Monday, April 30, 2018

The One with Cars and Cleaning

April 27-29, 2018

This one was not super busy, but still loads of fun.  I am excited for the next few weekends - turning 16, ending sophomore year, moving on to new adventures!  But for now, let's recap...

LARA:
Lara's weekend started a little early - AGAIN!  Thursday night was "Senior Night" at the Stillwater High School Varsity Baseball game at Couch Park.  She and I had a little impromptu photo shoot there before the game began.  Pioneers won, The Hatfield's passed out Senior Blankets, and it was a beautiful night!





Saturday, Lara got up early with me to go help me at our new house.  She cleaned and polished cabinets like a pro!  And, she brought her portable speaker to make sure we had tunes to keep us motivated - there is a lot of wood in the new house that needed a good polish!  After that arduous chore, she was off to baseball,, while the rest of the Weavers headed south for basketball games.  We got back in town in time to see the last few innings of the Pioneer baseball game!

Sunday, after helping watch her 2 little brothers all morning, Lara spent SEVERAL hours at the high school preparing and decorating for SMAC Week - which FINALLY starts today!  There was no AC, She didn't know how much PAINT would be involved, and she had some sort of paper war with her friend Clay.  Good Times!  They have worked so hard to this week of events.  So many delays, but it. is. HAPPENING!  Lots of fun events panned for the week!



EMMA:
Emma and I played phone tag all weekend.  I do know she went to a car show on Saturday in Perry, and got to drive a fancy car home that belongs to her step-mother's dad:



And then on Sunday she was apparently in Stillwater and drove this car:




Instagram keeps me updates on her where-abouts! LOL!

Looks like they both had good weekends!  Glad we are finally getting some late spring weather and that everyone has smiles on their faces!  It was a good weekend.

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

The One With Nothing Exciting

April 20-22, 2018

This weekend was pretty boring.  Seems like the last few have been that way.  But, GET READY!  This next few weeks seem to move at LIGHTNING speed every school year!  End of school banquets and awards, field trip for the little guys, meeting, events, birthday parties, OSU graduation, Mother's day!  WHEW!  And it is all crammed in to the last few weeks of school!  (This year, we do not have a dance recital to prepare for, but there seems to be no extra time!)

While our weekend was pretty quiet, the last few days of last week were anything but.  On Thursday, Emma spent the evening with family and friends at Meridian Technology Center for her "Signing Day."  The school invites all the pledged students for the next year, along with family and friends, to come to the school, check out the area the student will be studying (Metal Fabrication for Emma), and witness them signing a letter of intent with the school.  It is all followed up with a fun reception with cookies and punch.  Nana, Grandpa and I got to go watch her ceremony.  I am so glad I got to be there!  She didn't think it was all that "cool" or important, but I am glad she went and we got to witness it.


The end of the week was busy for Lara as well.  The SHS Varsity Pioneer Baseball team was in a tournament in Edmond.  2 games on Thursday and 2 more on Friday - no rest for the weary!  And, all that school work to get caught up on!  And, of course as is normal for this spring, the weather didn't want to cooperate!  It was COLD and WINDY, but the came away from the tournament 3-1.  Britt, Finn and I got to be at the final game on Friday night after watching Jake play basketball.  We were not prepared with cold weather gear, but we toughed it out and it was an AMAZING game to watch!



Another weekend checked off the book!  Seems like it's still a long way off, but I can feel it getting closer and closer at the same time.  *sigh*



Wednesday, April 18, 2018

The One With Battles and Wars

April 13 - 15, 2018

Emma was "supposed" to come to Stillwater his weekend.  I put that in quotes, because with their crazy teenager, high school, athlete lives, it's never as easy as "every other weekend."  Honestly, it never has been that easy.  Or easy.  At all.  It's a battle.  But, I get it!  I get that life is happening at a break neck speed.  I get that being away from "home," even if that is just 21.3 miles, it is hard for a weekend.  Your friends are there.  Your comfort is there.  Your favorite shoes and the outfit you want to wear are probably "there," too.  So, sometimes, you just want to stay home.  It works both ways.  Lara "stays home," sometimes, too.  It's a battle I choose not to fight.  I don't need the war.  But I miss these moments with you, my Emma girl!

This week was Spring Break 3.0 as the Oklahoma Teacher Walkout continued through the week.  Friday night, Lara worked the high school varsity baseball game.  The game had originally been scheduled for noon on Saturday, but they moved it to Friday evening for those people taking the ACT on Saturday, and the weather (this has been the most insane late winter/early spring ever) was scheduled to be brutal on Saturday.  So to win the war with Mother Nature, Friday night was the best option.  Stillwater blew out Piedmont for the win, and we all got home in plenty of time for Lara to get to bed - as she was one of those battling the ACT Saturday morning.

Lara and I got up early Saturday morning to be at the high school buy 7:45 am for the 8:00 am test.  She requested scrambled eggs with cheese for breakfast, and I use the last 2 eggs in the house just for her!  She was taking this ACT test cold - no prep, no studying, just to see where we are.  We have plenty of time to improve and study, to win this war with standardized testing to get in to college, but we want to be working on the right areas.  While she was at the test, the rest of the Weavers headed to Edmond for basketball with Jake.  Nana and Grandpa picked up Lara after the test and took her to lunch.  Then home - she wanted a nap!

