School Stories

Ryder came home from school one day talking about pigs.  This is not unusual for him-- since his birthday, he just loves pigs.  I didn't really think much about it, until I got an email from Mrs. Garland, his teacher, that night.  She explained that it had been National Pig Day (who knew?) and so a different teacher had brought her pet pig to class.  Knowing how much Ryder loves pigs, Mrs. Garland had arranged it so Ryder could spend an hour in the other class, hanging out with the pig. He also got to make a pig hat for the occasion.

She included this picture:

That is one happy Ryder right there!  This picture makes me smile every time I look at it.

In other school news, Kendra's class has been studying the Supreme Court, so they had a mock trial wherein Kendra got to be one of the Justices.  All parents were invited to attend, so Craig and I enjoyed seeing our daughter taking this role very seriously.  (And true to life, one of the Justices was out that day, so they only had eight for the case!)

Listening closely during the hearing

All the Justices.  I liked the artwork here, also done by students.

With her two friends, Kinsley and Grace (who was the Chief Justice)

What pleased me even more was how seriously Kendra took her role.  She told us what the trial would be about (they were debating whether or not to keep having the fire truck come for field day and spray all the kids with water-- this also tied in to their unit on the water cycle) and when Bentley asked her how she'd be voting, she responded indignantly, "I have to stay neutral until the hearing, Bentley!"  Good girl.

Unfortunately that night, she was throwing up, so she wasn't able to go to school for the actual vote.  But apparently a bunch of the judges were all out, so her teacher emailed everyone asking for their votes, and Kendra's opinion was the one that won.  (It was what I would have voted for, too, although I didn't tell her that until after she'd told me how she voted and why.  See, I can stay neutral, too.  For a bit.)

Anyway, I'm very happy with my kids' school.  It's a nice feeling.

A Review: The Hamilton Mixtape

I'd been hearing about Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton Mixtape and wanted to check it out before I actually purchased it (yes, I'm cheap), so I was delighted when I discovered that my library had a copy of the CD that I could, well, check out.  As soon as my copy came, I popped it into the CD player of my car and got to know it's 23 tracks as I drove around town running errands.

And I hate to say it, but I was disappointed.  I'm glad I didn't actually buy it.  But I also realized that I am not right audience for this CD.  For one thing, I generally don't like covers of songs (with the glaring exception to this rule being everything ever recorded by Glee)-- I usually feel like whoever sang it first did it exactly right and any deviance from their artistic choice is immediately questionable to me.  So an entire CD of covers wasn't really going to be my thing.  Plus, they made most of the songs from Hamilton more like the rap you hear on the radio, and I'm not actually that big of a fan of rap music.  So, yes, I was totally wrong for this.  So take everything I say with that huge grain of salt.

Some specific things I didn't love...  Jimmy Fallon's cover of King George's song, "You'll Be Back." He actually does a pretty good job of it.  He's no Jonathon Groff, but he's not terrible and it's fun to hear.  But because he seems embarrassed to be trying, he begins with about a minute long introduction making fun of himself before he just sings the song.  And the intro is pretty funny the first time you hear it.  But then there's no way to skip it, so every time you listen to that track, you've got to get through 60 seconds of Jimmy Fallon joking around before he finally just sings.  And it gets more tedious every you listen to it.  (This was nice for backing up my sister's theory that Jimmy Fallon really just wishes he could be a rock star.)

I also didn't like the song "Say Yes to This."  It just grossed me out.  I'm not a fan of adultery, and this one felt so much more pro-adultery than the Broadway version.  The original song, "Say No to This" is about Hamilton trying to resist, but succumbing to what he knows he shouldn't do; this new version was all about Maria Reynolds actively trying to seduce him.  It just made me hate her. 

Also, there were two tracks listed as "Interludes."  These are both less than a minute of a loop of music that probably could have worked great for the background music of an actual rap song, but then there wasn't actually a song to go with them.  So it's just two throw-away tracks, which seemed kind of dumb.  I mean-- I get that Hamilton had 23 tracks on both of its CDs, so it's kind of cool to repeat that here.  But those two tracks left me feeling like Lin-Manuel cheated.

My kids loved the song "Immigrants (We Get the Job Done)" based on the popular line from the play and it did spark a good conversation for us about how immigrants have it tough and have to work harder than anyone else to get by in this country.  But for me, it felt too preachy.  If you haven't already figured this stuff out, Lin-Manuel Miranda explaining it isn't going to change your opinion at all.  The whole immigration debate annoys me, because I feel like the two parties aren't even talking about the same thing-- I've never met a single person who was against immigrants or immigration in general, but I've met plenty of people concerned with illegal immigration, which is a totally different issue.  But I'm going to get back to my review before I get any preachier.

There were some tracks I really liked.  I loved Regina Spektor singing "Dear Theodosia" with Ben Folds Five-- there was something about the quality of her voice that I found mesmerizing.  And Dessa singing "Congratulations" was hilarious, and exactly what Hamilton probably should have heard after he idiotically had an affair and then published all the salacious details of it himself.  "Burn" was also beautiful, although this version was a lot angrier than the Broadway recording.  That's not wrong-- Eliza certainly had every right to be angry.  But in the play she just sounds so wounded, and I find that far more heartbreaking.

I was too busy being annoyed with the senseless pluralization of "Washingtons" in the song "Washingtons on Your Side" to ever focus on the lyrics and figure out what Wiz Khalifa was actually trying to say.  So that was probably my bad, but I still didn't like the song.

I like some of the tracks where you got an expanded version of what got cut from the play, "Valley Forge (Demo)," "An Open Letter," and "Cabinet Battle 3."  And one of the points Hamilton made in "Cabinet Battle 3" about how the problem of slavery will only grow as the slaves reproduce and there are more of them that people are relying on was something I'd never thought about.  I've always felt that since the Civil War nearly destroyed our country, Washington must have made the right decision to put off ending slavery until the country had time to grow stronger.  But maybe I'm wrong about that-- putting it off also allowed the problem to grow, too.  Perhaps, like cancer, it would have been easier to root it out before it took a firmer hold.  So that's been interesting to think about.

Also, there were more f-words than in the Broadway CD, and they were harder to see coming and edit out, so I didn't really want to listen with my kids, so that was lame.

So in summary, the Hamilton Mixtape has some good tracks, but not enough to make it worth buying.  Unless you really like cover songs and/or rap, I would skip this one.

A Pet for Kendra (and Maybe for Me, Too)

For Christmas, Kendra said all she wanted was a pet.  She told us that she didn't care what she got, as long as it was alive.  She even clarified that she would be happy with a fish or a frog or anything.  She just wanted something that was living.

We promptly told her there was no way that was going to happen for Christmas-- we had too much going on to sort out a new pet, too.  Plus I figured if she got a pet, everyone else would immediately be dissatisfied with whatever presents they got.  Having four disgruntled children seemed like a bad way to celebrate the holidays.  I told her we'd consider getting something for her birthday (and emphasized that this did not mean it would necessarily happen).  Once things had settled down after Christmas, Craig and I began considering what we might be able to get for her.  This is very tricky, because Craig is allergic to dogs and cats, and I'm something of a germophobe, especially when it comes to animals.  As in, I feel the need to wash my hands and maybe sometimes change my clothes after petting people's dogs.  Or spending time in a house with a cat.  And between all the diapers and dirty socks, I already wash my hands a lot.  So this was a bit of a concern for me.  (Yes, I realize this is not normal.  As long as it doesn't escalate, though, I'm not going to worry about it.)

As a kid I LOVED bunnies and always wanted one for a pet (and a killer whale).  But my parents were pretty certain that our big German shepherd/black lab mix would kill a bunny within five minutes of us bringing it home, so they never got me one, which was probably a kindness.  But because of this, I immediately wanted to get Kendra a bunny.  (Good parenting is all about trying to make your dreams come true through your kids, right?  Right???)  So we started researching bunnies.  And it turns out that the people who write books and websites on caring for rabbits are either raising them to eat them, or they're crazy.  As in, all their advice pretty much ended with, "And if you aren't willing to do this then you don't even deserve a pet rabbit, you terrible person."  This included everything from where to keep your rabbit (inside, or you're a terrible person), whether or not to spay them (even if you only have one and you're keeping her inside, you better spay her or you're a terrible person), and even clipping their nails (if you aren't prepared to clip their nails, you don't deserve a pet.  You terrible person).  So I worked to figure out which things were really necessary and which things were a little extreme.  We worried about what we would do if it turned out Craig was allergic to rabbits, too.  (I tried to ask around on a neighborhood website and got a lecture about how bunnies are a big responsibility.  Yeah, why do you think I'm researching it before I get one????  Thanks, though.)  Then I started worrying that maybe this was just becoming all about me and wasn't even what Kendra wanted, so I asked her to make a list of pets she was interested in and rank them by which she wanted most.  Bunny was #1, so I breathed a sigh of relief and went back to researching.  (It's possible that she'd picked up on my cues, but I did hide all the library books on bunnies from her.  Still, Kendra is a perceptive little thing...)

