Middle School Bound!

We went to Wm's middle school information session and official placement acceptance meeting last night. It was AWESOME. The first thing they did was have the kids leave - they followed current students to another part of the building and had a chance to talk to them, ask questions, and then they worked on a team project together. Wm loved it and is SO EXCITED! Meanwhile, us parents stayed back for a presentation. Wm will have the opportunity to take Chemistry and Physics in MIDDLE SCHOOL! Those were junior/senior level classes at my high school! And, the building itself is really impressive. It's open concept with lots of glass walls and wide open center spaces:

When the president of the PTSO got up to talk, I couldn't believe it! His son went to Wm's elementary school and he was my bus stop buddy when Wm was in kindergarten! His son is now in 8th grade. He told me they toured some of the best private schools in Columbus (i.e., Wellington, Academy) and were much more impressed with Metro. He said he thinks his son is getting a far superior education there than he'd get at one of those places. High praise!

There were also 2 girls from Wm's school there. I talked with their parents (who were very nice!), but Wm didn't give a flying fig. He was like, "Girls. Who cares?"

They also have a dress code (collared shirts - tucked in, khaki pants, black leather shoes), so we will have to be careful when buying Wm's clothes for next year! I was like, "no shorts???" Wm goes, "It's got AC."  He is obsessed with the AC!

Also, Luna continues to be cute. When I pet her, if I move from her favorite spot, she grabs my hand and moves it back where she wants it:


After all that work, she was exhausted. And fell asleep like this, snore purring:

Buds

We had a great weekend! It was GORGEOUS on Saturday, so we woke up and took a really nice hike at Highbanks. We stopped and skipped rocks at the river before we tackled the uphill trek back to the car. Even Wm said, "that was really fun!" when we got back to the car. Rare praise for an outdoor activity! We did lots of walking and front porch sitting and window opening. It was great!

Even the cats got into the action and got along pretty well:

Chow time.

On Sunday, we grabbed breakfast from the hot bar at Whole Foods and then did our grocery shopping. I took a picture of Wm and Steve looking similar with their glasses and eyes trained on the TV behind me.

Twinsies

We had a sort of thunderstorm later in the day, so we watched Pete's Dragon and ate snacks. We were going to go see Beauty and the Beast, but decided to cuddle up and home when we discovered Pete's Dragon was on Netflix! Maybe next weekend.

On Wednesday, Wm goes for his orientation and official acceptance at his new middle school. He is excited and nervous!! He will have a classmate (but it's a stinky girl) there as well. So there will be at least one familiar face!

Idiot Cats

Wm loves playing with the cats. Luna, because she is young and spry, is his usual target. We got them a yellow fluffy toy that looks like a boa. And Luna promptly lost her mind. Turn up your volume and listen to what she does every time she manages to capture the yellow boa (and listen to Shcroeder's creepy yowl in the background):


Keep that volume high! Because just when you think she's totally evil and insane, she does this:


In fact, Steve and I are exhausted because Luna loves showing up at 2am, full of purrs, to bump her head into your face and then plop down on top of you to get loves and attention.

I went upstairs yesterday and discovered her like this:

Draw me like one of your French girls

Last Concert

Last night was Wm's last elementary school concert! And it was terrible, so I'm glad! They had us crammed like sardines into the high school gym - sitting on bleachers and sweating like pigs. My butt is never going to be the same! But, Wm did great. This is his big spring concert - with 6 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and a high school. We dropped him off at 5pm and they have rehearsal and a potluck dinner - then the concert starts at 7pm. So, it's a glorious night for us. Steve and I went out to a nice dinner, sans Wm, and then just showed up to the concert (as uncomfortable as it was!) We are all pretty tired today, though, since it threw off our usual bedtime routine. Wm actually, inexplicably, quietly wept himself to sleep - unable to actually verbalize what was wrong. Exhaustion!

The middle/high schools played Kashmir. Wm knows the song and was very impressed. I told him I would give him $100 if he loudly sang the vocals, but he refused. Instead, he had to awkwardly huddle along the wall waiting to sit down with the middle school (Wm got to play with the 6th grade strings!)



And here is Wm, perched like a scrawny bird of prey upon his chair during his performance. My conductor would not have stood for such a lack of decorum and professionalism during a concert! I laughed at him later and he insisted it wasn't that bad. So I showed him the video and he was like, "OK - I do look bad." Here he is, sort of hidden behind a standing chubby kid at first, but then revealed:

Sleepy

I am very sleepy this Monday morning! I've got to get it together because tomorrow is Wm's big orchestra concert/potluck. He's pretty jazzed!

Last Friday, he got his free pizza and Tshirt for his Read-A-Thon readfest. He was very proud!

Reader

I love this series of pictures I captured on Saturday:

Nerds.

Wm checking things out.

Pop is so embarrassing.

We had some friends over to play with kittens and hang out. Wm farted all over them. So did Luna. We are the fartiest house ever.

Bad kitten.

Cute kitten.

Steve was pleased this weekend because he got a sweet rental car while mine got some big deal 90,000 mile tune up thing. So he was driving around all weekend in a super pimp Outback. Unfortunately for him, my car should be ready today and purring like a kitten!

