Spring Break

No school this week for Bode and me.  Ashley and the little man went skiing last weekend for a couple days up at Keystone.  They skied with her brother, David, and his two boys.  Ashley took quite a few pictures, but I believe they are locked on her phone.  She did send me the below pic--it looks like Bode still enjoys hanging out with his Mom.

Ashley and Bode returned home on Sunday.  Ashley then left for Florida on Monday.  She decided to drive one of our three vehicles to Florida now and store it at her parents house.  Thus, it's just been Bode and me.  We've gotten so much done.  Well, not really--a lot of Netflix, as the weather was crappy earlier in the week.  However, we did get to the park a couple times and kicked the soccer ball around.  We also went to the store today and got some eggs for Easter.  We spent a couple hours coloring them this afternoon.

On Monday, we took Barkley to get fixed--no little puppies for her.  She was a bit out of it Monday night, but she was back to her old self until this morning.  I think the pain meds were upsetting her belly, as she had no appetite and I saw her often hurrying outside (thank heavens she knows to go outdoors :-)  She wasn't much interested in the egg-coloring.

Joey, on the other hand, is always around whenever someone is in kitchen doing anything.

Fortunately Barkley seemed to get her mojo back later in the day.  She ate her dinner and drank a lot of water, so here's hoping she's on the mend.

Ashley was at the house we hope to buy this morning.  She took some pictures.  First, here's the house from the front.

Next, we have a few shots of the back of the house.  It is on the water, which is very exciting for us.  We hope to purchase some wave runners so we can have some fun.  She's also talked about putting in a pool and some other add-ons--should be a fun getting everything how we want it :-)

    

We have a little beach area, a nice dock, and what looks like very green water :-)  Perhaps that is just how the sun was hitting it because I'm told it is usually very pretty.

Not much else--Bode and I are going to watch Agents of SHIELD here is a few minutes, so I better get ready.  Pleasant Easter to all.

Spring Orchestra

Bode's school orchestra had its spring concert.  We knew about this well in advance, and we often would ask Bode if..."there was anything special he'd be doing for the concert--any solos?"  He would ALWAYS tell us no.  However, we probably should not have been surprised when we got to the concert and saw the program.

Bode had not one but two special events.  We asked him about it afterwards as to why he was so mum about it.  He replied, "You asked me if I had any solos, and I didn't."  Hmmmm....I guess we need to learn to add some specificity to our questions.  Bode was one of the first to arrive, and he quickly settled in and arranged his music.

We then had time for a quick picture on the stage.

Before the concert, the ensemble gathered together for a group picture.

Next, it was time for the performances.  I got a close-up of Bode in action--he's very into it and serious when playing.

It was soon time for the "not-a-solo," meaning it was Bode, one other violinist, and a cellist.  They did great.

Bode also played a rainstick during one piece.  I'm not sure why he did this--his 4th grade teacher (Mr Glisson) is the tall guy holding the big rainstick.  It looked like they were having fun.

We are very proud of the work Bode has done--it is hard to believe he has been playing violin for only seven months.  At the end of the concert, they all took a bow.

Nothing too exciting going on here.  It is the last week before spring break, so we are all ready for some R&R :-) 

Awards

Bode was given a "Bug Award" at school this past week.  Every quarter, each teacher picks Bug-Award winners from their classroom.  The criteria for each teacher is flexible.  This quarter, Mr Glisson gave Bode his Bug-Award for having the highest math score in his class (this should come as no surprise, given Bode's superior blood-line and math-oriented genes :-)

We were able to sneak away from work to come to the ceremony.  While not Oscar-esque, it was still very enjoyable.  First, we have Bode walking up to receive his award.

Next we have the little guy getting his certificate.

The winners from Mr Glisson's class gathered together for a picture with Ms Brisbon, the school principal.

Mr Glisson also gave his students their "double-blackbelt" awards.  The kids can do some extra math work called karate math.  The double-blackbelts are for the students that earned their blackbelts in both multiplication and division.

Bode had a swim-meet yesterday.  He swam in four events, and set personal bests in each of the events.  In the 50-freestyle, he dropped 18 seconds off his best time and swam a 38.1.  In the 25-butterfly, he dropped a second and swam a 20.06.  In the 50-back, he dropped 1 second and swam a 45.  Finally, in the 200-free, he dropped 30 seconds and swam a 3:30 (he said he was exhausted at the end).  He also took fourth place overall, and earned a spot on the podium and a little medal.  He was very proud (as were we :-)  First we have Bode getting his medal

Next, we have Bode on the podium with the other finishers.

Not much going on here today.  I think I'll try to go to the gym and then the grocery store.  Ashley has started packing up some of our rooms in preparation for the big move to Florida.  I haven't started yet, as I will pack over spring break (and hopefully the longer I put it off, the more she will do :-)  Pleasant week to all.

The Gold Cup

Bode had quite the weekend.  First, he did the swimathon where he swam 5,000 yards in two hours--pretty impressive if you ask me.  Then, yesterday he competed in the Colorado Springs Music Festival.  He has done this in both 2016 and 2017, and it consists of memorizing two pieces of music and performing them in front of two judges.  For the past two years, Bode has received a Superior rating for his performances.  The pressure was on this year because if he got another Superior, he'd earn a gold cup.  Needless he (well, I) was quite nervous.  Bode seemed pretty calm but afterwards, he said his legs felt "goofy." 

