Around Here

Alexis

• Swimming is starting up again for the Spring/Summer season. We've missed it but have enjoyed our 6 week break. Alexis is most passionate about her swimming. She is confident in all of the strokes but her favorite is the freestyle. She went to state again this year for her 50 free and swam her personal best! She would prefer never to do the fly but looks awesome when she swims it. I am so proud! Again this summer she will attend a swim camp at the University of Iowa. She is anxious to room with Emma her friend she met there last year from China.
• Track overlaps with swimming. Alexis loves to do hurdles! She has her mind set to breaking the Walcott Junior High hurdle record. At meets she does a hurdle relay and individual hurdles. She also runs the 800 and performs the long jump.
• I must say again. My children are adopted. They do not get this inherent love for athletics from us! I never dreamed of parenting an athlete or athletes!
• Academics are just as important as athletics and Alexis is doing very well!
• Alexis has discovered boys. There have been several this school year. She recently went on her first parent accompanied movie "date" with Nick Hayes. They saw Is Heaven for Real. It was not about the movie as much as the timing of the movie. She could not leave until after Good Friday service at church and needed to be home by 11.
• Alexis will be a Freshman next year. WOW! We talked a lot about West and Central high schools. She really wanted to attend West where all of her friends will attend. One day in the middle of school she text me and said "I think I want to go to Central" and the rest is history. CHS here we come.

Charley

• Charley is coming into his own with his swimming. He has been trying is to catch up and surpass his sister. Not quite. Although I think he may have finally realized (too late) that he must push through the tough stuff in practice rather than have an excuse to stop and rest. Charley likes to do the fly and also looks awesome (and strong) doing it. He will attend a swim camp at the University of Iowa this summer too and room with Andrew Ottavianelli from Metro.
• Charley is doing track (peer pressure I think). Running is not his thing but he is a willing participant. He's been known to say "I didn't think I was going to make it!"
• Charley is the Assistant Senior Patrol Leader in his boy scout troop. It's an opportunity for leadership. He's learning a lot about how to herd cats (young scouts)! Its not so easy. Charley and Steve will be going on a Boundary Waters trip with a few other scouts and their Dads this summer and will spend a week at Loud Thunder with his troop.
• Charley knows he wants to go to Central. He is attracted to marching band and show choir. Lets hope academically he can keep up to do these and some swimming too. He is working toward those goals and will be doing a show choir tryout soon. Meanwhile we finally managed to get a 504 plan in place for some support for his learning disability. Mom's been working on this since second grade!! Central also has planned support times daily for struggling students. I am praying now this all works out and he can gain success and accomplishment along with some very special opportunities.

Xavier

• Lets just say he is a challenge. ADHD is a challenge and we are challenged daily by his impulsivity and his lack of attention to details.
• Xavier recently attended a weekend of language immersion at Concordia in Northern Minnesota. On the trip there they slept under the shark aquarium at Mall of America. A big hit with all the kids. On return home we noticed the experience had him dropping some Spanish at the dinner table like agua (water) and arrozz (rice) along with the usual typical commands.
• Xavier is in track too only at Rivermont. At the last meet he did the 50 meter and the 200 meter. He enjoys it. Perhaps he will add track to his list of likes along with basketball.
• Academically Xavier is struggling especially in math. Interestingly Alexis and Charley are doing similar math at intervals. That says a lot.
• Xavier has crossed over to Boy Scouts. He is intimidated by all the older boys and a bit tentative but will come around I am sure.

Joe

• Joe was so excited to start swimming again! He was sad to not have Coach Bob but open to new ideas with a new Metro Coach joining the team.
• Joe loves school and works hard at it. He is smart and comes up with some really neat things to say out of the blue about past presidents and science related findings. He is truly soaking it all up. Joe is taking French.
• Joe will be making his First Communion May 5th.

Cariyana

• Cariyana continues to be the kids biggest fan. Whether it is a band or chorus concert or a swim or track meet. She is there. No complaints.
• She is always happy. Always.
• She loves school and is very proud of what color she gets on at school each day (its a behavior scale--Purple is the best!) She has made purple all days of the week a few times.
• She loves to cook and is my shadow in the kitchen. If I say I am going to make something and don't remember to do it, she is quick to say..."aren't we going to make..."
• She too will make her First Communion May 5th. Nothing but anticipation from this girl. New shoes, new dress, a gorgeous veil. Its a girl thing!

Karen

• Busy, what can I say. I thought I was busy a few years back. Even busier. Often I am a single parent chauffeuring children here and there. Steve has been working 12 hour night shifts (leaving me at 6:15 at night). Its not a schedule we relish but works best for the family overall since he does have a choice in the matter with his seniority.
• I have to plan me time. Otherwise it does not happen. Its the same for me and Steve and its difficult to find. We need to work harder at it of course. 
• Currently I am doing a lot of summer planning attempting to find that balance between summer relaxation, camps, travel, etc. Life is changing as we end the junior high era and enter the high school years and all that that brings. One must have an up-to-date calendar! 
• I am anxious to get my fingers in the dirt and plant the garden. Soon, very soon. I have it all planned once the ground is warm enough.
• Steve and I discovered Downton Abbey. Let's just say we are hooked! I only wish there were more episodes in a year!
• The college is very busy and I have had increased responsibility this academic year. I am managing but feel about at my limit. Next year I will have 20 additional students in my already large class. More responsibility. I will need to capitalize on delegation! 
• Lastly, for Christmas my parents gave us a subscription for the Our Iowa magazine. In it are not only quaint little stories about persons and places in Iowa but "simple" contests. This years big contest in the magazine is one for a $20,000 Kitchen Makeover. Just find the "key" hidden in the magazine and register for your chance at winning. Guess what? My name was drawn out of over 5,000 names in January's entries. There will be 6 finalists representing each of this years issues of the magazine. At the end of the year I will be invited to a central Iowa location to choose a real key out of a kitchen bowl to try in a kitchen door. If my key turns the lock I win! To tide us over while the rest of the contestants are chosen we won a $300 gift card for Schwanns! As a family we decided to spend our gift card on ice cream! So until the $300 runs out....meanwhile the wheels are turning for a kitchen makeover! Most would say my kitchen is just fine! I think it needs a bit of tweaking! And at least a new counter-top to make it brand new!
• The North Scott Press recently did a story on us after receiving a press release saying I'd won the contest. In this day and age of google, the reporter learned we were an interesting family. We were featured in this month's edition of the Country Connection. If you read it you'll learn of our humble makings of a family.

Steve

• Work, work, work. That is what he does. There is time for little else. The weekends are for a wee bit of relaxation and a few honey-do chores and church.
• For months Steve has been looking forward to April. It has now arrived. An 18 week planned layoff for re-installation of millions of dollars of equipment in his location at John Deere. Yes, with seniority he could have transferred out for full-time work. Instead, he will be home with us all summer. Mixed blessings. 
• What will Steve do with all his time off? That remains to be seen but he has a gigantic list of things planned. Lots of vehicle maintenance and vehicle follow up tops the list, mulching, landscaping, organizing that new garage space, estate planning, etc.
• Steve continues to take an interest in Troop 26 and went on a recent cabin campout with the troop at Loud Thunder and did some training titled Scoutmaster Specifics. He learned and experienced all the beginnings of scouting like foil dinners, fire building, knot tying, and first aid. He figures he has about 10 more years of scouting left to get Joe through the ranks.