In May 2022, Wrenzy wrote a talk for Primary.
By May 2, this sign was outside the new room, and I knew Mother's Day preparations were underway.
Wrenzy made a birthday card for her teacher, Ms. Eulberg. She spent hours and hours on a card. Then she messed up on it, she thought, so she threw it away and started over. She spent hours, again, on the second attempt, and it was beautiful. Ms. Eulberg was turning 30, so Wrenzy laboriously drew 30 candles on the birthday cake. I couldn't believe her dedication.
We went to Guajome County Park with Susan Oddou and kids after school one day. They were all about these pretty flowers until we discovered that they were covered with tiny little bugs.
We enjoyed the wildlife - especially a mama duck with a bunch of ducklings.
Some other bird tried to attack them at one point, and it was really terrible.
Jim, who is the best, got me flowers and goodies for Mother's Day. I had to laugh at the fact that after 14 years of my being a Kringel, he was still ordering things for "Whitney Hastings."
The children sampled the treats after a swim in Cikaneks' pool.
This was the girls' plan for Mother's Day. It was adorable, and I love it so much.
Mother's Day gifts:
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| Translation of this note from Tiny: "I love you because you cook for me." |
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| And this one: "I love you because you are always there for me." |
This one KILLED me. No. 1 Mother's Day present of all time. Tiny looks like a cowboy in the Old West getting ready for a duel.
We laughed so hard at that picture. It seems so inconsistent with the message on the back of the frame:
Ever made these paper flowers for me. She said it took her a really long time.
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| Again, "Thank you for cooking for me!" |
Lots of mentions of my cooking and baking. That is a large part of my motherly existence.
These girls gotta climb, even on speed-limit signs outside Target.
Sam Hawkins had the fun idea of registering the girls for a Spartan race in Big Bear. He wants his girls to learn to do hard things. Ever was the only official Kringel registrant.
It was a really hot day, and our race didn't start until about noon. It was really uncomfortable. Ever does not do well in heat, but I have to admit that it was not fun even for spectators. The race was two miles - a one-mile course repeated twice. Sam, Jim, the Littles, and I ran alongside the racers and cheered them on. Things fell apart pretty early on for Ever. She absolutely hated the mud parts. Then before the first mile was over, she lost it and started crying. I thought for sure she was going to quit, but she miraculously got it together and finished strong. We were proud. Meanwhile, Wrenzy and Tiny were highly interested in the obstacles and wanted to participate. They (mostly Wren) were scared of getting in trouble for racing without being registered, but they finally hopped in and did a lot of the race. I took lots of pictures.
I couldn't get to the finish line in time to snap a picture of Ever, but I got photos of Wren and Tiny finishing strong.
Nobody cared at all about Wrenzy and Tiny's joining the race until the very end, when they got medals in a little fenced off area and were required to show wristbands matching a parent's in order to be released. Whoops. We said they weren't registered and gave the medals back, and the worker seemed displeased.
We celebrated with post-race Slurpees.
Berry did a school project on rabbits.
Ever played "Castle on a Cloud" in a recital, and I took the video sideways.
Inspired by her work on Ms. Eulberg's birthday card, Wrenzy made one for Tutu's 79th. So many hours. So many candles meticulously drawn. Sweet, sweet Bear.
Tiny made one, as well.
More tree-climbing antics by the Littles - I think outside Ever's gymnastics class.
We had the Bunnell and Gustafson kids over for a playdate. I left the children to their own devices, and they did "science." The volcano made with baking soda and vinegar was a huge hit.
Evan Gustafson said Norah told him it was the most fun playdate she'd ever had. I loved the way they made their own fun.
We took a Sunday afternoon walk to the playground at McAuliffe Elementary.
Scholarship Prep put together a little festive kindergarten promotion, COVID style (still, COVID). Tiny had a hard time making a normal face while posing. With her teacher, Ms. Mozo:
