Cultural Parade, T-Ball, Goodbye Dominique

We had a busy week.  Alex had a cultural parade at school on Friday.  He designed a shoebox float that represented Seattle.  He wore a Stewart plaid shirt as the costume of his heritage.  And he brought fruit salad as the food from his heritage.  You can see some great videos of the parade and the show that the kids put on.

Alex also had his first t-ball game.  He's on the Diamondbacks.  Despite the cold and rain, he had a great time.  The format is such that nobody gets out and everyone scores every inning.  The kids just focus on practicing their skills and having fun.  Alex did a great job keeping his head in the game (not easy when you're five).

We also said goodbye to our afternoon nanny Dominique who is headed to NYC for an internship.  The kids made her a nice card and gave lots of hugs.  We're hoping to manage without a nanny for a month or so and then hire a HS or college kid for the summer.

State Chess Tournament Champions!

Alex and the Open Window School Bobcats finished in first place in the Washington State Elementary School Chess Tournament!  Alex's wins contributed to his team's points in some critical rounds.  Here are some pictures from the trip.  The tournament was in in Vancouver, WA.  Alex played 5 games over 10 hours (there were breaks between the games) and was very tired at the end.  He got a trophy and a medal at the end.

Hanging Out

We haven't been up to very much the last few weeks.  Julia got some new rain gear that she is really excited about.  She also wrote a little picture book that she was quite proud of.  Alex has been really into pokemon and war games.  We're going through a phase where no one sleeps in their own bed.  Alex decided he's too big for his twin bed, so he's sleeping in the guest bed.  Julia starts out in Alex's real bed but by 1am takes over mom's spot in her bed, leaving mom 4" on the edge.  We're eager for this phase to end.