It took A LONG TIME to get over our jet lag from Japan.
Probably about an entire week or so.
Mikey was having a really hard time.
I think Katie was too, but she didn't complain or come and get me in the middle of the night when she couldn't sleep.
Mikey wouldn't end up falling asleep until about 5 or 6am each night. It was rough.
The day before the official first day of school, Katie had an IV infusion.
Mikey, who really doesn't like the whole IV thing, was invited to hang out with one of his besties for a jaunt into Seattle.
Here he is in front of the famous Seattle Gum Wall.
He did his part.
And then, he assured me, he "Purell-ed".
They also visited Rachel the Piggy Bank in Pike Place Market.
Then it was off to an ice cream store with vintage video games.
And last stop was Archie McPhee's to take a gander at the crazy toys and the....
RUBBER CHICKEN MUSEUM!
Home to the World's Largest and Smallest Rubber Chickens.
This is the largest.
Duh.
Although Mikey did enjoy this giraffe mask (I'm not sure who's threatening him with a pitchfork), he came home with his very own shrunken head and a prank bang gun.
The next day, September 4th, was SCHOOOOOOOL!
For Mikey anyways.
Mikey was exhausted.
He still wasn't sleeping well.
But, we got a little brekkie in him and he was good to go.
He met up with his pal to walk to school for the first day.
We made the olders wake up too.
They didn't have to go to school until the next day.
We're so mean.
Sisters and brothers from another mother.
Happy First Day of School, Mikey!
5th grade here he comes!
Katie spent the majority of her last day of summer like this.
Mikey made it through the day.
He was all smiles when he got off the bus.
That's a good sign.
The next day, it was Katie's turn.
Happy First Day of School, Katie!
8th grade here she comes!
"Wait.
What?
School?
Sigh."
Required first day of school picture.
Middle schoolers love pictures.
Especially posed ones.
Back to school means its time to break out the slip-n-slide and jump on trampolines with sprinklers.
At least it does here in the PNW.
The beginning of the school year was a bit, uh, stressful.
Not only was no one sleeping very well, but we found out that Katie missed an opportunity to be enrolled in a set of more challenging classes.
This is something that she'd been asking her school counselor for since she started middle school.
I learned that she was missing a key test score that they used to select students to enter these classes.
For middle school, our district has "advanced placement (AAP)" classes that students must test into, "challenge" classes that a student can self-select to experience a more challenging course and then a "general education" selection which is a course that is at standard.
Because of enrollment numbers, these classes were 'blended' together. Select "challenge" students were enrolled in AAP designated classes. And traditional "challenge" courses enrolled students who wanted "challenge" level classes as well as those that wanted classes "at standard".
Families of "challenge" students entering the AAP classes were supposedly notified - they weren't until after school had already started - and the families of blended "challenge/general education" students weren't notified of anything.
So, finding out about these new more challenging classes, Katie's missed opportunity to join the AAP blended class, and learning the bigger picture and backstory of these 'blended' classes became all consuming. Many questions were left unanswered by the school and district and concerns were raised. There's past history on these issues in our district.
I brought concerns to the school board, speaking at a meeting during public comments. I brought concerns to the principal of the middle school. It went far enough that I was given a meeting with the assistant superintendent of the district.
On the other hand - beyond all the other concerns - Katie REALLY wanted in the AAP blended class.
I, along with Katie, requested the school and counselor reconsider her for the opportunity to join the AAP classes, based on a portfolio review.
After a week of constant stress, worry and advocating, we got buy-in from the school and they were able to get her schedule changed.
Although I did a lot of communicating to try to make this happen, I think it was Katie advocating for herself that pushed the school to make the decision to move her.
She was so excited to be given the opportunity to work harder and she's loved the faster and more in depth pace.
She came home the first day of the new schedule and essentially told me that she had, "found her tribe." All the kids wanted to learn stuff, they wanted to be there, they laughed at the same jokes and just GOT IT.
I think she's gonna have a great year.
Phew.
The Girl Scout troop did a sleepover at the Museum of Flight while learning about space flight and rockets.
Mikey and Huzbend got to tag along.
We got to bunk down in the WWII plane gallery.
The first part of the overnight was a simulated Mars landing.
There were two separate crews.
One that was in the Mars Lander and the other that was at Mission Control.
Mikey's group was on the Lander first.
We could see inside the Lander using video monitors in Mission Control.
It looked like a set from Star Trek.
Each kid was assigned a task or team. They had to work together to get the mission completed successfully.
Katie, and another girl, were part of the Navigation team.
Mikey and his team were in charge of programming the Mars Rover.
Here's a picture of Mission Control below.
They could communicate with each other via text messaging on their computers or with headsets.
Announcements could be made over speakers into each area to let each team know what the other was doing.
Unfortunately, their first mission had to be scrapped because an asteroid was going to interfere with their Mars landing site.
They took the opportunity to switch crews.
This is Katie's crew suiting up to enter the Lander.
We entered the Mars Lander via a simulated air lock.
Everyone went to their stations.
Meanwhile, back on Earth......
Mikey and his teammate were stuck in a holding pattern.
They had to wait for the Rover team to actually build the Rover before they could continue to program it.
On the Lander, the health team regularly scanned crew members to make sure they were healthy.
