Having Fun - The Cove, Camp Copass, Watermelon Day, Lego Day, Husker Football, Scheels, and Dude Perfect Tour

The Cove

We really enjoyed our pass and the kids are ready to head back next summer. They are open all year round, but it is challenging to get there enough during the busy school year!

Camp Copass

Lorelei enjoyed going to the upper school event at Camp Copass this year.

Watermelon Day

Charlie's Lego Day

To celebrate Charlie turning 11 the boys had a Lego day!

Husker Football

Having fun watching football each Saturday this season! Note: Lorelei doesn't really watch, but at least she will support in her T-shirt per our request. ;)

Scheels

We headed to Scheels for Makin's belated birthday request.

Dude Perfect

For Christmas, Makin and Charlie got tickets to see the live Dude Perfect Tour. Big Charlie wasn't able to make it as originally planned, so Shea joined in on the fun too! They absolutely loved it. If you have no clue who Dude Perfect is, make sure you look them up. So fun!

While the boys had fun at Dude Perfect, the girls had an Anne Of Green Gables movie night.

They all seemed to like the movie, which made this mom so excited!

Makin At Eleven

I'm not sure if it is because you are my youngest or my boy (since you are my only of both of those) but I am usually a bit melancholy to see that age change every year! You are our kind-hearted, gadget-loving, action-loving kiddo.

We often see you wearing your headphones, either listening to an audiobook or music. You have created your own playlist on Pandora with your favorite songs.

You love all the shooting things, whether it's Nerf, archery, paintball or laser tag.

You are confident.

Golf and football are your two favorite sports to play and watch. You are a huge Husker football fan.

You are choosy about who you spend time with and only have a few friends you prefer to hang out with.

You pay attention to how people are feeling and are right there to give me a hug when you think I need one.

You are very interested in gardening.

You love to be right.

Your activities this year are: drums, flag football, OM and of course as much golf as you can fit in.

Quotable Moments:

"You are not old. 55 is old."

Me: (after asking him which chord was my computer chord...) What am I going to do when you go to college?

Makin: I honestly don't know.

"You know how I don't really have a good sense of direction? I just knew where to go put those back! I think it just kicked in!"

"It's not really a swim-swim pool. It's more like a chillaxin pool."

"Here is a package. I have NO idea what it is. Wink. Wink."

"You didn't have a computer?!? Wait...how did you know things?!"

Makin's Eleven-Year Interview

Favorites -

Food: Pesto Stuffed Shells

Place: Florida and Home

Movie/TV Show: Harry Potter or Lego Movie 2/Ninjago

Color: Royal Sleek Blue - (Side Note: He has no qualms making up his own color description)

Thing To Do: Build with Legos, Read/Listen to books/audiobooks, Paintball/Lasertag and the like, Play with Cosmo

Animal: African Gray Parrot

Books: Harry Potter (all of them), Rick Riordan books (Percy Jackson, Lost Hero, The Trials of Apollo)

Song: Roar by Katy Perry

Treat: Better Than Anything Cake or Dirt

Holiday: Christmas

What do you like to do with Dad? Watch football, putt, play chess, play football, archery, fly drone

What do you like to do with Mom? Play with balloons, play games, play checkers, read books, cuddle

What do you like to do with Lorelei? Play with Cosmo, play a game

What makes you happy? Cosmo, Home, Mom, Dad, football games, reading books, building, making "potions", playing with friends

What do you think about before you fall asleep? Life.

What do you want to be when you grow up? Robotical engineer

Lorelei At Thirteen

You are an official teenager! You have so been looking forward to that moment, and wow! It is here!

You love talking, reading, and planning. 

You can never get enough friend time, although when asked, you said you were not sure if you were an introvert or an extrovert because you like to be alone as well as with people.

You are passionate about animals and the environment. You still have the top favorite animal loves as you have had most of your life: dogs, horses, and dolphins. You have chosen to talk about the importance of dolphin-safe fishing for your first speech. You are still planning your Save Winter Day, which we hope to have in the fall. You often passionately talk about animal welfare and that aquariums should be rescue organizations.

