Moms and Dragonflies

I don't like getting wet, especially when the water is chilly . . .

. . . but I suited up and got in the pool with my kids today.  I remember when I was little, I loved the times when my mom would get in the pool and play with us, even though she would probably rather have been relaxing in a nice, dry chair.  Thanks, Mom. :)

There were a lot of dragonflies around the pool this afternoon.  I think they're cool from a distance, but kind of freaky close up.  Joy thought it was fun to hold one . . .

. . . but Todd found it underwhelming.

Where's the Party?

I found out this morning that a neighboring town was holding their Independence Day fireworks show a week early tonight (because this was the only day they could book the fireworks company this summer).  After dinner, we all bundled into our van and headed to the park where a friend said we could watch the fireworks.

The younger kids had fun playing on the playground while we waited for the sun to go down . . .

. . . but the older Hendricksons were a little bored.  My friend had mentioned there was always a big party before the fireworks show.  Where was the party?

 I decided to go for a walk . . . and found the party over a hill and through the woods.  There was music playing, and lots of carnival-type vendors selling toys and food that is delightfully bad for you.  I told each of the kids I would buy them one thing.  Joy chose a hot dog, Daniel chose a light-up Minecraft sword, and Anna and Todd chose snow cones.  If you look next to her knee, you can see the snow cone Anna accidentally dropped on the ground right after we bought it.  The nice lady at the booth gave her a second one for free, which I thought was really sweet of her.

As for the actual fireworks, most of our kids found them overwhelmingly loud, so we went back to the park and watched from a distance.  The trees blocked half of the show, but it was still fun to watch, and the finale was spectacular!  I'd forgotten that fireworks can be such a treat.

Stretching Our Limits

Sometimes in life, it's good to be a little brave and try something that's hard for you.

Like when Anna's swim teacher asked her to face her fear of deep water by inching along the pool wall in the deep end . . .

. . . or when Joy decided to take another shot at leading a Dungeons and Dragons adventure today.  The last time she tried it was five months ago, and she threw in the towel after ten minutes because she felt she hadn't prepared enough to make it a good adventure.  She's been wanting to give it another shot though, and today's adventure (involving a bumbling wizard and a giant hamster) was fun to play.  Our characters solved the problem, made a new friend, and learned that Anna's barbarian princess is proficient at carving potato sculptures. :)

Forest Bells

This morning . . .

 

. . . we joined a bunch of friends from church for a hike . . .

. . . to the Forest Bells in a neighboring town.  The "bells" are six huge chimes hanging in a grove of tall trees.  The kids had fun pulling handles to ring the chimes . . .

. . . or swinging the handles to see if they could avoid getting hit in the head (to each his own).

The other-worldly tones of the chimes, the big teepee some past hiker had constructed . . .

. . . and this heart someone arranged on the forest floor made the grove feel kind of magical. :)

Squished into the Elevator

Why are all of the squishmallows . . .

. . . lined up on the trampoline?

They're waiting for a turn on the squishmallow elevator.  It's a comfortable ride for Salleeey . . .

. . . but a bit of a tight fit for Bomb . . .

. . . and a really tight fit for little Eddy, if Andromeda is along for the ride.  He likes her so much that he doesn't mind, though.

The Village Builds a Treehouse

A few months ago, Joy mentioned to our friend Frank that she'd like to have a treehouse.

He gathered spare lumber from everyone he knows, then invited a bunch of other friends from church to come help build a treehouse in our back yard this weekend.

Joy loved that they showed her how to use the power tools and then let her cut some of the lumber, even though she got covered in sawdust in the process.

Once the platform was assembled, the builders lifted it into place and secured it to the support beams . . .

. . . then Joy and Daniel helped carry the ladder over so it could be fastened on too.

The kids enjoyed playing on the platform while the builders put in a few last screws and then wrapped up for the day.  Frank and Daddy plan to put up a railing and a tarp overhead, but they didn't have enough daylight or energy to work on those things this afternoon.

