The Best Laid Plans...

Anita being very businesslike with the kids this morning: "Here's what our plan is for today..."

Kelsey interrupting with an earnest plea: " Please say there's ice cream involved."

Mystery History Theater 2012

Does anyone remember when Olivia portrayed Amelia Earhart in our homeschool group's Mystery History Theater last year?  It's where the kids sign up to represent a specific person from history, and then give a short monologue with information about their life.  Then the audience has to guess (multiple choice answer sheet, people!) who they are.

Well this year it was Kelsey's turn.

I'm so proud of her.  She did a great job!  And because we are the procrastinators that we are, she learned all of the facts and memorized her part in less than a week.

You go, girl!

Here's our photo shoot before going in to the church where it was held:

She felt a little nervous while we were waiting...

Afterwards we took some group pictures of all the kids that participated.

And no, that's not Sacajawea she's standing next to.  That's Ahyoka - Sequoyah's daughter.  We're homeschool nerds, that's for sure.  I didn't recognize 1/4 of the names on that page!

So... you wanna see Kelsey's performance?  Here's the video:

Anything You Can Do...

Last week we had our 2nd ever Crews Family Reunion in Dallas.  As part of our reunion festivities, we had a talent show.  It's one of the funnest (and funniest) things that we do.  This video was taken of Olivia and Kelsey's "practice run" for their talent.  Enjoy!

Bittersweet

Kelsey & Olivia driving a covered wagon in the rain
 (at the Mormon Battlian History Center)



Tonight the girls and I are packing up to leave California.  It's been a tiring, yet wonderful week.  My family has been scattered across 3 states.  Ben was at home working, taking care of the dog, doing some projects around the house, and enjoying the silence.  Connor and Maddox have been partying with their Aunt Gwen and Uncle Richard in Texas.  The girls and I have been from San Diego to Sacramento in the past 7 days, and have been visting my mother one last time on her mission for our church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints).  We've seen the Pacific Ocean, the Mormon Battalion History site, Sequoia trees, extended family, Old Sacramento, orange trees, snow, sunshine, and rain.  We've even climbed a mountain and ridden on a commuter train.  We are exhausted.  And as wonderful as it has been, I am ready to fly back to my baby boys tomorrow and drive home to my fantastic husband.

It's got me thinking about this word: bittersweet.  We don't break it down very much, but that is exactly what this is.  It's bitter to leave my mother and other family here, and yet so sweet to come home to my family and friends in Edmond.  I'm grateful for the internet, telephones, and blogs that keep me in touch with many of you despite the hundreds of miles that separate us.

I'll be posting about our escapades this past week once I get home and upload my pictures, but I will finish my reminiscing with another Kelsey anecdote.  (She's just full of them, have you noticed?)

As we were driving through the California country on Wednesday, we were passing countless groves of trees, vineyards, and other crops.  I was commenting to my mother about how amazed I was at the number of things that grow in California - not just the fruit trees and crops, but the gorgeous variety of flowers and plants that are all over the place.  In the middle of this, Kelsey piped up: "You know what else California grows?  It grows rocks!"

I've got to hand it to her - she's not that far off.  We've seen huge boulders everywhere!

Positive

Today the girls and I hiked Mt. Roubidoux (in Riverside, CA) with Grandma Crews.  (Don't worry, pictures will be forthcoming.)

On the way down the mountain, the girls were really feeling their exertion - we took the path that led us 2 miles up to the top, and then 1 mile back down to the bottom.  About half way to the bottom of the mountain, Kelsey was complaining about her aches and pains and how tired she was.  So in an effort to help her be more cheerful, I said, "Kelsey, you just have to think positive!  You can do it - just hang in there."

Kelsey responded, "I am positive!  I am positive that my feet hurt!"

Sixty-Seven Perfection

I had an errand to run this morning on the north side of town, so I took the kids.  

We stopped at the park on the way home.

It was 67 degrees, sunny, and breezy.

Perfect.

Connor & Maddox on the helicoptor.

 I somehow caught this expression on Connor's face.  I'm not sure what it means... but he looks like he's plotting something.

Kelsey and Eva on the "kind of" seesaw.  It was so cool for Kelsey to be on there with someone close to her weight.  Eva kept getting a little scared, and it was sweet to listen to Kelsey talk her through it: "You're doing great!  It will be fine!"

Maddox just likes to ride things.

