Spring has sprung

It's midterm here at school, and I've finally got my laptop back from the shop. I opened up the grading program on Sunday night to do my grades, and it ate my journalism grades. So yesterday, I spent all of the day restoring them from a paper copy... while I have been doing that, plus giving CRT tests (both of which have a learning curve) the weather has been lovely! I'd much rather be outside than doing testing or grading.

Jackson has been so excited to start track. His first day was yesterday. After days and days of build up, first to find the *perfect* running shoe (a pair of kids Saucony) and then to the count down to the first day of track, we finally got to the first day of TRACK.

John has been counting down to his "fire show" at his friend's Wood Badge course. And when I say counting down, let me just tell you, days and days and days of build up to the *perfect* fire show. Sound familiar? Like father, like son? They are an awfully lot alike, perfectionistic in so many ways. There are so many rules to be followed.

Xandri is loving the spring, and she's been to her first surprise birthday party. I'm not quite sure why her friend needed a surprise party to turn 7 (or was it 8?), but they had an enormously fun time playing hair dress-up with her older sister, and painting their fingernails, and just having a late-night. Of course, she thought it was marvelous and every little girl in the neighborhood seemed to be there.

Asa has mastered the pouty-face when he doesn't get his way. He can be happy as a clam, but the second you look at him funny, he hunches his shoulders, turns on his pout, and his face clouds up. He's quite the poseur. It makes me nuts, especially at the dinner table (as I am quite sure the child lives on grumpy and air). His favorite thing is Star Wars, and he goes around singing Indiana Jones and Star Wars/John Williams theme songs. He often calls C3PO R3PO, which is really funny. It also makes him blush, and sometimes hide under his red chenille blanket.

Maxwell is the sole definition of grumpy. He has his own theme song ("The Grumpy Old Troll Who Lives Under the Bridge"--from Dora the Explorer). He has mastered the scowl and he's ADORABLE, but really, really grumpy. Sometimes, he's delightful, but mostly, he's just grumpy. Max loves Batman, Luke, and  anything Asa loves.

That's THIS Phippen Phamily wrap-up for the moment...