bright smile, twinkly eyes and sweet spirit.

Though we wish you weren't growing up so fast, we all love the little lady you are becoming.

Tidbits

Our church is offering a parenting class, which Stace and I have decided to take.

It's always good to get a fresh perspective on this job, and the group discussions are so helpful, as you find out that your struggles are common. After the first session, we headed over to the coffeehouse to chat some more over a latte and cookie.

We've discovered, quite late in the game unfortunately, that Cora is much happier about practicing her violin if she has an appreciative audience.

She set up a mini concert the other night, and had such a better attitude about playing. Violet served as her music stand. Cora has a few more weeks of violin, and one more school performance. Then she will happily give up playing, for now at least.

Speaking of good girls, the other afternoon, Cora decided she was in a productive mood and eager to work to make some money. I suggested she sweep the porch and wipe down the front door. She did so, but then went above and beyond, sweeping out the garage and front path (and hosing it down... shhhhh... don't tell the water police!).

She encouraged Violet to help out, and it was fabulous listening to them getting along and working together.

Violet decided to set up a toll to enter her room.

Not sure where this idea came from.

But she rilly means it.

 Not to be outdone, Cora added a price tag to her collection of warning signs on her door.

 Cora and Stace were at soccer practice the other evening, so I took Violet to Summit Park to play for a bit after dinner. She loves showing off her monkey bar skills.

And lastly, here is a happy girl having her reward after making it through a blood draw and pediatrician's appointment.

Our poor Cora has been dealing with tummy aches and anxiety for a number of months, and recently has progressed to getting actually sick. We took her in for a workup, to rule out a physical cause, as we seek to get her the help she needs.

Birthday Party Fun

It was a double-birthday-party kind of Saturday.

First, while Cora helped at school for a GATE Musical prop-making day, Violet and I went to Melanie's party.

Melanie is now 7, and Christina planned so many cute games for the kids. Here, they are moving a hula-hoop from person to person while holding hands.

Next was a relay that involved pushing a beach ball along with a pool noodle.

Then, it was who could eat a fruit-by-the-foot the fastest. This one was entertaining to watch!

AND, blow!

Later in the day, we went to a party for one of Cora's soccer teammates. They had a bouncer, a fun photo booth and a pinata, along with a taco guy providing dinner. Yum!

Another mom who owns a ranch brought along a couple of baby goats. Violet was in love! She suggested the name Oreo for this cutie.