And Connor likes machines.

The girls enjoyed the swings, but Kelsey never could get very high on her own.  Eva, on the other hand, was flying.

Kelsey entertained herself in other ways.

And the slide... oh, the slide.  It's very tall, and made of metal.  Connor thought he would be brave enough to go down.

He chickened out.

 But that didn't stop Maddox!

Or Kelsey.

And Maddox, as usual, ended up fascinated with the dirt.

On the way out of the park, I had to get a picture of our "spring snow".  When the breeze blows the petals out of the Bradford Pear trees, I know that spring has truly arrived.

 

Lovely

Olivia had to dress up for her first real middle school choir concert.  Isn't she lovely?  She's so grown up these days.

I took this one to get another angle, and a little imp appeared over Olivia's shoulder.  You know how some cartoons have a character with a little devil on one shoulder and an angel on the right?  (Think Looney Tunes and the character Kronk in the Emperor's New Groove)  Which shoulder is usually the "devil shoulder"?  And which should is Kelsey peeking over?

Coincidence?  I think not.

Tender Moments

I caught Kelsey in the act!  Of being a great big sister, that is...

Camping

My friend, Amy, gave us a tent the other day.  The kind for indoors.  The kids loved it.

Because of the lighting, I only got one decent picture:

But this picture shows a little better what was actually going on:

I count 3 kids and a dog in that tent.  How about you?

The End of the Innocence

Self-photograph that Kelsey took the other day

This morning we made a quick run to Home Depot.  On the way home, Kelsey asked, "Why does everyone have a popcorn tree except us?"

This prompted me to break into song: "I looked out the window and what did I see? Popcorn popping on the apricot tree."

Kelsey responded, "Mom, popcorn doesn't really grow on trees, you know.  First there are leaves.  And then the leaves turn into flower buds and the buds turn into flowers and the flowers die and it starts ALL over again.  It's NOT REAL."

Miss Mary Mack... and Rites of Passage

Last Friday I took the 3 younger kids to the zoo with my friend, Lori.  Her youngest is Olivia's age, so she gets to be the surrogate aunt when she comes with me on our field trips.  I love it.  Helps me feel not so outnumbered.

I've had a song running through my head lately:

Miss Mary Mack, Mack, Mack,

All dressed in black, black, black,

With silver buttons, buttons, buttons,

All down her back, back, back.

She asked her mother, mother, mother

For 50 cents, cents, cents,

To see the elephants, elephants, elephants,

Jump the fence, fence, fence.

Obviously, it was time to visit the elephants. (I hadn't seen the baby since it was born last May!)

Apparently we now have 4 elephants at our zoo.  Check out the "do" on this one!

The best thing about our elephant complex?  It's humungous.  Everything is built in such a large scale with these big, fat logs.  It's gorgeous.  There's this ramp that you take up to see inside the building where they go when they are indoors.  Maddox was amazed.

Connor was more interested in walking on the bench.

While we were there, Maddox had his first "statue" experiences at the zoo.  I guess it's got to be done sometime, right?

Kelsey had fun pretending she was falling off all the statues.  I guess she had to see if Lori would fall for it.  Seriously - these pictures were taken 30 minutes apart on two entirely different statues.

She's such a goof, but a cute one!

As we were leaving, Lori treated the kids to a couple of the quarter-rides at the entrance.  She did it mostly for Connor, I think, but Kelsey seems to be having the most fun.

Ride 'em cowgirl!

Maddox had a good time on the other one, too.

Though it looks rather questionable, here.

All in all, it was a win. 

We love our zoo days.

Angels

At least sometimes.

Haircuts

This morning I got a wild hair (pun intended).
I cut the kids' hair.

Except Olivia - she was at school.

Maddox was really overdue.  I didn't get a "before" for him, but here's one from Sunday.  It doesn't show the rats nest he'd have every morning on the back of his head, but he's quite shaggy.

A few minutes into his haircut, I remembered to use the TV to keep him still.  Thank goodness for Shaun the Sheep! He'd have ended up a lot worse.

And now for Connor:

The before... (the TV was still on, can't you tell?)

...and the after.

Kelsey felt a little left out, so she asked for a haircut, too.

I'm glad, because she has been growing out her hair and it was acquiring a "mullet" look.

And the finished product:

You can see Maddox in "jail" in the background of this one.  It was necessary to keep him out of all the hair clippings.