We set up some archery targets once the tools were all put away, and a few of the builders stayed to relax and shoot some arrows with us.  If you look closely near the center of this picture, you can see our new tree house (or as one builder called it, our "tree deck"), peeking through the trees. :)

Swim Lessons and Math News

 Anna and Todd started swim lessons this week at a friend's pool.

So far, Anna has been much more gung ho about it than Todd.  He doesn't like getting into the chilly water . . .

. . . or being splashed (which tends to happen in pools).

Joy and Daniel aren't technically part of the lesson, but our teacher Alexander said they were welcome to play in the pool while he taught Anna the finer points of flutter kicks and such.

Todd eventually did get into the pool today, but the closest he got to swimming was walking back and forth across the shallow end while Alexander taught Joy an efficient splashing technique.  I guess walking in the pool is a start.

Meanwhile, I spent part of the lesson admiring Alexander's parents' garden.  This raised hoop house is a smart way to keep the critters away from their greens.

And speaking of being smart, Joy did great on her Precalculus test, so the high school gave her the green light to take Calculus her freshman year!  She's really excited, and I'm proud of her for putting in so much work to achieve her goal!

Testing, Testing

Joy's final lap of homeschool looks very different from her younger siblings'.  Instead of finishing a workbook, she has been studying for weeks to test out of not one but three high school math classes so she can take calculus her freshman year.

Joy took her second test today in the high school's conference room.  She aced Algebra 2 last week (using calculus techniques to solve one of the problems), and she hopes to do well on Precalculus today.

After she finished her test, I noticed her looking at a brochure for the Air Force.  I have a hard time envisioning my free-spirited daughter in the military, but I've learned not to assume with Joy.

Now Take a Hike

 While Daniel and Joy . . .

. . . coped with the lousy side effects of their COVID vaccines . . .

. . . Anna and Todd finished the last lesson in their homeschool language arts book this morning!

The final lesson was mainly a discussion of this painting, which shows an open gate and a winding path leading to unknown adventures.

The lesson noted that sitting and watching TV all the time would be easy and kind of fun, but there is more benefit and joy to be found in working moving our bodies and enjoying the beauties of the earth.  I think the course creator hopes that homeschool kids (and their parents) will be inspired to spend their summer break outdoors exercising their muscles and feeding their souls.

They could also spend some time in our library, which is finally letting people back inside after months of curbside-only service. :)

Would You, Could You, For Some Pizza?

The big kids and I headed back to Lowell this morning . . . 

. . . for their second dose of the COVID vaccine.

A bunch of squishmallows came along for moral support.  Also, we passed a Little Caesar's on the way to Walgreens, and the kids persuaded me . . .

. . . to buy them pizza for lunch on the way home.

Maybe that's the key to getting everyone in the country vaccinated: offer free pizza!

Crumbl Cookies!

When my mom introduced me to Crumbl Cookie in California last week, I thought those sumptuous delights could only be found out west. Then a couple days ago, I went to a book group meeting where the host served Crumbl Cookies she had purchased in New Hampshire, 25 minutes from my house.

I took Phillip to Crumble for a date night tonight, and we bought four cookies to sample (the sugar cookie is still my absolute favorite) . . . 

. . . then share with the kids at home. :)

No More Arrows

Before I left for California . . .

. . . Massachusetts required people to wear masks inside public areas, and the grocery stores all had arrows showing which way to walk in the aisles (to minimize how many shoppers you would pass while shopping).

Now that many people are vaccinated and our COVID numbers are low and steadily dropping, the arrows are gone, and I can walk down the grocery aisles any old way I want!  I also don't have to wear a mask in the store, but as I got out of my car, I noticed a lot of people still wearing them.  I figured if they would feel more comfortable wearing a mask, I would do it as well to support them and make them feel safer.  I don't know if I'll do it every time, but it felt good to support my neighbors, and it felt good to be able to choose.