Nampa Parade

 

We started out the week with Evelyn taking her state reading test (IRI) and Phillip finishing his last classes for Social Studies and Science. The kids were all upstairs and busy working so I cleaned up the school room. It look fantastic for about 2 hours. Nothing draws more attention than a nice clean room to create in. Evelyn still has about 28 books to read until she meets her 100 books goal. I hope we/she can reach her goal before the end of the month. Amelia is busy finishing up her classes, she still has a couple weeks left but most days she is finished by 10 am so it's not a big deal. I registered all 5 kids for public school on Thursday. Thankfully, the process is all online these days, my computer scanner was not connecting to the computer so I just need to turn in immunizations, birth certificates, and proof of residency. On Wednesday the Ostler kids joined us for a maturation class. The boys went first composing of Carson, Phillip, Everett, and Logan. Sara and I introduced the topic with a gospel spin, framing in why family is important, marriage necessary, and keeping ourselves morally clean. We watched a great video by Carrie Ann Kemp, a public speaker, who talks about developing bodies in a funny and open way. The girl group went after the boys class. I think we did a great job teaching all about developing bodies, feelings, and such! It was amazing to have support from the Spirit to bring home our thoughts. 

Mia and I went to see Dr Kasper about painful period cramps. I was worried about endometriosis because it runs in the Call family. Dr Kasper said Mia's cramps were most likely just cramps but painful. We decided to start her on low-dose birth control just to reduce her cramps. Of course I expressed my worries about taking hormones at such a young age, but it felt like the right avenue at this time. 

Jared received our fun sunshine package in Germany. He opened up the box over video chat! Jared is hilarious! He made all the kids smile with his silly faces and antics. We all enjoyed turning his singing video clip into a sort of meme (he shared the video on our family chat). Seems like he is in good spirits and doing well. Having a new car and places to go help reduce the doldrums of barracks life. 

We played quite a few rounds of Watch Your Mouth throughout the week. It is hard to decipher the words when your eyes are focused on the drool spilling out of the other person's mouth. Josie kept spitting out the mouth guard when she tried the "B" sound. Everett was consistently wowed that I could decipher the phrases. I had to change my shirt after one particularly long round. Gross...and fun!

Activity Days this week was quite fun. We met at the local nature preserve with our buckets of painted rocks. I sealed all the rocks with clear spray paint beforehand. I was sad only two other girls besides Evelyn and Grace showed up. Before hiding the rocks I talked about service and how the rocks could bring a spot of light to someone looking for sunshine. It was quite warm outside so we enjoyed lots of water and a snack. The girls were in love with all the baby geese and ducks. 

My 10 piano students delivered a lovely recital Friday evening. Piano music poured from my house all week as kids practiced and practiced their songs. It was heaven! The students prepared 2-3 songs each, most with me accompanying some part or another of their pieces. I played a song first off! Teachers love to play as well. Evelyn just started lessons so she kicked off the recital. Amelia and I did not connect that she was supposed to babysit AND do the recital on the same day. We had an extra 3 kiddos to watch at our home so Mia could participate. My kids requested flavored Italian sodas for a treat. We got to use the new flavors I picked up two weeks ago. Root Beer was quite popular. Yum.

Our weekend was a flurry of yard work and some family fun. Adam's Nursery delivered 8 yards of wood bark Wednesday and Saturday. The kids unwillingly helped to shoved and sherpa wood chips for a couple hours. This time we ordered the larger chips, I am not a fan but at least those chips are more easily raked back into the right areas. I worked some on pruning plants, planting more seeds, and thinning baby plants in the vegetable garden. 

Saturday morning we watched the Nampa Parade America 2021 with the Ostlers. We arrived with plenty of time to find a perfect spot and settle in. The parade itself was perfectly short, with some cars, horses, candy, and floats. The kids got to dance in the street and flock around candy like little sea gulls fighting over bread. One gentleman lost his wife to cancer, he handed out mustaches, bracelets, and cancer doo dads to all the kids. Towards evening Justin and I went on a double date with Sara and Dustin for Dustin's 40th birthday. He chose to try out the Mexican Shrimp and Chicken joint. Yum. It was heavenly to be silly and crazy for a couple hours. We didn't want to go back home so we raided Home Depot and got a sweet treat as well. 

My snowball bush is in prime bloom right now. I lured several parents to bring me their cute babies for photos. I found a cat bed that is large enough to fit a sitting baby, so also used that in my studio for 3 sessions on Saturday. I set up my studio for a paid 3 mth session on Saturday and a coming newborn session on Monday. I love incorporating fresh flowers when I can, even better when those flowers are free. Yay! 

I quite enjoyed our family devotionals this week. Yesterday we talked about light and darkness. The main property that separates light and dark is one thing: movement! When particles move light travels, when there is no movement darkness is formed. I love the idea that to find light is to use verbs in our life: edify, learn, grow, seek, pray, serve, love, etc. When we don't move darkness envelopes. Powerful thought.