Ireland is TWELVE!!!

I just love this girl so much! I don't play favorites, but I can say if I'm working on a DIY project, Ireland is happy to get dirty, hunt down a Phillip's AND a flathead screwdriver. She is also so much fun to take shopping because she is willing to try any style. Ireland often flies under the radar a bit but when she has something to say, even just a casual observation of the world around her, her commentary is both hilarious and deep. She's ready to take on responsibility both with her siblings as well as with her ageing grandparents. I have a feeling that with her work ethic and cheerful disposition, she will go far in this old life!

Per tradition, Ireland had pie since she is a Pi Baby

She also had a massive farm breakfast served to her in bed. I love that Brent added some strawberries to, ya know, make it a balanced meal. 

Her boyfriend brought over a gift. Those two are so funny. I really do think they are just really close friends who wanted the boyfriend/girlfriend box checked off so they agreed to do so. Nick is such a love- he'd come straight from Tae Kwon Do to bring her his present.

 As for OUR present, we got her all kitted out for her upcoming trip to Harry Potter world with Tim and Whitney. More on that later!

Princess Diana: Accredited Access Exhibition

 When I heard about the photo exhibit of Diana coming to Chicago, it's wasn't a question of IF I was going to it, just a question of WHEN. I finally had some free time and nabbed my ticket and I went alone so I could spend as much time as I like. 

The photos were taken by royal photographer Anwar Hussein and then his two sons Zak and Samir who continue to photograph the Cambridges and Sussexes. As a fan of Diana, I had seen a lot of the photos but getting the backstory to them was next level for me. The tour provided headphones and the photographs were numbered so you could listen to the photographer talk about the picture in detail. Here are a few that really caught me.

This one just looks like a random photo of the princess walking in a field but Anwar said Diana was crying. A well-wisher had gifted her the rose and she tearfully told him her own husband wouldn't give her flowers while a perfect stranger would.

As a mother, this one really resonates with me. Harry had kicked off his shoe and Diana's slightly set jaw shows a tad irritation at having to put it back on. Oh how I have been there!

The paper hats were a lovely surprise and I was blown away by all the detail in them. The yellow one for Kate and the black one for Meghan were my favorites. 

The detail of that hand-cut paper to look wavy and delicate is just... amazing!

I love the detail of not just the hat but the hat stand as well to mimic a black swan.

The crown was HUGE! A family was trying to get a photo under it and so this is all I could snap before they took over the space. All made of paper...

The famous Taj Mahal photo happened after hours and hours of the photographers sitting in insane heat. Anwar said only one of them had a bottle of water and they shared it among them as they waited for the princess to arrive. This was just before the book Diana: Her True Story by Andrew Morton was to hit the shelves. The recreating with William and Kate reportedly happened in less than a minute and all he was willing to say to reporters asking what was going through his mind was, "It's very beautiful." 

I was nearing the end of the exhibit where some more photos of the the younger royals were on display when I came across this trio:

The audio commentary said that when Diana was in India, an "untouchable" reached out for her shoes out of love and respect. The woman escorting Diana tried to shoo her away (you can see her on the right side of the photo) but Diana stopped, took the woman's hand, knelt to her level and spent a moment with her. I found my eyes welling up with tears at this one, thinking of how much that must have meant to this woman to just be acknowledged. Don't we all want to be acknowledged?

Science Olympiad

Admittedly, I didn't know much about Science Olympiad when I encouraged the girls to sign up for it. Based on the name it sounded scholastic yet competitive and to be honest, I'm not sure where I thought there was loads of fun but I do remember there was a free lunch and if there's a free lunch it MUST be fun, right? I couldn't understand why the girls- Liesel in particular- groaned so much about it.

Turns out Science Olympiad is basically coming in to the school on a Saturday and taking timed tests. I only discovered this after I volunteered to be a proctor since everything is online due to the pandemic. Along with the Subway sandwiches and chips, I ate a little crow when I realized that yeah- this would not be "fun" for any normal kid. 

The girls were troopers and they actually made the state semi-finals which their school had not done in a while. The other Science Olympiads were really nice kids and the teachers in charge of the whole thing were fantastic as well. 

It was a looong day but I kept myself busy folding paper cranes for this sweet project.

As we drove away, I humbly apologized for pushing them so hard on it. Liesel was eager to point out she had tried to tell me but I insisted it would be a good experience.

I mean, I'm still going to push the girls to go out of their comfort zones now and again. That's the best way to grow- redefine your own limits. But I might do a tad more research before being so vociferous about exactly which extracurriculars to jump into.

Miraculously, Ireland really enjoyed it and if it's not virtual may just tackle it again next year. As for Liesel?

I think it's a "bye Felicia" when it comes to Science Olympiad!

Ireland's Harry Potter Trip

Ireland saved all her Chocolate Challenge money for TWO YEARS so she could go to Harry Potter World with Whitney and Tim. I was so dang proud and I wanted her to have a truly memorable time so I splurged on the Pottery Barn suitcase that looks like a Ravenclaw trunk.

The robe I made for Halloween was a few years old and getting really short so I pulled out the pattern (again!) and made a new one that was nice and long. Initially I planned to make the interior the classic Ravenclaw blue (see suitcase above) but when I saw this fabric at JoAnn's I knew it would make this robe really special and unique. It was horrible stuff to work with! I cut it out during the Superbowl and there were bits of fluff flying into the air which made me cough and sneeze. I even put pockets into this one! My only regret is running out of time so I couldn't put in a little pocked just on the inside lapel where she could stow her wand. The robe was a lot to pack so Ireland unabashedly wore it on the plane, not caring one bit what others thought of her. Here she is all decked out as Luna Lovegood.

