Bree's Winter Choir Concert

December 13, 2010

Two Mondays in a row of winter choir concerts. Bree's winter concert is a huge production involving all of the high school choirs, the orchestra, and the band. This isn't much different from Danielle's choir concert, except that these are kids who, by and large, choose to be in these organizations (rather than participating because their parents think it would be 'fun'). Most of these kids have been refining their talent for several years by this time, and the level of performance professionalism is quite impressive. They sounded great!

Bree, Nicole Meister, and Simone Leighty

Bree and me
Bree and Macie Mellor

Bree, Shelby Jett, Alberto Martin, and Austin Woodard
Austin and me

Maddy Roubicek's solo

Austin and Dhan
Emily Blake, Natalie Meier, and Kendra Carlson

Nicole, Simone, and Maddy
Anna Haines and Macie Mellor
Shelby and Bree

Kaitlyn, Mallory, Layla, Bree, and Shelby
Macie and her parents, Greg and Cindi

Robotics Tournament

December 11, 2010

Once again, Nicholas competed in the Lego Robotics league this year. This will be his last year in this league; next year they move up to real robots and a much bigger playing field. He competed on a team with a few of his old friends who've worked with him before--Robbie and Ryan--and several new team members who had been a part of another team last year. We were lucky enough to get our friend Dave Locher to be the boys' coach, assisted by Jeff Janzen. As I have said before, getting a housefull of adolescent boys to focus, even for a short while, can be a bit like herding puppies or wrestling alligators. It's an adventure, to be sure, but can be a little fruitless on occasion and even slightly dangerous at times. And yet, these men, Dave and Jeff, signed themselves up for the task.



Oure team was called the Waffle Doctors this year. The challenge focus was Biomedical Technology/Engineering, hence the Doctors. Waffles? Mainly because Ryan likes waffles, and he was an avid advocate of including them in the team name. Random? Yup. But not so unexpected, if you know these boys. See the lab coats we had made for the competition? They even made me, Team Mom, Administrator for the 'interns' and M.D.s. Not bad for organizing snacks, huh?

The 8th grade contingent of the team: Robbie, Ryan, and Nicholas


The boys put a lot of time and effort into the design and programing of their robot. Unfortunately, our playing table didn't exactly cooperate with us, so we didn't fare as well as we had hoped in the actual competition, despite having had a couple of good runs in practice. They weren't too disappointed, though. They knew they had put their best effort in. We also took them out for a tasty team dinner afterwards, so they were pretty happy about that. Teenaged boys with full bellies equals contented kids.

Tea Time for Senior Drama Students

December 11, 2010

Bree's drama teacher hosted a tea for all the senior drama students at her home on Saturday. Apparently, they got up close and personal with the horses and climbed trees in addition to drinking tea. It appears these are the only pictures--I had to swipe them from one of her friends, since she didn't take any pictures while she was there. Looks like they had fun!

Danielle's Birthday Party

December 11, 2010

Danielle celebrated her birthday with a sleepover at home this year. She invited eight girls, six of whom stayed the night. Twelve year old girls are easy to entertain, so we had a great time. We started off with pizza, naturally, and then the girls jumped into the pool, which we heated up just for the occasion. They all thought it was pretty cool to get to go swimming in December!
Afterward, they all came back in and got in their jammies to decorate sugar cookies. There were sprinkles and frosting and all sorts of candy they could decorate with, and they all got quite colorful with their designs. They were also fascinated with the decorating gel, which had very concentrated color--they were almost as interested in decorating their tongues as they were the cookies.

One of Danielle's girlfriends had a party where they did a game they had seen on the TV show "Minute to Win it." The object of the game--a race--is to place an oreo cookie on your forehead and move it down to your mouth to eat using only facial muscles. First one to drop the cookie into her mouth is the winner. (You know you want to try it--it sounds easier than it looks!) Danielle was really good at the game; I couldn't believe how fast she was able to move that cookie down her face. Maybe she's been practicing without me knowing it. And I thought Nicholas had been sneaking cookies during the week!

We also played a few rounds of soccer bingo--a holdover from the soccer party that we had a couple of weeks ago. Danielle thought it was so fun that she requested we do it again at her birthday party. I had picked up several little prizes the girls could choose from when they won, and we played long enough for each girl to come away with a little treat.

