RLCA International Fair - Spain

The big project for 5th grade is the International Fair, held this year on March 18th. The project involves putting together a lengthy report (for a 5th grader) as well as prepping a presentation that includes dress, music, food, pictures and any other trinkets you can scrounge up (money, stamps, dolls, etc)...all to be presented in the school gym to the teachers, students, and parents.

This year, Abigail chose Spain. From the traditional Flamenco dance and La Tomatina to Basque Pelota (comparable to our Jai Alai) and bullfighting, Spain, with its rich heritage and passionate people, provided a wealth of learning.

Abigail dressed for Spain's favorite sport, along
with Emily (left-Poland) and Kristin (right-Greece).

Gas Leak Part Deux

If you remember back in my February 19th post Got Snow? I mentioned that we had dealt with a gas leak in the midst of Snowpocalypse. Well, it turns out things weren't completely resolved.

We called the power company on Wednesday, March 17th because we were still smelling gas outside the house. Their assessment: We had a leak underground in the line leading up to the house. And a pretty significant one at that. Significant enough that they immediately set about getting a crew to come out and address it right then and there.

By morning everything was resolved. And as a bonus, the old tree stump in the front yard disappeared as well.

This would be our old tree stump being dug up...
at 9 o'clock at night...by the power company.

Quilting for a Cause

Per Mom:

Each elementary class at RLCA was asked to make an art/craft project that would be auctioned off to raise money for the school. Amanda's 3rd grade class decided to make a quilt; each of the kids got to decorate a square and then I put them all together and made a quilt with them.

February's Birthdays

Well, we somehow managed to squeeze in both Mom's and Abigail's birthdays this month. It took 4 separate events, each with their own cake, spread across 3 weeks, but we did it.

Some quick snaps are included below.

Happy Birthday you two...

Got Snow?

An untitled Haiku, by Dad:

雪が降り

Snow descends
シャベル絶え間ない仕事
Shovel's unceasing work
春の今
Spring now!

Unless you've been living under a rock or on some warm Caribbean island with no connection to the rest of the world (can I join you?), then you are aware of Delaware's recent record-breaking sucker punch to the gut of global warming. Officially, we were buried under over 41" of the white stuff from 4 storms in only 11 days. With possibly more on the way...

What does that mean for the Tokarski clan? Well, for starters, the kids were off school for a whole week. On top of school, Church was cancelled, along with Wednesday Woman-to-Woman and Man-to-Man Bible Study, Youth Group, and I had 2 days off work (note the clever use of italics).

So, with all this free time, surely we kept busy, no? We shoveled, went sledding, bowled, shoveled, cleaned off the cars, celebrated birthdays, shoveled, built snow forts, shoveled, called Delmarva Power about a gas leak... Did I mention we've shoveled...?

Mib

So Alex has been working on a comic he calls Mib (no relation to the Men in Black) for the last 2 years. During that time, the main character, a triangular alien named Mib, has become a regular part of our household. So much so that, this week, Aidan decided he wanted to draw his own Mib comic. Due to the limitations of his preschool-level writing skills, he employed Abigail to handle most of the lettering...but the dialog is all his own...

Happy 4th Birthday Aidan

We celebrated Aidan's 4th birthday this year on the evening of Sunday, January 17th.

Much like last year (and Christmas, come to think of it), the event was very Cars-centric. Mom produced a fantastic Dinoco-blue Lightning McQueen cake and Aidan was showered with a wealth of Disney-licensed presents.

Unlike last year, there were no parting gifts for the attendees: No stomach bugs or colds. Everyone seems to have stayed healthy in the wake of the gathering.

Thanks, everyone, for attending. And, Happy Birthday, Aidan.