Weekend

 Valentine's Day was a good one!  I think I'm getting better at managing expectations and organizing activities for the really crazy days at school (Halloween and Valentine's Days are the top of that list).  The day started with me getting a text from a parent informing me that I'd forgotten a student on the Valentine List.  I was horrified.

I looked at the list and I hadn't forgotten a student.  I had forgotten two students.  I initially hadn't created a list for them because they usually just bring candy and hand it out, but in the afternoon on Thursday, students asked for a list.  While they were at recess, I quickly typed one, not looking at another list, just going from memory because that works so well.

I gave it a cursory check that the columns were uneven because 27 is the only odd number....

I dashed off to the work room and returned with Valentine colored lists just as recess was ending.

And I forgot two students.

I messaged all the parents my apologies and my students came to school telling me what I'd done.  They love to tell me about a mistake I've made after I've told them about a mistake I've made.  We mounded all the candy on a table.  It was a sight to put fear in any teacher.  All day I said, "Step away from the candy!"

We did vaguely educational things all day.  One thing that I should have tried earlier is that I gave them the number 24 and told them it was them against the BYU teacher in a contest to see who could write more equations with the answer being 24.  They could add, subtract, multiply or divide.  

They were all intently hunched over their desks writing equations, trying to beat her and it was one of those times when I wondered what kind of wizardry was afoot.  How are they SO engaged?!?

Speaking of wizardry, the ice skating was a hit!  We moved the desks and gave everyone waxed paper.  The room mother brought three rolls and I think we used them all.  At one point, I had everyone sit in a circle and watch anyone who wanted to do a "trick."  It was absolute bedlam, but they were having a great time.

After their interest (and stamina) was starting to wane, I created a zone in the middle of the room that was lava and we had boys on one side and girls on the other and they had a "snowball fight" with crumpled up waxed paper.  There was no clear objective or winner, they just flung balled up waxed paper at each other to everyone's delight.

Then, we played bingo, passed out candy and valentines and everyone went home.

When I got home, I read in my chair for a little while to get my energy restored before the next party.

I had a good time setting the table while Adam cooked the meatballs and rice.  Braeden (and QE) FaceTimed right before the party so (alas!) I didn't take a picture of the table.  I had candles down the center with all manner of Valentine candy running down it as well.  

Everyone brought food and we had a delicious dinner.  We had bowls of rice and teriyaki meatballs and kalua pork and shrimp and chicken and all kinds of fresh vegetables and sauces.  

We played our newlywed game and everyone laughed a lot and we learned things about each other.  I lulled them into a sense of success with questions like what is the color of your spouse's toothbrush, then subversively stirred things up with questions like who loads the dishwasher "properly" and who is better at directions.  There was absurdity too with questions like having the men name which Disney character they were most like.  One of them said, "Yeah, that's a normal thing we've thought about...."

There were two couples that were clear winners and I gave one of them a bottle of sparkling cider and the other a little box of chocolates.  Two couples were clear losers and I gave them each a small notebook to write down notes about each other so they could remember things.

Then Rod made crepes on the stove and we sat around the table again and ate dessert and visited and laughed some more.  

If you had told me ten years ago that we would have an actual friend group here, I would not have believed you.  I love it though.  It is great to have friends our age and stage of life and it kind of reminds me of when Adam was in graduate school and we had this group of friends all doing roughly the same thing together.

Emma came over on Saturday so Adam could put a new battery in her car.  She watched/helped him and said, "Now that I've seen you do this, I think I could do it too."

Emma has always been an independent character.

We went to IKEA together to shop for an end table, which was her birthday gift from us.  I love hanging out with our adult kids.

We had all the kids over for dinner on Sunday.  We did a reprise variation of our newlywed game.  The siblings vs. the married couple vs. the engaged couple vs. the newly dating couple.  I told them to keep their own score and I don't know who came out on top, but I think everyone had fun.

I made a gluten free cake that didn't taste gluten free which was nice.  We sang to Emma and I was able to get my phone just in time to capture her blowing out candles.

Her actual birthday is today and I'm looking forward to celebrating more today.