March Happenings

Good news.  I finally finished my Sports Psychology class!  (It only took three months longer than expected.) So, the past two weeks have involved a lot more studying than usual as I prepped for my final exam.  And in my life, more studying = less blogging.  Now I'm at the point where I just need to throw a whole bunch of pics into one post and call it good.

Here we go.

Soccer

B's spring soccer has started up.  He's on the same team as his fall season and most of the players have returned.  They're off to a great start, winning their first three games. B prefers to play defender.  But his coach has been playing him as forward. He's finding his way.

 Some of the action shots from the first part of the season.

Game Night

We invited a bunch of friends over to play games.  Lots of fun.  

Andrew and Steve were co-champions of the night, with three wins each.

St. Patrick's Day

We don't have a whole lot of green in our wardrobes.  If you look really closely, you can see a green stripe in Whit's dress, some olive green in Care Bear's skirt, and I think B-train put a green sticker on his hand.  Enough to avoid pinching.   

 I also got to help out in C's classroom for their St Patrick's Day party. I love her cute little classmates.  Since most of them remembered me from my dental pep talk last month, they were all excited to show me their teeth and tell me how well they're brushing.  Cuties.

Our green and gold snack

Ready to go outside and play "Supergirls and Bad Boys"

 Camping

The first weekend of the month, the boys went on a campout with the scouts.  Bless. their. hearts.  It was FREEZING.  Man.  I was so glad to be home with my bed and blankets and furnace.  I'm grateful for Andrew and his willingness to take Brandon out for things like this.

Other than the cold, the boys loved it.

Girls' Night I

While the boys were camping, I stayed home with the girls.  They invited friends over to play, have pizza and watch a movie.

We taught them how to skol. (Danish "cheers")

Super fun.

Girls' Night II

Shelley and I got to cash in on our Christmas presents--tickets to Wicked in Charlotte.  Yippee!  We had a great time chatting in the car and eating at Cheesecake Factory. But we were both SO excited for the show itself.

The stage--with a dragon and a sparkling Emerald City.

Anxiously waiting.

LOVED the show

I already want to go back.

I had a hard time believing *this* was the best photo op

in the theater...but it was.  No big posters around.  Boo.

 But, some sweet older ladies let us borrow their green boas

to add to the ambiance.  Fun!

Easter concert

Brandon and I got to attend a free Easter concert by Bel Canto Company.  It was in a gorgeous church.

Loved the stained glass.

  The doors reminded me of Denmark.

The singing was heavenly.  Amazing.  Inspiring.  And also in German.  Thankfully, the program had the English translation, so we followed the story of the Savior's last week just fine.  Alas, the concert was a bit long for an 11-year-old boy's taste, so we left at intermission.  But I was glad to have a little date with B and for the small taste of feeling cultured. 

The talented Miss Whitney

Every year, our elementary school has a talent show.  It's a pretty big deal.  We've gone to watch a couple of times.  There is always a BIG turnout and it's fun to see what talents the students share.

This year, Whitney decided she wanted to audition.  She wrote a song on the piano over the last few months and wanted to play it.  I was proud of her for her courage to try out.  And also nervous of how she would feel if she didn't get in.  But she made it!  She practiced her song and was ready to go!

With one of her best friends (also a pianist)
at dress rehearsal.

All dressed up for the big night!

The stage was set.
There must have been 300 people there.
Talk about pressure!
She had some butterflies, but handled them beautifully.

She did such a great job!

I was a proud mama.

For Grandmas and Grandpas that live on the other side of the country,

here is her self-composed piece, "Springtime Sun."

Several friends came to watch her, which meant a lot.  We went out to Sweet Frog, a yummy frozen yogurt bar, afterward. 

 We'll see if the future holds more music composition for Whit.

Through his eyes

Brandon absolutely loves his ipod.  It has been one of the best gifts he's ever received and he looks forward to using it every single day.  I went through his photos the other day.  He cracks me up.  Here is a glimpse into the photo-documentation of a tween boy.

I love this kid.