O-f-f-a-l is just plain awful.

Spellcheck's got nothing on Madelyn.

11 students out of almost 550 students were selected to participate in yesterday's spelling bee. Two from each grade (4th thru 8th) plus one additional. There must have been a tie in one of the grades. Anyway, dear Madelyn, who wasn't even going to try out for the spelling bee was one of the two students from 4th grade selected to represent their classmates. The pre-test was given during afternoon carpool in December on a day where I was volunteering during carpool. Since she was still there, her teacher said, "Madelyn, go take the test." Lo and behold, or whoopsie, she was one of the top two.

Yesterday was the annual spelling bee at school. I hadn't planned on attending. But, the night before, Griff and I heard her sweet voice call down from upstairs asking if we would please come to her spelling bee. So, of course, we said yes. Who could say no to such a request?!

The first word out of the gate was "cage" and Madelyn's classmate got it right. Madelyn was the second student up. I can't remember all of Madelyn's words but she made it to the 9th (?) round and beat out two or three other students. Here are a few of her words that I do remember -

• object 
• apprehend 
• procession 
• impregnable 
• offal 

That last word is the one that did her in. When she stepped up to the microphone, the teacher said, "Your word is a homonym and its definition is 'the entrails and internal organs of an animal used as food'," and then she announced the word. After hearing the definition, the teacher didn't even have to announce the word before I knew I would have been out. Not one to go down without a fight, Madelyn, "I probably won't get this right," and spelled the version she knew - "awful" - and was told she was incorrect.

Holy cow, Madelyn did great. I received so many compliments from teachers and the principals on how well she'd done and how her word was tough. I know she received many compliments, too. All of 4th grade was cheering and clapping for her all along. Her BFF was in the front row giving her thumbs up and encouraging smiles. And, when she got out, she did it with grace and poise. I couldn't have been more proud. (Perhaps in two years, we can have two Anderson kiddos in the spelling bee...)

This morning, Mrs Simpson, the school principal, saw Madelyn at morning drop off and I heard her tell Madelyn, again, what a great job she'd done yesterday.

Before we got to school though, Madelyn said, "Oh, I forgot to show you this!" and handed me a bunch of papers. Sometime before the spelling bee, her teacher and classmates made encouraging cards and notes of support and gave them to her. I found myself a little teary at how kind her classmates are, how well they know her, and how much they care about Madelyn.

She may not have won the spelling bee and that's okay. But, she did such a great job. I hope she's proud of herself and knows how proud we are of her for just trying. I'm so glad she asked us to come to her spelling bee.

Her-MEOW-ne

This t-shirt was Madelyn's souvenir from our trip to Seattle. Yes, there is absolutely nothing about it that screams Seattle. But, looking at it reminds me of our walks back from Pikes Market, under the monorail, and the little mall we'd go past each time. Also, that's where we saw the woman "sleeping" in the street. So, I guess it does remind me of Seattle after all.

Now, for those of you muggles who are unfamiliar with Harry Potter, the picture pays homage to the time Hermione turned herself into her cat. My kids tell me it was in "Chamber of Secrets" and the polyjuice potion. (I'm no muggle. I just couldn't remember which book.) AND it's a fantastic play on words and we all know someone who likes a good pun and/or play on words. **Cough, cough. Honey.**

Last week, we met some of my friends and their kids at "the good" Jumpstreet in Ken Caryl for an afternoon of fun. Between my friends and I, we had six kids and our six kids were just about the only kids in the place. They let the kids jump well beyond what we paid for which was awesome. Happy, tired kids + happy mamas = Summer win for everyone.

Now, at Jumpstreet, this shirt made Madelyn a new friend. My friend's daughter who is a year younger than Madelyn came up to Madelyn and said, "You like Harry Potter and cats? I like Harry Potter and cats. Let's be friends." And, that's where it all started.

I wish we could all find friends who like Harry Potter and cats or whatever simple thing it is in life that makes us happy.

Seattle, Yo.

There's been a lot of flossing, "yo", and "bro" at our house this Summer. As you can imagine, it's been delightful and very mentally stimulating. (Insert eye roll.) Naturally, when I think about our trip to Seattle, the first thought that comes to mind is "Seattle, yo." 

Thought I'd share a few pictures from our trip this week to Seattle. The weather was terrific. After having been above 90 degrees for I don't know how long in Colorado, Pacific Northwest temperatures in the 60s and 70s was a welcome relief.

The Gum Wall. It's more like gum alley. I've heard that they clean it off at least once per year and it quickly gets re-gummed. (Is that a word?) And, in case you forgot your gum, there are a few stores close by that thankfully sell gum. We had our own.

When in Rome, you stick your gum on the wall. Sawyer didn't want to part with his gum so Griff added his to the collection.

Day 1. On Wednesday, Griff had a meeting with a client so the three of us were on our own for the day. Madelyn really wanted to visit the Seattle Aquarium. It is such a neat place and a really good aquarium. You can even ride on the back of an orca. (Wink, wink.)

