Homecoming Game Night

Today is school spirit day.  All ready for the game tonight!

Even thought it's still hovering above 90 degrees, Sylvia put up our fall mantel decor this week in hopes summoning the fall weather.

The band formed a tunnel for the football team and played the school fight song while they ran through it onto the field.

 Several people we love were on the senior homecoming court.

Annah, practicing the anthem with Addie and Allison in the box beforehand...

My 2 senior voice students/"adopted daughters" Addie and Allison, and Annah sang The Star Spangled Banner.  They've all taken turns singing it solo or together or in various combinations of them at various sporting events over the last few years, but they've always wanted to do a version with good harmony.  I bought the sheet music for this arrangement a year ago, and finally this week they made time to put it together.  I think they did a lovely job.  

Allison is singing the lead/soprano part, Annah is singing the middle harmony, and Addie is singing the difficult alto harmony part.  I stood inside the box behind them, and they asked for the windows to be closed so the echo wouldn't come back at them. 

We love it when the band does the monster stomp for the crowd!

Caeden's buddies, Logan and Dakota, came to sit with him in the stands.  

Annah was really excited that the band got to play from the end zone several times tonight when the team scored in the first half!

And, their halftime performance was really good!
(VIDEO):  (Please excuse the extra shakiness while I moved up 3 rows to the top of the stands at the beginning of the video.)

The football game itself was pretty exciting!  No one got hurt!  And RHS won their homecoming game for the first time in 4 years!

SaveSave

We got Spirit

Thursday of homecoming week was Class Color Day.  The sophomore class wears RED!

 Sylvia and Caeden and I got to be part of our new Thursday night worship service at church--The AWE Sessions.  Sylvia helped in the nursery tonight.  Caeden got to be part of a group in the service.  Also, we now have a full band on Thursday nights.

And the service includes Bible storytelling, which is so cool!  Tonight, Pastor Angela started at the beginning and told the story of creation and Adam and Eve.  We had discussion groups, and talked about how we look for awe in all the wrong places instead of in God.

RHS Homecoming week

This week is Ridgeview's homecoming week, and Annah is having such fun with the dress-up days.  The theme for Homecoming this year is "Ridgeview's Red Carpet Affair."

Monday was "I woke up like this"/Pajama Day.

She took Sherbet, her rainbow teddy bear to school with her.

Annah, Taylor, Kathryn, Shelby, and Alexis in their pj's in the band room

Tuesday was Multiplicity Day, and Annah and Alexis dressed alike as "basic white girls."  

I hope no one was offended.  

Wednesday (today) was Hollywood day, and they were supposed to dress as their favorite movie star.  Annah chose to be Ariel from The Little Mermaid.  We had fun using red spray in her hair, and think she looks pretty good as a redhead!

This evening was the homecoming parade through Colfax.  All the rescue workers from the surrounding villages and towns started off the parade.

We went for the band.  :)  (Annah is right under the 'R' of the sousaphone cover.)

For the parade, Mr. Marchese arranged the Little Einsteins theme song.  These goofy kids sing that song all the time, so he made them a cool arrangement of it and they played it!

After the parade and before the introduction of the fall sports teams and homecoming court, the band performed their show.  We watched it from the fence at field level this time, which was different.  But, I could hear and see Annah the whole time!

The Charlie Brown's shirt backdrops are on the field!  Annah helped paint them, and Jeremy and I and several other band parents will be helping haul, hold, dismantle, and load them at upcoming band competitions.

VIDEO:

From one Star Wars boy to another

Caeden's Star Wars obsession is pretty well known by those around us, and he has shared some great conversations with other fans.  

Our friend Ben recently decided to get rid of all his Star Wars action figures.  He is getting ready to move and didn't want to sell them, but wanted them to go to someone he know would enjoy them as much as he did.  He chose Caeden as the lucky recipient of most of them.

Caeden did give him a little bit of money, 

but surely nothing close to what Ben could've made selling the items.

There're some really cool ships--about each of which Caeden can tell you ridiculously obscure details.  (I don't even know how to spell the names of them.  For example, he is holding Sebulba's pod racer in this picture.  I do know who Sebulba is, and remember the pod racing scene in one of the  newer movies, but I had to Google how to spell Sebulba.)

Lots of cool characters, and even some trading cards.

And one very happy boy.

I hope one day he will learn how to give to bless others, without thinking of his own gain.

Thank you, Ben.

God sent me butterflies!

What a beautiful day it was today!  (Still too hot for autumn, but it was gorgeous nonetheless.)  I was very tired all day (A combination of the weather and allergies and not enough sleep.), so when I took Annah back to church for youth group after her violin lesson, I decided to pull the car into a shady spot in the parking lot and take a nap!  When I woke up, I was facing this big patch of weeds/wildflowers next to the parking lot...

I see/ignore this area every time I'm at church.  However, today I saw movement and realized there were butterflies flitting around the yellow flowers.

VIDEO:
I got out of the car, and took my phone and camera with me.  I happened to have my good camera and even my macro telephoto lens with me.  What a blessing.  

I spent the next hour grinning and giggling and thanking God for the gift of these butterflies. I felt like He put them there for me today, to remind me that change is beautiful.  

They looked like they were playing, and it made me so happy to watch them.  I have always loved butterflies, but I don't think I've ever seen so many monarchs in one place!  There were dozens and dozens of them!

I wasn't sure I was getting any good pictures, but I'm thankful I did.  Many of these photos are completely unedited.  (Some are edited for extreme effects.)