Nerf Gun Stash

To say that Collin likes Nerf guns is a understatement. He has asked for Nerf guns and supplies for the last several Christmases and birthdays.  He didn’t always get them thinking that he might outgrow them but that hasn’t happened yet. It works out well when he has friends over because they love having Nerf gun wars together. If I can only get them to pick up all the bullets after they finish. The do a decent job but there’s always a few that the dog finds. 

He even sleeps with them because he never know when he will need them. “I have to be ready for Zombies”. 

Here is most of his stash. Didn’t Dad have a great idea for keeping collection ready when he or his friends need them. 

Odyssey of the Mind - Competition Day

Today was the day the team and the parents have been waiting for. It was time to compete in the Odyssey of the Mind competition. The team chose long-term problem No 5 which was was labeled the Stellar Hangout.  The team got a really, really slow start so they had to step it up the last six weeks. It was the time that Dad and I thought we should say forget it because they were making no progress whatsoever.  The team really surprised us during the practice run through in front of a small audience at school this past Wednesday. Although they could have spoken up a little bit more, the rest of it was really well put together and we were pleasantly surprised.

Because we have done this before, we came prepared with folding chairs, snacks, and things for the kids to do while they waited for their timeslots to perform. It was fun this year that the school had five teams competing so there were a lot of friendly, familiar faces walking around the large high school during the day. Also, Collin’s really good friend from another local school was competing as well so he came to hang out with Collin while the team waited and also watched Collin and the team perform. 

The team did really well considering the few weeks that they put it all together and were able to practice running through the performance only a few times. They were much louder in the audience and judges could hear what they were saying. 

They ended up with an overall score of 133. As of right now, I don’t know what Spontaneous score is. Just as in the prior years with a team full of hardheaded students, it was difficult for them to pick two team members to stay out of the spontaneous portion of the competition. There were tears and angry comments made which got the team in a bad mood just before it was time to complete again.  I really hope they did well despite the rockiness right for they were scheduled to perform.

No matter what the overall score turned out to be, I’m very proud of this team and of calling taking it out even during the difficult times trying to work with so many different opinions and ideas.

Such a Ham!

Before the entertainer came onstage at the Scout Blue and Gold banquet last night, Collin and some of his buddies had fun with my phone taking selfie’s. 

No broken bones!

Finally, the two week wait is over and we found out that Collins ankle is not broken. Yay!!!  The doctor did say though that broken bones can heal quicker than sprained ligaments. Collin does have to stay off his foot as much as you can and continue to elevate it because it will be swollen at the end of the day. We go back to see the doctor in two weeks to check on his progress. Collin can walk on his foot now without pain and he’s only really sore in the evening.

Valentine’s Day for School

Collin is always very unenthusiastic about creating Valentine cards for his classmates at school. In prior years, we have done various things to create cards instead of just buying the premade cards from the Dollar Store.  This year was no different. I did find a small bag of skittles and a little Ziploc bag with monsters on it that he could include Skittles, little character erasers and a note for each of his friends at school.  All he cared about was that he did not have to write anything more than his name on each bag.

He then had to make a box or a bag to hold all of his valentines. Again, in prior years he was not as creative unless I came up with something for him to do. I wasn’t much into it either so I found a gift bag with red and white stripes on it that we already had. He took it and wrote on it with black and white Sharpies and this is how it turned out.  I don’t see that he has a problem with his confidence because he wrote “Collin’s bag of awesomeness” across the top on each side of the bag. 🤦‍♀️

I was happy to see later that afternoon that most students had given him non-Pinterest type valentine cards and candies. Thank you to the other parents!!Looks like we are beyond trying to impress the other parents with what the child brings to exchange for Valentine’s Day. 

There was a party during school but I did not attend. Collin said it was fine that I did not need to come to school that day. Dad was already there because of other events going on at school that day so he went to the party instead. I think Collin did appreciate that one of his parents was there. Remember, he is on crutches right now so it was helpful to have somebody help them out while he was moving from table to table which was set up for different activities to celebrate the day.  💕

Basketball Season is Over...for Collin

Collin was jumping on the neighbor’s trampoline and twisted his ankle. Because of the swelling and the pain, we took him to the doctor the next day to get it checked out. The X Ray showed that the foot was not broken but that his growth plate is stressed. That means that he has to ice and rest his foot FOR 4 WEEKS!!  This means he is out for basketball which will end before he is cleared to play again. This also means that he will not be starting lacrosse and football either that started this week. I think I am more bummed about this than he is. 

It was this time a year ago that he fractured his thumb and missed a lot of basketball games. I guess that’s a boy’s life. 

We borrowed children crutches from a neighbor. Collin watched a few videos to learn how to use them and then practiced along with them and getting up and down from a seated position.  He did almost fall a few times and got frustrated but he practiced more. Wish he would do that with Reading and sports. :)

Art Museum field trip

Friday, we met the 4th grade group at the Fine Arts Museum for a one hour still trip.  Instead of being bored, the kids really were into what the docent had to say about each section at the museum we were able to see in such a short period of time. The students were definitely interested in the sections that were from their heritage. Collin really enjoyed the gold and jewels. He especially like how old some of the items were...even dating back to BC time. In the statue section where the statues were not wearing clothes, the boys were entertained by the naked bodies. The girls did not care. Collin even wanted to know what the big deal was. “Why is it so funny?”  How mature of him.  

At the end of the tour, we all wanted more  Collin asked to come again so we could have more time. I think that sounds like a good idea.