We happened upon the sea otters' feeding time. Aren't otters the cutest?! Then, I found this brother and sister otter pair frolicking and generally having a good time. They're pretty cute, too. 

We visited the harbor seals a few times including once during their feeding and toothbrushing time. Each seal has their own Sonicare toothbrush that the keepers use on them to keep the seals' teeth clean.  Who knew?! And, on our second visit to the harbor seals, we watched as the "Madelyn" and "Sawyer" seals fought over who got to lay in the sun with "Mama" harbor seal. In the end, "Mama" let both of them stay with her in the sun.

After lunch, we took a break from the aquarium and ventured down to Ye Olde Curiosity Shoppe...so much stuff and so many weird things. Definitely saw a lot of curiosities! We saw the mummies and shrunken heads and gawked at the Harry Potter wands. We sampled fudge and picked up a little to share with Papa later in the day. Madelyn found some shades she liked. Isn't she the prettiest?

My favorite was possibly the antique Wurlitzer (player) organ outside on the pier.

After walking around the waterfront, the kids wanted to go back to the aquarium which was fine with me. This time, we spent about an hour at the touch tanks getting sea urchin "hugs" and touching the tube worms and anemones. On our first visit, Sawyer didn't want to touch anything. On our second visit, he couldn't get enough. At one point, he was two-handed touching two different sea urchins and I swear I heard him exclaim "Madelyn! I'm touching two urchins!"

The volunteers at the aquarium are terrific. We learned so much through casual conversations with them. We still would have had a fun experience without the volunteers but thanks to their knowledge and accessibility, we learned so much more and had such a neat experience. I highly recommend the Seattle Aquarium.

Day 2. Griff was done with his client meetings so all four of us did some excellent sightseeing.

Fortunately, the kids arrived just in time to catch this piece of public art and hold it up. It surely would have fallen without them.

We did a duck tour and quacked our way throughout Seattle.

We watched a float plane take off past us in Lake Union.

And, while we enjoyed our duck tour, the events in Branson, Missouri, have been on my mind. I realize thousands of other duck boat tours, including ours, have had no troubles. I'm thankful for that. However, it hit a little close to home and I'm so sorry for all those people affected.

Back on land and done with our duck tour, it was time for the Space Needle. Here we come!

After we bought our Space Needle tickets, we had about thirty minutes to kill before getting in line. We found an awesome playground in Seattle Center. Madelyn climbed, Sawyer and Griff did the maze on the ground, and I solved the rebus puzzle.

What a view from the top of the space needle. I don't have a fear of heights but a sheet of plexiglass between the ground 600+ feet down and me is a little unnerving.

The rainforest Sphere at Amazon's headquarters in downtown Seattle.

Day 3. Back to Pikes Place Market. We only had the morning as we were flying home in the afternoon. Nonetheless, we arrived at the market around 8:30A. The shops open at 9:00A. But, the kids and I knew from walking around on Wednesday that there's a little window where you can buy the best looking pastries around - Three Girls Bakery.

What the kids and I speculated from our scouting on Wednesday was correct. Their pastries were THE BEST. I don't even have other words to describe it. I had a spinach and feta croissant, Griff had a ham and cheese croissant, Sawyer had a blueberry scone, and Madelyn had a cherry turnover. But, that's not all. Someone in our group (who shall remain nameless) suggested we get a second set of pastries and try some other things. The rest of the group consented and we ended up with two cheese danishes, a s'mores danish, and a raspberry cream danish. None of them went to waste and none of them lasted very long.

Bellies filled with goodies, we walked through the rest of the market. 

Bought some pickled herring at Pike Place Fish Market for our favorite Scandinavian fellow. Yes, they threw the jar of herring. And, while I paid for it, someone else in the market ordered two salmon which promptly flew right by...one of them was juicy.

Poppie reported that this pickled herring tasted different from the pickled herring at Costco. Neither he nor Griff could elaborate on how it was different.

And, Billie the Pig. We found him. His "sister" Rachel the Pig is in front of Pike Place Fish Market. He's less busy so we could get a good picture.

I'm happy to have visited Seattle. It was so nice of Griff to let us tag along on his work trip and I'm glad we could make it happen.

And, so much for cooler temps in Seattle. It's still hot back here in Colorado.

Things I like about Steamboat (Winter edition)

It's never a long walk to or from the shuttle drop off.

I have the best skiing partner.

If we were in the powder eights, (1) I would open them and he would close them; and, (2) our eights would be REALLY big because my turns aren't very tight.

Picture perfect views EVERYWHERE you look.

Shiny, happy ski people aplenty. Seriously, this girls loves to ski.

After swapping out ski boots on day one for a bigger pair, even the youngest of skiers come back strong and have a great time at ski school.

The Wagon Trail -- Free wagons for gear and kids throughout the base area.

How did this not exist when we were younger and had to lug skis and poles all while exhausted and wearing ski boots?! Thank you, Steamboat.

Apres ski at Trappeur's Crossing featuring hot cocoa, hot apple cider, and cookies. With temperatures in the single digits all three days, this was a popular event with our crowd.

