Anchorage Youth Court

In Anchorage we have a unique option for juvenile delinquents - if you are a first time offender and have not committed a felony, then you have the option to be tried by your peers through a youth court, and have your record expunged upon completion of your sentence.

The Anchorage Youth Court was new/just getting started *back when I was a kid*... and it is still around!  I really enjoyed being a volunteer with the program when I was a teen, and have been excited to introduce it to my kids as a great service opportunity and chance to learn about the justice system!

Last week Bentley did some training downtown for Anchorage Youth Court (AYC) he's entering 7th grade (YIKES!) and now eligible to join.  I'm not completely sure he was excited about it beforehand, as when we signed up for the training they handed a big book to him and told him to read it before class.  He's a good kid though, so he showed up with a good attitude.  He had a great time and told me the lay is a very interesting field - I told him that I have always agreed, despite the bad press some lawyers get.  We'll see what comes of that interest...

Anyway.  At the end of the training the kids all took the "bar exam" to show they have some core competence to particpate in the system.  Bentley had a perfect score of 105/105 on the test - yay Bentley!  Tonight Matt, Genevieve, and I went downtown to the court house to see him sworn in.  It was fun and I look forward to seeing what he does with the program in the future.  :)

Crochet Girl

Out kitten Tut always seems to be cold.  His favorite place to be his curled up against the fridge, because there is some warm air that comes out the vent at the bottom.  It's cute and funny although a bit ridiculous as we have to push him out of the way everytime we want into the fridge!

I suggested to Genevieve yesterday that he might wear a fuzzy little sweater.  She's tried making accessories for the other cats and they have not grateful or cooperative - not in the least!

She got to work right away (the girl is quick!  and she works without a pattern!).  The beginning looks promising - Tut ignored it when we put it on and he seemed happy to have it.  :)

Lincoln Golfs!

For his birthday Lincoln was gifted with some golf clubs.  He went out with Grandma Karen and gave them a run through earlier this week.  He had a great time - he's getting too big too fast!

(He reports that he *only* lost 5 balls.... !)

Suzuki Institute: Year 2!

At the beginning of June three of the kiddos and I headed out for our second year of Suzuki Institute!  It was a small group, but we had a good time.  The Alaska Suzuki Association brought up the same cello instructor as last year, it was fun to see her again and discuss all the progress the kids have made in the past year. 

It was an exciting week for two of them - Lincoln moved up to a new cello size, and Bentley will be moving up to one in the fall - but that's a post all of its' own.... !

String Camp: Three Years!

The kid keeps getting bigger.... Bentley is off to string camp again, for fun here are three years of string camp drop off photos!

2016:

2017:

2018:

This is his last year with the elementary group, near year he can join the junior high strings camp.  He has a lot of fun out there, and they always bring up fantastic conductors/the kids learn a ton!

Lincoln and Tut

Our new kitten is much more of a people person than Thea the Bengal.  Tut hangs out with us more, purrs on occassion, and wants to sit near/on us.  Lincoln has a good rapport with all the cats, but in looking through my May photos I noticed a theme - Lincoln is ALWAYS seeking out the cat!  He loves animals/is very good with them/it's no wonder they all like him.  I present the Lincoln and Tut show!

Summer Camp: Dance Intensive

This June Genevieve did a two week dance camp at our new dance school.  It was a bit different than the intensives at our old place, but she had a great time!  They focused on ballet, repertoire, jazz, and modern.  At the end they did a little black box theater show at their school.

In a bit of a parenting fail I have NO PHOTOS.... !  But in my defense we can't film in the theater, and they didn't have costumes for the performance - they simply used existing costume treasure troves.  :)

She had a great time!

Summer Camp: Engineering Engine Fun!

This past week Genevieve went to an engineering camp at our local university.  The camps run 7 hours a day starting at 8 am, so it's a "hard core" school experience for the kiddos!  Some of the students in Genevieve's class were apparently putting off some bored vibes, she tells me that when the teacher quizzed them on how many wanted to be there versus how many were sent by parents and had zero interest, the scale was tipped more than half on the side of forced attendance.

Yikes!

I am very glad that my kids get excited about these fun learning opportunities and have such a great time at them.  Genevieve learned all about engines.  Her team took apart a lawn mower engine and then inventoried all the pieces and put it back together.  They also explored some other engines during the week and had a chance to build an air powered one of their own design.  They had some races on the last day, and the "Pink Scribbles" (her team's name) won and officially became the "Pink Blur."  :)

Way to go, kiddo!  I'm glad it was a fun experience and that she learned so much.