The Hazard Chronicles: School, Birthdays, and a Bike Race- Eventful week for us!

This is a long post, with lots of pictures and lots of content. Enjoy!

BACK TO SCHOOL

I can't believe that we have 4 kids in school now!

First, we have Evelyn. Evelyn has always been a Daddy's girl, and I am so, so proud of the person she is becoming. I feel like her and I have a special relationship- parents with a lot of kids probably understand what I mean by that. You love all your kids, of course, but you feel naturally drawn to some personalities more than others and over time this makes it so you feel closer to some kids than others. I think this is normal, and with me, Evelyn is that kid. I also really hope that this special bond is strong enough to survive the tumultuous years ahead as her emotions begin to outgrow her body (already starting- ahhhh!). But like I tell her every night, Evelyn is MY. LITTLE.GIRL. No matter what. Even when she's big.

I want to be a: ARTIST
Favorite subject: ART
I Love: MY FAMILY AND PARENTS
Favorite Movie: TEEN TITANS GO! (I have no idea what this is)
Favorite Food: CORN FLAKE CHICKEN & STROMBOLI
I like me because: I AM SMART!

To be honest, Evelyn is sort of having a hard time in school and it makes me really sad. She is super smart and will do awesome in all her classes, but she tells me she doesn't like doing the same things as her friends so she doesn't like going very much. This makes her feel like she doesn't really have any friends, and sometimes this makes her cry when she is all alone. She says that nobody is mean to her or anything, but she just prefers to spend time on her own and people don't let her. The things she likes most are art, math, reading, and science. The thing she likes least is recess or PE, because they make her go outside and really she just wants to stay in and read books or draw.

As she was telling me all this I was totally brought back to elementary school in my mind, because the person she was describing was ME when I was her age. I was a quiet kid, and it never bothered me except for when it bothered other people. I have spent many, many recesses at a table in the library with stacks of books. I know what it's like to feel social pressure to like the same things as other people, and I know what it's like to pretend that I am enjoying activities when I really wish I could be somewhere else by myself. I hurt for her right now, because I see that it is hard for her. The best I can do (I think) is to listen and let her know that I think she is totally fine and that I am there for her.

I also do not worry about her AT ALL. She is a fun and interesting and independent person, and can be totally charming in smaller settings or when she feels like she has control of a situation. This will serve her well, and can even become an asset to her as she gets older. How do I know? Because that's STILL me. Because I still pretend to enjoy large group activities when I wish I could be somewhere else. I still prefer more intimate social settings, and I've grown up enough to know that people are different, and everyone doesn't have to like the same things as the "cool kids." This lesson wouldn't make much sense to a 2nd grader though, because the only social time you have in school is on the playground where everyone seems to be "plugged in" except for you, and it can get very lonely sometimes. Don't worry Ev- I get it. My best advice is to try having fun even when you're outside of your comfort zone, and know that it gets better.

Here's some pictures about Evelyn:

Evelyn requested we do an "Art unit" for Family night. This is from the field trip we took downtown to look at museums and galleries. We also looked at architecture and urban art. Evelyn wants to run a gallery one day, and is most interested in "mixed media."

This is an "abstract" drawing she did as part of our unit.

Fishbowls. The lighting made it hard to take a picture, but there are colorful gummy "rocks" on the bottom too. This was Evelyn's idea for Family Dessert Night. She is so creative!

Evelyn brought these home the other day. She said she always wanted a pet, and since we didn't let her get one she was going to start raising slugs in a jar. Yuck! Thankfully, that phase didn't last long.

Next up, we have Adalie.

I want to be a: INVENTOR
My favorite subject: READING
I love: MY MOM
My favorite movie: FROZEN
My favorite food: CHEEZ-ITS
I like me because: I'M SMART

Addy is super sweet, and sometimes her gentle personality can mean she gets looked over. I am sorry, Addy. With a big family, a lot of parenting seems to be about putting out fires (solving fights, fixing "bonks," trying to keep the house from self-destructing, etc.), and sometime this means that the kids who are not fighting, or bonking, or destroying don't get as much attention as the others. We (parents) try not to let this happen, and I think we usually do a pretty good job, but sometime it is inevitable. I love it though, when you get up early in the morning and sit with me on the couch and we talk about stuff. I love it when you grab my hand when we are hiking and we purposely fall behind other people just so we can be together.

Addy is, in a word, awesome. She was a little bit nervous to start school, but after that first day she never looked back! She is one of those people I have always looked up to- she seems to just excel at everything without even trying. It's not fair! Academic learning seems to come easily for her, she plays well with others in big groups and in small groups, and she is at ease talking to people of all ages. If my instincts are right, then I would guess that she will be popular both with her classmates and with her teachers, and that school will be a time she will look back on with fond memories for her whole life. You go Addy! My sweetie girl is growing up!

