Friday Five

This week marks the first week of students on campus with masks optional. My boys do wear their masks at school (and Isaac and I do as well).

I'm sure it isn't a coincidence that we had the first major cold for everyone but me this week. It seems to have started with Jack, but it landed hard with Shawn and Isaac. :(

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Well, the big boys are officially registered for high school. Gulp.

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And with that, the baby is officially enrolled in middle school for next year. Double gulp.

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Speaking of the baby in the family, he took promotion pictures at school this week. We haven't had the option for that before, so this is kind of fun. Jack had his picture taken wearing a blue promotion gown. Awwww...

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Shawn earned a Target gift card at school this week. He thinks it is really cool. He couldn't wait to go and spend it today!

Friday Five

Only 3 weeks until spring break. YAY!

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Today is the last day of mandated mask-wearing in schools. We're a bit nervous about the implications of this because we are still vigilantly trying to keep us all healthy and avoid COVID. I sure hope it goes better than I fear. Sigh.

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Jack earned an AR Star t-shirt this week! He is so proud of it!

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Jack continues to count down to his birthday. He has not 1, not 2, but 3 birthday lists going on his iPad. They're each filled with an eclectic mix of gift ideas, too. He even has a cuckoo clock on there! It is so fun to see the things he finds cool. 

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The time change is coming this weekend. I am looking forward to the later sunset, but I am not looking forward to getting up in the dark. It's hard enough for us to get going in the morning without it being dark out!

Friday Five

Another week down. I think we've now completed our 24th week of school. Yay!

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It looks like the big boys get their pictures taken for earning 4.0 gpa. Pretty awesome.

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Jack had a good time celebrating Read Across America week with different dress-up days. His favorite day was favorite character dress up day. 

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I still haven't registered the big boys in their high school district yet. We had to track down their immunization records. That is on the agenda for next week.

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Now that we are in March, Jack's birthday list has become the daily topic of discussion. His newest obsession is...drum roll...a coocoo clock. LOL! He says he wants it on the wall of his room, but I'm not sure Shawn will go for it. It's going to be interesting!

Friday Five

Short week - the same amount of crazy bottled up into fewer days. We're all tired!

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This week the big boys got to pick their elective class for next year. It is exciting and scary all rolled up into one. Now all I need to do is actually enroll them, and they'll be set. 

Also...HOW CAN THEY BE NEARING HIGH SCHOOL???? Ahem.

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Jack continues his campaign for us to go to Disneyland tomorrow. Or the next day. Soon. He isn't clear on the when beyond "RIGHT NOW!" Lol. He just can't wait until he can ride The Pirates of the Caribbean. 

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This week has been very cold. So cold, in fact, that it was really hard on Shawn. He ended up coming home early two days because the muscles in his legs were so tight and cramped. :( Thankfully, Friday was a bit warmer and things went back to normal for him. 

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Jack got to present his Martin Luther King Jr. presentation to his class. He was quite please because the other students asked questions, and he knew the answers! Too funny!

Friday Five

Yay for four day weekends! We are ALL so glad for this long weekend.

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Today is a lazy day. We woke up late, ate late, had a late trip to Target. It was wonderful!

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Jack had a report to do on Martin Luther King Jr. this week. He did a really good job on it, too, but apparently forgot to turn it in on the due date. 🤦 Oops!

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Jason and Shawn got their report cards this week. Both boys did well. We're so proud of them!

Both got all A's with one B+, although their B+s are in different subjects. It's so funny how similar yet opposite they are. 

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This weekend we'll be working outside in the garden, getting it ready for our spring planting. It has been so long since we've been out there to work on it, so I am not even sure what we're going to find when we get started. 

Friday Five

Jack is counting down to his birthday. He is asking on the regular to go somewhere. The location changes with his mood, but the going part stays the same. lol. I don't blame him. It has been a long time since we last did anything.

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We are all looking forward to next week's four day weekend. Can't wait!

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The big boys went on a field trip to the high school this week. Gulp. I'm not sure I am ready for that leap, but it is coming nonetheless. Both said the day went okay and that the high school is big. 

