Rylan's 8th Birthday Interview

What is your favorite color? Gold

What is your favorite sport? Soccer

What is your favorite book?  Ninjago

What is your favorite food?  Buttery noodles

What do you want to be when you grow up?  The best soccer player

What is your favorite thing to do in school?  Free Choice

What are you scared of?  Heights

Where would you like to visit?  Argentina

What do you like to do with Logan?  Play soccer

What do you like to do with Presley and Harper?  Play babies with Harper and Presley

What is your favorite thing about mom and dad?  Mom cleans the house and Dad is funny. 

Lea's Day-Lea's, Week 8 (2015)

Day 50,  Thursday, February 19th

Starting work on the kitchen and breakfast nook ceilings. 

Day 51, Friday, February 20th

Sunnyslope's Family Fun Night. 

Rylan was the big winner. 

Day 52, Saturday, February 21st

Laser Tag after a day of basketball for Logan's team. 

Day 53, Sunday, February 22nd

We raced home from Spokane so I could go to a "Class with a Glass" painting class. 

Day 54, Monday, February 23rd

Twins today

Day 55, Tuesday, February 24th

Heading into school and Ry's giving us the 

I Love You sign like he does every morning. 

Day 56, Wednesday, February 25th

Logan receiving his Student of the Month Award.

Logan is a Star Student of the Month

Last week we received an e-mail and a letter in the mail to let us know that Logan had been selected as one of Foothills Star Students for the month. 

February's theme was "Friendship".

The assembly was on Wednesday the 25th and I was happy to get to go. 

We had chosen to not tell Logan that he would be receiving this award. 

They called students down to the commons area and Logan was surprised to see me sitting in the front row. 

That morning I had tried to get Logan to wear something a little nicer.  I was not convincing I guess. 

The principal of Foothills, Mr. Goveia, called up each student and read why they were nominated for the Star Student Award. 

Logan's read, "I nominate Logan because he is a good friend.  He's always there for people.  One time in the hall, I wasn't feeling well so he walked me to class.  Logan shows great friendship everyday by asking me how my day is going and it makes me feel good about myself.  That's why Logan Nelson should be student of the month."

The neat thing about Logan's nomination is that another student actually nominated him. 

Almost all of the recipients were given this award by their teacher. 

Someone who knows Logan had to write this up, present it to his core teacher, and then his teacher had to agree with it.  

(That's why his award says Student Nominated, Teacher Agreed)

The February Star Students

Logan and Abby Simmons.

They've been friends since second grade in Sunnyslope. 

I can not think of another award that is more suitable for Logan than a friendship award.  

He has a great core group of friends and it seems like people just like to be around him.  

That horrible sixth grade year, we would continuously encourage Logan to just be kind and a friend to everyone.  And now, to see him acknowledged for making somebody else feel good about themselves was really a proud moment. 

Foothills is lucky to have Logan at their school!!

Half Birthdays in February!

February 5th

Logan turns 13 1/2 

I knew we were going to go out for dinner so

we drove by Cupcake Blues so I could pick up 3 cupcakes to split for afterwards.

But they were already closed. 

So he had half of a Mexican treat.

(I don't know what these are called, whip cream on a cinnamon and sugar tortilla chip)

He wasn't that impressed when I cut it in half. 

He did get to eat the other half after I took the picture. 

February 20th

Presley turns 11 1/2

Presley forgot that it was her half birthday.

She was so happy when I brought her a half of a doughnut and said happy half birthday to her. 

February 23rd

Harper turns 5 1/2

Presley told Harper that it was her half birthday today.

She was excited to see her half cupcake on the dinner table. 

I think she ate her whole dinner in record time. 

Rylan's whole birthday is coming up!!

Bring on the Spring: Spokane AAU tournament

Logan had an AAU tournament on February 21st and 22nd in Spokane. 

We stayed the night at the Ramada Inn near the airport. 

He got to play at the Gonzaga complex "The Warehouse". 

The Panthers had two games on Saturday and won each. 

It was a good competition and they won by only 5 and 4. 

On Saturday night we went out to dinner and then the team went to play laser tag. 

Logan had such a fun time at this. 

(Riley, Carter, Nathan, Colby, Triston, Logan, Chase)

Presley, Rylan and Harper hit up the hotel pool. 

It even had a waterslide. 

I brought Harper's puddle jumper because I wasn't sure if she'd remember how to swim well since it has been so long.  

But she did great. 

Jumping 

(That's Rylan waiting to catch her in case she has any problems)

and swimming (or doggie paddling)

and hot tubbing. 

This was her and Ry's favorite spot together. 

Logan had two games on Sunday too. 

These are my only pics of basketball. 

That's Dave in the background eating popcorn.