After that Danielle opened her presents, and then the girls settled in to watch the movie "Ramona and Beezus." By the time the movie was over, they were definitely ready to snuggle in their sleeping bags and go to sleep. There was only about fifteen minutes or so of giggling and chatting before they dropped off one by one.

The next morning, they all woke up bright and early, and as their parents came by to retrieve them, they excitedly told their parents how much fun it was to get to swim at night and decorate cookies as a craft. All in all, I'd say it was a pretty successful, if low-key, birthday party!

Danielle's Choir and Band Concert

December 11, 2010

Last Monday night I attended what might very well be the longest Winter Concert I have ever attended. Mind you, all of my kids have been in either choir, band, or both, so I've been to a few concerts. I was in band and choir myself as a kid, so add all of those to my total number of concerts as well. And yes, I do believe this one took the cake.

Oh, I can hear you all designing and forging my Bad Mom medal as I'm writing this. I feel terrible mom guilt for not yelling, "That was the best concert ever, and my baby was the star of the show!" from the rooftops. However, as my husband said, the parents don't even have enough of an attention span for the length of concert we went to, let alone the children. We listened to choir, then beginning strings, a couple of solos, and then advanced strings. After that the beginning band was on, and the advanced band closed. There was lots of banter introducing each number as well, stretching out the numbers of minutes those kids fidgeted in their chairs up on that stage.

Don't get me wrong; I love to go see my kids demonstrate their skills, whatever skills those may be. I've been to choir and band and soccer and robotics and Destination Imagination and drama performances. I've cheered at softball and at dance recitals, and been first in line at the History Day and Science Fair presentations. I'm semi-pro when it comes to being a cheerleader, really I am. I wouldn't miss my kids' events for the world. I'm also not a fan of people coming to see their own kid and sneaking out (sometimes not so stealthily) when their portion of the show is over. (Besides, it wouldn't have been an option in this case, since Danielle was in the very first performance group and the very last. How'd they manage to orchestrate that?) But please, can't we all agree that if a show goes on, at the elementary level at least, for more than an hour we should cut it into two shows? Say, all the beginning groups on one night and all the advanced groups on another? Or band and orchestra on one night an choir on another? Yes, that means some of us, including me, would be signing on for an extra evening of being at the school, but I think it would be worth the trade-off.

The upside, of course, is that Danielle had a great time, looked adorable, and was thrilled to see Doug, me, and her dad all in attendance. Her big smile and hug at the end of the concert made up for the painfully uncomfortable and too tightly close together chairs we had to sit in for the duration of the concert. In the end, although I'm venting here, it's all worth it to see her feeling so proud of herself. But I'm still gonna lobby for that one hour rule, anyway.

Teenaged Boys are Like Attention-Challenged Puppies

December 10, 2010

For Nicholas' 14th birthday party this year (just like the previous three), we let him invite seven of his good friends to join him at Laser Quest to play a few rounds of laser tag. What can I say? Boys are creatures of habit. I don't think he even considered any other kind of party--he and his friends love that place! Running around, sweating up a storm, attacking each other from secret sniper positions, forming alliances (and then breaking them)--makes them feel manly and powerful, I guess. I think that's why Doug, Steve, and Justin all like to join them, too. The big boys play just as hard. Me? I have a tendancy to scream like a girl when I get tagged with a laser, attracting the attention of all the other would-be shooters in the vicinity. Let's just say I would not make a good ninja. I'm a lover, not a fighter.

The boys, however, as I have said, were in seventh heaven. Before we even took them to play laser tag, we treated them all to burgers and fries at Colorado Grill, so they got their carnivore itch scratched before they went on their hunting mission. Yup, we cater to the basic boy needs here. And the gifts? Star Wars, video games, and Nerf guns. More adventure, more hunting, more competition. And he completely loved it.

Someday, Nicholas will turn his thoughts away from Star Wars and Legos and Nerf guns . He'll start thinking about girls and driving, and even going off to college someday. In the meantime, I'm going to go ahead and enjoy the unbridled joy those boys find in the invincibility of fighting for the position of king of the laser world for as long as it lasts.