No pictures of anything fun from Saturday, but I did have a fun old pic show up on my Timehop so I made this fun comparison:



Sunday was typical - lazy start, afternoon church, dinner out, and family meeting.  And a battle to get these kids to bed early, as they were headed back to school for the first time in 2 solid weeks due to the teacher walkout.  Still lots of work to be done and fight in them, but we have to get back to the kids.  This battle was long, and not as fruitful as we hoped, but the war has just begun!

Friday, April 13, 2018

The One With... Wait, WHAT?


April 6 - 8, 2018

OK.  It's official.  This is the latest I have ever been.  I have started this post a dozen times.  It's here!  That busy season at the end of the school year.  When I have 4 kids in school and work in academia, it hits hard!

So, I looked up today, realized I had no 2020 Project blog, and said, Wait, WHAT?!?

Here's a recap...

EMMA:
Emma had a semi-formal dance with her class on Saturday night. It had a Great Gatsby theme.  Friday night they set up send decorated; Saturday they got all dolled up, danced, and went out to dinner.  Here are the pictures she sent:





LARA:
Lara was on Spring Break 2.0 all week and the Stillwater Public Schools were closed so teacher, parents, staff and families could participate in the Teacher Walk Out at the Capitol is OKC.  Inconvenient for sure, but the future of education in this state is worth it.  So, no school, but she still had school activities.  This was supposed to be SMAC Week but the walkout postponed it.  They had Monday's activities, but the rest of the week is cancelled until we get back in school.  Thursday and Friday she traveled with Varsity Baseball to Enid for a tournament, but then due to weather the rest of the weekend was cancelled (bitter cold and wind).  So, Saturday, she "escorted" Finn (age 6) to his buddy's 7th birthday party.  She sent this text:


He was very introverted at the party, so we are thankful Lara was there to help him along!  Sunday, the 5th grade teacher's at Jake's school held a get together on the playground because the teachers missed the kids, and the kids missed each other (and the teachers).  Lara helped carry the big GOTT jug of water form our car to the picnic tables.  As a good trainer should!  It was cold and windy on Sunday, too.  April's weather is brutal this year!

Here's to next week!

Thursday, April 5, 2018

The One With Cobwebs on the Chandelier

March 30 - April 1, 2018

Friday was a little, well, strange.  Lara woke up not feeling well, pushed through 1st hour, then came home for the rest of the day.  She was sad.  Sad to not feel good, sad to get behind in class, and SUPER SAD to be missing baseball.  But, she had to rest and get well!  Emma's school was out for Good Friday, so she came to Stillwater early in the evening.  Lara felt better after some meds and some rest, and we spent Friday evening as a family.  Nothing planned, nothing exciting (Chick-fil-A for dinner!), just T I ME together.  It was over due and well worth it.

Saturday, we were up and at 'em for some Jake Weaver basketball at Solid Rock in Edmond.  He had 2 games - one at noon and one later in the afternoon.  The plan was to go to his games, then high-tail it back to Stillwater to make it to the Easter service at Life.Church at 5:30.  He won both games, we drove responsibly, and we made it to church basically on time!

In the car, playing UNO

Weaver Family Easter 2018

Jake, 11 - Emma, 15 - Finn, 6 - Lara, 15

Sunday, we spent most of the day in Perkins at Nana and Grandpa's house.  We has a taco and baked potato bar for lunch with all the fixings!  Everyone LOVED it!  One of the most memorable moments at lunch was when grandpa looked up and saw cobwebs on the chandelier in their dining room.  This was instantly hilarious - and CLASSIC!  Jake, Emma and I made up a new country song called "Cobwebs on My Chandelier!"  Good Times!

We also took time to re-create a 2013 family photo!  This was our March of Dimes March for Babies Ambassador Family photo from the fall of 2013.  In the original, Finn was about 14 months old, Jake was 6 and Emma & Lara were 11.  In the re-creation, we are weeks from the girls' 16th birthday, Jake is 11, and Finn is 6.  (We need to do it again in 5 more years!)

2013

2018
We also had our annual Weaver Egg Challenge.  The kids all pick an egg from the carton without knowing if it is raw or hard boiled.  The poor soul that has a raw egg smashed on their forehead gets the PRIZE of winning a LARGE chocolate Easter bunny!  This was the first Year Finn participated.  I don't think he liked it too much!  (And we are pretty sure this was the third year Lara has "won!")





All in all, it was a nice way to spend Easter.  Emma had to get back to Orlando in the middle of the afternoon because her dad fell last week and separated his shoulder, so he has to have surgery tomorrow.  To prepare for being off from work about 3 months, he had to go to Wichita to tie up loose ends.  And she had to drive him!  So, while we missed her the rest of the day, she was where she needed to be.  The rest of us headed back to Stillwater after some relaxing time with Nana and Grandpa, and spent the rest of the day looking for news about the pending state teacher walk-out... Stay tuned!

Happy Easter from Emma and Lara (2018)