St. Mary School Spokane Valley

I begin this Thursday Rundown with excitement because Memorial Day Weekend is just hours away. Who doesn’t love Memorial Day Weekend? Not only does it provide some extra time off but it also packs optimism. With it being the official kickoff of summer, you can’t help but think, “the good times are about to roll.” Let’s jump into this week’s Thursday Rundown…

Panwaffles – On Tuesday night, I allowed Sloan to make pancakes for dinner. However, when getting her started, I made a big mistake by telling her to add more water than what the recipe called for. This resulted in a very watery pancake batter that was basically unusable. But worst of all was that we had used all the pancake mix so we didn’t have the option to add more to even out the batter. As a last resort, I took a box of waffle mix we had in our pantry and told Sloan to pout it into the mixing bowl. The unconventional approach rectified the consistency problem of the batter and we were able to make delicious (and slightly sweeter) pancakes…or, according to Sloan, panwaffles.

Sloan makes “panwaffles” while Beau looks on.

Blog Anniversary Signs – Earlier this week I wrote about my 15th anniversary of blogging. You probably won’t be surprised to learn that I have found a corny tradition to mark it with each year. Over the past many anniversaries, Sid has made a “sign” commemorating whatever year (i.e. 9th, 10th, 11th, etc.) it happens to be. I then hold the sign for a photo with the kids. This year there was a twist…Sloan created the sign! Anyway, below you can see some of the photos/signs from previous years.

Some of the photos/signs from blogging anniversaries throughout the years.

Confirmed – Sloan received the sacraments of Confirmation and Holy Eucharist last week. At the mass there was a professional photographer and we received the images she took of Sloan last night. I wanted to share the moment she was confirmed by Bishop Thomas Daly. I just think it is a great shot of him placing the sacred chrism oil on her forehead while Fidela, her Confirmation sponsor, looks on with her hand on Sloan’s shoulder.

The moment that Sloan was confirmed by Bishop Thomas Daly.

Driving the Car – Back when I was a boy around Beau’s age, I got behind the wheel of my parents’ car while it was in the garage and I pulled/pressed something that allowed the car to start slowly backing out. Thanks be to God, my mom saw the car moving out from our large living room window and was able to run outside and stop the vehicle before it crashed into anything. But you would have thought that experience would have scarred me from ever letting my son get behind the wheel of my car. I guess not.

Beau driving like a maniac! In all honesty, I wasn’t going to let him have an experience like I did when I was his age.

Spirit Week – Today concluded Spirit Week at St. Mary (no school for the kids tomorrow). Throughout the past four days they dressed up for Pajamas Day, Crazy Hair/Mismatched Outfit Day, Sports Day, and Hat-Tastic Day. In addition to today’s celebration of Hat-Tastic Day, it was also the St. Mary Talent Show that Sloan participated in.

Some photos of the kids all dressed up for St. Mary spirit week.

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As you can already surmise from my intro, I am pretty excited about Memorial Day Weekend. So, if you don’t mind, I am going to bounce. I hope everyone has a relaxing and safe holiday weekend. Don’t Blink.

I can’t help but feel optimistic. The weather is gorgeous, the days are longer, and the birds are chirping. Summer is on the horizon. But before we get to that point, I want to enjoy the rest of what has been a busy and fun month of May. Let’s go to the Thursday Rundown…

May At St. Mary – Speaking of May, it has been a blessed month for Sloan at St. Mary. She helped with the Mary crowning, participated in a special children’s rosary, and won a class raffle for a Happy Meal lunch. But what really made me proud was on Tuesday when she delivered a reading during the school mass. Proclaiming from the Acts of the Apostles, Sloan stood at the lectern and read flawlessly in front of the entire school and a crowd of parents. I admired the bravery of Sloan and her classmates who also read during the mass.

It has been a busy month at St. Mary School in Spokane Valley. Photos include Sloan and her friend holding Mary’s crown, the group of children who prayed the rosary, and Sloan delivering the reading at the school mass.

Lucky Charms Pancakes – On Mother’s Day, Sidney requested I make my famous pancakes. I happily obliged and in addition to the traditional buttermilk hot cakes I made for her, I whipped up something a little different for the kids. I had a package of Lucky Charms pancake mix that I threw on the griddle for Sloan and Beau. The mix itself had Lucky Charms bits inside it and the box was accompanied with a package of actual Lucky Charms pieces that I sprinkled on top. Overall, the Lucky Charm pancakes were better than the Cinnamon Toast Crunch pancakes I made 15 months ago.

Despite Beau’s scowl, these Lucky Chams pancakes weren’t that bad.

Last MLB Game – It is hard to believe that it has been four years since I last attended a Major League Baseball game. On this date in 2019, Sidney and I visited brand new SunTrust Park to watch the Atlanta Braves host the Milwaukee Brewers. Sid’s parents took care of Sloan as we had a fantastic weekend that also included TopGolf and Cheesecake Factory. Perhaps we will break our MLB drought this summer and go to a Seattle Mariners game.

A photo of Sidney and I from our seats at SunTrust Park on May 18, 2019.

Mother’s Day Photo – During our Mother’s Day celebration at my parents’ house, my siblings and I took a break from the good food, ladder golf, and the metal detector to snap this photo with my mom. We sure owe a lot of gratitude to her for all she has done for us over 3+ decades.

My sister, brother, and I stand with my mom.

7th Grade School Photo – Not much else to share tonight so I thought I would throw in this headshot of a pudgy seventh grader. Let’s hope Beau doesn’t go through this awkward phase 😂