Katie got to work calculating fuel levels for landing and take off.
Once she was done with that, she had to build some circuits.
Finally, the Rover was built and Mikey's Bot team programmed its course.
Success! The Rover found evidence of water!
What an awesome experience!
I was just a little jealous.
It was time for a snack and then on to rocket building.
The girls formed teams of 3-4 people.
They were given some materials - a soda bottle, some string, duct tape, a Styrofoam cup, some napkins, a garbage bag, some paper plates and one egg (in a Ziploc).
The rocket would be shot off the next morning and their one job was to keep their Eggstronaut alive.
Katie's team got right to work.
Mikey's team, not so much.
Too many opinions and worry about using all the parts.
Mikey didn't get much of a say as to how it was built.
But, he was okay with it.
"Um, I don't think that will work....."
Okay. I'll just keep my mouth shut......
After rocket building, we headed over to the space portion of the museum for a quick walk around.
As you can see, it was pretty dark.
And rainy.
When we got back to the WWII gallery, we were given the option to tour the WWI gallery upstairs.
It was pretty late at this point. At least close to 11pm, I think?
Of course, our kids said yes.
The next day, we had to get up early to clear our stuff out of the gallery, eat breakfast and prepare to launch rockets.
It was rainy.
Still.
First up was Katie's team.
Katie made a few last minute fixes.
They had to use a bicycle pump to increase pressure to make the rocket fly.
They quickly ran over to see how George the Second, the Eggstronaut, fared.
He SURVIVED!
I'm sorry to report that George survived his launch but succumbed to injuries received from being dropped on the sidewalk.
A moment of silence. Remember the good times.
Mikey's team had to wait a bit before they were up.
Their rocket kinda fell apart when it was put on the launch stand.
That did not bode well for launch.
Pump, pump, pump....
This does not look good....
The Eggstronaut didn't stand a chance.
He was buried, with honors, in the local garbage can.
One small step for man....
....WAIT! I gotta tie my shoe!!!.....
....one giant leap for mankind.
On the way back from the sleepover, we stopped by the pool for swim lessons.
Katie's lesson is up first.
She did pretty good despite the fact that she only got about 5 or so hours of sleep.
While Katie's doing her lesson, the boys are off playing on the other side of the pool.
Mikey's turn.
This is their instructor Kelsey.
She must have a lot of patience or really likes kids.
I know that both kids really like her.
Mikey has had her as an instructor pretty much since he got into a pool.
First, they do a little check in.
I think Mikey tells Kelsey about his week.
Katie wasn't feeling too good this day, so Huzbend and her just swam and chatted.
I think they ended up over in the hot tub at some point.
After the check in, Kelsey makes Mikey work.
Here she is giving him tips on flip turns.
At the end of this lesson, he does usually does cannonballs into the pool.
Kelsey will give him a score.
This day, he was trying to jump into the pool with the least amount of splash.
Is there such a thing as a "Shield Dog"?
Maybe they're just comfortable to lay on?
I don't know.
Mikey's 5th grade curriculum night was mid-September.
We got to learn about what the students will learn all year.
We also get to check out the classroom and its artwork.
Here is a self portrait of Mikey.
He told me that they were "taught" to draw noses like that.
I told him that he looked like Captain Underpants.
The eyebrow lift and the "O" shaped mouth was his idea.
Here's a free-form poem about Mikey.
That same week his school had their Back to School BBQ.
We arrived early to help set up. Once we were done, Mikey and his friends went off to play on the playground.
A while later, they came back to find me.
Mikey had been stung by a bee.
We found him an ice pack.
And then "Old Town Road" song came on - which he hates - so his friend was nice enough to cover his ears for him so he could keep the ice pack on his wrist.
5th grade buddies taking a break from the action to make moms happy.
I did mention there was a DJ....
The one with the ultra-long hair is Mikey.
As it happens after each school event, a sleepover was requested.
We ended up having one of Mikey's friends over the next night.
Katie went to a friends house as well.
When we dropped Mikey's friend off the following day, his mom was making tacos.
She was frying the corn tortillas and asked Mikey if he would like to have some.
He reluctantly said yes, as he's not a huge taco fan.
He LOVED the fried tacos and requested we have them at home.
So, tacos have now become a little more of an ordeal to make.....but, I agree.
They are delicious.
Huzbend jetted off to Michigan for a guys weekend.
He attended a University of Michigan football game.
The kid requested pictures and video.
The rest of his weekend was spent eating food, probably drinking beer and listening to his friends play old 80's rock riffs on their guitars.
At least that's the stuff I heard about.
Meanwhile, at home, Katie went off for an overnight camping trip with the Girl Scouts.
Mikey and I had a "Mommy/Son Date Day"
We bowled a bit....
Much to Mikey's dismay.
I beat him.
Twice.
We then headed to the library to pick up some graphic novels for him to read and then it was off to the movie theater to watch the live action Lion King (the only thing out at the time).
For dinner we ate at his favorite place, Pizzaiolo.
That night, he had a sleepover with a friend.
They played, watched movies and performed an inpromptu concert.
Did I mention Mikey decided to try trombone in the elementary band?
Yeah.
He said he picked it because it was the loudest of the instruments he could pick from.