There are no recordings allowed during a performance, so I don't have any videos.  However, I will say Bode got off to a shaky start.  His first piece, Winter Memory by Melody Bober, is to be played "Both hands 8va" where 8va is an abbreviation for the Italian, "ottava," which simply means play both hands one octave higher than as written.  Bode warmed up with some scales, and then when he started, he started too low.  After a couple notes, he caught himself and said, "Oops, this is supposed to be up here."  And then he started again with his hands in the proper location.  I would have thought this minor goof would have affected him, but it did not.  He played beautifully--probably note-perfect if I remember correctly.  His next piece, Minuet in G, from Anna Magdalena Bach's notebook, was also spot-on (although I think he hit one note as staccato when it should have been played normally, but I'm being picky).  We waited, and then the judge handed him his superior ribbon, and the party was on.  We proceeded to the trophy room (yes, there was a room you went to if you earned a gold cup), where we got his coveted trophy.  I could tell he was very excited (as were we).

We then found Miss Pat (Bode's piano teacher) and told her the good news.  She, like us, was very proud.

To celebrate, we took Bode to brunch at the Broadmoor.  I tried to convince him we should bring the Gold Cup with us, similar to what hockey players do with the Stanley Cup.  I even showed him a picture of one hockey player eating Lucky Charms out of the Stanley Cup.  He thought that was funny, but didn't want to bring his trophy to brunch :-)  Despite the absence of the Gold Cup, we still had a wonderful time.  Before the feast, we took the normal set of pictures.

We then headed inside for the food.  As usual, Bode did his best to bankrupt the restaurant, eating many helpings of crab claws, shrimp, prime rib, steak, salmon, and eggs.  He also had some dessert and two helpings of ice cream.  Ashley and I tried to keep up with the little man, but there is something to be said about the appetite of a growing boy.  Still, we all managed to pack on a couple pounds.  Here's a shot of Bode devouring some of his steak.

Finally, one of Mommy and Bode.  I think the sugar was starting to kick in because Bode was being a goofball.

I don't know how we'll spend the rest of the day--probably in a food-induced coma.  I might read some.  I just finished Ready Player One, which was a nice easy read and caused some nostalgia for the 1980's.  Ashley got me The Alienist, so I'm reading that now, but I have to concentrate more during this one, as there are a lot of good descriptions of the settings and places (and the mutilated body, but I don't think I need to go into that here :-)  Pleasant week to all.

The Swimathon

Bode's swim-team had a fundraiser last night--the Swimathon.  Bode got pledges from two wealthy benefactors (Mom and Dad) for $150 if he swam 200 laps, which is 5,000 yards.  The swimmers had two hours to complete the yardage.  Here's Bode helping to set up the lane lines.

Next, we have Bode and Justin getting ready.

The swimathon wasn't the most exciting event, as it was the team just swimming laps.  They could swim them however they wanted--kick boards, freestyle, back stroke.  I was proud because Bode didn't quit and swam all 200 laps in just under two hours.

When he finished, he had his coach sign his lap-sheet.

The boys got some pizza for their hard work.  I took a post-swim picture of the two fund-raising champions.

A couple weekends ago, Bode's YES club went to a cave simulator.  Fortunately the weather was nice (well, not freezing).  Here are some pictures.  First, Bode checking out a stream before things started.

There were a number of activities with some speakers talking about working in caves.  I think everyone got grossed out when one speaker said when you are caving, you can't go to the bathroom in the cave because it can harm the environment.  Thus, you have to go in bags and bring everything out with you (for both #1 and #2--YUCK!) 

They also had a small-space simulator.  They could make the gap smaller and smaller, so the kids could crawl through confined spaces.

Bode seemed to enjoy himself with his classmates.  Afterwards, we went to Waffle House.  Mommy and Bode are goof-balls.

Happy weekend to everyone.

Bode Piano Playing

Bode is participating in the Colorado Music Festival next weekend.  He's worked diligently to memorize two pieces.  Below is a recording of Minuet in G by Bach; the other piece was just too long to upload.

Very cold in Colorado today--high in the 20's.  It is forecast to be warmer this weekend--here's hoping :-)

Ho-Hum

It's sort of a boring February afternoon.  Ashley is returning from Florida this evening.  If you have not heard, we will be moving to Florida this summer.  We have sold the house in Breckenridge, and we hope to sell our home on 28 Feb (knock on wood).  We will rent the house back for three months, at which point we'll head south for the winter, err, a number of years.  We think we have a house picked out, but we don't have it under contract.  Once we do, I'll post some of the details.

Bode had a swim-meet.  He didn't swim as well as he could have--his times didn't really improve, so he was a little bummed.  Still, he works hard, and that's all we can ask of him.  However, to help him improve, we might up his weekly practices from two to three or even four--we might try to get him in top shape before we go to Florida so he can impress the coaches of a future swim team.  Here's Bode getting ready to go during the second leg of a relay.

We got a bunch of snow yesterday, so Bode and I just sat around watching the Olympics.  We also shoveled and played with the dogs.  Here's a cute one of Barkley--she's now about as big as Joey.

I found a bunch of one-second movies on the camera.  Turns out, Bode was trying to take pictures of Barry (his fix).  I don't think I've posted any pictures of Barry, so here is a min-action take.

We can't believe it's almost Valentine's Day--I gues we better get shopping :-)  Pleasant week to all.