And they're off again!

This weekend, we accompanied three of our homeschool Odyssey of the Mind teams to the state competition in Charlotte, NC.

We all had a great time, and I was glad we got to see all three teams perform their long-term problems.  We brought one high school team (that was Clay's team, they had to be in that category because one kid on the team is 15, even though the rest are middle-school age), one middle-school team and one elementary team.

We watched the hat parade/competiton:

The awards ceremony was hard for ZB to keep her calm through, she was pretty tired by this point in the day, and it was pretty loud and crazy.

Unfortunately, the younger teams didn't place, but Clay's team placed 2nd!! 

And even though I would have been quite happy if they had placed a strong 3rd, we are so proud of their hard work!  They are headed to the World Finals at the end of May which are in Ames, Iowa. We need to raise the first $5,000 by May 1.  This means my next two months will be packed with fundraising yard sales, fundraising lunches at co-op, finding sponsors, etc.  Last year, when they went to Worlds, they raised a substantial amount just from friends and family donating, which was amazing!  If you are reading this, and would like to help these kids make the trip to World Finals, you can easily donate any amount here:
http://ahcom.weebly.com/

Per the OM rules, I can not share a video of their skit until World Finals are over, but I can give some details.  They did a vehicle problem again.  They had to construct a vehicle that could transport a person with two different propulsion systems.  It has to be able to move forwards, backwards and sideways, as well as split in half.  No easy feat, there have been some very stressful days for sure! 
The story line they invented was that a fast food company invented a new menu item that was so unhealthy it became alive as a monster and started destroying the city.  The healthy food crusaders have to fight this monster.  They use a sandwich car that turns into a mec.  I like the political undertones that this skit has, and they have also had a lot of fun with it!

Thanks for all your support, we are grateful for all the donations as well as well-wishes!

Rainy Day Birthday

Little ZB is 3!!  She's so excited about it, too.  Each day since her birthday, she has been asking if she is still three, just to be sure :)

Her party was rained out, so we took her to the toddler free-play at the gym.

She jumped and played the entire time.  Apparently, she even has some time to kick back and relax as the parents did all the work with the parachute!

 A few of her friends were even able to make it and play.  After gym time was over, we walked across the street to the Asheville Brewing Company.  The parents enjoyed their great beers, and the kids enjoyed pizza and homemade ice cream.

 ZB asked for me to make chocolate and avocado... yum!  Made with good ingredients like maple syrup for sweetener, and eggs from our own hens, it was nothing to feel guilty about eating :)

We are all so in love with this fun little girl!  She's growing up way too fast...

Thanks to everyone for their sweet birthday wishes and gifts, she has enjoyed everything!
Love to all!