Back to School (for reals)

Mikey didn't have the greatest kindergarten experience. I remember coming home from school and telling Chad that I thought I could do a better job. Not that I was a better teacher, but that I could give Mikey some real one on one attention and avoid a lot of the yucky stuff he was being exposed to. Then I was introduced to a home school co-op run through the public school system. It allowed kids to take whatever classes they wanted "on campus" and then complete the rest of their education at home. It seemed like the perfect hybrid. So, we pulled Mikey out of the public school system and became homeschoolers. I loved it. And Mikey seemed to thrive. All the same, we wanted to be sure the kids were happy, so every year we offered them the option to go public. This last summer Mikey caught us off guard by deciding to go back to "real" school. I have to admit, I was terrified. What would it be like? What would he be exposed to? Had I done an adequate job teaching him? Would he be able to assimilate? Would it stifle his creativity? His personality? His spirit? Mikey, on the other hand, was ready to go. No hesitation, no looking back. Which means that this year, on August 31st, he went back to school (for reals).

He is in Ms. Hayden's fifth grade class. He loves recess. He likes to play four square and a game called "infection" which (as far as I can ascertain) is akin to tag. They sing Justin Bieber songs with their music teacher. At first he was appalled by this, but he has since come to the conclusion that "Never Say Never" really isn't that bad of a song. Their school has the largest collection of xylophones in the school district. The P.E. teacher is strict, but funny. They are reading Mr. Popper's Penguins (which I read with him in 2nd grade, but he doesn't remember so it is new and exciting for him). Ms. Hayden is very nice. She is probably in her eighties (according to Mikey. She is, in my opinion, late twenties at the most. Heaven only knows how old I look in his eyes. Is ancient an actual age? If yes, that is probably where I fall). Starting in October you can buy ice cream for 50 cents at lunch time. Everyone wants to know who likes who (which is appalling to me. Cooties should buy me at least two more years, right?). And while I am still terrified by all the things he may be exposed to, or by his spunky little spirit being crushed by the system, he appears to be terribly happy and safe. And old. Really, really old. It really does go fast. I am afraid that if I blink too long he will be leaving for college when my eyes open.

5th Grade


Preschool

Family Photoshoot!

Thanks to Angela McInroe for these amazing photos! We love them!!

Click here to view these pictures larger

Busy, Busy

Every year I look forward to summer as a time to relax and slow down. As a homeschooler, I anticipate it just as much as the kids. I imagine long days full of leisurely walks and catching up on chores and reading that pile of books I've been saving for when there's "more time." But then summer hits and it's somehow busier than the school year. Don't get me wrong, I love it. I love the family visits and summer festivals and time spent with friends. All the same, I've found myself daydreaming about September lately. About falling into a school routine. Days filled with structure and order. Scheduled time to catch up on chores and read that pile of books I've been meaning to crack open. Huh. Perhaps I should invest in a maid and a stack of books on tape?

Anyhoo, here's a quick catch up. Last week we were surprised from a text from Debbie & Lance saying they had a layover at Seatac airport and would be there for a couple of hours. Obviously, we jumped at the chance to spend a little time with them. We hung out at the airport and caught a quick bite at Wendy's. It was so wonderful to get to see them and hug them and talk in person. Yay for layovers!


Monday, I took the kids to a petting zoo in Auburn. It was a groupon a while back and I can't pass up a good deal. Plus, as much as I try to pretend the zoo dates and petting zoos are for the kids, it's really me who can't wait to pet the pig and feed the goat. I can't help it. I like critters. The petting zoo was pretty cool. They had alpaca, horses, rabbits, ferrets, chicken (and tiny baby chicks!), turkey, goats, sheep, ducks, dogs and an adorable 150 lb potbellied pig named Porkchop (of course). They also had a miniature horse (or pony, I don't know. I'm not a scientist). We were kindred spirits. He got me. While chaos swirled around us in the form of squealing children chasing frightened farm animals, he stood next to me with his adorable little pony head pressed against my side. If I stopped petting him, he'd nuzzle against my side harder. Oh, blissful animal companionship! I'm not sure how much fun the kids had (that's not true, I know they liked it), but I was an extremely happy camper.


This morning, (thanks to yet another groupon) I took the kids to Uptown Glassworks to blow their own glass pieces. It was really cool. Mikey made a vase and natty made a goblet. It was amazing to watch the man swirl the glass around like it was no big deal. Just a pinch here and a tap there and he had a beautiful glass piece. I was impressed to say the least. The shop was full of beautiful glass pieces too. I found one I kinda fell in love with. It was only $1200. I'm sure I'll be able to talk Chad into it. NOT! (Yes. I did just say NOT. I'm not proud, but it happened).


And that was our week in a nutshell. My house is a stinking mess and my pile of books is only growing taller, but we had several adventures and spent a ton of time together. I'll clean my house next summer...

Our Oregon Holiday

So, last week Chad worked as producer on this film being shot (partially, at least) in Oregon. Natty was cast in a small role as well, so the whole family tagged along. It was a super fun trip. A little tricky working around all the family allergies, but we managed to eat out and avoid being sick, so that was a victory.

