Brick Universe Lego Convention

One of the things that Santa brought to Riley this past Christmas was tickets for all four of us to go to the Brick Universe Lego convention early this month. We hoped and prayed that the flu wouldn’t affect our ability to go, and luckily it did not. We armed ourselves with lots of hand sanitizer and set off for the Pontchartrain Center on the morning of February 2.

I wasn’t really sure what to expect since this was the first time something like this had come to NOLA, but I know I expected more than we saw. There were some really cool displays, but all the boys were interested in were the building stations. We totally could have stayed home and done exactly what they spent most of their time doing, but they enjoyed being there and that’s all that mattered.

  

Riley’s friends Blake, Eli, and Mason all went at the same time we did, so they hung out together for almost three solid hours. They actually collaborated on a really cool build that they kept adding pieces to.

 

 

And we did make both of our boys walk around and look at all of the creations that other people were displaying. Riley liked the jungle camp and I liked the Mardi Gras parade.

All in all, the boys had fun, but it was very crowded when we were there and not super impressive. Not sure we’ll do it again if they come back!

Scout Day at the WWII Museum {Plus Flu}

The last Saturday in January was Scout Day at the WWII Museum. All Scouts in uniform got in free! Kenny and I, along with Grandma, took the boys downtown to take advantage of the free admission and the special activities happening.

There was a Lego/Hex bug challenge station (we did this more than once), a parachute making station, a bridge build challenge station, and a few other things. The boys had a great time.

 

I also made sure to find both Bop’s and Pops’ bricks before we left.

 

Two days later, I got a call from school. Rory had a 102 degree fever and was generally looking and feeling pretty miserable. I brought him to the doc the next day and sure enough, it was flu. Super.

She put him on Tamiflu twice a day for 5 days. She also put Riley on preventative Tamiflu once a day for 10 days. She gave them both the pill form since she said the liquid was really nasty. So we had to open up the pills and sprinkle the medicine onto something sweet. They don’t eat anything she suggested (applesauce, yogurt, etc.), so Rory took his mixed with chocolate syrup and Riley took his mixed with regular pancake syrup. It was a pain, but Rory bounced back fairly quickly and Riley stayed flu-free.

Rory was out of school the rest of that week, though, so we had lots of make-up work to get done. We took it easy Tuesday and Wednesday, but by Thursday he was feeling much better and I needed to get out of the house. So we ran a few errands, picked up a smoothie for lunch, and then came back home to get some of his work done. He sported his new light-up Mardi Gras hat while he worked.

We made sure to wear red on Friday, February 1 to support our friend Mary Leah and women’s heart disease awareness. We ventured out again that day for just a bit and then finished up his make-up work. What a week!

Sick kids are the worst. I was glad to have him back to normal so quickly, but he didn’t understand still being contagious even though he was feeling fine. I think he really missed his friends at school and was happy to go back the next Monday!

School Days: K 100th Day of School {Rory}

Rory’s 100th day of kindergarten was Friday, January 25. Like Riley three years ago, he, along with the rest of his class, got to dress up like a 100-year-old. With the addition of a borrowed sweater, Rory wore the exact same outfit that Riley did, and I sprayed his hair gray. He looked so cute as an old man!

 

I got to go help out with their fun 100th day centers that morning. It was so great seeing all of the kids dressed up, and the teachers too! The kids were all so excited for their special day, and I think the teachers enjoyed wearing more comfortable clothes.

 

They rotated through six centers, including making 100th day hats, counting out 100 pieces of 10 different kinds of food items, writing*, playing bingo, comparing weights of 100 pieces of different items, and doing 100 reps of various exercises. So much fun! (*Rory would like 100 Legos and popsicles, but he would not like 100 king cobras or trash cans.)

Later in the day they continued with their 100th day theme by building things using 100 each of Lincoln logs, unifix cubes, small blocks, square blocks, and connecting triangles.

I’m so glad I got to be a part of this day.

Kindergarten rocks!