Metea Football Game – Waubonsie
Metea got cremated tonight at the football game, but the marching band did GREAT!
Ben Starts Preschool and Tri-M Induction!
Today, Ben started preschool and he loves it! He loves to be with kids and get to know new friends. He also loves doing activities and such!
We couldn’t get him in the Waubonsie or Metea preschool programs (Sarah may have ended up being one of his teachers) so we enrolled him in the Park District program. I think that this will be good for him to prepare him for Kindergarten. Yikes! In 2 years, we won’t have anyone at home anymore during the day!
Tonight, Angela went with Sarah and Brittany up to Metea where they had the Tri-M Music Honor Society induction. Sarah has been in it all the years she has been at Metea, and Brittany was nominated for it this year. We don’t have any good pictures because the auditorium was dark. Great job girls! We sure are proud of you!
Angela Mystery Reader!
Today, Angela was the Mystery Reader in Zach’s school class. She submitted facts about her, and Zach was right on the ball. He guessed it was her from the first question. 🙂 I guess we’ll have to come up with some stranger facts about us that he doesn’t know… 🙂 She read “Oh the Places You’ll Go” by Dr. Seuss.
We love that book. It is really a timeless book that can be read to both little kids and not so little kids going off to College. 🙁 Sniff sniff while I think about Sarah doing that this summer. 🙁 I couldn’t resist inserting the text below…
Oh! The Places You’ll Go!
Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away!
You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.
You’ll look up and down streets. Look’em over with care. About some you will say, “I don’t choose to go there.” With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet, you’re too smart to go down a not-so-good street.
And you may not find any you’ll want to go down. In that case, of course, you’ll head straight out of town. It’s opener there in the wide open air.
Out there things can happen and frequently do to people as brainy and footsy as you.
And when things start to happen, don’t worry. Don’t stew. Just go right along. You’ll start happening too.
Oh! The Places You’ll Go!
You’ll be on your way up!
You’ll be seeing great sights!
You’ll join the high fliers who soar to high heights.
You won’t lag behind, because you’ll have the speed. You’ll pass the whole gang and you’ll soon take the lead. Wherever you fly, you’ll be best of the best. Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.
Except when you don’t.
Because, sometimes, you won’t.
I’m sorry to say so but, sadly, it’s true that Bang-ups and Hang-ups can happen to you.
You can get all hung up in a prickle-ly perch. And your gang will fly on. You’ll be left in a Lurch.
You’ll come down from the Lurch with an unpleasant bump. And the chances are, then, that you’ll be in a Slump.
And when you’re in a Slump, you’re not in for much fun. Un-slumping yourself is not easily done.
You will come to a place where the streets are not marked. Some windows are lighted. But mostly they’re darked. A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin! Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in? How much can you lose? How much can you win?
And if you go in, should you turn left or right…or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite? Or go around back and sneak in from behind? Simple it’s not, I’m afraid you will find, for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.
You can get so confused that you’ll start in to race down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space, headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place…for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go or a bus to come, or a plane to go or the mail to come, or the rain to go or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow or waiting around for a Yes or No or waiting for their hair to grow. Everyone is just waiting.
Waiting for the fish to bite or waiting for wind to fly a kite or waiting around for Friday night or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake or a pot to boil, or a Better Break or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants or a wig with curls, or Another Chance. Everyone is just waiting.
No! That’s not for you!
Somehow you’ll escape all that waiting and staying. You’ll find the bright places where Boom Bands are playing. With banner flip-flapping, once more you’ll ride high! Ready for anything under the sky. Ready because you’re that kind of a guy!
Oh, the places you’ll go! There is fun to be done! There are points to be scored. There are games to be won. And the magical things you can do with that ball will make you the winning-est winner of all. Fame! You’ll be famous as famous can be, with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.
Except when they don’t. Because, sometimes, they won’t.
I’m afraid that some times you’ll play lonely games too. Games you can’t win ‘cause you’ll play against you.
All Alone!
Whether you like it or not, Alone will be something you’ll be quite a lot.
And when you’re alone, there’s a very good chance you’ll meet things that scare you right out of your pants. There are some, down the road between hither and yon, that can scare you so much you won’t want to go on.
But on you will go though the weather be foul. On you will go though your enemies prowl. On you will go though the Hakken-Kraks howl. Onward up many a frightening creek, though your arms may get sore and your sneakers may leak. On and on you will hike. And I know you’ll hike far and face up to your problems whatever they are.
You’ll get mixed up, of course, as you already know. You’ll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Life’s a Great Balancing Act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left.
And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.)
Kid, you’ll move mountains!
So…be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ale Van Allen O’Shea, you’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So…get on your way!
Standards Night!
Tonight, we held our yearly Young Men and Young Women “Standards Night” at the church. It turned out very well. The other counselor in the Bishopric and I split up the youth based on age, and I had all the 12 & 13 year-old youth. We had a great discussion (along with a little video clip). It is so important that we teach high standards, especially when the kids are young, as it’s getting harder and harder for them out in the world today. I have even a higher vested interest in this since we have 3 young women right now. Just seeing what they have to deal with on a daily basis makes you sick. As a father who wants what’s best for my daughters at this age (and sons when they get there), it’s hard to not jump in and “take over” or “ruin” their lives as all teenagers tell their parents often. 🙂
The Bishop took the parents and had a great discussion with them as well. I hope that the parents took away a great deal from this as well!