(Lizzie avoided her allergies by living off of straight ketchup)

Our hotel was directly across the street from a huge factory outlet mall (which I would have happily spent more time at, had I the chance). We hit up the Converse store and got the kids new shoes for school. I love Converse on kids. Something about the way the shoes are shaped really exaggerate the length of one's foot. Which makes kids look like puppies who haven't grown into their paws yet. I love it!


Our second day in, we stopped in the sleepy town of Mt. Angel to watch their world famous glockenspiel in action. Lizzie was the most impressed. When the little kids swung out at the end, Lizzie thew up both her hands and shouted, "LOOK OUT!" I don't know if she was impressed or concerned or a little bit of both, but it was dang cute.


Most of our trip was spent on set, hanging out with the cast and crew. The kids all got along super well. Two out of the three lead actors were home schooled, which automatically gave them a ton in common to talk about. Their moms were amazing too. I felt guilty for having so much fun while Chad was working so hard. Well, a little. Okay, not really. But I felt guilty for not feeling guilty. I mean, he was working really, really hard. And I was eating fast food, shopping, sleeping, watching movies, playing at parks, making friends and spending multiple nights at super rad nickle arcades.


Saturday was Chad's birthday. He chose to spend it at a Family Fun Center with the cast of The Dangerous Adventures of Leroy Thomas. He got tater tots and birthday cake ice cream. The moms of the actors tried to get the Family Fun Center crew to have Bullwinkle sing happy birthday to "poop cop" (a name Chad earned by playing cop #2), but they didn't find the humor in that. Whatev's. Chuck E. Cheese totally would've played along...


It was a really fun trip. I loved spending so much time with Chad & the kids. And I loved meeting all the amazing people working on the set of the film. All the same, I missed my house and Seattle. There truly is no place like home!

A Blue Day

So, Mikey and Natty have both been begging to have their hair colored for quite some time now. I have been too cheap to take them in to have it done and too scared to try doing it myself, but last Sunday Aunt Honey and Uncle Mac brought by some blue dye and explained the process. Which meant that today was hair coloring day. May I be the first to introduce you to the new & improved Mikey and Natty Perkins!


While my hands were busy, sweet little Lizzie managed to dump out an entire bag of freeze dried fruit and mash it into the carpet, shred an entire box of kleenex, clear a bookshelf of all its contents and cause all kinds of havoc. Somehow she knew I couldn't stop her with dye on my hands. She's pretty smart like that. Speaking of how smart she is, this morning she added "shoe," "on," and "ball" to her vocabulary. While I don't advocate allowing your toddlers to give you stern commands, it is really darn cute watching her stomp over (footwear in hand) and insist, "Shoe. On."

(Ha, Ha, mom. I think it's funny when you pretend that you can keep me and/or the house clean. Silly, delusional lady. Now fetch me my shoe!!!)

In return for coloring his hair, Mikey allowed me to practice FX makeup on him. I think he is such an amazing actor. Look at him get into it!!

Happy Saturday!!

This last Saturday was such a fun day! We had unexpected visits from a bunch of our favorite people. It was the best!!!

First, Aunt Honey came over to skate with the kids. Mikey and Natty were so impressed by how good she was. She could ride down and the driveway without falling and do twirls. And she didn't fall once. Now Natty calls me "the old lady" when I go out skating with her. (Thanks for showing me up, Aunt Honey!!)



Then, we were surprised by a quick visit from Chad's cousin and her adorable family, who made a pit stop at our house on their multi-state road trip. It was a blast catching up. The kids hadn't seen each other since '09, but they acted like old buddies. Mikey and Natty have been trying to talk Chad into a trip to Idaho since they left! (Okay, I have been too).




It was a great day. Yay for amazing family that we love to be around and surprise visits that cheer up a regular, routine day!!!

Mid July Update

Here's a post for the grandmas! Just a quick update on what the kids are up to.


Lizzie is officially a talker. About a week ago she started calling out for Mikey. She said his name super clear, but it sounded like it took every ounce of strength in her to force her mouth into the right shapes to call out, "Miiiiiiikkkkkeeeeyyy!" So stinking cute. She says "natty," "more," and "mac" too. Oh, and she will sing along to the Yo Gabba Gabba Goodbye song. I love listening to her babble!


Natty has taken an interest in roller skating. She can often be found skating up and down our street, much to the amusement of the construction workers building the houses next door. She is a little wobbly still, so she takes out a stroller weighted down with laundry detergent with her. It's pretty adorable.


Mikey has spent the week at scout camp, where he has built a periscope, shot bb guns, shot arrows, launched eggs and gotten very dirty and tired. Chad went with him on Wednesday, and they both came home covered in mud from head to toe and exhausted. Could there possibly be a better way for a ten year old boy to spend his summer?!?


Monday marked the first day of our 30 day journey into the land of purely unprocessed foods. I started a blog over here to chronicle our adventures. Suffice it to say, I've spent the bulk of my days in the kitchen trying to keep everyone fed!!!

