Winter Parties 3rd & 5th Grades

 Shelby's class had a snowball fight with cotton balls.  Girls vs boys.  

 Mrs. Brandon & Mrs. Ryan got in on the fun!

 Morgan's class parties always include some crazy experiment.

Christmas Tree Decorating with Nonny Moe

My parents came down this weekend to watch Ashley coach basketball, so we fit in the annual tree decorating before they headed home.  Shelby wanted a new bow for her tree topper this year so I took her last night to pick something out.  She first set her eyes on a bow the color of her room, but decided to stick with the traditional red and white to go with the majority of her ornaments.

She would put an ornament on the tree and then back out to her doorway to see how it looked as you walk in the room.

she stole my scarf

She wondered if her tree could be seen from the street so she put on her rain boots and jacket and went out while it was pouring to see

playing in the puddles

done!

When we met up with the girls after church for us and Sunday School for them, Morgan was crying.  Finally got it out of her that she didn't feel good.  She had a headache and her throat hurt.  So she landed on the couch when we got home and stayed there all afternoon/evening.  She agreed to let my mom decorate it.  

With Thanksgiving this week, hopefully this sickness is short lived and stops at Morgan.  It pretty much came out of nowhere so that makes me nervous.  Last year when Nonny came to do the trees the first weekend in December, she fell on our stairs and needed surgery.  So it has been a few years since we have had a "normal" weekend of tree decorating.  

Shelby's First Orchestra Concert

Shelby had her first Orchestra Concert to show family how much they have learned in about 3 months.  I must admit I was surprised by how much it actually sounded like music!

 Each musician picked a special someone to sit next to them.  The student played the song and then took a few minutes to teach the special someone and then they got a turn to play.  They did a good job too!  The songs started at the beginning with finger plucking and they worked their way up to the bow.

Shelby and Daddy - her special someone

 Daddy's Turn

 Nate's Dad and Martha drove up for the concert.  Papa Russell was a math teacher in his early working days.  He happened to sit next to some random girl doing her homework.  I think he enjoyed helping her just as much if not more than listening to the concert. :)

 teaching the bow

They all did great.  They have 2 more concerts.  March and May.  I can't wait to hear how much they improve.  

Whoa! So. Far. Behind. Period.

The calendar says an entire summer vacation has passed me by since the last time I updated this blog.  I need to go back to April and Morgan's birthday, Easter, Shelby's birthday, birthday party, end of the school year, summer theater, summer vacations and now a new school year.  So, for anyone dropping by to read, be sure to browse back and see what kind of fun I have been hoarding!  I will post date to the dates of the events.  Stay tuned....

A Whale of a Tale

A Whale of a Tale 

by Morgan

(This little gem was written at school)

One day Trey my pet goldfish was dancing!  Wow!  I thought Amazing!  Everyday twenty four seven he dances.  I am glad I have a goldfish but probably not all goldfishes can do this I said.  One week later Trey was practicing.  He was doing a flip and he fell on his side and broke his fin.  Crash. :(  I was really scared and for a moment I didn't remember where the fish hospital in Seafood Island was.  Then I remembered! :)  I rushed him to the fish hospital and they checked X-rays on his fin and they said he broke it.  He got it off 6 weeks later and started dancing!  Then we went home.  By the way we live behind the coral.  But he was as sad as a dancer that couldn't dance because he couldn't be in the Seafood Island talent show.

Morgan turns 8!!!!!!!!

Just two days after Easter Sunday, Morgan turned 8!  Her choice for breakfast was donut balls from Dunkin Donuts.  So up and at 'em early so we could get a little celebrating in before school.  I have a summer birthday so on one hand I never got to be the birthday girl on my "actual" birthday at school, but on the other hand I didn't have a school day interrupt my birthday!

Not long after blowing out the candle, the delivery man arrived with the annual plant and balloon from Nonny Moe.

Full speed ahead into opening gifts.  

First up was a Nerf Rebel Bow & Arrow

 from Shelby a Muppets book and safety glasses for the Nerf gun fights

 a new bag

After school we ate supper at her choice of the Olive Garden.  We had a cool waitress who gave her a cup full of their after dinner mints!  At home we had M& M Cookie Cake...... that had a lot of pink frosting!

When daddy came home from work he brought birthday greetings from the baseball team complete with balloons, handmade birthday cards and baseball stadium and another cookie cake!

What a day and lucky 8 year old!

Easter 2014

As I sit in the library waiting for the girls, I decided to see where I needed to get caught up on the blog.  With Easter approaching this year, I thought it would be a good idea to post about last year!
Easter is the one holiday we try to stay home.  Nate always has games on Saturday so that limits our travel time and we go out of town for the other major holidays.  The girls searched for their baskets of treasure before church and then we stuffed ourselves at Tony Roma's for Easter brunch/lunch. The girls had liked it from Ashley's after wedding party and since Nate wasn't there that day, they wanted him to experience Tony's too.

As I post this almost a year later, it is hard to remember much about the day.  But I do remember the clothes.  The girls and I drove to East Peoria to get Morgan's yellow shirt at their Target.  I remember always getting a new dress for Easter growing up.  Easter was the only time I would possibly wear a hat to church.  I'm pretty sure I remember their shoes being an issue.  Spring is my least favorite time of the year since it is so unpredictable what the weather will be like and what dress/shoes are going to work.  And chances are shoes from last spring no longer fit.  And then those new shoes that worked for the 30 seconds in the store while they tried them on suddenly don't work half way through church....... oh the challenges of being a girl!

Ashley Gets Married

Ashley and Erik decided to go the simple route and get married at the courthouse.  The girls and I along with my parents joined them and Erik's family as their guests.

the happy couple 

After the wedding we had a nice dinner at Tony Romas.  The girls had fun and more fun with each cheery coke refill they brought in these ginormours glasses.  I was the cake cutter.  I had ribs so I got to wear the fancy bib.  And it was freezing in the sun room without any sun so I left the bib on for some warmth.

Congratulations Ashley and Erik!

Upwards Basketball & Cheerleading 2014

Upwards Basketball and Cheerleading is where it appears I need to begin my attempt to get this blog caught up.  Shelby played basketball for the same coach she's had all along and Morgan was a cheerleader on a new team with a new coach.  This was the first year Shelby played in the big high school gym and that was quite an adjustment.  Their team was kind of the underdog being over matched in size and overall experience and ability.  Needless to say, watching her games was enough to give me a heart attack while her dad would sit there and not say a word.  I wasn't able to get any good action shots of her playing.

I think she was doing the Tim Tebow here

 And Morgs looks so cute in a cheerleading uniform and isn't afraid of the crowd at all.  It didn't take long for her to adjust and fit in to her new squad which half of them have been together in the past.

Here is a video of a floor cheer.  Morgan is in the back center.  And in true Morgie fashion ends up on her rear at the end.