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It's been warm and sunny this week. Had to chuckle when two of the boys came home with mask tans on their faces! Never would have seen that one coming pre-pandemic. lol

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Jason got a nerf gun for his Homecoming Day. He and Isaac were outside having a full-on war this afternoon. It was too, funny! They were quite intense and competitive.

Friday Five - on Saturday

Yay - week #20 is in the books! We are all officially counting down to the next 4 day weekend. lol

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Jason had the final for his dance unit in PE this week. He was stressed about it, but I think everything went okay. He says he's glad it's over, so yay for that!

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The big boys have a field trip to the local high school on Wednesday. They get to go and check out the school and find out more about it. Shawn is very excited. Jason is quiet about it.

All I can say is ... well, gulp. How can this be?

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Jack has the school Spelling Bee next week. He is so excited!

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Jack has been asking for short hair this week. He may be getting it cut this weekend. 🤞

Friday Five

We've had an eventful week, so we are glad to be back to the weekend.

Thankfully, Jack's rash has gone. He broke out three days in a row, and then it went away. 

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Shawn had such a fun time at his Homecoming celebration. He has talked about it every day since his party. It's so cute.

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Jason's Homecoming Day is next week! He's picked out a red velvet cake for his day. Yum!

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Jack said he won the class Spelling Bee. The school-wide Bee will be in two weeks. Yay!

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Today, Jack did not want to go to Target. He wanted to stay home and play Wii in peace and quiet. LOL

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Just after we got everyone back to school, we got word that Shawn's aide at school tested positive. She had been with him the day she tested positive and two days before. Sigh. So far he continues to test negative, but I have to say that it's getting old. Sigh.

Friday Five

Well, the boys made it through their first week back at school. It was a long week, though, and we were all ready for a three-day weekend.

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Our Gracie girl has an abscess on her face today. Poor thing. She's doing okay, but it sure does look yucky.

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Jason's new walker came in this week! It came all the way from Canada, too. It is taking some getting used to, but it is amazing how much a few inches can really change his gait. 

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We are still waiting for Shawn's glasses. I'm frustrated that it is taking this long, and the mail service used hasn't been the most forthright with information. I think they are now in Whittier...maybe they'll get here before the end of the week. 

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After not getting a single notification about COVID at the boys' schools, we got exposure notice calls both Thursday and Friday this week. We aren't exactly sure who was exposed (don't get me started on that), but we haven't seen any symptoms in anyone yet. Fingers crossed it stays that way.

Friday Five

Today was a great day! The big boys got their Covid boosters today! We are all relieved that they were able to get their shot before heading back to class next week. 

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Speaking of heading back to class next week, I returned to work this week. I had large numbers of students absent every day, so I suspect it will be the same for the boys when they return. If I am honest, I really wish we would all go back to online learning for a few weeks until this latest wave of Covid passes. Sigh. Fingers crossed that everyone stays healthy.

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I was able to find a new, larger walker for Jason, which is very exciting. He loves his walker and needs a new larger size, but the company itself no longer sells this brand in the United States. I found a used one on eBay, and we are hoping it will be exactly what we are looking for. It is supposed to be here on the 11th.

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We are also waiting for Shawn's new glasses to arrive. The tracking information has been lacking, so I am not sure exactly when they'll get here. Hopefully soon!

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Somehow Jack managed to lose 2 school library books. I suspect that maybe they were put back on the shelves without being scanned, but however they were lost, he now has to replace them. We found new copies of the books on Amazon, and he is SO excited to take the new books back to the librarian. It really is pretty sweet.

Friday Four

It's hard to believe that 2021 is now nearly over. I'm not sure what we were expecting, but I don't think it lived up to last year's expectations. Here is hoping that 2022, will be a calmer year.

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Somehow, week 2 of our winter break has come to an end. We haven't done a lot but lay around and be lazy. It has been raining pretty hard, which has made it even easier to be lazy. My work starts up next week. The boys still have another week off on break.

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Shawn had an eye appointment yesterday. He did amazing and was such a rock star! We are so proud of him. He'll be sporting some new glasses soon. Yay!

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Tonight is New Year's Eve. We have our usual sparkling cider and poppers planned. Wild time at Casa Lopez tonight!