Edward, Collin, and Nicholas at Colorado Grill
Robbie, Ryan, Daniel, Nicholas, Collin, Edward, and Nolan--Warrior Boys
Gift from Doug and Me. I think Doug had just as much fun picking it out as Nicholas did unwrapping it.

End of the Year Party--Garfield Dynomite

December 10, 2010

We had Garfield Dynomite's end of the year party not long ago. We all went out for pizza at Jake's Pizzeria. When the coaches handed out trophies and team pictures, they said something nice about each of the girls and how they contributed to the team. Coach Roger and Coach Bob both said that Danielle had definitely saved a few games for us by being an aggressive and active goalie all season.
As team mom, I organized a game of "Soccer Bingo" that the girls all got to play. They were pretty excited about getting to win prizes. One of the dads who is a professional photographer put together a slideshow of 300 pictures he'd taken over the course of the season, and he burned a copy of the pictures on disks to give to each of the girls. We also had taken up a collection to give each of the coaches a gift certificate to a local restaurant, so they could take their wives out to dinner to make up for all the time they spent away from their own families to volunteer their time coaching our girls.
I was really excited to have every single girl be able to make it for the end of the year party to celebrate their season. It was really a great group of girls and a great group of parents. Although I won't miss the early morning Saturday games, I really am going to miss all of these kids!

Raquel and Danielle


Ruslana, Alyssa, and Micaylah
Brynn and Chrissy

Heartbroken

December 6, 2010

It it a parent's worst nightmare--my worst nightmare--the thought of losing a child. But it does happen, can happen, in the blink of an eye. My cousin Todd and his wife Paige, I learned this weekend, lost one of their three beautiful children on Saturday in a tragic car accident. Paige and the other two children were taken to a hospital and later were released. Carter, sweet little boy only six years old, was taken to the trauma hospital but did not survive.

I did not know Carter well. He lives in another state, so I only met him once on a visit with extended family. But it doesn't matter. He was family, and he was a little boy, full of life and energy and spirit. My heart grieves for him, and for his sweet and beautiful mama, his daddy, his brother, his sister, his grandma, his aunts, and all of his family and friends who knew his smile and his laughter. I can't fathom the weight of his loss on all of those people, I can't begin to imagine how his mom and dad will get up and make their way through each successive day, feeling the void left behind. But they will. They will go on. For themselves, and for Cooper and Maggie, who have lost their brother. And for Carter. Especially for Carter. I pray for the strength for them to get through these next few days, and then every one after that, one day at a time. I pray they'll find themselves at a place where they can remember Carter's life and smile through their pain.

Makes me want to go hug my kids right now, because you just never know. These children we've been given are a gift, and much as we'd like, we have no idea how long they are ours to keep.

Rest in peace, Carter. You are loved and will be remembered always.

June 15, 2004-December 4, 2010

Time Flies--These November Birthdays Are Killin' Me

December 1, 2010

When she was born, she had a shock of jet black hair sticking straight up like a kewpie doll. Now, she's got long, thick, golden brown hair cascading down her back.

When she was one she was just learning to walk, haltingly, hesitatingly. Now she sprints across the goalie box, diving and rolling to make the save in soccer.

When she was two she didn't talk much, but she made up for it in spirit and energy. Now, though she chatters away, she still can convey so much without uttering a sound.

When she was three she loved Disney and dancing. Now, she's a budding artist and singer.

When she was four she loved her Carebear, unable to go to sleep at night without him. Now, Carebear is lovingly tucked away, a nostalgic reminder of "when she was little."

When she was five, she eagerly made her way off to school. Now, she's nearly ready to head off to the big world of junior high.

When she was six she loved Blues Clues and Bear in the Big Blue House. Now she's graduated to iCarly and George Lopez.

When she was seven she discovered her love of reading. Now she can't wait to dig into new series and meet new characters.

When she was eight, she was still shy and sometimes unsure. Now, I see a confidence growing within her.

When she was nine she discovered drama, and realized she enjoyed being on stage. Now, she's been in three drama productions and hopes to continue on through high school.

When she was ten, she really began to show some independence. Now, she chafes at being called a little kid, eager to show us what she can accomplish.

When she was eleven, it was yesterday. And now, suddenly, she's twelve, and ready to take on the world.

Happy Birthday, Miss Danielle, and thanks for still wanting me to sing you to bed with a lullaby at night.