Gushing, 12 year old boy style

Quinn: "Happy Valentine's Day, Mom.  I have a strong regard for you."
Mom: "I have fond affection for you as well, Quinn."

100th Day of School

Tomorrow is the 100th Day of School, which Reagan is very excited about. Her brothers... not so much.  As they were getting ready for school this morning,  this was our exchange:

Mom: "Quinn!  Look at you!  Your hair isn't combed, your sweatshirt is filthy, your pants are too short!  You can't go out in public looking like that!"

Quinn: "No one cares, Mom."

Mom: "I care!  You look like a homeless child!"

Quinn: "Mom, it's the 100th day of school.  It's just a long, down-hill slide to the end.  I'm letting myself go."

Nice.  What kind of mother does this kid have????

His Signature Look

So, Colby got THESE for Christmas from Grandma Betty and Grandpa Jim:

His logo that he designed for himself, for his future "animations", on three sweatshirts.  His avatar, I guess.  Or whatever.  In black, gray, and navy blue renditions.

Since Christmas, he has worn nothing but.  Except, apparently the black is his MOST "signature look", and so he really only wears the black one.  Under duress (so I could wash the other) he wore the navy blue one for a single day.  But for the past 11 days, he has worn literally nothing but this single sweatshirt.  Today, I noticed that he had on his coat from the second he got out of bed.

"Colby, you can't hide it.  I know you're wearing that sweatshirt again.  You need to put new clothes on every day."  So I sent him back upstairs to change.  Then he came down... once again in his coat. 

"Colby, show me your shirt."

He unzipped his coat, and I found a hoodie.  I unzipped the hoodie and found... yes... a black sweatshirt.  This time turned around backwards so that he could be sneaky, and flip it back around as soon as he got to school.

Grandma and grandpa.... he loves his Christmas gift. 

But it's getting a little out of hand. 

:

Middle School Mannequin Challenge

Getting that many 7th graders to sit still that long is quite the feat!!

Wheeler Deelers

During Grandma and Grandpa's visit, we rediscovered the kids' long lost Geotrax Train set - which we had assumed Grandma had tossed at her last visit.  Apparently, she had instead stored it in an old bathtub, without our knowledge.  Rob told the boys that if they sold their newly discovered "treasure", they could keep the cash.  They have been working ALL DAY putting the set together, finding the missing pieces, arranging it for the perfect Craigslist picture. 

I overheard them from upstairs.
"How much should we ask for it?  $100?"
"No way!! $1000!"
"$1000?  Really?"
"Someone will totally pay $1000 for all this stuff.  They're out there.  Believe it."

Sure.  Sure some schmuck will pay $1000 for my kids' old plastic train set that's been sitting in a bath tub for the past three years.  Sure they will.  Who am I to squash their wheeler deeler dreams?

Handel's Messiah

We decided at the last minute to go to the local rendition of Handel's Messiah.  This would be a first for all of us, and it seemed like a great Christmas-y thing to do.  We really didn't know what to expect... at all.  Anyways, due to the "very last minute" nature of our ticket purchases, the only seats available for our size family were in the FRONT ROW.  Like REALLY front row.  If the performers were wearing skirts?  Yeah.  We'd have been looking up them. 

Are any of you aware that the "excerpted" version of Handel's Messiah is THREE HOURS LONG?  Yes.  And that's just the "excerpts".  Do you know that the attention span of a modern Aho Yooper is NOT three hours long, when listening to opera?  I was really proud of the kids, whose every move was watched like a hawk by the baritone soloist sitting directly above our heads (we were THAT close).  They followed along in the program and tried their best not to fidget.   And I really enjoyed any of the parts with the chorus and symphony, but... those opera soloists?  The ones that sang the same single Bible verse over and over and over until they made it last 10 minutes long for a SINGLE LINE?  I could've done without them.  They're very talented.  It's just... not my thing, opera. And apparently not my family's thing either.   And when you're following along in the program, and realize... "wait!  They didn't move on to the next line!  They repeated that line!  No... what?  They're repeating it again?  And... again??  Just say it already!  Move on!  We've got 53 more verses to go!"   It just makes having patience really hard.  REALLY hard. Sigh. 

Afterwards, I documented the reactions of my family.  Identities have been obscured for the protection of the complainers.

12 year old boy: "That was the longest amen in history".
8 year old girl: "I should've stayed home and watched Mary Poppins."
46 year old man: "I spent the whole time counting the singers nose hairs and catching his spittle in my face."
12 year old boy: "I never want to do that again. EVER."
12 year old boy: "Just because they're singing Bible verses doesn't make it good, Mom."
8 year old girl: "I can't believe we survived that. I almost died of boredness."
44 year old woman: "I really liked the parts I recognized... the Hallelujah Chorus and 'For Unto Us a Child is Born'".
12 year old boy: "Don't give me that.  I saw you falling asleep."
44 year old woman: "People had longer attention spans when this was written in the 1700s."

So, we aren't sophisticated when it comes to our musical tastes.  It was still fun dressing up and going out for an evening.

Advent Calendar

We have an Advent Calendar in our living room.  Quinn was asking this morning how many days there are until Christmas. 

"Welp," says I.  "It's the 12th and Christmas is the 25th.  So 13 days."

"NO," Quinn replies.  "I meant until Christmas break."

His world revolves around the days that there are no school.  He's more excited about that than Christmas itself, methinks.  I don't think "Middle School Winter Break" is on the liturgical calendar, though!!!!