Friday, April 8, 2022

High Five for Friday (4.8.22)

 


One

WE HAVE KITTENS AGAIN!

Adagio

Bourrée

Plié


After a seemingly long lull, kitten season has returned and we once again have kittens in our home. We experienced this lull last year, but we still had Tux with us; this year, without him, the lull felt longer...almost painfully so. 

The Ballet Babies (Plie, Adagio, and Bourrée - named for Hallie and her dancing friends, many of whom have adopted kittens through SKR) were approximately 3.5 weeks old when they arrived, so we started off bottle feeding them. They're about 4.5 weeks old now, and while they are a HANDFUL*, we already love them dearly. 

*They are not great at bottle feeding, still can't figure out how to eat wet food, have A LOT of poop issues, and have a few vomiting issues, all of which are tricky on their own but when combined are especially challenging. And extremely messy. (I'm doing at least one load of kitten laundry a day.) I have cried tears of frustration over these babes, but also tears of relief and pride and joy when something finally goes right, they make progress, and/or they learn something new. 


Two

After spending the last week in Jolly Old England (London, specifically), Tom made it home last night. We missed him, and we're glad he's back! 


Three

On Saturday, Hallie competed in the UIL Oral Reading Competition and Will competed in the Bryan Collegiate Scholastic Chess Tournament. We were all three in rough shape that morning - we were tired from a rough nighttime kitten feeding and from having to get up so early on a weekend, I was overwhelmed with the sheer number of places I had to be and commitments the three of us had ahead of us that day, and both kids were nervous about their competitions. But we got ourselves in gear and started tackling one thing at a time, and as the day wore on, everyone relaxed and moods shifted. 

It helped that Hallie placed third in her Oral Reading competition...an accomplishment of which she was tremendously proud. She competed in UIL Ready Writing in third grade, but Ready Writing wasn't her category. In fourth grade she switched to Oral Reading, but she came down with the flu on the day of the competition and had to withdraw. In fifth grade the world shut down, cancelling all competitions, and in sixth grade she wasn't able to compete because she attended school virtually. She was so excited to be part of the team again this year, and to finish in the top three.


After Hallie's competition, award ceremony, dance rehearsal, pointe class, and yoga for dancers (and moms) class, Hallie and I rushed across town for the chess tournament awards ceremony. We were thrilled that - and he was surprised when - Will came in second and his high school won the entire tournament. It was so exciting, and I was delighted to meet the woman in charge of chess club as well as some of the other members of the team.






Four 

On Sunday, Hallie went to Kemah with friends for a birthday and Will guest played for another Cavalry soccer team. Another busy but good day - especially because we started it off in good spirits thanks to a little extra sleep (because of my adjusted-for-the-weekend kitten feeding schedule) and riding the high of the day prior.

Can you tell they're dancers?

Running through the fountains.



Hallie and her wheel.


Five

Happiness Highlights

Spring has sprung.

Molly has started climbing into and (thinking about)
napping in my mom's lap. Her progress is amazing.

Photo #159 in the "Will Sleeps With Kittens"
series. He is OUT on the floor of the bathroom.

Look at them... 😍
(Let's not dwell on what's likely on those towels
and blankets and that his face is pressed up against.)


Happy weekend, friends!

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