April 2023

 Annika is this month's guest blogger. Enjoy life through the eyes of a 12 year old

Sometimes you have a soccer game in Colorado Springs and sometimes you get a Rita's.

This year I went out for track. At our first meet, I was hoping for a 7 minute mile but then my friend Ashley (who is on my soccer team, in front of me in this pic) took off and I had to try to keep up. She tends to rub it in our faces when she wins (jk, she's the most humble person you will ever meet). She pushed me to a 6:35 minute mile. She ran a 6:14! 

Celebrating a first/second finish together. I just need her to pace me all the time.

My friends had a 4x100 relay team, and I ended up subbing for a missing runner most of the meets.

Our Pops Orchestra group performed at a local restaurant called La Bella Vita (if you are ever in town, definitely visit it). 

Mr. Vue is the best teacher ever (even if it looks like he's mad at me here).

I have been seriously practicing my headers, but I think this one might have gone backwards. 

Soccer season is my favorite season. (My mom says all year is soccer season. She's not wrong.)

Easter pics

This balloon arch is from Naomi's birthday.

We had an Easter brunch with our friends. 

The Parsons got us back for a year's worth of hidden plastic babies.

The weather was perfect.

Kid tables outside!

We always take a kid picture on the steps before the Easter egg hunt. 

This year there were prizes, more...extreme than last year. 

I shaved a few seconds off my mile and ran a 6:30 at my second meet and won first (because Ashley's school wasn't at the meet). 

I won the 800m at this meet with a time of 2:53. Either my face looks like this in real life when I'm running, or Mama's phone does a real bad job of making me look good. Don't believe the Google phone ads (I'm not a spy for Apple or anything, but clearly there's a better choice. Apple, you can sponsor me if you want too). 

I ran the first leg of the 4x100 at this meet. So now think about it: running a short distance (which I'm not good at), practice a handoff for 15 minutes before the race, and learn how to use blocks. Apparently, no one else knows how to use blocks either, because I asked at least 10 people, and no one could help me. So, if you have tips, please tell me.

So I think Sarah's trying to become the favorite by showing up with breakfast in Mama's room while she's getting ready for work (no hard feelings, a kid's gotta do what a kid's gotta do). 

The SVVSD Art Show happens every year. Teachers choose their favorite works of art over the year. Miraculously, somehow my Bart Simpson got in. (I ran out of paint. Don't ask). 

Sarah's alien - it's name was Moose - got in as well. 

This was one of my favorite 1600s -- I beat my PR by 13 seconds (6:17), and lapped 3 girls. 

I spent a lot of time at this stadium this month. 

Naomi made it onto her ballet studio's website. 

Ok, so you know that restaurant performance earlier in the month? That was a practice. For this. THE BIG DADDY OF ORCHESTRA PERFORMANCES. Our Pops group (which is 7th and 8th graders) was one of the only 3 middle schools to make it to the state competition -- the rest were high schools. We got a Superior, the highest rating!

So yes, pretty blurry photo. But here's me walking off from the State competition stage. No. I don't have a secret twin. That's someone else. I swear. 

I have no idea why this picture was taken. Maybe because it was snowing in April. Maybe Mama thought it was pretty. Who knows? 

We've been watching a lot of Dance Moms recently. In one of the shows a girl did a chin stand. Mama thought it looked pretty hard, so Naomi had to show off that she could do it. Which made Mama think maybe it wasn't too hard and she could do it. 

It...um...it didn't work too well. You'll get her next time. 

YES. So, remember that one picture from March? Naomi's first time into the DMV? Well, here she is, 2 times in less than a month. Why? Let's just say she's not too good at keeping track of her Driver's License. 

This was my best 800. At the start of the second lap my friend Asher told me I had one lap to catch that girl from Mead. 

So you know, naturally, I can't let her beat me.

I came so close to breaking a school record for the 800 this year. Next year.

Naomi performed as Little Red Riding Hood in Snow White. Yes she did well. No, we don't know why Little Red Riding Hood was in a show about Snow White. 

She got to wear a tutu. Pretty cool. This was her favorite role.

She was also like, a towns girl or something?

And so were her friends. 

Naomi had a lot of roles. She was also an evil snowflake. Why? I don't know. 

She and her friends ready for the third act at dress rehearsals.

Dress rehearsals

My favorite scene in the whole ballet. Other than maybe when the Evil Queen was checking her reflection in the mirror. 

Don't tell anyone. I think her dance was the best. 

Finale!!

Naomi got an academic letter this spring.

She and her friends went out for ice cream to celebrate.

If you want a jacket to put your letter in they cost something like $425. So Mama said she could just wear Daddy's old jacket. No one will probably notice.

A storm rolled in for the district meet with 40mph gusts so the meet was cancelled halfway through, but not until right after the girls' 1600.

I didn't PR but I did get fourth in the district.

Red Robin tradition after the last dress rehearsal -- KatyAnn is moving so it was her last Red Robin. If you work at Red Robin in Longmont, I'm sorry for how these kids probably tortured you by showing up at 9pm when you just want your shift to end. 

Pics from the actual show. Lucy was the Lilliputian King. Also confused on why that is in Snow White's story. 

Mama's favorite pictures are ones like these. 

And these. 

After the show with her one of her friends, Ella. 

And Aunt Val and Jeremy came to watch. She's only a tiny bit shorter than them. Jeremy is six months younger.

Naomi and Lucy after the show. 

Naomi's friend Lynne is a senior. She's pretty cool. 

Last show with KatyAnn

From the program. I almost thought she thanked me and Sarah directly. Nope. Just her ballet sisters. Not her real ones. Also, there was no Madonna the singer in Snow White. This was the mother of Jesus statue. No need to worry. 

Naomi thought that a lot of the pictures taken in April were of me. Think again, silly. Mama feels bad for Sarah who apparently didn't have a lot going on in April.