March Misc

 Adley's Birthday

Adley's actual 6th birthday was a school day, so it was a full day for her. She got ready with enough time to open some presents in the morning. Our big present for her was a new bike (her first non hand-me-down outdoor toy!). She also opened a few gifts from out-of-town friends and family.

Jason and I were both able to join Adley for lunch at school. Adley passed out mallow bars to her classmates, and then the substitute teacher led the class in singing Happy Birthday.

We brought in a lunch from Chick-fil-A for Adley and ate with her at her classroom's back table. So special to spend this time with our birthday girl!

That evening was a busy one for our family. Jason had an evening meeting, and both Cody and Adley had separate sports practices to get to. I enlisted Grammy and Papa's help with the transportation, and they went above and beyond. Not only did Papa get Cody from track while I was at Adley's soccer practice, but they both prepared an entire dinner for our family. What a huge help!! Adley enjoyed seeing Grammy and Papa on her birthday and especially liked the tasty frosted brownies Grammy made. Yum!

On the weekend after Adley's birthday, we hosted a family gathering to celebrate all the March birthday honorees in the family-- Adley, Grandpa, Isaiah, and Micah. We always enjoy an excuse to gather with extended family!

Adley's Birthday Gifts

For her birthday present to Adley, our friend Andrea took Adley to Build-a-Bear workshop. Adley had only been once before several years ago, so she didn't remember much about the experience. Adley loved it! She spent careful time picking out just the right animal and landed on a pastel-colored bunny that she named Emma.

Adley used some of her birthday money to buy a dress for her bunny too. What a special gift!

Also for her birthday, Adley received a beginners' sewing kit from Uncle Andy and Aunt Beth. Adley is not quite done doing all the projects yet, but she has loved the experience. She can do many of the steps independently. Here are her first two projects-- a keychain and an ornament.

Building Workshop

This month's building project at Lowe's was cardinal lawn ornament. Check out the video to see how this fun project can move! 

PSIA

Both Cody and Jaden participated in the Private Schools' Interscholastic Association (PSIA) competition this month. These two boys had stayed after school every week since mid-January to study for their events. Both boys competed in three events at the district meet. They worked so hard, had some tough competition and ended up doing very well. We were so proud of them! Jaden didn't want his photo taken, but he placed 5th in writing, 4th in spelling, and 8th in information skills (which was actually a combined 5th/6th event). Cody tied for 6th in spelling, placed 3rd in maps/graphs/charts, and got a 1st place ribbon in listening skills which made him a state qualifier!

All of Salem's state qualifiers were recognized at the next school chapel. Cody is thrilled for the chance to compete again at State in Fort Worth next month. This photo was taken during Lutheran School's Week, so the kids were all dressed up for Decades Day.

Park Playtime

During spring break, our family didn't travel anywhere but spent a relaxing week chilling at home, hanging out with friends, and visiting a few places around town. One of the places we went to was Burroughs Park to enjoy biking, scootering, and swinging in the gorgeous spring weather!

Another day, we invited a couple school friends-- Kody and Kannon-- to join us at Altitude trampoline park. After jumping together, these boys came to our house for lunch and some more playtime. We even visited our neighborhood playground for a bit that afternoon.

Roller Skating

At the end of the month, Adley attended a birthday party for a friend at a roller skating rink. Using the "Skate Mate" helped Adley feel really confident, and she even proudly showed Jason how she could briefly skate with her hands off the Skate Mate. She had a great time and has already been asking when our family can go roller skating again.

Innovation Lab

We love our school's emphasis on STEM projects and hands-on group problem solving. This year's addition of a school innovation lab has been a highlight for all three of our kids. Cody and Jaden's classes recently completed construction of a roller coaster. Their innovation lab teacher sent us these photos, and the boys enjoyed explaining the details of their coasters. And yes, the boys do have green hair in these photos. It was another Lutheran Schools' Week dress-up day-- Extreme Blue and Green Spirit Day.

Stomp

As a special treat for our kids (and ourselves!), Jason and I purchased tickets for our whole family to attend a production of Stomp at a downtown theater. Jason and I had seen this performance once before a looong time ago and absolutely loved it, so we were excited to share the experience with our kids. Unfortunately, the lengthy show, later in the evening, with no intermission made for some extra-tired and somewhat grumpy kids. They all admitted that the show was good (at first) but complained about the length of it. Bummer! Guess we will remember to take them to only matinee performances until they're older or just buy tickets for the two of us. Oh well, it was a good cultural experience for them, and Jason and I thoroughly enjoyed the show!

Adley's Piano

This little girl has been continuing with her weekly piano lessons and still enjoys it immensely. She jumps at the chance to play every possible duet with me, so we are building up quite the musical video collection. Here are some recent favorites.

And that's a wrap for March!