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Lucy: we are getting so close to summer we can almost taste it!  And the last few days of school are mostly just fun anyway.  Plus, when your cousin is nearly as big of a Harry Potter fan as you are and his mom throws an awesome Potter party, it helps pass the time.  

Max: finally had a fieldtrip where siblings could come so I got to join him at Mitford Pond with Seth and Logan.  As you can see from the picture we didn't spend much time actually 'together' but I hope my efforts to show up made up for our rough morning...

Logan: the changing of the cast.  He was nervous for the saw but realized it want too bad.  Two more weeks with a clean orange cast and then we are free for the summer!  And to have a haircut!  Look at that mop! 

Seth: we taught him the game 'Huckle-buckle Beanstock this week...and he loves it!  He's looking for that bright yellow stick in the picture.  Every time he finds it he yells out 'peacock!!' And then proceeds to hide it in the exact same spot again.  And we indulge him because it's adorable.  

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Lucy: now that she's finished reading all the Harry Potter books she's not quite sure what to do with herself.  No other book has sparked her interest.  She usually moves from one book to the next but I can understand how that book would hang on to her a bit.  She's taken to coming home from school and immediately getting on the computer to work on her own Harry Potter novel which takes place 30 years later.  She won't let me read it yet, but she's about 50 pages in.  I'm proud of her efforts to work at something she loves.  

Max: had a zoo trip with his class this week and we all got to go.  He was paired up with his two best grade 3 buddies (Deakon and Taylor).  Neither of these two will be at the new school with Max and I can sense some anxst in him as these last few days of school wind down.  I know he has other friends at the new school (Tobin), but not having Taylor is going to be tough.  I'm so proud of those two for the genuine friendship they have.  

Logan: finished school this week.  We celebrated with a graduation day, a trip to Mitford Pond and skipping school to go to the zoo with Max.  Logan is the oldest kid in his class and as we've approached the end of the year it's become more noticeable.  He's taller, and  more mature than most of the other kids.  He's losing a bunch of friends in the transition to a new school but I hope he's able to appreciate being ahead of the class as he begins grade 1.  His reading has come a long way this year.  I can't believe he will be starting full days in the fall! He was my baby and it's definitely not that way anymore.  

Seth: is all about horses these days.  As we drive to the farm we pass a number of acreages that have horses and no one in the vehicle can carry on a conversation because he's yelling 'horse!!!' So loud.  He enjoys riding on his own horse at home as much as he can...and here he's sharing his Cheerios with him.  

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Lucy: this week we had some throw-back movie time and watched ET and Follow Me Boys.  I feel good watching these movies from my past.  Lucy teased us for our lame movie choices and so Tyler 'babysat' her.  

Max: it was so wonderfully and crazily hot this week that we took to the water as much as we could.  We had a waterfight at Cochrane Ranche on Monday evening and joined our friends, The Larocque's, at the creek where they found a spot of sandy beach.  Naturally Taylor and Max got super dirty and finally Taylor buried Max in sand.  It was amazing.  And just what our beach-loving hearts had been craving. 

Logan: has been a little bummed in all this beat that he can't enjoy the water the same way everyone else can because of his cast.  And cleaning a sandy kid with a cast is no easy task!  

Seth: we've been struggling with sunscreen issues with this boy.  His super sensitive red-head skin seems to react to every brand of sunscreen I've tried...but his super sensitive red-head skin can't go outside without sunscreen. And he wants to be OUTSIDE!!  

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Lucy: this week the school hosted a 'Taste of Mitford' night.  We got to go and see all the kids art work and accomplishments from the past year.  There was also an awards ceremony to celebrate outstanding students from each grade.  Lucy received the ROAR award for grade 5.  The teachers said she was a helpful and creative student who always strives to be helpful to her classmates.  Proud mama.  Awesome girl.  

Max: In Cubs this week Max and Tyler had a lesson in Family History.  Since then he has come home and logged on to his FamilySearch account to discover new people and to find out who we are related to.  He has discovered that we are related to Neil A Maxwell, and Elvos Presley.  

Logan: we had a ward camp out this weekend.  Logan looks forward to camping more than anything else.  The evening did not disappoint.  Except that he felt sick.  But he stuck it out in the name of fun and got to sleep in the tent trailer just like he hoped.  And we dealt with sick later.  

Seth: we stayed home from church because Logan was sick.  And while he slept Seth and I hung out and enjoyed a sunny Sunday.  Complete with water toys and bubbles.  His happiest place is outside.  Always.  

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Lucy: one of the perks of my callings as an activity days leader is getting some one on one time with Lucy.  Plus I get to watch her interact with her peers.  Most of the time they're silly and weird, but I love seeing her be so free with herself.  I love that she's confident enough to be silly and not worry.  I don't know where she gets it from.  Maybe all kids start with it and she hasn't lost it yet.  Now the trick is for me to make sure it sticks.  

Max: this guy has a new retainer.  It's extra care in brushing.  Keeping it safe when it's out of his mouth.  Adjustments.  And appointments every 2 weeks.  But the end result will hopefully be more space for all of his teeth.  

Logan: has had the most eventful week out of all the kids.  Tuesday morning on the way to school he asked me if I had ever broken a bone.  And then we talked about broken bones and who's had them.  It's weird how these things work out.  That night while trying to jump off his cousins trampoline, he stumbled and landed with his arm between himself and the ground and broke both bones in his forearm.  A quiet BBQ turned into a trip to urgent care, which then turned into a trip to the children's hospital emergency room.  He was sedated to set and cast the bone.  He was loopy and really funny coming out of sedation and said he missed his old parents.  He was such an amazing trooper the whole time.  He was upset when they had to do his IV twice because the first time they blew a vein.  And he was upset when they had to set it at second time (using the cast saw and a wedge while he was on laughing gas because one bone didn't set properly and he just wanted to go home!) but a few days later and he's happy and feeling fine...except he has a big cast to lug around.  His pain tolerance is ridiculous.  