And that's what we've been up to!

Davies, Daveys and Perkins, Oh My!

My whole family came out to visit this weekend. It was so much fun! I can't remember the last time we were all together. This visit included everyone--parents, siblings, spouses and children. We only had a few days together, but we crammed them full of a ton of super intense, fun bonding time.

Thursday:
The family came in a little before noon. We ate lunch and lounged around a bit. I met my beautiful niece, Kenley. Then we ate again. Then we went out to 2 am in Bellevue for a little karaoke fun. Natty did a stirring rendition of Tik Tok. Mikey performed Crazy Train. And Lizzie yelled into the mic every chance she got.

Friday:
This was our Seattle day. First, we hit up a super cool lunch truck for some yummy BBQ sandwiches (well, my family did. Me and the kids partook of the wheat, dairy, egg, soy, corn, rice and peanut-free lunch that I packed for us). While we were eating lunch, Natty complained that her loose tooth hurt too much to eat. I told her if she could wiggle it out, then I'd save it in my purse for her. She looked me right in the eye, stuck her hand in her mouth, ripped her tooth off with one deft tug and handed it to me, (gross, pulpy mouth blood and all) and told me to "feed it to Grandpa." I'm sure that did a ton to whet the appetites of all those onlookers waiting in line to order their lunches. (This was particularly funny because about a year ago Mikey lost a tooth while my family was out visiting. Mikey brought his tooth downstairs to show my parents. In his excitement, he set the tooth down on the kitchen counter and forgot about it. A little while later, my mom made my dad a pb & honey sandwich on the same said counter. Somehow the little tooth snuck into my dad's sandwich. Which he ate. About half way through the sandwich he complained that he had broken his tooth on something hard--crystallized honey we all speculated. He spit out "his" broken tooth. But as much as we inspected, we couldn't find a hole in his mouth left behind by the broken tooth. After awhile we realized it looked too small to be his tooth. Because it wasn't. It was Mikey's. I had inadvertently fed my dad my son's tooth. Funny now. Not then.)

(Hey, Mom! Want some bloody tooth pulp with your lunch?)

After lunch, we took a tour of Seattle via Ride the Ducks. This was my first Ride the Ducks experience and I loved it. It was so fun!! And super informative. We also visited Pike Place and stopped at the Health Expo at the Qwest stadium to pick up my sister's packet for the Rock 'n Roll Marathon. By the end of the day we were all soooo tired! All I wanted to do was hop into bed and sleep, but this weekend was also the 48 hr Film Festival. Gah! So, instead of curling up in my pjs, I came home and joined Chad & his writers for a brainstorming session in an attempt to write a winning script. After which, I crashed and Chad stayed up all night long to prepare for shooting the next day.(Isn't the flower in Lizzie's hair cute? My sister has a line of hair thingies she makes and sells. They're adorable!)

Saturday:
I pulled myself out of bed at 6 am to get dressed and set up a breakfast table for Chad's movie crew. Chad spent the next two days straight filming and editing his movie, Blood Will Have Blood, with his crew. I played with my family more! We played a few games, watched a movie, did some leisurely shopping, ate at Red Robin and went bowling. At about midnight I crawled into bed. At about 2 am I crawled back out because Chad & his crew were back at the house. I made some quick tacos for those poor exhausted souls and got to stand in as a body double for a few quick scenes. Then it was back to bed for me at about 4 am.

Sunday:
Sunday morning I woke up and crawled down the stairs in a half asleep daze only to find the movie crew still awake and still at my house. Can I just tell you that nothing will wake you up faster than finding unexpected menfolk sitting around your kitchen table? And how terrible is it that my first thought wasn't "oh I hope my kids weren't frightened," but instead "oh please. For the love of all things holy, please let me be fully dressed right now. Please say when I rolled into bed at 4 am last night I had the where-with-all to put on some decent jammies and appropriate undergarments first." (thankfully I did)

After breakfast, we said goodbye to my family and they headed back to sunny So Cal. The kids and I came home and got ready for church. After church we curled up and half watched/half slept through another movie. All the while Chad and his crew worked solid up to the 7:30 pm deadline. Remember earlier in the post that I mentioned they'd started Friday night? They had literally worked 48 hrs straight on this movie. So insane!!!

I honestly don't remember what happened the rest of that night. I think I ate dinner. I'm pretty sure I fell asleep on the couch. And when I woke up, it was Tuesday. (not really. Please y'all. My kids were up at six the next morning. But, this is my story and I think that would've been a happier ending.)

It was such an amazing weekend. I loved spending so much time with my family. It was great to all be together! And it was so much fun watching/helping with the 48 hr Film Project. Also, the movie turned out incredible. I was sooo impressed. Such a high quality film produced in such a short amount of time. Well, don't take my word for it. You can find it below. Be warned that they were assigned a horror film, so if you don't like creepy stuff you might not want to watch it. Or watch it with the sound off. Or paint a curly little mustache on your computer screen first to give all the actors a more comical appearance. Your call.

Blood Will Have Blood from Chad Perkins on Vimeo.