Aunt Linz, Harris Bday, Gettysburg, and Everything Else.

Harris turned 4!!!!!

As per usual, the name pancakes. Though Dan has decided that my efforts to create the letters from the batter are futile and thus has decided to cut the letters out of existing round pancakes with a pizza cutter.

He's kinda right. That does look a lot better. You can actually read his name. Though it does crush me at the same time. I look forward to trying to flip over a ridiculous letter every single time. H's are really hard, for example.

I made my famous chocolate cake again, except only two layers instead of four like for June's birthday. Because we ate June's birthday cake forever.

Presents!!

In other news, we finished up our school year. YAYAYAYAYAY!! The last three weeks of school, we did nothing other than math. Because we need lots of math help in this house. So we spent all day everyday doing math. Math math math. It was exhausting. I ended every session needing a nap. BUT. We did it. The girls each finished their last lessons, and then on the final day they each had to take a (1) chapter test, (2) unit test, AND (3) and final test, encompassing what they learned over the whole year. June got 100% on that final test, and Gwen missed one. I almost cried. Tears of joy and tears of exhaustion mixed together with snot from allergies did not a pretty Heather make, but no matter. It's over. (For now. It's never really over.)

June's last chapter was on reading gauges which was a welcome change after many weeks of 4-digit and then 5-digit subtraction with regrouping. Reading gauges was the best chapter ever. June made this last gauge into a pie for fun.

Except pie is rarely fun. Rarely. Not fun to make or eat. In the fruitcake category.

Dan came home from his workout at the YMCA the other day to inform me that a free soccer clinic was starting that day for kids Harris's age. Free is my price, so I signed him up and actually had the forethought to ask if Gwen could come as well. Gwen was supposed to start soccer last year but then her season went online with Covid. As you can imagine, online soccer is the worst. So they let her join in on Harris' group, which was awesome because of course Harris refused to actually participate. My favorite drill of the workshop was the one where I had to drag his comatose prostrate body off the field so that other excited and willing-to-play soccer participants could actually, you know, play soccer.

Gwen was one of the willing. She loves to play. She and Harris go every week, and Gwen runs and kicks and plays and Harris whines and sits and lies down. 

More amazing Come Follow Me lessons by Dan. Dan is a huge fan of the explaining the organization of the church using cups like he did on his mission, and so these red cups he labeled for our own family get a lot of use.

I didn't know what to expect with this portion of the lesson with a tent and Dan carrying a lot of balls, but he ended up talking about the hard challenges we face in life, calling examples out by name, while pelting the balls at the kids. "War!" Pelt. "Disease!" Pelt. "Loneliness!" Pelt and pelt. Effective. And scary.

Aunt Linz came into town, and it was the best. We had a visitor! It always feels special but especially after this past year. It was so fun. We went to Gettysburg, Amish Country, and just hung around the house.

It was somewhat chilly but sunny as we drove to Gettysburg, and then suddenly a snowstorm hit. Five minutes later, we had blue skies and no sign of the snow. It was a crazy drive.

At Devil's Den at Gettysburg. (No, I don't generally have my kids wear masks outside. June just likes wearing a mask whenever she thinks it smells bad. Which, when you live in rural Pennsylvania, is kinda often.)

Right after going to the museum:

Linz said that the film shown was amazing. I am hoping to see it one day, but if Beck's with us, it won't be that day.

Beck! 

Beck is a total KOOK. We thought we were setting records for how early he needs to be taken out of Sacrament Meeting, but now we have to take him out before it even starts. He's LOUD and ZANY and MISCHEVIOUS. If you say, "Beck, come here!", he looks back at you with a devilish grin and runs away faster. He hits. He bites. He is very very cute. He's all of it at the same time.

And I had an early meeting today, so Dan got the kids ready AND even remembered to take a picture. What a guy.

THE END.