Seth: we're battling teething again, and his extreme desire to do everything he's not supposed to.  And say 'pizza' every time we try to say prayers.  But he's still cute.  And we will work through this 18-month hijinx!  

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Lucy: it's been a week of sickness again.  We've holed up reading books, watching movies, and sleeping.  Missing school and lessons all over.  Fortunately for Lucy it meant she got lots of time to plow through Harry Potter.  She's all but done them all.  And she's loving and agonizing over every minute.  

Max: in amongst the sick, Max got a special delivery of another tinker rate.  This time he got to build a catapult.  These boxes are exciting and frustrating at the same time.  I like how they work his mind, but they're slowly filling my house with more stuff.  

Logan: has had a terribly runny nose, which I think is where all of our sick began.  He enjoyed his down time, as he usually does.  

Seth: sick with Seth is never fun.  But we did take one evening to get outside and play.  Baseball, golf, and kickball.  Seth of course loves every moment outside, and so it's a nice break from the whining when we get out of the house.  

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The kids: got the opportunity to go see The Jungle Book with their Grandma and Papa this weekend.  We made a quick stop at the Menchies grand opening before heading into the city.  Free frozen yogurt and a movie makes for a great Saturday! 

Seth: will do anything if it involves dad.  'Sure, stick me in a tree dad'. 

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Lucy: we celebrated Lucy turning 11 this week.  11!  It's bizarro.  One more year and she will be out of primary and on to young women's.  I feel like I'm just getting settled into the primary routine and one of my kids is getting ready to graduate.  We picked her and Max up from school and surprised them by taking them swimming at a hotel downtown while dad was in meetings.  We had slurpees.  She had a potato-themed dinner.  And lots of presents.  On the weekend she had her birthday party.  4 girls are much louder than 8 boys.  But my kids are at the age where they entertain themselves so while she parties, I read.  Maybe getting older isn't so bad.  

Max: surprised me for Mother's Day by giving me a book of poems.  It was sweet.  We pretty much don't talk much. Well, I talk, and he does a lot of grunting or shrugging.  And he spent most of Mother's Day with his cousins, but I try not to take it personally and assume he will come to me when needed...and not just for food.  

Logan: Tyler suggested the possibility of going camping with the boys Friday night while Lucy had her party.  The mere suggestion had Logan in an excited sweat, so there was no turning back.  When he got home from school Friday he asked f it was camping time yet...every ten minutes until dad got home.  It was good for them to have some one-on-one time. 

Seth:  we are working (and struggling) with reverence.  Sometimes he tries SO hard...like here.  And other times he tries SO hard to be a pest.  There's no middle ground.  But when he is reverent he's so cute it makes it hard for the rest of us.  

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Lucy: has spent every spare moment this week (as in weeks last) immersed in Harry Potter.  This time it's book 5.  My mom joked that at least this one would take her awhile, to which I responded 'probably not...I just probably won't see her for a few days.'  This is after 3 days.  

Max: we watched AntMan this week.  It's an awesome super hero movie that is also hilarious.  Max was in stitches.  I love listening to him laugh because we have the same sense of humour.  

Logan: has discovered photo booth.  And thinks he's all kinds of hilarious.  

Seth: his cuteness kills me.  He is full on into nursery and is loving it.  He walks in and is so amazed that there exists a room in the church as amazing as this.  The other kids are usually crying when we show up and he looks at them all like they're crazy.  Which makes me happy.  

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Lucy: the cutie car rally finally happened and Lucy walked away with the 'shiniest car' award.  Although there wasn't a winner declared, we're pretty sure she also had the fastest car there...which she was very proud of.  Best part...she got to bring her cousin Emma...which always makes for a great day.  

Max: finally got a birthday celebration by way of a Menchies date with mom and a play date with friends eating pizza and watching a movie.  Super simple, but exactly what he wanted.  

Logan: finally got around to spending his birthday money and bought himself a new scooter.  And it's been next to nothing but scooter since.  Super proud.  

Seth: outside is the happy place.  And the lake park where we get to do bird watching is even better.  'Peek-ooo mum!' And a big haircut this week.  Breaks my heart.  

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This week was spring break and we got outside.  We did the zoo, parks, Big Hill Springs, movies, games, sickness, and service.  It was a completely fantastic week and we're all geared up for summer...hopefully we can make it through these next 2.5 months of school! 

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Lucy: because we planned a ski day in the middle of the week, Tuesday technically wasn't a school night, so we let the kids sleep in the basement fort.  Sometimes I wonder if Lucy is getting too old for childish things, but she seemed ready to join in a sleepover with her two brothers...so we still have a little longer. 

Max: we also took time this week to venture into some tennis.  The kids loved it.  Max, as per usual, was naturally capable, which infuriated Lucy because, as per usual, she was not...but they sort of evened out by the end of the evening. 

Logan: I'm working really hard on teaching Logan how to teach Seth to be the kind of playmate he wants.  I reassure him that he was the pesky little brother for a long time, and that all Seth needs is to practice (not sitting on the car mat while Logan's trying to drive his cars, for example).  Sometimes they will giggle and laugh together and i think there's hope.  

Seth: we're all about the kisses these days...and fortunately so is he.  Irresistible.