After their first night at the Cabana Bay Beach Resort (fun hotel with a retro vibe), they headed to the parks. Ireland wasn't the only one dressed to impress- Whitney was meticulous their outfits as well. Whitney went as a student from Beauxbatons Academy of Magic while Tim was dressed as a student from Durmstrang Institute. Whitney even hand-painted her shoes to ensure they were accurate to the film. They were all constantly told by cast members "Your outfits are amazing!" Many people asked where Ireland bought her robe and she was happy to tell them her mother sewed it for her!

Like any Hogwarts witch or wizard, Ireland was sorted. She unsurprisingly was delegated to Ravenclaw.

Entering Diagon Alley

Here they are in Diagon Alley. The dragon behind them on top of Gringotts bank actually breathes fire! 

 

This photos is in Hogsmeade (just outside Hogwarts castle) near a stage. There are performances such as a frog choir and Triwizard Tournament.

Here you can see how spot on their outfits were to what cast members wear. One performer called out "You look great!"

For this performance, they did incredibly incredible gymnastics by the Durmstrang students and then songs and dances by the Beauxbaton students. 

The Wandmaker invited Ireland and another kid to try out a variety of wands. The wand chooses the witch or wizard! In some cases, the connection is so strong, that the pair leave the shop without paying! Technically they are supposed to pay but they walked out so fast they didn't realize they were supposed to and they are like $70.00

Here's the wand that chose Ireland:

Outside Diagon Alley is the muggle entrance to the Ministry of Magic. If you dial 62442 MAGIC you get to hear a welcome message. 

Village of Hogsmeade

Hogwarts Express

The Midnight Bus

This photo was taken outside the Poseidon ride in Orlando Studios. They never actually went on the ride but they thought the waterfall coming out of his mouth was funny.

A lovely optical illusion at Platform 9 3/4 getting on the Hogwarts Express.

This little trio shared drinks at the Three Broomsticks, sampling every possible iteration of butterbeer. 

Ireland's personal favorite was the wintery frozen butterbeer which had a nice, brisk taste. 

Whitney and Tim are so cute! This is on the side of Honeydukes.

Behind Gringots there are some steps which was their favorite place to grab some ice cream and just people watch. This is also where one of their favorite rides was Hagrid's Motorbike right outside of Gringots. As you can see, only two people can go at a time so Ireland went with Tim and Whitney waited with the backpack. Unfortunately the ride broke down so Ireland and Tim left and as soon as they did, the ride started up again. Whitney pleaded with the cast member "You've seen me standing here" and he gave them all free passes.

They all had a wonderful time! They bought postcards and mailed them from Hogsmeade. Ireland did great with spells throughout the park. They had peppermint toads, fizzing whisbies and U No Poo (a candy from the Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes). We insisted on covering Ireland's costs but I suspect they spoiled her just the same. More than anything I'm crazy proud of Ireland for saving up to do this and incredibly humbled and grateful for her amazing aunt and uncle who were willing to do it!

February Tidbits

 I am a big fan of my Calm app- especially the sleep stories. This month I discovered one about Transformers and it is voiced by Optimus Prime. "Be strong enough to be kind" goes through my head as I listen to that powerful voice so gently lull me to sleep. 

I figured out how to take the oven door apart so I could clean off the drips on the inside of the glass which has been bugging me since we moved in. It almost looks like new!

I played the Queen's Jubilee song on the way to church for the girls. We all agreed it is awful- and we started making up actions to go with the words. 

Sydney wrote a To Do list during sacrament meeting and as a fan of To Do lists, I'm really impressed!

Me: What is something you are proud of your family for? Like, I am proud that when something needs to get done, we circle the wagons, batten down the hatches and we make it happen!

Ireland: What are you proud of Dad's family for?

Me: Ask a different question.

The YW had a sledding party and I was not a bit surprised to see this pic of Ireland snuggled on a sleigh with the Bishop's wife. They are both tenderhearted, kind people!

Speaking of kindness...

Gita: Mom, you know what the worst thing is?

Me: When you have a spicy poop!

Gita: *clearly annoyed* No, the worst thing is you TALKING about your poop!

Sydney requested a mother-daughter date. With her sheet of paper she made all kinds of suggestions. I suggested Krystal Thai but she kept offering alternatives like Culvers. I convinced her to give Krystal Thai a chance and she ended up loving it!

The pad thai... YUM!!!

Speaking of Brigitta- we discovered she has a six pack- which I didn't even know was possible in little kids.

Brent and I came out from the gym to find this iced over tree looking so spectacular! Like it was made of crystals!!!

We took Ireland to the temple for the first time and her cute friend joined us! First we had some Korean BBQ and it was delicious!

Ireland said, "After the first one, you can't stop smiling."

I love this thought!

I had a pile of clothes and shoes to donate and let the girls throw them in the donation bin- this became a THING and it's a lot harder than it looks!

For some reason we thought we would see if we could prevent someone from jumping... it kind of became a thing.

It was all of 50* which after a Midwest winter means the kids wanted to break out their shorts. I said they could as long as they had tights or legging on as well and this is the outfit Gita came up with all on her own!

We watched Dakota while Whitney and Tim were at Harry Potter world and had a lot of fun getting her to search for treats.