Wow, busy busy. Easter weekend was AWESOME! We went to my moms'. Friday we just hung out and played cards because we got there kinda late. Saturday was a day of reloading shells (for Shem and the kids), and a day of rest for me (woohoo!). In the afternoon we headed out for the range again and spent a couple of hours shooting and hunting shells and lead. 
It was amazing. I got to shoot an old .45 colt with a pearl handle and let me tell ya, it was smooth. The .03-06 with the scope was my obvious favorite along with the colt simply because the scope made it sooo easy and I couldn't miss! Shem got to try out his new 7mm. It is so loud that no matter how many times I hear it, it scares the crap outta me. Landon was the only kid that wanted to go with us this time and after shooting the .32 he lost interest. I think it surprised him that such a little thing that looks like a water gun and fits perfectly into a tiny hand could hurt if not held right. His fave is the .22's. Hailey's too.
Isn't Jen so cute! She put glitter in her very tightly braided hair and stickers on her face by her eyes.
Today was Holocaust Day at the kids school. They have an amazing teacher who does this every year around this time (yes, I know it's not in January). She enlists the staff and her seventh grade class. They know it's coming, but not when. Today was it. The siren sounded and they were quickly escorted out of their classrooms. Each was marked with a yellow star and marched around by unforgiving teachers who yelled at them to keep their heads down and not speak. A few were caught talking and were made to do things like hold backpacks or water bottles over their heads. They were separated and at the end of the day, a few were sent into the "crematorium" marked classroom and even had to choose between themselves (when caught talking together) who would go and who would stay, all the while never knowing who would make out better.
It sounds awful to do that to kids, but this is an amazing tradition at our school and they look forward to it every year. They think it will be a fun experience or a new cool thing they've done. I was privileged enough to sit with them at the end of the day and hear how their necks hurt and how they developed Morse codes of their own to speak to one another and even some who cried and expressed remorse for their own treatment of other students throughout the year. They seemed to understand that every historical event can be traced to a playground. Fighting about who looks different, or doesn't believe the way you do. They talked vulnerably in front of their peers about feeling alone and scared. They were asked what they thought they would want to ask a Holocaust survivor if ever they met one. Then the door opened and a sweet woman of 84 years was ushered in to the sounds of gasps and sobs. She looked at all of the children in their yellow stars and said, "I feel I am in a familiar place with all these stars." When asked what kept her going, she responded, "Nothing kept me going, I didn't want to go on living, it's just by chance that I did."
I only write about this because it moved me as it does every year and I'm so grateful to this amazing teacher and staff that really TEACH our children the terrible detriment that prejudice, judgement, ignorance, intolerance and the misuse of perceived power can have. I say perceived power because I don't really believe that anyone is more powerful than another. I do believe, however, that if we think we are better than all, it proves we are below most.
Thank You Arch. Thank You Lilly.
It was amazing. I got to shoot an old .45 colt with a pearl handle and let me tell ya, it was smooth. The .03-06 with the scope was my obvious favorite along with the colt simply because the scope made it sooo easy and I couldn't miss! Shem got to try out his new 7mm. It is so loud that no matter how many times I hear it, it scares the crap outta me. Landon was the only kid that wanted to go with us this time and after shooting the .32 he lost interest. I think it surprised him that such a little thing that looks like a water gun and fits perfectly into a tiny hand could hurt if not held right. His fave is the .22's. Hailey's too.
Easter Sunday, the Easter Bunny loves to hide our kids baskets and have them track them by a piece of string tied to the end of the basket and strung throughout every inch of the house. It is out of control with four kids and a labyrinth of string, and forget about getting up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Most of the time, every adult just tries to stay put in a central location until the children unwrap us. That's what the Easter Bunny gets after reading a cool Internet sight five years ago and thinking it would be great fun! @$%#! Aww deal with it! The kids hunted for eggs and then we went to my brothers for some yummy food! They were so nice to prepare so much and then had the kids search for the 500 some eggs we hid outside after lunch! Pretty cool for us all although it was a little cold. Then my little nephew and niece broke confetti filled eggs over my head and giggled hysterically. My brother didn't look too bothered either. What they must have not figured is that I don't play well with others. I grabbed what I could from on my head and after tackling them, dropped in in their mouths and then after letting them up (waited until they were in the kitchen) and showered them with cold water. Take that suckas! 
Ireland got her first "official" haircut yesterday. She sat sooo patiently in that chair for an hour and 15 and just kept saying, "I'm pretty", when we got home. She just got some long layers and Jen kept saying that she really did a great job cutting her own hair since there was little to fix on evening out her own cutting job. 
Isn't Jen so cute! She put glitter in her very tightly braided hair and stickers on her face by her eyes.
Today was Holocaust Day at the kids school. They have an amazing teacher who does this every year around this time (yes, I know it's not in January). She enlists the staff and her seventh grade class. They know it's coming, but not when. Today was it. The siren sounded and they were quickly escorted out of their classrooms. Each was marked with a yellow star and marched around by unforgiving teachers who yelled at them to keep their heads down and not speak. A few were caught talking and were made to do things like hold backpacks or water bottles over their heads. They were separated and at the end of the day, a few were sent into the "crematorium" marked classroom and even had to choose between themselves (when caught talking together) who would go and who would stay, all the while never knowing who would make out better.
It sounds awful to do that to kids, but this is an amazing tradition at our school and they look forward to it every year. They think it will be a fun experience or a new cool thing they've done. I was privileged enough to sit with them at the end of the day and hear how their necks hurt and how they developed Morse codes of their own to speak to one another and even some who cried and expressed remorse for their own treatment of other students throughout the year. They seemed to understand that every historical event can be traced to a playground. Fighting about who looks different, or doesn't believe the way you do. They talked vulnerably in front of their peers about feeling alone and scared. They were asked what they thought they would want to ask a Holocaust survivor if ever they met one. Then the door opened and a sweet woman of 84 years was ushered in to the sounds of gasps and sobs. She looked at all of the children in their yellow stars and said, "I feel I am in a familiar place with all these stars." When asked what kept her going, she responded, "Nothing kept me going, I didn't want to go on living, it's just by chance that I did."
I only write about this because it moved me as it does every year and I'm so grateful to this amazing teacher and staff that really TEACH our children the terrible detriment that prejudice, judgement, ignorance, intolerance and the misuse of perceived power can have. I say perceived power because I don't really believe that anyone is more powerful than another. I do believe, however, that if we think we are better than all, it proves we are below most.
Thank You Arch. Thank You Lilly.