Hot co-COA!

Kindie program.

The last day of school is almost here. Sawyer's last day was actually today. (See post to follow.) Madelyn's last day is tomorrow. But, today was the long awaited Kindie Program.

"We all had a vacation and we grew, grew, grew into first graders!" 

There were four songs and a "play". Each kindie made their own Chicka Chicka Boom Boom shirt so they were dressed appropriately for that song. Madelyn got to be an A! 

The top picture shows all fifteen of Madelyn's classmates from this year. They have become such a close-knit group of kids. The assistant principal commented at the opening of the performance on how amazing it was to see how much these little people have grown over the year. And, it's so true!

Proud Papa.

Proud Grammy and Papa.

Seriously, how is is our Mile High Madelyn done with kindergarten already?! Only twelve more years until high school graduation. I don't even want to think about that!

Mrs. Murray.

I might be biased but Mrs. Murray is the world's greatest kindergarten teacher. We've had such a great year and she does an amazing job with her kindies. I thought it was going to be hard to top our experience with Madelyn's preschool teacher from last year but Mrs. Murray is right up there. 

Mrs. Preciado.

Mrs. Preciado is Mrs. Murray's aide and an ever present figure in the kindergarten classrooms. We'll absolutely miss her, too, next year.

I'm hopeful that when Little Brother enters kindergarten (in two years) that he can have the same wonderful guidance as Madelyn did this year.

One more day, tomorrow, but it's just the year-end party. Then it's well earned time off for fun, sun, and fun in the sun! Thank you, Ben Franklin Academy, for an awesome year. First grade, we're ready for you...in three months!

Friday funny.

Friday night = sleepover for these two (or three) besties. BYO sleeping bag!

Thursday night dinner guests.

It's not every night you're joined by the queen and wicked Captain America for dinner.

Sometimes these kids are just too much. But, then again, I think they're just right. :)

Halloween...it's coming!

Welcome to our house of horrors. If you're terrified of ghouls, floors that need mopping, and a cat with a fungal infection, DO NOT COME IN HERE. On second thought, come right on in!

Googly-eyed wreath.

Who do all these eyes belong to? And, why are they looking at me?!

So that I can remember for next year, I thought I'd photograph a few of this year's Halloween decorations. I'm not necessarily a crafty person. Sure, I can make things but given that I'm left-brained, and a retired accountant, I'm not always that creative. But, with two little ones, it's fun coming up with new ideas and turning them into reality. Consider this my paper trail!

Here are my shares -

Door monster. He's a friendly fellow complete with candy corn nose.

He's a Pinterest inspiration and was very easy to make. So easy, in fact, I thought about putting them upstairs on the bedroom doors in a future year.

Halloween tea light holder and mini pumpkins.

Some people have those Christmas villages. I don't. But, I do think it would be fun to have a Halloween village at some point. If I can find a few more cute, coordinating houses like this one, I will have my mini village on the dining room hutch. Wait, we do have some small plastic coffins. Maybe next year, my mini village will include a cemetery. Ideas!

Birds. We CONTINUE to have a problem with wildlife in our house. Ha ha.

Two years ago, we had an unfortunate problem with three mice in our house. They were eradicated and have not returned since. Thank you, Orkin. However, after the mouse incident, these guys debuted. I sent a picture to my sister and remarked that we had another animal problem. She thought they were real. I'm so funny.

Scrapbook paper bunting.

Hopefully I'm not setting the bar too high for myself. The little ones and I get a kick out of Halloween decorating. We even have a few decorations that Honey gave me from my youth. I guess I could say my love of Halloween and decorating goes way back.

Happy Halloween week to all!

Arizona 2014

We spent Spring Break 2014 in Scottsdale, Arizona. Honey and Poppie came with us this year, too! Our trip lasted three nights -- Friday through Monday -- and we stayed at the Westin Kierland. The weather was terrific this year. No rain! And, once again, the Kierland proved to be an outstanding, accommodating, family friendly resort.

Notable memories include:

* Kids First Class on the airplane.

* Friday and Saturday evening s'mores. Somehow, there was confusion when s'mores weren't available on Sunday. I'm not sure who was more upset - Griff and Poppie or Madelyn and Sawyer.

* Boy bed and girl bed in our hotel room. Madelyn wanted to continue this after our return home but Griff and I vetoed.

* Family breakfast in the club room.

* Trying to sneak up on Honey and Poppie's room only to have our plan foiled by the time we made it down the hall. We don't travel quietly especially when someone has to be first and someone else doesn't agree.

* Pool time. (See post to follow.)

* Child sized Candy Crush throughout the hotel. Or, so Sawyer thought.

* Rockies game. (See post to follow.)

* In N Out. Enough said.

* Cruising around Phoenix six passengers deep in a rented Dodge Caravan. Sooo cool.

Thanks, Griff, for very fun Spring break trip. And, thank you, Honey and Poppie for coming along. We had a great time and made lots of memories that I know the kids will fondly remember.