Nothing to say about this picture- just a nice picture of Adz.

Background: Addy has this obsession with flying. Did you see how she wanted to be an inventor? The reason for this is that she wants to develop human-powered flight in the form of mechanical wings. It was kind of neat for her then, when she got called on in a magic show at the fair to help with the levitation act. Even though this was about a month ago, she still talks about "that one time when I flew!"

Now for Jackson:

I want to be a: SUPER HERO
My favorite subject: SCIENCE
I love: DRAGONS & MY DAD
My favorite movie: LION KING
My favorite food: CORNFLAKE CHICKEN
I like me because: I ROCK CLIMB

Jackson is cool. There is no other word for it. He is active and ambitious and curious about the world and not afraid to take chances. At all. This is terrifyingly fun to watch! Jack is the kind of person who will do whatever he wants in life, if for no other reason than the fact that he wants it and won't rest until he has achieved the thing he set his mind to. Does he get frustrated along the way? Oh, yeah. Big time. But this frustration seems to somehow fuel his own persistence and desire to succeed. It's almost like he has to prove to himself that he can do things- not in spite of their difficulty, but because of it. He has this crazy internal motivation that just does not allow him to stop. I am so impressed with the things Jackson does- not for their own sake, but for the patience and practice that often go into them.

The hardest thing for his teachers is going to be directing his considerable excitement in a direction that will lead to success at school. The problem with being so intense, like Jackson is, is that things that fall outside the center of his focus tend to disappear altogether. So...how to turn his mind to things like homework? You tell me. If that can be done though, then there will be no stopping this guy.

Jack got a basketball hoop for his birthday. He practices every day, and it is hard for us to get him to come in for dinner. He even wanted to skip cake one night so he could stay out and practice longer! It certainly wasn't me, but somewhere (champ camp, I think) he became very interested in the variety of skills needed in basketball- not just shooting. To his chagrin, other kids his age don't seem to care as much about these "details" like ball handling or defense. He is getting pretty good at dribbling the ball, and loves practicing his passes. He is a pretty good shot too. Could it be that we have a future point guard in our midst?

A preying mantis we found in our yard. Jack was the first to touch him and the bug attacked him! After that, Jack was still the only one who would let it crawl on him.

And finally, Maren:

I want to be: A MERMAID
My favorite subject: MERMAIDS AND SEAWEED
I love: MY MOM AND DAD
My favorite movie: FROZEN
My favorite food: FISH STICKS
I like be because: I'M CUTE!

Maren is a darling, and she knows it. There is something about the timbre of her voice that simply endears her to people, her Papa included. The hardest thing with her, I think, is that she is aware of the effect she has on people for better or for worse. She know how to be cute, just to get an emotional reaction out of people. And she does this extremely well. But she also knows how to draw reactions by being obnoxious, or loud, or quiet. Sometimes I think that she has super powers- not to read minds, but to control or manipulate them through her own actions. Her timing is so perfect, it's scary.

Maren is starting preschool this year and is very excited. She says that her teacher is funny, and she is very proud to have her very own backpack just like the older kids.

Maren has developed a strong liking for elephants. This has become our thing at church- she asks me to draw "funny elephants," and she gives me input along the way. It also serves the utilitarian purpose of keeping her quiet. These are a few of our creations.

BIRTHDAY PARTY

Adalie and Jackson's first day of school coincided with their birthday! This meant that they got started on the right foot with their classmates by bringing cupcakes for everyone (don't worry, we talked with their teacher ahead of time to make sure this would fit in with their first-day-of-school plans).

We had the party later that weekend, and I think everyone had a good time. Six years- they are getting so big!

They spent a lot of time decorating these cupcakes. They are each different, and each cupcake has a story that goes with it.

At the party we made animals out of pipe cleaners. Here's Addy's horse and my blue lizard.

Castle pinata.

Jack with his cake- Rachel dubbed this "Pops, the middle aged dragon." He's a little overweight and saggy in the eyes, but I guess that just provides a nice contrast to Addy and Jackson's vivacity? At least the kids liked eating it!

Bike Race

You may remember that a few weeks ago Rachel rode in a local bike race. This weekend she did another one- a regional race this time in Spokane, with a lot more prestige and sponsored organization behind it. This one was a 50 miler, and after driving the course last weekend Rachel has been a huge bundle of nerves. There were a LOT more hill climbs than expected, and she wasn't sure that she would be able to hit her target time. Well- she did, and came in exactly on schedule with her goal. Go Rachel! I am so proud.