Everything Else That Happened in February

Sooo. . . Winter is straight-up refusing to die this year.

What the hell?

I know, I know - from what folks have been saying, we've had it "pretty easy" this year (God knows we didn't see snow staying on the ground until four days after Christmas.)  February ended up being just as cold as January, and saw even more snow.  Towards the end of this month, we were forced to take five consecutive snow days off of school/work.  Seriously.  

FIVE.

I can't remember doing that when I was growing up.

Anyway, aside from the mega-dumping of snow this month, our family didn't experience a whole heck of a lot outside the norm.  There was the previously discussed Pinewood Derby and Daddy Daughter Dance. . . but that's about it.  Seriously.  

Hooray.

Oh, and we finally found the Apple TV remote that had been missing for a couple months.  That was a pretty big deal.

No, when the history books are written, and the great scribes record in their hallowed Tomes of Hough, February 2016 shall be set in stone as the Month of Snow.  And little else.

Behold. . . 

May this forever haunt your soul. . .

Towards the beginning of the month, I met up with John and New Hope Village (a non-profit that organizes and provides shelter and assisted living for homeless families in the greater Midland area) at the Dow Corning Tennis Classic Expo.  I've been doing freelance graphic design work for them, and was brought on as a photographer for the expo.

Not sure what the equivalent of 'Half Time' is in a tennis match, but that's when John presented to all the yuppie Dow execs that were in attendance. . .

Tearing through yet another chapter book.  Since the beginning of this school year, both girls have exploded in reading.  Alayna's been really into junior versions of classic books (Bram Stoker's Dracula, Aesop's Fables, etc.), along with childhood staples such as Charlotte's Web.

Her spelling is horrible.  You can tell her mom's from Farwell.

Abby at the optometrist.  Contrary to what you might think, she's NOT possessed by evil spirits in this picture. 

This is how you keep the seven-year-old pre-occupied while her little sister gets an eye exam.  I've converted this phone - my old Samsung Galaxy IIIs - into a full-fledged kids phone.  I swiped the phone clean, installed a bunch of kid-friendly apps, games, music, and wallpaper, and let the girls play with it at times like this (when I don't want them acting in public like they do at home.)

Kris gets super fancy with her pancakes. . . 

As you previously saw, John helped out Alayna with her Pinewood Derby car this year.  Once she figured out what she wanted her car to look like - a Minion, if you'll recall - John took it back to his workshop and carved out the shape for her.  He then brought it back by our house so she could paint it.

Watson's favorite spot to sit in the winter.  Can't say I blame him, really.

Alayna's artwork made the front page of the Midland Daily News.  Right underneath an article detailing the Flint Water Crisis.

Who doesn't hate snakes?

So I received a package in the mail from Amazon the other day, and was shocked to find that this fairly-large box contained only my monthly subscription items from the online retail giant. . .

. . . Watson's Dentastix treats.  I don't know what the hell the Amazon employee was thinking.  Why would you pack such a large box with so much cushioning for such a small, non-fragile item?  I usually get this item in a 6" x 3" x 10" box.  'Cause it's a dental hygiene treat for dogs.  Who cares if it breaks?  I'd be cool with this shit being sent in a large envelope.  Maybe the person who packed the item  thought this baggie of dog treats was made of glass. . .?

Business as usual.  God, I hate this room. . .

This is how my kids spent the majority of their Snow Days :  playing with Playmobil at the kitchen table, listening to Kids Bop, and snacking.  All day long.

. . .oh, and I finally shaved off my winter beard (and tried out a few different looks in the process.)

- Brian

One Down, Thirty-Five to Go

First Day of Kindergarten

What's up, Fanbase.

With the first week of the school year behind us, I feel like we finally have ourselves a chance to catch our breath somewhat.  These last five days have been a whirlwind.

So far, Yours Truly hasn't had too bad of a time at school.  Honestly, once the ball gets rolling, teaching two classes (Ancient History, Media Productions and Design) isn't too bad. . . but prepping those first couple weeks - for two classes at the same time - is a total pain in the ass, folks.  Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.  I despise back-to-school planning with a passion.

Anyway, school aside, this week was pretty boring (not teaching anything but rules and procedures, which is just as boring for teachers as it is for students), but now we've got ourselves a weekend afoot.  Not much has happened outside of work lately - once we all get back to the house, we're all too tired to do anything worthy of talking about.  It's been like that all month, really.

Here's a few pics from around this week, though - just to be nice.

Alayna flashes her new Hello Kitty lunchbox on her first day of school.

Abby discusses the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Syria with her congressman. . .

Alayna's Classroom

We were a little nervous about Alayna not being prepared for Kindergarten - that first week of school can be hard on a five-year-old.  Then we saw what she was supposed to master by the end of the first nine weeks (most of which she can already do), and we felt a hell of a lot better.  Not surprisingly, she was quickly placed among the top students in her class.

Cupcakes (mine's on the left, Abby's on the right)

At the Optometrist's office for our annual vision test/contact replacements.  Why we decided to schedule it so we both had appointments on the same day, thereby requiring to bring our kids into the optometrist's office, I don't know. . . 

Strolling out of John Young Elementary - Alayna's been a big fan of her school so far. 

Remember when I was talking about how we had to push Alayna's calorie count up to 1200 a day?  Yeah, that's been a total blast.   I had to take her to the Florida Hospital of Kissimmee (where Abby was forced to get staples nearly a year earlier) for a Bone Age Reading.  As it turns out, Alayna's bones are those of a four-year-old, so we have to keep up the high-calorie diet and get another reading in six months, by which time it should level out.  We'll see.

Kris?  TEXTING?!

Seriously.

This week I've been picking Alayna up from school (that'll change next week when Kris gets out earlier).   Just so you know, it was not raining.  Not even close.

At Chic Fil-A, getting a reward ice cream for a week's worth of 'green smiley faces' in her planner from her teacher (which I guess means she's been behaving herself at school.)

- Brian