Rockin' America

 It was time for the annual Spring chorus show! These kids have been attending tons of rehearsals to get ready. They put on 2 daytime performances for the other students, and one nighttime performance for the families. This show's theme was Rockin' America...singing American songs from the 50's to today's hits.

 Cooper has enjoyed being in chorus this year, especially with some of his friends, including Westin.

 He was also happy that the 4th graders were able to get speaking parts this year...

 and a dance medley...

Mrs. McBride always does such a fantastic job with these shows! I don't know how she handles all 125 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders that participate, but she knows her passion and I'm so thankful that she shares it with our kids!

Family Lunch Day

Today was family lunch  day at Tony Tobin. Mimi has always been able to join us for this fun day, but this year with so much going on she just couldn't get here.  She felt awful, but Cooper understood. She even sent him a card and Subway gift card to make up for it!
Luckily, Joe had the day off. Since I was teaching 2nd grade, he picked up lunch, got Cooper out of his class, and the 3 of us were able to have lunch together out on the field. It was a scorcher of a day, but we had a nice time together in the shade!

It felt a little strange not having Zoe at school with us. We sure miss her at the elementary school!

New Pointe Shoes!

It is time for Zoe to retire her first pair of pointe shoes! She sure has worked hard, dedicating more and more hours of her week to get better and better. Mimi decided to treat Zoe to her new shoes for her upcoming birthday. Since we had the day off of school (thanks to budget cuts and furlough days), we met Mimi up at a dance store in Anaheim that has a larger selection of shoes than our local store.

 This time around was a much easier process than the first time. She knew what she didn't like about her other shoes and what she was looking for in a new shoe. As dancers grow, change, and learn, their needs are different which means a different shoe.

 These seemed to be a good fit!

 After finding her shoes, she was able to go on a mini-shopping spree for a few more leotards, skirts, and tights. We told her she could use her new shoes for pointe class tonight, but had to save the dance clothes until her birthday. She was so excited to have her new shoes and couldn't wait to get to class! Cooper, on the other hand, couldn't wait to get out of this store! The dance store is definitely not his favorite place to be. It's tough to be a brother sometimes. :)  Luckily, after a stop for lunch, he was able to leave with Mimi and go spend a couple of days with Jax at her house!

 Since Zoe's first pair of pointe shoes are so special to her, we decided to mount them in a shadow box and hang on her wall. I think it turned out pretty neat!

 This will probably be the first of many pairs over the years if she decides to keep pursuing this passion. I think we will both always treasure this first pair!

Open House Night

Open House is one of my favorite events at school. This year, there was only one classroom to go to though since there is no open house for the middle school. :(
I love seeing all of the work that the kids have put so much effort into throughout the year. Cooper has a lot of pride in his work, and it is neat to watch him show us everything he has done.

 We went through the portfolio to see many of his Meet the Master Art Projects. We also went through his memory book which contained many more projects, poems, and writings, including their recent 4th Grade Mission Report.

 We also went around the room with Cooper to see more fun work!

 One of my favorites is the glyphs, where they create a paper person based on different characteristics about themselves.

 I also loved this personal seal they each made. They came up with a motto for themselves. Cooper chose "Effort" which I think is perfect since he always gives his best effort on everything he does. They also drew pictures of the things they love, and their pets. Along with our 3 dogs, he drew a basketball, an X-box controller (he's really hoping for an X-box for his upcoming birthday!), a scooter, and the beach.

We sure are going to miss Mrs. Rogers next year. She has been a wonderful teacher to Cooper!

Projects!

Between state testing and finals, Zoe has been inundated with projects. Her last one of the school year was a poster board presentation on Tornadoes. She did the whole thing on her own, down to creating her tornado with glue, sand, and debris.

Great job Zoe...less than 3 weeks to go!

Coop's day...

Happy Baptism Anniversary Day Cooper! You are blessing to us every day! I'm thankful that one of your favorite desserts is brownies, so we were able to whip up a delicious batch to enjoy after dinner.

California Day!

The 4th graders participated in California Day today. They dressed up in old time California wear and spent the day rotating through different activities related to our state's history.
Cooper really wanted to have a mustache and beard, so we pieced together an old Abe Lincoln beard set we had and off he went!

 Cooper's group started out in the Pioneer Living center. They learned all about what life was like "back in the old days."