As you can see by the score, we lost this one badly. 

But they won their last game to take 3rd place in this tournament. 

Only one more basketball tournament for the year. 

Valentine's Fun

Valentine's Day fell on a Saturday this year, and Logan had an AAU tournament in Port Angeles.  

The kids did not have school on Friday the 13th so their parties were on the 12th. 

These 3 were ready to celebrate on Thursday the 12th. 

The Valentine's we did this year. 

You Color My World attached to a Skittles package. 

Rylan came home with a note from school. 

Apparently he has a possessive friend. 

And a secret atmyra (admirer).  

I did not get to go to any Valentine parties this year because Logan had his braces removed this morning and was being fitted for his retainer in the afternoon. 

Harper gave me a sweet Valentine. 

We had our annual heart shaped pizza too. 

On Saturday the 14th, I took just one picture. 

Presley brought me a tea this morning. 

Presley, Harper, and I went to Olive Garden for dinner and then to play in the park. 

Dave and Rylan watched 2 games of Logan playing basketball in Port Angeles. 

It felt like a strange Valentine's Day to be apart. 

Lea's Day-Lea's, Week 7 (2015)

Day 43, Thursday, February 12th

There was no school on Friday, Feb. 13th so the kids had their classroom Valentine parties on this day. 

Day 44, Friday, February 13th

Dave, Logan, Rylan, and Colby drove to Port Angeles for a basketball tournament.  

They left about 1:00 in the afternoon. 

Day 45, Saturday, February 14th

I only took one picture on Valentine's Day. 

Presley brought me a tea this morning. 

She knows how to show me love!!

Day 46, Sunday, February 15th

Logan's team won the tournament. 

Day 47, Monday, February 16th

No school for President's Day.

Sometimes all seems right in the world and the kids play together outside for  hours.

And I really can't figure out why the biggest kid is balancing on top of his younger and smaller siblings. 

Day 48, Tuesday, February 17th

Spirit Week at Sunnyslope and this day was Crazy Hair Day.

Day 49, Wednesday, February 18th

Logan's been pretty thrilled in science and the dissection unit. 

He has been the head dissector.  

(Presley can not stand it when Logan talks about this at the dinner table)

He's not allowed to have his phone out at school so he was quick to point out to me that he didn't take this picture, it was texted to him by his assistant dissector. 

2nd and 5th grade Class Pictures

Rylan, 2nd Grade, Mrs. Howard

(this is not Mrs. Howard, she was absent this week because her daughter had a baby)

Presley, 5th grade, Mrs. Lammert

Ry's 2nd grade Valentine box

Logan's second grade teacher sent out a letter that students were supposed to make their Valentine boxes at home and then bring them to school.  In the letter, she referenced looking at Pinterest for some ideas.  So I looked on my own and thought I'd show him a couple different choices.  I was NOT trying to make this a big deal at all...simple, funny, Ry-like, inexpensive, and using items I already had here at the house.

These were my two ideas...

Ry has a Ninja mask here at the house, add some green felt and squiggly eyes and VIOLA, a Valentine box.  

(I would not have used swords in the head)

OR 

Paint two boxes white, cut a giant circle hole, add some foil for the handle and glue down an inexpensive plastic toilet seat.  

This was my favorite and I thought for sure Ry would go for this. 

Turns out he wasn't quite as easy to please this year. 

While scrolling through to find my Pinterest Valentine boxes he immediately saw this one...

And wanted to have a Minecraft Pig. 

This was much more labor intensive than I really wanted. 

I cut out 1 inch squares of different shades of pink (this part took the longest).

And Ry glued and glued and glued.

I had each of the kids eat an individual jello pudding snack for dessert to use for the legs and I hot glued the legs on. 

I needed some help stapling the head onto the body but the rest was all Rylan. 

He was pretty pleased to take this to school!!

Bye-Bye Braces

Logan didn't really mind having braces on for the past 16 months but that didn't stop him from being excited to get them off.  

He's known for about a month that this day would be the day he had his braces removed.  

When we walked in Dr. Merrill told him they needed to check one more thing to make sure his teeth were ready.  

(I breathed a sigh of relief when we got the okay.)

The braces literally came off in 3 minutes. 

Licking his smooth teeth. 

Then they sanded the glue off his teeth

and took a mold for his retainer. 

And just like that...

a perfect smile. 

The dental assistant took this picture of Logan and I with Logan's phone. I asked him to text it to me so I could text it out to Amy, Samee, Grandma and Papa.  In the pic he texted to me, he cropped me out.  I had to ask him to re-text the pic of both of us together. 

Comparison...

10/2/13 

(the day he got his braces put on)

Braces or not, Logan's one handsome young man!!