More show choir-2018

Show choir season officially ended last week.  The kids are already discussing try-outs for next year.  Here are few pictures.  Carolyn's group this year was called Chaos.  She was proud to be chosen for this new group and had a great year.

Carolyn and her friends:  (Show band wears black - we have fantastic show bands (there are 5 show choirs and a band for each)  She has been friends with Anna (far right) since 2nd grade, Rachel (2nd from left) since 4th grade

Many of the same girls last year when they were all in the same choir.  We couldn't find everyone to redo this picture, but they all remain friends (and in show choir)

Singing (when not humming) the ballad.....there is humming at the beginning when soloists are singing.  (Carolyn far left)

 Dancing....lots of dancing (Carolyn 3rd from left, her buddy Rachel 6th from the left)

 One more of Joel, because he has such a great expression on his face.

Ignition 2018

In a world where you can be anything: Be Kind 

(show theme for 2018)

We enjoyed Ignition Parent Potluck and pre-show experience.  Show choir season opens this Friday and we got a sneak peak.  We loved it.

Joel asked "why did you blow me up so big in this one".   Well because he looks so happy of course.

Ignition Flash Back (Carolyn 2016....clearly they changed uniforms this year....this pic just happened to show the girls, but there were boys as well !)  Carolyn will perform with the high schoolers on Saturday.  

Ice Skating

Our town has a new tiny rink and we love it.  (although the 1st day we went was COLD....the skates were burning a hole in our pocket I guess.....never mind can't make that phrase work in this case...but it gives you the false the sense of urgency once we had purchased the skates)

The newest Helpful Smile in Every Aisle

Here is a picture of Carolyn after she returned from her job interview with HyVee!  She got the job.  Next week she will take a drug test and start bagging groceries.  (Really she will do whatever they need, but you have to start somewhere.  Matthew's bagging groceries 3 days this week before heading back to college....The loot will pay for all his spending money for the next semester!)  I love HyVee!

Festival of Choirs

Our high school holds a gigantic festival of choirs the first week of December.  They invite all the 8-12th graders who are in concert choir at school to participate.  (invite might be the wrong word...more likely a requirement, but fun none the less).  In order to share the concert with all the families and everyone who would like to attend, they repeat the concert 3 times!  It makes for a long weekend, but the concert is lovely.  This was Joel's first year and Carolyn's third year.

This picture doesn't do the concert justice.  Each group goes on stage alone and then there are many times where different choirs sing together and several songs where EVERYONE sings.  They have an adult orchestra accompany the choirs.  It is pretty amazing.  During this picture, everyone is getting ready to sing.  There are kids in the aisles, kids in the wings, kids everywhere (600 kids I think).  During one song the oldest singers have candles, it is lovely.  Clearly there have been no atheists protesting, because there are mostly Christmas hymns.  There was one Hanukkah song thrown in for good measure.  A couple songs in foreign language including Latin and 2 in an African language.  Pretty cool experience.

Our last story-book pumpkin

Anna presents - Hedwig!

Click on the links below to see former story-book pumpkins.  I can't locate Pigwidgeon or the other character we made that year.  (not even sure if it was Ron or Harry!)  I have some missing photo CDs, actually - organizing those beasts is on my "to do list" now that my department is fully staffed and I am going to be working only 3 days a week!!!!

2011 Storybook pumpkins


2012 Storybook pumpkin

June Fun

June was  a month fun of activity for the family......here are the pictures......in no particular order!

Joel, Anna, Joel's buddy and I went to the State Capitol.  It was amazing inside (I had never been).  This adventure was to fulfill a requirement for Citizenship in the Nation merit badge.

After seeing the Capitol and the Ola Miller Babcock building (another Citizenship  requirement.....visit a location on the National Historical Register....The Ola building was conveniently located near the Capitol.....it was a former Iowa Historical Museum and now houses the State Library and legislative offices....not too exciting) we went for lunch at Tacopocalips for lunch.  This cool piano lives on the corner of a downtown street.

June included a bunch of baseball for Joel.  He finished his regular season and now is practicing for the All Star games that will take place this weekend.

Joel unofficially won the "most hit by pitch" award on our team.....ouch......taking one for the team.

Actually on May 31, Carolyn had her buddies over for a post-finals, end of school celebration.  Then at 3:00pm they anxiously found out their Show Choir placements for next year.  Carolyn was excited to be place in "Yet to be Named"  the newest (obviously, given that it has no name) show choir for our school.  I wanted to write a letter to the director, thanking him for making her (and therefore the house) so happy for the summer.  In the end she would have done fine in any choir, but she would have stewed over the summer until show choir camp started if she was placed in a lower choir.....at least I have a very good guess this would have been the case!

Vacation Bible School.....Maker Fun Factory......Carolyn and Joel were crew leaders and Anna had her last year as a participant.  Yep - she will be a crew leader next year - crazy!  Matthew stayed home and cared for the puppy.  (He named the dog a crazy Pokemon name, but we just called the dog "bear")  Joel isn't in the VBS shirt picture below as he left for Scout camp before I took a picture.  (The girls wore their shirts on Sunday to sing a song for the congregation.)  Bear went back for his surgery and I am sure was adopted the next day.....so cute....but all puppy!

Joel was the official Bugler for his troop at scout camp.  It was at Family Night that I realized how badly his trumpet was damaged since I last saw it.  We have since bought another trumpet, but will save the story for another day!

We play more board games in the summer than the entire school year.  One new game for 2017 is Telestrations.....pretty entertaining.  (Think of the "telephone game"  (where on person starts a story and passes it along.......but instead of words use pictures)).

Four Person Chess, another new game for the summer.  I find chess a challenge, this game is over the top hard.  Luckily, I have 4 kids and it isn't called Five Person Chess

Here is Matthew at University of Iowa Orientation (actually at the beginning of the month, followed very closely by Wisdom teeth removal)  Here he is with a real periodic table of the elements.  Right up his alley, although he isn't going to take chemistry until Spring.