Fun Easter Weekend! Swimming Success, Business Travel

We had a great Easter weekend! It started off Saturday with a library trip. Guy and Nico went together while I did some work. There was a robot there they could play with, and they were able to check one out from the library! There's an app you can download to interact with it. Nico played with it nonstop after they got home. Over the next few days it was one of the only things he did when he had free time. We told him it didn't count as iPad time, since he was "programming". There are some video snippets at the end of the blog!

Saturday afternoon we went to my brother Jonny's house for an Easter BBQ. There was yummy food, and an Easter egg hunt for the kids.

Ready...Set...

Go!

Nico made a new friend while we were there, and as we were leaving, his friend said, "I'm going to miss you. We really had a fun time." It was very sweet. Some video from the BBQ at the end of the blog!

Sunday we were at church early. Guy was running sound, Nico had practice with the kids group because they were going to be on stage for one of the songs, and I had practice for a piano/flute duet I was doing with another gal.

On the way to the church Nico said that he didn't want to do the thing on stage anymore, because he was nervous. I told him I was nervous about my thing, too, and that it's ok to be nervous and it shouldn't keep us from doing the thing. After I finished talking, a Parry Gripp song started playing, his songs are so silly, this one says "there's a young girl talking about herself. You can't stop her." And Nico said "Mommy, this song makes me feel better, because it's about a young girl talking about herself, and she's not nervous about talking about herself."

Engage Boise live streams all their services, so I snuck some screen shots off the video to capture these. Nico was in charge of waving the flag during the song.

And we played "Fairest Lord Jesus" during the offering.

Sunday afternoon, Guy was able to take a good long nap. Afterward, we decided to ride bikes. We biked on the greenbelt and we went far. Nico wanted to keep going but we told him we needed to turn around. It's a good thing we did, because the wind was actually helping us on our way out, and against us on the way back. We stopped every few minutes on our way back to check my map to see how much further. Nico's legs were aching and he was having a hard time riding against the wind. Guy rode in front of us on the way back to help block the wind for us. We were gone about an hour and a half.

Swimming on Monday.

Nico eating nachos, reading Peanuts. He is careful to delineate which of the two Peanuts books is his and which is Daddy's. It's important to keep track.

Nico excavating something from an Egyptian pyramid, from his Little Passports monthly subscription.

On Wednesday Nico passed Swimming Level 2!! It's the end of the swimming session and time to sign up for new classes, so Level 3 for him will start next week! I am very proud of him.

Wednesday morning after Nico left for school, I travelled up to Pullman, WA for a business trip. Since there's family in the area it's always a mix of business and family! My mom was already in Pullman when I arrived, along with my Aunt Mary Anne! My Aunt Liz came today, and I was also able to see my cousins and my Uncle Jerry.

It has been SO fun to be surrounded by family even while being here for business! I travelled to Farmington today for work and will drive there tomorrow as well, returning Saturday to Boise.

Now time for the video!

Cub Scout Uniform, Bell Choir Practice

Last Friday Nico woke up okay and ate breakfast, but right before school complained of a tummy ache. Friday was his holiday concert, and he didn't want to miss it, but he told me he needed to stay home because he felt so sick. He seemed very tired, too.

A few hours later, he felt fine! But the tummy ache came and went that day. Evelyn came over for dinner that night and they had a lot of fun.

He woke up Saturday morning and I have this joke I play with him, "Would you rather have oatmeal, or pancakes?" (He doesn't like oatmeal). But when I asked him that on Saturday morning he said "Uhhhh... I'm not hungry." You know it's serious when he turns down pancakes! He didn't eat much that day, and had some diarrhea, and the next day he was halfway better. He skipped school on Monday because he wasn't 100%.

While Nico was home on Monday, Allicia lent us a bunch of movies and activities for Nico to do since she knew he was staying home. He watched movies in his bed all day long. My old computer wasn't working so I moved the touch-screen into his bed. He loved it. He wasn't this close to the screen all day, don't worry! He mostly leaned back on his huge spider man pillow and dangled his legs over the side of his bed. He got some serious resting in. He didn't get dressed until 3pm.

On Tuesday he woke up and said, "Hey! My tummy doesn't hurt when I stand up anymore!" Sweet! Off to school he went.

We've been keeping the tradition of doing advent candles every night before bed. 

On Tuesday I went to the Boy Scout store and bought Nico his uniform. Cub Scouts was Tuesday night.

Check this boy out!

Even though Guy wasn't feeling well, he valiantly took Nico to Cub Scouts on Tuesday evening. They handed out Pinewood Derby cars, they are doing a race in January!

Guy got sick, too, but it was different. He was exhausted with a fever for a few days, but nothing else, it was very strange. He is feeling better now though! 

Nico is in the bell choir at church, and they are doing their performance this Sunday. This Sunday is also the day of the Christmas play. We went to the church tonight for practice. 

Guy has been going to play practice almost every night this week because he is the sound man. He brought home a keyboard for me, so I could practice the song I'm playing in the Christmas Eve Service.

We've been wrapping presents over here, and putting some under the tree. Nico wrapped a handful too, I showed him how to put ribbon on a package. 

He accidentally saw one of the gifts I bought for him. Ooooops. 

I suppose that's it for tonight. Tomorrow Nico has a half-day and we are welcoming Grandpa and Grandma Russell into town! 

Until next time!

Helicopter

We all went downtown this evening to get some coffee beans from Dawson Taylor. While walking along, a man on a bench handed Nico a toy helicopter, saying that he found it on the bench and that he should probably have it. Nico really liked the helicopter. He held onto and showed it to everyone who seemed interested.

On the way back to the car we also stopped to play the "public piano" on 8th street. Nico enjoyed that.

Then we went to the greenbelt with the intent of letting Nico ride his Strider bike, but he was so intent on holding his helicopter that he only stayed on the bike for a few minutes.

We had gone for a Strider ride earlier in the day, though, and he has started SITTING on the bike instead of just walking with it. He prefers sitting on the bar of the bike, not on the seat. It looks pretty uncomfortable, but I'm sure he'll get the hang of it soon.

OH, and Guy fixed the car stereo by removing the pennies Nico had shoved into it!