You are serving your second year as a school librarian. You love sharing your love of books with the younger children. You also love that you know all the kids at school and are happy to be able to report how a student behaves if their name comes up. This is a volunteer gig for you that you do during PULSE at school once a week.

You are excited to start back up your extra activities: Polynesian, OM and horseback (hopefully fitting in golf here and there too!) You are also participating in junior cotillion, which is once a month.

One new hobby you have acquired over the last year is learning to crochet. So far you just "wing it" and need to learn certain stitches, but still have fun with it!

You still love art. You really enjoyed working with charcoal, which you learned last year in school and are so glad to have art again once a week at school!

When you play with your betta fish you are "doing enrichment."

You go out of your way to make new students feel included. Teachers also seem to rely on you to be the one who helps when a new student needs it.

You have finally started to sleep in. This summer we were amazed when you would sleep until 9!

Quotable Moments:

"I mean, I'm 50/50. There 50 reasons on one side and 50 on the other."

(We complimented her on making a solid point at the dinner table one night... maybe about two weeks into school starting...) "Well, I am in speech and logic."

Lorelei's Thirteen Year Interview

Favorites -
Food: Spaghetti
Place: Clearwater Marine Aquarium, Four Fillies Farm, School, My Room, Universal
Movie/TV Show: Harry Potter
Color: Pink, Teal, Purple
Thing To Do: Read
Animal: Dog, Horse, Dolphin
Books: Harry Potter Series, and any other books that I can get my hands on
Song: Brave Souls From Dolphin Tale 2, by Cozi Zuehlsdorff
Treat: Ice Cream, Better Thank Anything Cake
Holiday: Christmas

What do you like to do with Dad? massaging backs, color

What do you like to do with Mom? read books

What do you like to do with Makin? play with Cosmo

What makes you happy? animals and reading

What do you think about before you fall asleep? I just think of miscellaneous things every single night

What do you want to be when you grow up? Marine Biologist (Goal to work at CMA)

Makin Turns Eleven

This kiddo was so excited about his birthday. As he was trying to fall asleep he said, "I think this is going to be one of my best birthdays ever." It should be noted that one of the reasons for his excitement is his tendency to know exactly what gifts he will be getting. He makes a very specific list and basically has no surprises at this point. (We did manage to sneak in one surprise gift from Lorelei though!) He knew his "asks" were going to be exciting the next day. It was also pretty great because between Monday being Labor Day, as well as celebrating Charlie and Makin's birthdays that same week (they are four days apart in age), we would have only really had Friday to do school. When I realized that, we just deemed it birthday week and had a week off of school. (Don't worry, he will still pass 5th grade. ;) )

He was mostly able to have nothing but fun. We did have a kink in the day when we had to unexpectedly take the car in for a repair, so we have an I-Owe-You trip to Scheels coming up! This year his supper of choice was pesto stuffed shells.

Meet Cosmo. The most adorable robot ever.

Better Than Anything Cake Harry Potter Style!

Wii Time!

The following day was his celebration day (instead of a party) which was a day pass to Great Wolf Lodge for him and Charlie. They had donuts/kolaches on the way there and then spent six hours in the water park. Then the boys had fun at home playing all the things and having a sleepover. 

Brrr! GWL is always cold for my taste. Hot tub for the win!

Waterpark Fun!

Lorelei Turns Thirteen

This girl has been looking forward to turning thirteen for about as long as I can remember. :) It had a couple of big milestones she has been looking forward to...wearing makeup and riding in the front seat! The official teen years have begun!

We celebrated with a spa day party, which included facials, pedicures, nail painting, makeovers, and a movie.

Pickle Bar!

Movie Night: Princess Diaries

Lorelei's birthday was a school-at-school day, which made her so happy because she was able to enjoy her front-seat ride to school and then spend the day with friends. :) Natalie instigated Lorelei being sung to by groups three times throughout the day, which was quite fun. Then right after school Lorelei's choice was the head to The Cove, which was even more fun because the Scott's joined us. Then supper was her usual request for spaghetti (Brad and I are pretty sure for as long as she has been able to talk her request has been spaghetti?!), which we followed up with cake and ice cream. :) This year she asked for a Harry Potter cake.