Surprises!

I've had a few surprises the last couple of days. First, when soccer starts in March, you don't expect to go to a game and come home with striped feet. It was at least 80 F out there. (Today, it was a record: it reached 82.) GameBoy's team defeated this team too--8-0. Second, when you have a dermatologist's appointment the next day, you don't expect him to be nonchalant about said sunburn. Basically, he said that I'm so fair, I'm going to burn. I'm currently skin cancer free, but most likely I'll have a recurrence or two (or ten). Growing up in Kansas was not good for my skin.

Another surprise is how straight A's are celebrated at GameBoy's and The Wiz's school. GameBoy was able to have the straight A's lunch (complete with medium frosty) and they gave each kid a bag of loot: a miniature light saber, a baton, a cup, and other things that I can't remember at the moment.

And finally, I received a surprise from my SP. I think that she's from the West Coast, but I am not convinced that I know where. She sent me a great package, too. Of course, there was yarn:

The Wiz saw the box, and decided that this yarn is for him. He likes the colors. If there's enough left over, I might make him a pair from the left overs.

She also sent me wonderful gardening gloves (goatskin, which make the best gloves for gardening in my experience) and flower seeds (hollyhocks, columbine, and Canterbury bells). Maybe we'll be able to plant flowers this weekend.

And finally, a really great t-shirt. Do you think it's me?

And so it begins...

Tonight when the boys and I came home from choir rehearsals, The Collar handed GameBoy the phone. A classmate had called him. A girl classmate. He talked to her about 5 minutes or so, and then told us about her.

She had asked him for his phone number, and he said no, he couldn't give it to her. So she called his best friend, who gave it up. It must be that she like likes him. GameBoy was pretty happy about this.Maybe now he'll start taking showers without being forced again! Or maybe not.

Brain Food

M has district Governor's cup competitions today. He's taking exams for science and math (he is definitely ours) and is on the quick recall team. (So far this year, he has been in every single match, for the whole time.)

Because we are a celebratory type of family, we had dinner at his request: meatloaf. He, however, doesn't eat brain shaped meatloaf, so we had thinking cap meatloaf.
Good luck today, M! We're rooting for you!

UPDATED:
M's quick recall team did not do so well. However, the students from his school were represented in every individual assessment category but one. M (a fourth grader competing among fourth and fifth graders) came in 5th place for the science assessment. He was the only fourth grader from his school to place.