Timber!

The tree didn't actually fall, but an arborist and his crew did come remove the tree that was growing through the middle of our deck. The girls were fascinated, and it made for a good mornings' entertainment/education. The arborist climbed the tree, cut off the branches, then removed the trunk from top to bottom in chunks a couple feet long. Once removed the crew put the pieces of tree through a mulcher into the back of their truck. The girls watched this whole process from the picture window in the bathroom mere feet from the tree. The arborist even turned and waved when he realized he had an audience. Next up, the girls get to watch Daddy rebuild part of the deck! (It turns out whoever built the deck used the tree as one of the supports!)

Zoo Day
We finally made it back to the zoo recently with the intention of spending quality time in the Australia Walkabout exhibit to continue our Australia studies. Unfortunately, we discovered it's only open on weekdays during the school year. Instead we spent a solid two hours in the Asia exhibit--reading every sign, paying particular attention to how zookeepers had incorporated elements of the animals’ natural habitats into their enclosures, and waiting around or walking back to see if sleepy or hiding animals would perk up. Some of our favorite sightings included: a red panda marking his territory, a peacock particularly eager to show off his plumage, a well-camouflaged tapir, and pair of mating binturongs (no, the girls aren't aware that that's what was going on, but they were pretty fascinated by the male being clearly in pursuit of the female). 
 

Martial Arts

The girls finally got to start lessons at their new martial arts school! They're currently studying Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at a local mixed martial arts school. Lion is particularly excited because she is finally old enough to join in the fun! (Previously, we've always moved right before she reached the age minimum, and the next location always had an older age minimum.) She loves it, and she's pretty good! All three girls earned compliments for their behavior and technique, and Lion and her partner were even asked to demonstrate a hip toss. (For such a tiny person, Lion lifted that poor boy pretty high. Fortunately, the mats are well padded.) 

Fun at the Y!

Of course, new martial arts classes weren't there only physical activities this week. It was below freezing on running club day, and we don't own appropriate gear for that weather, so I took the big girls to a multi-level yoga class at the Y instead. (Lion is considered too little to attend adult classes, so she stayed home with Potato.) Bug wasn't a huge fan (she thought most of it was too difficult), but Monkey and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. This was the first yoga class I've been in that involved yoga balls, which the girls thought was fun.  

We also decided to try the family open swim time this past week. The girls were thrilled to be in the water again, and they clearly remember what they were taught a year ago. We had a few disappointments though. Unlike our previous pools, this one didn't have anything but kickboards available for the girls to use (they were hoping for noodles and balls). Also, the lifeguard was a stickler for my keeping the girls really close by, which was frustrating for Bug who wanted to practice swimming laps (I found out later that we can have her take a swimming test and get a special necklace that gives her permission to swim solo.) The lifeguards swapped out though, and the new one gave them permission to jump in (they were even brave enough to ask him themselves), so at least we went home on a high note! 

Grandma & Granddad's House

We got to spend a lovely couple of days with the grandparents, cousin H, and Aunt K recently. We got to join them for a Wednesday night supper at church, and the girls jumped fearlessly into participating in the kids’ program. We spent one morning at the local science museum, and the girls had a blast exploring a new exhibit about food and exercise, building with massive foam blocks, and doing a turn through the permanent exhibit. We went for walks in the woods every day, and even made it out to a local favorite park for some playground time. The girls also had fun pulling out and trying on Aunt K's old dance costumes and of course, spending lots of time in the basement playroom with their little cousin. 

Tidbits

• Bug finished 3rd grade math! And a mere week and a half later she's already 26% of the way through 4th grade math! There's no stopping her now!

• Daddy received a new game for his birthday that everybody enjoys: Pandemic. It's a cooperative strategy game that involves four different characters working together to save the world by curing multiple diseases.

• The girls had a blast for St. Patrick's Day this year. The holiday was the theme for our church's Wednesday night children's program, followed by a pizza & dance party and Trolls viewing on Friday.

• Happy Pi Day! We celebrated March 14th with a lesson about the number pi from Daddy, followed by toll house pie and chocolate pudding pie. Yum!

• Bug thought through, constructed (out of a grocery bag, ribbon, and a peg person), and tested (with a variety of launch styles from different heights) a toy parachute for a science project recently. She even looked up in our home library and read to her sisters about the science behind how parachutes work. (Sorry, folks, the video we took of a successful launch won't load properly.)