School

Good luck everyone with Finals Week!

Tonight, Kirstyn had her Winter chorus concert and they really nailed it.  They sounded so good and we were really impressed!

Even the boys were quiet and listened!  That’s a pretty big feat!  Great job Kirstyn!

Over the past 2 days,  Metea had their annual Collage concert.  Brittany participated in it and as always, the event was top notch and absolutely WONDERFUL!  It is no wonder that District 204 is awarded “Grammy Gold” status in the high schools almost every single year.  The talent is absolutely amazing!  Brittany’s orchestra did a fabulous job.  Due to scheduling an “behavior concerns,” Angela and Zach went together last night, and and Kirstyn and I went tonight.

Great job Metea!  Go go Mustangs!

Today Pep Band started at Metea.  Brittany is so excited to get back together and make music with many of her fellow marching band friends!

Today we decided to get out of the house and have a day trip together as a family.  We drove up to the temple and let the kids walk around, and then we drove up into Wisconsin to go on a Jelly Belly factory tour.  Before doing that, we drove around Kenosha Wisconsin looking for a place to eat and found a place with some of the best food EVER!  It was called Jack’s Cozy Cafe and was really a dump from the outside (and kind of dumpy inside), but we just loved the food!

Most of us got breakfast food, and the signature Brezza that I got (Croissant Crust topped with sausage gravy, two cheeses, sausage, bacon or ham with onions, green peppers & mushrooms) was to die for.  The huge homemade cinnamon rolls were awesome too!  The owners came out and chatted with us, and we got to give our complements to the chef.  If you’re ever in Kenosha, here’s the link:  http://www.jackscozycafe.webs.com.  Well worth it!

We then went over to the Jelly Belly factory and did the tour.  We had a lot of fun there and the kids really enjoyed it.  I think the last time we did that, Zach and Ben weren’t even around.  🙂  We had fun and made a lot of noise (when we were supposed to) on the little train car that took us around the place.

After the tour, we went into the Jelly Belly store and bought a TON of belly flops and other candy that was pretty cheap!  We also sampled a lot of jelly beans in crazy flavors from pencil shavings, to barf, to dirt and grass.  Here’s the list:  http://www.jellybelly.com/fun_stuff/flavor_guides.aspx

I think we ended up with something like 35 pounds of stuff!   This will make GREAT Christmas and other presents!  🙂

This evening, Brittany had a PIT party for Marching Band.  Although Marching Band has been over for awhile, they still want to get together and have a great time!  Go PIT!

Tonight, all the honor choirs that feed into Waubonsie gathered at the high school for a concert.  They had a clinic beforehand with the high school directors and when they came out and performed, they sounded wonderful!

Great job Kirstyn!  Way to go!  Keep on singing!  You really do sound beautiful!

Today we attended parent/teacher conferences and it was a crazy day.  I went in late for work in order to go in and talk to Brittany’s teachers.   She is working hard and is struggling some, especially in physics (yuck!), but we know she’ll continue to work hard and try!  Tonight we went to Gombert and Still for Zach and Kirstyn’s conferences as well.  We are really proud of our kids and how hard they are working.  This district, being one of the best in the nation, is really challenging, but it is preparing our kids for the harder things to come!  🙂

Tonight, Kirstyn had a chorus concert with all the grades participating.  She did a GREAT job and they sounded wonderful!

After each grade sang, they had a combined choral number with everyone and it was very cool.  The only drawback is that they only have the gym to sing in.  Had this been in a full auditorium, the sound would have been amazing.  What a great district we live in that has such a great support of the arts!

Tonight, Zach had his 3rd Grade Musical at Gombert.  He did a GREAT job and said his part wonderfully!  Unfortunately, we didn’t get any good pictures (or can’t find them).  We always enjoy going to these events.  You just never know what you’re going to get and see.  It’s funny to watch how the kids perform!  🙂  The fun thing is that most just don’t care who’s watching them.  They just kind-of do what they want to do.  : -)

Tonight Kirstyn had a band concert at Waubonsie High School in the auditorium.  She did a wonderful job!  Every time we hear the band, they keep getting better and better!

Great work little lady!  We love you!

Tonight Brittany had an orchestra concert at Metea.  They always sound SO good when they play.  She had been practicing for the difficult song they were playing and felt ready.

The high school orchestra also played a couple of numbers with the middle school orchestras and that was fun to watch as well.  It’s good for the younger kids to see what they can become when the get into high school!  🙂

Great job Brittany!  You rock!  🙂

Today Ben went on a field trip to a pumpkin patch with his pre-school class.  He had a great time and loved all the activities!  His helpers took a bunch of pictures and sent them to us…

Ben also got to pet a bunch of barnyard animals, play on other slides, and have a great time.  Thanks to the student teachers who helped him have such a wonderful day!!!  🙂