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Not much has happened, so I think it's been a Friday Four kind of week. :)

Friday Five

Woohoo! We are on winter break! The boys have 3 weeks off; I have 2 weeks off. Let the Christmas fun begin!

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Shawn's glasses broke this week. We scrambled to find another pair of frames for us to pop the lenses into, but this was not something we needed on our plates this time of year. I guess it is time for us to make an appointment for an eye exam, too.

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Our elf has been having a blast leaving gifts and getting into mischief around the house. The first thing Jack does in the morning is search for Elfie to see what he was up to. So fun!

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It rained again this week, so the boys got to take another day off of school. This time, I took a day off, too! It was so lovely to get a little winter break preview! It was also lovely to not have to be out in the rain - it came down hard most of the day!

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Jack's highlight this week was getting to wear his Christmas PJs to school today. It's the little things that make school fun, I guess. LOL

Friday Four

One more week to go before break! Everyone is counting down.

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It rained on Thursday, so we ended up having the boys stay home from school. The big boy's middle school is not exactly equipped for walkers when it rains. They have some bad drainage issues, so the solution was to simply lay plywood over the puddles. That makes it hard to maneuver with the walkers. Beyond that, rain means that everyone has to eat indoors. We're not thrilled about them being maskless while they eat. So, home it is. 

Let's just say they were not sad. LOL

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We had yet another meeting with the school to finalize an IEP for one of the boys. While I think we have everything ironed out as far as what it should say, we are still waiting for the final copy to sign. It's already been 2 days...and nothing.

We have also heard that they are still processing the state complaint we submitted. Sigh.

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Jason gets to go this weekend to pick out his presents for his brothers. He's excited.

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It's a Friday Four kind of day today. We're pooped!

Friday Five

Well, we all thought last week off was absolutely wonderful. In addition, we all thought going back to school on Monday was akin to torture. The one thing that got Jason through was repeating that we only have three weeks to go before they get three weeks off for winter break.

I could so relate. lol

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The week went really well for everyone despite its challenging start. Jack got his second shot on Monday! He did really well, and didn't even hardly acknowledge he'd gotten the shot at all. I'm so relieved for him and us!

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Jack and I went to go get presents for his brothers and dad on Wednesday. He also knew exactly what to get and was so excited to wrap the presents when we got home. So cute!

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Elfie has been having fun around the house, too. He brought the boys Advent calendars on his first day here. Then he brought them Christmas jammies. He also hid some game cards around the house for the boys to find. Fun!

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The highlight of the week for Shawn was making Christmas cards on Wednesday. Oh man did he think that was awesome! He wrote a little note in each one of them and decorated them with stickers. After we got them into envelopes, he had fun making sure they were in just the right place under the tree. ❤️

Friday Five

This week went by pretty fast because of the holiday yesterday. Next week, the boys have conference week, so they'll get out early each day. The week after that is fall break! Yay!

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I got my booster on Wednesday. While I didn't have as severe of a reaction as I had for dose #2, I still spent much of Thursday in bed. :( Thankfully, I am feeling better today. Isaac will get his booster next week.

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Jack did pretty good after his first shot. He looked a little droopy after school on Tuesday and Wednesday, but he never said he didn't feel well. He did say his arm hurt, though. He'll get his second dose at the end of the month.

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We decided it is time to finally take down the pool, and wouldn't you know it that we have a mini heat wave? It has been in the upper 80s today, and it is supposed to be warm again tomorrow. Sigh.

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It's time to take out the Christmas tree, too! My plan is to get the living room rearranged so the tree will fit and put it up. We wont decorate it until after Thanksgiving, but we will get to enjoy the pretty lights until then. Yay!

Friday Five

We are all playing hooky from school/work today while we are on our trip to Great Wolf Lodge. We left after school yesterday. We'll be here through tomorrow afternoon.

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Shawn was so looking forward to his hotel trip, but I think this adventure has caused some extra anxiety for him. Poor guy. We have looked around the lodge and done a little bit of small things, but he hasn't enjoyed how loud it is. So, we left the other two to go into the water park with dad, and Shawn and I headed out to Target! lol (It should be noted that this was a much nicer Target that ours around home, so it was actually a fun trip within the trip!)