I looked all around to figure out where we could get a bunny from.  It turns out that pet stores don't really carry rabbits any more, so I ended up scanning a website that listed Virginia rabbit breeders, the local SPCA, and Craig's List.  I loved the idea of rescuing a bunny, but I didn't love the fact that you just had to take whatever they had on hand.  We did go play with one bunny, who was super sweet.  But her leg was a bit chewed up and we worried about getting a bunny that would require huge vet bills right from the start.  Plus, I didn't love the idea of buying the first bunny we saw-- they can live for ten years, and that demanded a little more shopping around, I thought.  I contacted some Craig's List people, and got no responses.  I contacted two people from the breeder list, and one texted me back to say her number was listed there erroneously and she knew nothing about rabbits.  And the other one had two litters that would be born right around Kendra's birthday!  Success!

A few weeks after the bunnies were born, she texted me pictures of all the does (yup, female rabbits are does; males are bucks).  And then we went out to see them on a Sunday afternoon.  That was when I found out that even though the website listed her as being in Charlottesville, she actually lived in Orange, about an hour away.  So that was kind of a pain.  But all the people listed on Craig's List were even further away (and non-responsive to my inquiries), so there weren't really any better options.  So we drove to Orange!

And when I met the person I'd been texting, I discovered that she was about 12 years old!  Surprise!  But to her credit, she was always super professional about responding to my questions and requests for pictures.  So I guess I really can't complain.  But it was pretty funny.

We picked up all the does that were available and finally Kendra picked out this little cutie:

As we drove home, Craig pointed out that a perfect name would be Oreo.  Kendra squealed in delight and declared that that would be her name.

A week later I got another text from my 12-year-old correspondent saying that the bunnies were ready to leave their mother.  We all piled into the van and drove back to Orange to pick her up.  She's so cute and sweet-- we already love our little bunny so much!

I'm going to be obnoxious and point out that I look super skinny in this picture!  It's a lie-- I'm not-- but I love this picture, lies and all.

Introducing Camille

Inside her pen (because if you keep her in a small cage and/or keep her outside, you don't even deserve a rabbit, you jerk.)

Oreo is a combination mini-rex and Holland lop.  She'll probably grow to be about five pounds eventually, which is on the small (read: cute!!!) side

Colton is making sure it's cozy

Bunnies like a place where they can hide away every now and then.  In our noisy house, this felt especially important.

She was having a hard time drinking out of her bottle, so we gave her a plate of water, too.

Camille is just a little excited

Happy birthday, Kendra!

The Rest of the Trip

The rest of our time in Seattle was a little more laid back.  We went to church on Sunday.  I had to drop Craig off at the ferry terminal freakishly early Monday morning so he could fly home (sniff, sniff).  Tracy arranged for three teenagers to watch all of our collective children (only five of the eleven kids are mine!) so all the grown-ups could go to our favorite Thai restaurant to celebrate my Dad's 70th birthday. 

The whole group (I was so sad that Craig missed it!)

Birthday Dad, with his two eldest, and Brian

And the rest of us at the other end of the table

My roommate Kathy (the Fabulous) came out to see me.  She brought Hayley, who will be roommates with Camille at BYU some day!

Camille got to play with Nicole

Ryder, Caleb, and Eliot

We spent quite a bit of time going through some of my Grandma's things.  I got a watch of hers, and her old wallet, and some books.  And it was fun looking at old photos!

An old photo of my Grandpa that my Grandma kept in her wallet

And the inscription on the back, which I love.  I wish I knew what the "Uh Huh" meant...?

An old family portrait-- I'm sitting on my mom's lap

Me in the center, age 4

With my cousin, Anne, probably around age 8?

Tuesday morning, I got up and announced that I absolutely HAD to eat breakfast at the Streamliner Diner.  Tracy very generously offered to watch the kids so Natalie and my Mom and I could all go.  It was the best breakfast EVER, and gave me a nice break from the kids!  Having uninterrupted conversation with other grown-ups is one of my favorite things ever.  (We did bring Nicole with us, but she didn't make a peep the entire time.  She is very different from Camille!)

It had rained all day Monday, so even though it was still cold and gloomy on Tuesday, the absence of rain made it an acceptable day to haul the kids to various parks.  That afternoon, Natalie and I took them all (except Kendra, who wasn't feeling well) to Fay Bainbridge first.  We'd just barely arrived when a bald eagle flew right over us!

Someone else had already built this great fort

I guess Nicole was all the sunshine we needed on this grey and blustery day!

