Happy birthday, Collin! This year Collin wanted to go out to eat together as a family and see a movie. We had a hard time picking a movie, but we finally settled on the new Wonka movie. It was much easier to pick where to eat - tacos and queso at Torchy's! We went the Saturday before his big day, so Ryan could join us.
Collin really likes it when we spend time together as a family, so when we got home from the movie, everyone played 4-Square and then 4-Pickle in the driveway.
We played until his allergies got the best of him. Poor boy.
His actual birthday was on Thursday. He didn't do much during the day (his preference is always to code all day), but I made parmesan chicken, loaded mashed potatoes, and steamed broccoli for dinner - all his favorites!
He got new athletic pants (adult small, he's 6 foot now!) with zipper pockets, so he doesn't lose his phone. He also got magnets for the car that say, "Please Be Patient: Student Driver."
His cake was this HEB vanilla ice cream cake, but it was gross. We've really been striking out with cakes since moving here. Not sure what the solution is. We ended up throwing most of it in the trash two weeks later.
And since Collin's love language is family time together, he played cards after Katelyn was in bed.
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Ok, here's my annual update on Collin!
PIANO
Collin is still playing piano. He meets with an advanced teacher each Tuesday after school. He has his annual recital in February where he is playing Raindrop Prelude by Chopin. He is super into Chopin preludes right now, and he says that he can't wait to meet him in heaven. He loves the repetition in them.
He loves to compose and arrange his own music, and he has numerous software applications and hardware devices for doing so.
He still mostly plays by ear, and I am very frustrated that he still can't sight-read or accompany singing.
ROBOTICS
Collin is on the Robotics First Team at the high school. Their challenge for this year's competition was dropped last Saturday, and they now meet after school 3 days per week for about 3 hours, plus Saturdays all day. This schedule will last through Spring Break, when both their competitions take place. The first competition is in Temple, about 3 hours from here, and the other is in downtown San Antonio, about 30 minutes away.
DRIVING
Collin got his permit about a week after his birthday. His first time in Ryan's manual transmission Ford Focus did not go well, but he is getting more and more comfortable in the church parking lot in my ginormous Ford Expedition Max. We are currently car shopping for a 4-door sedan for him to learn on and then inherit. I look forward to help with his transportation to and from his activities, since everything is 30 minutes away each way. Aww, the joys of living in Texas.
P-TECH
Collin's cybersecurity associate's degree program at the high school has been an epic disaster so far. They accepted every kid, and since it is currently the only pathway to a high school associate's degree in our district, many kids - and their parents! - totally uninterested in computers, programming, and cybersecurity are in his classes. Many are not advanced or honors-brained, therefore the course work is dumbed down to make them "successful." The kids often fool around in class, and Collin is not allowed to test out or switch to other courses. He is very frustrated and unhappy. I hope to meet with his guidance counselor before we register for his sophomore year, but he is resistant to letting me step in. He doesn't advocate for himself either, so we are in a loop of disappointment with no solutions.
BRACES
In an effort to not end this post on such a negative note, he should be getting his braces off in the next month or so. I am very excited for him! His teeth and jawline look amazing. He is definitely no longer a little boy!
Happy 15th birthday, Tall!