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Jason and Jack are having the time of their lives! I think I heard, "This is the best trip ever!" more than a few times since we've been here. LOL

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On another note, they've finally released the vaccine for kids 5-11! The earliest appointments I could find were on Sunday, but they were taken before I could submit our info online. They went FAST. So, Jack's appointment is on Monday. We can't wait!

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Two more weeks until fall break! We can't wait!

Friday Five

Well, we're 10 weeks into the school year, and we have now had our second cold (although again we are Covid negative). The best thing about distance learning was how healthy we were the whole time. We get back to school, and bam. Sick. Sigh.

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This Friday is the end of the boys' first trimester in school. Two more trimesters to go!

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The boys were so excited about their birthday this week. I think it was even scored a 10 out of 10, according to Jason. I'm so glad they had a great day. 

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Jason joined the MESA (math, engineering and science achievement) club at school this week. He is excited that they'll get to do competitions and other kinds of fun things this year. He still says he things engineering is in his future, so this is exciting!

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Exciting weekend ahead - pumpkin carving and Halloween. Fun!

Friday Five

Week 8 of the school year is in the books! I think the week was on the longer side, probably because the weekend was tough. Hopefully, this weekend will give us a chance to do something fun. :)

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Can you believe that the big boys will be 14 years old on Wednesday?! It is so crazy! There were no present requests as of yet, but I did get a red velvet cake request. Priorities, people. It's all about the cake!

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There is supposed to be a big rain storm on Monday. The forecast is saying 100% chance of rain, too. If it does rain, we'll probably keep everyone home. The big boys' school isn't the easiest to maneuver when it rains. I doubt the boys will be too sad about staying home, though. LOL

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We have to find a time to get to the pumpkin patch. I can't believe how fast October is flying by. If we don't hurry, we're going to miss it.

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This weekend we're going to put together Shawn and Jack's new dressers. They had a dresser that I absolutely hated. The drawers had anti-tipping locks on them, so we couldn't extend them all the way out. It made storing their clothes in the drawers a nightmare. The new dressers are larger and deeper. I'm excited for all of the extra space! lol

Friday Five

This has been quite the week. Shawn got sent home from school again on Monday. They again said that Shawn had a fever. When Isaac got there to pick him up, he asked them to take his temperature again in front of him. "Oddly", there was no fever. Shawn wasn't sick. They sent him home anyway. Grr.

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Today, it was pouring rain outside when we got up to get ready for school. In the past, there have been issues with the big boys getting around their school when it rains (our schools are all outdoor), so we decided that we'd avoid the potential and keep them home. 

I contend that this was the best move, because when I got to school this morning, our power was out. It was out for most of the first period! 

While I don't know if the boys would have had to deal with that, it would have doubly stunk if they did. Instead, everyone got to have a lazy day for the start of their long weekend.

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Jack has been climbing into bed with us in the morning before everyone gets up for the day. I think it is one of my favorite times of the day now. This morning I asked him a bunch of questions, and we chatted for the longest time. I was so sad when I had to get up to get ready for work.

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Family pictures are scheduled for Sunday. Yay!

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Can you believe that our dynamic duo will be 14 years old in less than 3 weeks? Blows my mind!

Friday Five

Well, Shawn continues to show zero symptoms or any congestion or fever. We had his COVID swab appointment today, which was a less than pleasant experience for all involved. Lol. We should get the results on Sunday. If they don't come then, he'll have to stay home another day.

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The other two guys finished their school weeks off strong. It's hard to believe we are already through 6 weeks of school. I hope it keeps this rapid pace for the remainder of the year.

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We have family pictures next weekend! Yay!

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Jack has his school pictures on the 5th. Fingers crossed that we get good ones. We got the dynamic duos pics back, and once again they've left us wanting. I don't know why it is so hard for Jostens to take good school pics.

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We've started Halloween costume discussions. Shawn is saying he wants to be his usual, so I'm going to make that happen for him. I'm in negotiations for Jason and Jack. I am pushing for something super cute, so I hope they go for it!