We all emphasized the importance of the “For the Strength of Youth” pamphlet and that the kids AND parents read it often. Here it is for those who don’t have it…
https://lds.org/youth/for-the-strength-of-youth?lang=eng
If you want a .PDF of it, you can download it here… For the Strength of Youth Pamphlet
Ward Temple Night
Tonight, Angela and I went up to the temple for our monthly Ward Temple Night. We took some more of Tracy Raketic’s family names and did work for them. We’re really excited, because in a couple of weeks, the youth are going up to do baptisms and we have about 360 names to do (including the rest of ours that we submitted). It really means a lot more and makes things a lot more personal when you can do work for someone that has a connection to you! 🙂
Zach Night Game
Tonight, Zach’s football team had their only night game and they played the Cowboys. Zach was there, wearing his jersey and hard hat, and cheering his team on!
They played really hard and had a great time, but in the end, we lost by one touchdown (I think). 🙂 That’s OK though. In this league at this level, they don’t keep score and they don’t have standings. They just want the boys to have fun. The referee there tonight was outstanding! He just LOVES doing what he does and has a great time with the crowd and with the kids. 🙂
Zach’s First Football Game of Season
Today was Zach’s first football game of the season. Unfortunately, he couldn’t play because of his broken thumb (still not sure I agree with the Doctor). 🙁 He dressed up in full uniform, however because before the game, they had pictures. I’ll post the team and individual picture when we get them.
Although he didn’t get to play, he won the hard hat award, meaning that he was one of the hardest playing players on the team. He practiced and scrimmaged this week with a broken thumb and never complained! The head coach is really great with the kids. He got two yellow hard hats and put the Packers “G” on it along with stripes. These two hats go out to the kids that are the hardest players for the week. He also does two “Crunch” bars for those who play hard as well. He rotates through the kids so that everyone will eventually get the hat and the bar.
We’re so proud of Zach! He could have just given up and told us that he would stay home from practices and not play the rest of the year, but he didn’t. He wants to go to every practice, help out where he can, cheer his friends on, and then get out there and play as soon as possible. 🙂 What a great little guy! And, even though he isn’t doing much at practice, he still tells the coach thanks every time. 🙂
Hang in there Zach! You’ll be out there and playing soon!
Zach Broken Thumb & Metea Curriculum Night
Well, unfortunately, it turns out Zach’s thumb is broken! 🙁 He will be in a cast for 3 weeks and can’t play football. He is really bummed and sad that he can’t play with his team. He decided he is still going to go to all the practices, help out where he can, and support his team. What a cute little guy!
He is such a trooper. I really feel sorry for him. I’m kind of ticked that the doctor won’t let us pad him up and let him play football. We have some friends whose son broke his arm last year and they let him play. Maybe the doctor Zach went to hates sports! 🙂 The worse thing for Zach is that the doctor won’t even let him go outside during recess or lunch! Strange! He has to sit in the LMC or in the office while all his friends are playing. 🙁
Tonight on a more positive note, Angela and I went to Metea Curriculum Night. It was a lot of fun going through Sarah and Brittany’s schedules. Again, like last year, we had to split up and each of us took a schedule. We got to meet all of their teachers.
Football Scrimmage with Steelers
Tonight, our Packers scrimmaged the Steelers. Zach’s hand is really hurting but he played great! This is his week for playing running back and he was excited! I also got a Packers jersey so Zach and I can match! 🙂
Toward the end of the scrimmage, he had to ask the coach to put him on the line because his hand was really hurting. I was very proud of him that he sucked up the pain and instead of sitting, moved to a different position. When he got home, his hand was very swollen and he could barely move his thumb. We hope it’s not broken but we are going to take him to the doctor tomorrow morning to make sure. We’ll keep our fingers crossed.
Labor Day Parade
Happy Labor Day! today, we only had the boys with us during the Labor Day Parade! Sarah and Brittany marched with the Metea Marching Mustangs, and Kirstyn participated with Anderson’s Bookstore.
Sarah and Brittany looked very professional as did the rest of the band! We caught Brittany at a moment of smiling which was kind-of funny!
She did a great job as one of the flag bearers (as usual). Sarah did a wonderful job keeping her folks in line in her job as a flute marching leader. She had a tough job because she was a the very front of the band. That front line needs to make sure they are nice and straight, or else everyone else will be off.
Kirstyn dressed up as Madeline for the parade, marching with Anderson’s Bookstore. Our girls LOVE to do this with their friends. I think that Sarah and Brittany were secretly jealous of Kirstyn this year. 🙂
We had a fun day today after the parade as well. The kids relaxed and enjoyed themselves. The down side was that Zach had a spill on his bike and hurt his hand. His thumb is very sore and it is starting to swell. Hopefully it’s OK! 😐
First Marching Band Performance for the Year
Tonight was the first home football game of the year and more importantly, the first marching band performance! The girls did a GREAT job! Their Elvis show is really coming together and they sound great! The group finally has enough band members that instead of doing a single file “MV” on the field, they are now making a block “M” which looks really cool!
Brittany is the US flag bearer during the pregame show and that is pretty cool. She’s excited about that! Also, when they play “America the Beautiful,” they form a really cool star!
At halftime, it was fun to be down on the field again with all the Pit Crew doing the pit setup again. Today I bought a Metea hat to match the rest of the crew. 🙂 We are still learning the ropes for the season because things have changed around a bit, but soon we’ll have it down and we’ll be working like a well-oiled machine. 🙂 There are many more on the Pit Crew than there were last year, so we should be able to do things even faster for the setup and breakdown.
Go go Mustangs!
Scrimmage with Broncos
Today, Zach got to scrimmage against his old football team from last year (the Broncos). They came over to our field to play and it was fun seeing all the coaches and players from last year. They have matured quite a bit as they don’t have as many kids who are brand new to football.
Our kids played pretty hard, but experience won out in the end. 🙂