Camille wanted me to pick her up

Bentley throwing rocks

And looking grumpy with a giant stick

So then Colton also needed a picture of himself holding a giant stick

Next we went to Bay Hay & Feed to look at their baby chicks (I resisted the urge to buy myself another shirt).  And then we headed over to Battle Point Park to play for a bit more.  Then Natalie stayed at the house with all the girls (Camille & Nicole, and Kendra who was still sick) while my parents took me, Tracy, and the boys out to dinner at Isla Bonita.  We got everyone in bed, and then I finally took my turn staying home while everyone else went out and got ice cream at Mora.  They brought me back a chocolate-peanut butter-oreo milkshake, so that was amazing.

And then I spent an inordinate amount of time trying to download the Kindle book for my Dad that I bought him for Christmas.  Two phone calls to Amazon customer service, and after buying the book three times, we finally had it.  Sheesh.  Am I that bad at technology, or does Amazon just not want my Dad reading about Hamilton???  (In my defense, I had no trouble getting the book I got for my Mom onto her Kindle.)

Wednesday was the day to fly out.  My parents had to leave on the 5:25 ferry, so I got up around 4:45 to see them off.  Then I spent the rest of the morning packing.  If you were reading this post closely, you would have noticed that Craig left on Monday, which meant I was the only grown up available to fly my kids home.  Craig had offered to take some of the older kids with him so I wouldn't have so many to deal with (and so they wouldn't miss so much school) but I figured I'd have better luck with Bentley and Kendra helping me than trying to manage Camille and Colton alone.  So I just kept all of them.

I did insist on Tracy coming to the airport with me-- I just didn't see how I could return the rental car and get our bags checked without one other grown up.  Tracy made the kids do exercises while I returned the car:

She got us all the way to security, and then watched in horror as something on my hands set off their sensors (my only guess is pretty convaluted: Camille had been climbing all over me on the ferry, and her shoes were still muddy from the park, and I'd been brushing mud off my pants.  Maybe the dirt had fertilizer in it?).  I was ushered into a tiny room with my three youngest, while another TSA worker was assigned to watch Bentley and Kendra, and then I was given the most thorough pat-down EVER.  We're talking, the woman told me to hold onto my pants so she didn't accidentally pull them down!  Yikes.

The TSA workers were all very nice about it, though-- I think they felt really bad putting me through that.  They helped carry all my stuff around as this went on.  Twenty minutes later, they finally let me go, I waved one last good-bye to Tracy (and flashed her a thumbs up, she was looking so worried) and we headed to our gate.

I broke one of my usual rules, and let the kids run around and be crazy at the airport.  I figured they were in for 8 hours of sitting, they needed any chance they could get to move around.  I'm sure they were annoying someone, but this time I just didn't care.  

This picture might be worth zooming in on so you can see Colton's expression, mid-stride

The airline moved some guy so we could all sit together.  He was very polite about it all, and they put him in an exit row, so that was some nice karma at work. 

Colton and Camille in my row

Bentley, Kendra, and Ryder behind us

Look, I'm here, too!

As we soon as we took off and got above the clouds, we could see Mt. Rainier, which had been hiding for most of our trip, so it was nice to get a good view!

I'm not gonna lie-- that first flight back to Charlotte was LONG.  Camille was better than she'd been for the trip out (it helped that we were flying during the day, not late at night).  But it still wasn't easy.  Especially since she figured out how to unbuckle herself and wanted to run all over.  The only thing that kept her happy was letting her look at pictures on my phone.  So we did that a lot.  For six hours.

When we got to Charlotte, the people waiting at the gate were all super nice, I guess because they know we're all going to the same small town.  They smiled indulgently as we recharged all our electronics and as Camille and Colton rolled all over the floor (gross, gross, gross, gross, gross!).  The lady at the gate offered to let me board first, but I assured her the last thing we needed was extra time sitting on a plane.  We boarded last, instead.

Small plane, only two seats across

I love Bentley and Colton's matching faces in these...

Camille was thrilled to be on another plane!

But a little food and a chance to look at Mommy's phone and she was happy again!

We landed after midnight, and Craig was there waiting for us.  I handed all the kids off to him and went back to get our luggage and carseats.  It felt good to spend a few minutes standing alone.

It felt even better to be home again.



P.S. The day after we got home, I took Kendra to the doctor (turned out she'd had walking pneumonia, poor thing!  but luckily antibiotics cleared it up in no time!).  The only appointment they had was in the afternoon, so I had to take all the kids.  Craig apologized to me that I had to do that, but I admitted, "After flying across the country, taking them to the doctor wasn't all that big of a deal!