 They were able to practice laundry skills,

 how to shave,

 combing sheep's wool,

 and several other activities such as grinding corn, rolling out dough, and panning for gold!

Their next rotation was branding, where they were able to design their own brand from pipe cleaners.

 They moved on to the Virginia Reel, square dancing. This was where I was stationed as a volunteer all day. Jenny and I had a lot of fun instructing these kids and watching which ones were into it, and which ones wanted no part of it! Overall, most of them had a pretty good time.

 After a quick lunch, and snack of tortillas, Cooper's group finished up at the mosaic station, where they creating works of art with their mini paper scraps.

It was a fun day for the kids to get out of their normal routine. After all the state and district testing over the last few weeks, they deserved a break!

Mom's Day

I was a very spoiled mom today!! My family made sure I felt special and very loved.

I got store bought, and home-made cards full of loving messages (and a few gift cards!)

 I also got a brand new printer! My old one has been dying a long, slow death, and had become very frustrating to use on a daily basis. I couldn't have been more excited! I also got a gift certificate for a spa day which I can hopefully use very soon!

Then it was off to Mimi and Gramp's house for the afternoon. Once again, I was spoiled with gifts...a new watch, shoes, and gift card for some shopping. Thanks Mom!!
After trying to figure out what we could do for food, so my mom and I wouldn't end up spending the day cooking and cleaning, we decided to order catering platters from Rubios. It worked out perfectly and we enjoyed a great spread of food!

 Greg flew in from New Orleans for the weekend, and it was so nice to spend a little time with him!

 Jeff and Cathy are in the middle of renovating and moving into their new house, but they took a quick break to eat with us!

 Poppe was feeling well enough to join us for a little while too! It was nice to see him up and around for a bit.

 My dad is also in the middle of a big move of the computer business, so we spent a little time going over the architect's drawings of the new location.

 We certainly couldn't leave before enjoying a nice dessert spread too.

It was great day spent with family, and I feel so blessed to celebrate the day as a mom, and with my mom!

Masterful dancing!

Oregon Ballet Theater performed at the Old Town Temecula Theater this weekend. Thankfully, they offered the dancers at Dunamix tickets to the show. Zoe and I were looking forward to watching these beautiful dancers in action that we have heard so much about.

We met a bunch of her friends at the theater after their classes to watch this stunning show. OBT put on 4 different acts showcasing some of their work. It ranged from classical ballet to paux de dous, to modern and contemporary dance. The girls were very impressed!
After the show, the artistic director of the company came out onstage, along with most of the dancers, for a Q&A session with the audience.

It was a great opportunity for our girls to hear from the dancers about their experiences, listen to the dedication they have to their passion, and the hard work that it takes to become a professional!

Today the dancers had an incredible opportunity to take a Master Class with the director himself. Nicole encouraged her intermediate and advanced dancers to take advantage of this awesome experience.

They had a great time, learned a lot, and had a wonderful experience together!

Michigan State Spartans Playoffs!!

Cooper's football team has had a successful season. They ended the regular season with a 7-3 record. Cooper spent the entire season as quarterback on offense, and either blitzer or defensive back on defense. The Spartans felt good heading into playoffs and were excited at their competition. This group of boys have grown so much since the beginning of the season and have worked really hard to get to this point.
Their first playoff game was against Alabama, who we had lost to earlier in the season. Our boys came out strong and played one of their best games ever. Since I haven't been very good about getting pictures this season, I was glad I had my camera to get a few action shots of this phenomenal game!

Gotta love this smile through the mouthguard!

 The Spartans shut out Alabama 20-0! Cooper had one of his best games ever as quarterback, and caught an awesome interception that led to a touchdown on defense.

The next game was against Ohio State. This was the team to beat, as they are all Pop Warner tackle players that have been together for 3 years. We knew the competition was going to be tough, and they did several extra practices to prepare.

Cooper was co-captain for the game...

Unfortunately, the Spartans just didn't come together like they usually do. Although they all had some good plays, they also made some mistakes, and were out-played. We ended up losing 20-6. It was a tough loss, but these coaches and parents were very proud!

Making it to the semi-finals in this division is quite an accomplishment, especially for a team that was brand new to each other. We couldn't have asked for a better group of boys, quality of coaches, and nice families. We are looking forward to our final gathering for a pizza party to celebrate a great season!

A few weeks ago I took a little video to get some playing action of Cooper as QB...

Great job Spartans...we are so proud of you!