Regionals

This evening, the JH Scholastic Bowl Team had their Regional competition.  We had told Annah we would not be coming, because it was an hour drive and was potentially going to be a late night.  We changed our minds, and Jeremy drove from work in Bloomington, and I drove with Sylvia and Caeden from home so we could all be there to support Annah and the team.  

She was pretty surprised to see us, and always most happy to see her daddy.

In their first round of the evening, Ridgeview competed against Cornell.  Annah didn't get in to play, but the team won!

In the second round, Ridgeview competed against Flanagan.  This round started out really rough, and at the half the score was Flanagan 110 to Ridgeview 15.  Annah was put in for a short while, and answered a question about the 2014 Academy Award winner for Best Song.  It was the first time all season that I'd seen her even buzz in to try to answer, but once the reader said, "Elsa" she was 100% sure she knew the answer.  I'm sure everyone else in the room could have answered that question, but I was just so proud of Annah for finally having the confidence to push that buzzer!  

The team came far in that round, but lost 135-130 at the very end.  It was a great match, and a good end to the season.  It was really fun to watch Annah participate with this team!  They all gained confidence, learned a lot, and worked together well.  What a great experience!

------------

We thought Flanagan was a pretty cool school.  The central part of the building is round, and it is just pretty unique inside.  Caeden was enthralled when he saw this phone on the wall.  He was even more excited when we explained that it was a pay phone!  

After the meet, Annah went back to school on the bus, and the rest of us met for a quick supper at McDonald's in Chenoa.  This pay phone was just inside the McD's...We just thought it was funny that we never see pay phones around anymore, then we saw two on the same evening.  I guess there are still some operational in central Illinois!

Spring is here

Well...I think it is safe to say that Spring is here?  The flowers in front of our house think so anyway, and I love to see them!

Although, the giant dirty snow pile across the street from where Jeremy works is still there.  Ew. It was a giant dirty snow mountain before, so it is shrinking, but it's crazy that it is still there at the end of April.  Just more proof of the long and crazy winter we had!  

I spent the day at the school today, rehearsing with all the choirs for their concerts this week.

Mr. R. got a SmartBoard in his classroom last week, and was playing a fun classical music game with his 1st graders.

This evening was the high school choir and band concert.  I enjoyed playing for the choir.  Their songs included O Sifuni Mungu, Beautiful Savior--(acapella, of course), Bridge Over Troubled Water, and their alma mater.  It's such a pleasure to perform with them!

L to R: choir director Mr. R, senior Mackenzie, senior Stephanie, band director Mr. M

These people are so fun, funny, talented, and dear to my heart!!

Chick it out

Caeden's class is participating in the UofI Chick It Out program right now.  They all received cool yellow shirts to wear!

Always have to have the silly shot too!

The eggs arrived a couple weeks ago, and the kids have been turning them in the incubator, numbering them, voting on names, and waiting anxiously.  This week, they've begun to hatch!

This first chick was named Fluffy.

Caeden and his friend Denton checking out the baby chicks.

We get to watch at home too, on the 3rd grade teachers' websites.

Mr. Harms

Mrs. House

Our school community

I remembered this week to check the school website for pictures of the kids and found a few from over the past couple/few months...

Here is Caeden (in camo) playing floor hockey in P.E. class

Caeden's class is learning to play recorders in music!

Caeden's class signing yearbooks

Sylvia and her classmates attended an anti-bullying program put on by the HS National Honor Society.

This wasn't on the school website, but Annah remembered at 9:30 last night that she had a project due in the morning.  She always does her homework the very minute she gets home from school each day, but with the dance on Friday she didn't have time, and forgot until almost the last minute on this one. She had to do a green deed in honor of Earth Day and write a paragraph about how it made her feel.  She wrote about how recycling is something she does every day.

Guitar Recital

Caeden was part of a guitar recital this afternoon.  

When we arrived and saw the program, he was a little nervous that he was performing first!

warming up

Daddy helps distract Caeden from his nervousness...

The recital was in the Jesse Smart Auditorium at The Chateau, which was a lovely space.

Mr. Hull addressed the audience as the recital began.

He played with Caeden on Irish Song.

Whew!  Glad that's over!

We thought Caeden did a good job, and we are so pleased with how he is learning.  Mr. Hull is a wonderful teacher, and we are grateful for his help with Caeden!

Some more sunshine

This afternoon, we all went to town together.  We dropped Jeremy off at the gym and the kids and I went to WalMart.  We bought some clothes needed for upcoming concerts/performances, and went back to pick up Jeremy.

We went to SF Park and enjoyed the beautiful, sunny, afternoon.  The kids wanted to play on the playgrounds at the park.  Jeremy thought it was funny that they still wanted to do that at ages 9, 11, and 13, but I am glad they still enjoy just being kids!!

They are a little silly...

We got in 9 holes on the mini-golf course too.

We always institute a 5-putt maximum, or we'd be there for a week.  ;)

We grabbed a quick supper at Pizza Hut, and went to setup at church.

Caeden does NOT like to help.  He much prefers to hang out with his friend Samuel and play video games on iPad or iPhone while everyone else works.  But, we told him he was going to help tonight.  He did help a little bit, but that was pretty much over once Sammy arrived.  

We tend to grumble and groan at the thought of spending every Saturday night setting up, but once we are there it is always a blessing to be with our church family and work together.

Friday Night Fun

This girl went to her first school dance tonight.  She is part of the student council, which plans the dances.  In the past, she has brought home the permission slip for the dance, and showed  it to us, but has never had the courage to ask to go.  This time, she actually asked, and we told her she could go.  She went early to help decorate for the Hawaiian themed evening.  She wore her daddy's shirt, and no, she did not go with a boy.

Sylvia had Vivace rehearsal, so after I dropped Annah off at the school, we dropped Sylvia off at ISU.  

Caeden and I met Pastor Celia at Cold Stone for some ice cream!  That is a rare treat--Coldstone.  Wow. 

Caeden had chocolate ice cream in a chocolate dipped waffle bowl with sprinkles and Butterfinger and Twix mixed in!  Oh my goodness!!

Pastor Celia had lemon curd ice cream with blueberries.  I had key lime ice cream with coconut.  Gooood stuff!

Some-one was on a bit of a sugar-high after finishing his treat!

He asked if he could run around the building, but instead, I let him run down the sidewalk and back.  Then he spun around the lamp post for a good long time.

We had a lovely time visiting with Pastor Celia, but she needed to get back to her homework and Sylvia needed picked up from rehearsal.  

Jeremy and Pastor Todd planned a MANdate for the church men this evening.  34 guys met for supper at Moe's and then saw Captain America: The Winter Soldier together.  Cool!

We arrived at the school a while before the dance was over, so Sylvia and Caeden played on the playground with a bunch of other kids who were there enjoying the absolutely gorgeous evening.

Napoleon Dynamite and the tetherball...

A few kids who were at the dance came out the end of the school to cool off outside and they said they were playing, "Let It Go" and all the kids at the dance were shouting it at the top of their lungs.  I'm sure Annah was a part of that.  She stayed a few minutes after to help clean up.  She said she danced with her friends and that it was really fun.  She also said her feet hurt from dancing in flip-flops all evening.