Wm was off at another birthday party this weekend. He had a blast, but came home with a bruise on his cheek after some Nerf gun war. Boyz. He also ate no food, other than a giant brownie with ice cream. Ahhh, to be young again! He is also officially signed up for exciting camps this summer! For 2 and a half weeks, he goes to morning strings camp at OSU. It's a bit annoying because it ends at noon, so we have to cart his little butt home mid-day. But, it will give him something to do for a while! Then, I also signed him up for a week long science camp at COSI. It's about circuits and stuff - and he gets to sleep one night at COSI! After his camps and my vacation, he'll only be sans anything to do for a few weeks this summer. So he can't screen it up 24/7!

Back to the Grind

I came back to work today to get things in order before the students return on Monday. I'm pretty crabby about it. But,  I had a good mini-vacation! I went to Easton with Suzanne on Wednesday and had a long lunch with another friend yesterday. Steve did manage to avoid the cold germs, so he's out-witted me this time!

Wm wrote a hilarious short essay about gangrene for Social Studies and this was my favorite part:

Wm is heading off to yet another birthday party this weekend, so Steve and I will be left on our own. The PTA is plotting a big surprise for 5th Grade Graduation and we figure we will work on that while The Rat is gone!

And the Two Evil Felines are actually starting to get along better. It's hard to see is this grainy shot, but Schroeder is licking Luna's head as she slowly falls asleep. Of course, 15 minute later, there was a Major Cat Fight with growling and hissing. Baby steps...

Weekend of Coldness

This weekend was cold and I was not pleased. Especially because the temperature fluctuations have also given me a cold. Not a terrible cold. But no cold is fun! This week is OSU's spring break, so I'm off. And, on Day 1 of Cory's Glorious Alone Time Vacation, Wm is home sick with the cold germs I gave him. He isn't deathly ill and could probably have gone to school, but he would have been miserable. So since I'm home (and not yet 100% myself), I let him stay with me...with the understanding that he isn't going to stare at a screen all day. He already spent a half hour practicing his violin and did "gentle body movement and stretching" with me. Shortly, we will take a nap and then have Reading Time.  Steve remains healthy, but probably not for long since he said he has a "superior immune system." Kiss of death.

Here is a Picture Weekend Wrap-up:

Wm woke up with hair devil horns. Appropriate.

How Wm spends him time when I'm sick

Time Change Blues

Kitten snuggling on my lap. Best.

Queen of the House

Accurate representation of Schroeder's feelings about Luna

GREAT NEWS!!

We found out yesterday afternoon that Wm got into the STEM school!!!! He is sooo happy! What a relief. Whew!! The STEM school is middle and high school, so now we are done worrying about school until he's off to college. Even then, it shouldn't be a big deal! The STEM school is partnered with OSU, so most students have 1-2 years of OSU coursework done by the time they finish high school (for free!) So, Wm should be able to start at OSU having already been to OSU! (And, of course, if he wants to go someplace else, he can transfer those hours wherever he wants to go. But, since I get a really significant tuition discount as OSU, he'll also have to find a way to pay for it if he doesn't go to OSU!)

Wm has a friend who also got in, but it is not his first choice. The STEM school has no sports of any kind and his friend is pretty sporty. For Wm, no sports is just a major plus. Someone asked me yesterday what sports Wm plays and I said, "violin." HA! But, I asked Wm if he was nervous about going to a school where he likely won't know anyone at all and making all new friends. He goes, "No - I think it's exciting!"  Wm is already plotting because all students who go to this school get a laptop. He is pumped. We have to go to some meeting in late March where we get a bunch of info and officially accept his admission. This is yuge!!!

Yesterday was also a big day because I scored us really good seats for Cirque Du Soleil and Wm locked down his little amigo to come with. So...it's ON! A great day for The William!

Luna's Weekend Wrap-up

On Saturday, Luna went to the vet for her check up. She did great! But was not pleased about it. Then, Steve went to watch a soccer game at a bar with some friends and Wm and hung out. We mostly did chores and lounged on the couch watching the latest season of the Great British Baking Show. Luna was our furry companion. Here is a Cute Kitten Saturday timeline:

Bald Belly Snoozing

Does not look comfortable.

Cutest. Kitten. Ever.

On Sunday, Wm went to a birthday party. While he was gone, Steve and I walked up to one of his favorite restaurants and had lunch. Then, I went to hang out at Suzanne's while The Boys did their chores and played at the park. 

Last night, Steve goes, "I want a snack...but I'm covered in cats!"

The Cat Whisperer

Wm is kind of over birthday parties, so he wants to take a friend to go see Cirque Du Soleil for his birthday instead. I am going to try and hit up The Schott and get tickets to avoid the TicketMaster charges. I like this plan! Much better than last year's Vomit Festival!

Amazing

Steve had soccer last night, so Wm and I were sitting snuggled up on the couch. He was doing something weird on his phone and I was reading. I hear Wm whisper to himself, "this is so amazing." I looked over and saw this:

Look at this face! So in love!

So, of course, I had to let him stay up a bit later than usual so he could keep petting Luna. He whispered the same thing again a few minutes later. It was the sweetest. Wm loves him some kitten.

Fiddlin' to Boston

Wm's Strings teacher suggested he audition for the Columbus Youth Symphony, so we just sent in the forms to do that. He is also playing with the 6th grade orchestra at his next concert, so he has been working really hard on his more advanced songs. I think he sounds great! Here is Wm playing Fiddlin' to Boston:



We found out yesterday that the Gifted Academy is moving to a new home that is CLOSER to us! So, that was AWESOME news!! What a relief. So now, if Wm doesn't get into the STEM school, he has a great backup! We're figuring this business out...