We had a great holiday season and are currently enduring the weirdest winter. It's mid-Jan. and we have no snow on the ground. We've had five windstorms averaging 85 mph winds (lost a lot of shingles off the house) and two thaws around 40 degrees. We're supposed to get snow tonight - fingers crossed.
There is snow in the mountains and we took the kids skiing over Christmas break. It was Nate's first time on the slopes and he did well. It was COLD - -9 was the high. Grace's girl scout troop hosted their annual float in the Colony Christmas parade...actually, the parents of the troop hosted it since we were the ones who got up early, decorated, and stayed up late to disassemble. (The girls marched as bedsheet/cardboard wing angels.) It's a lot of work but fun. Now she's selling Girl Scout cookies!! Anyone who wants to donate boxes to send the the troops, let her know. She can use the sales for her California trip.
Last weekend, Grace participated in the state robotics meet. She made Ch. 11 and Ch. 2 evening news - I posted a clip on Facebook of Ch. 2. Her team didn't do very well - instead of a research project, they did a Weird Al Yankovich skit and then wondered why the judges stared at them blankly. O well. This weekend, Luke leaves for Kenai with high school hockey in the first of three trips over the next two weeks. He comes home Saturday night to play two games Sunday. You can see a photo of his team on his FB page and images of his games at: http://www.matsusports.net/hockey/ Pick the Palmer JV games - he only plays in a few of the varsity games, although he did score on a breakaway against North Pole. He is No. 6 with "Wright" on his back - see above. He also had a 3.8 grade point average, with his only B in science (89%) due to a lab he missed at the beginning of the year because of a XC meet. (The teacher could've helped him out a little...) Since he is taking all sophomore-level classes, that's pretty good!
This Friday Grace takes her Battle of the Books test. For BoB, kids read about 15 books, are tested on plot, character development, etc. and then go head-to-head in a quiz-style show. If she makes the team, I have to get her a hamster. (All part of my sinister plot to make the girl read more.) Hopefully she makes it...but if not, given the personality of our newest cat, somewhere a hamster's life will be saved.
Nate continues to learn to skate and attends preschool, although the honeymoon is over. During the Christmas program, when the class sang Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Nate repeatedly punched himself in the nose so hard ("To make my nose red, Mom") he got a bloody nose and then had to stand with a tissue to his face. No doubt to the parents of the child whom he'd recently punched in the face during class earlier that week, it was fitting revenge. Fortunately, he is a smartie pants, is an early reader and can't wait for kindergarten to start. Neither can I.
