karate kid, 6th grade presentation, field day

i was reminded by my 'timehop' app last week that it's been exactly a year since our prague/vienna trip. it was bittersweet to look though the pictures. it was such a special trip and i wish we could do it all over again. we don't have specific plans for international travel anytime soon, but hopefully in the next ~ 4 years. 

 last monday ashford had his first ever karate class. his friend arlo started a couple weeks ago and loves it, so ashford (and their friend fritz) decided they wanted to try. well, in typical ashford fashion he asked to try it. then panicked when i said i was gonna sign him up, then came to terms with it again after lots of talking about it. whew. the first night went so well! right now he's doing a 2-week trial, but i hope he will want to continue when it's over. 

wednesday night azalea had "6th grade presentation night" at school. all of the kids did a final project for their world cultures (social studies) class and they had a viewing for the families. they picked from a list of topics and azalea chose currency for hers. it was very packed and a bit chaotic, but it was fun to see all of their projects. it was also fun to feel not-so-new to the school anymore. in addition to the parents we know from elementary school, we recognized and chatted with parents of some of azalea's new friends too. i can't believe her first year of middle school is almost through! 

thursday evening was karate again. ashford and fritz even got their first stripe on their belts for memorizing the numbers 1-10 in japanese. 

friday i volunteered at field day at ashford's school. and it was a warm one! (that's what we say when it's 80 in seattle). haha. it was held the last two hours of the school day at the community center field. kay and i tag teamed the cornhole/ladder ball station. the kids get a tally mark on a paper bracelet for each station they do and then they get a prize after completing 10 and 15 stations. i love field day :)

that evening ashford got an impromptu invite to attend a ballard fc (semi pro soccer) match with his friend raleigh's family. they went out for dinner, went to the match, and bused back. he didn't get home til after 10pm. i feel like i have a little teenager. and speaking of almost actual teenagers, i introduced azalea to the movie '10 things i hate about you' which was one of my favorites from my teen years. it also was filmed in seattle and tacoma so that's fun to watch.

saturday morning thatcher left super early to fly to minneapolis for his conference planning meetings. he went a couple days early to spend time with his dad (his mom is out of town). the kids and i lounged around in the morning. in the afternoon, we met azalea's friend penny and her family at a coffee shop in greenwood. we got coffee + treats and hung out with them for a little while before azalea head to their house for the rest of the afternoon. in the evening, i took the kids to pagliacci pizza for dinner. it was a beautiful night for a walk to dinner. then we watched the movie 'clue' from 1985. my kids love it!

sunday we had no plans. the kids both slept until 9am. i couldn't believe it! we took a trip to the library in the morning, but otherwise it was a lot of time to kill at home (and a lot of sibling bickering). i offered to take them to a couple places, but they both declined because their friends weren't going. i guess that's the stage we are at now. ;) when i asked if anyone wanted to make cookies, they both said yes, so that was a winner. 

now we are in the last week of school! wow. lots happening again this week. i can't believe this chapter is coming to a close.