Prom

The Prom...few things are as symbolic of high school as this.  

Our son asked a sweet friend from church who attended a nearby school.  She is just as beautiful on the inside as the outside!

Yes, I had to get pictures of him giving her the corsage and pinning of boutineer.  It's a mom thing.

Nice looking couple, even if I wasn't biased.  Her dress was gorgeous!

They had a great time showing off the BMW.  They felt like they were in a James Bond movie.

We then went downtown to take pictures and enjoy the gorgeous weather at Falls Park.  They had a great time!  I love their smiles below.

Since it was Earth Day, they decided to take a picture by a tree.  

Two more pictures to end the day, then off to eat and dance.

Disney

Our children finally all experienced Disney!  We held off as long as we could, but with our son now 17, we felt it was now or never.  

Remember the monorail from Epcot to the Magic Kingdom?  This was one thing Eric remembered from when he was a kid, so he couldn't wait to ride it.  Our two kids thought that was silly.

While at the Magic Kingdom, we got to see a parade, the fireworks, and experience the park at night with fewer crowds.

One of our favorite rides was Pirates of the Caribbean.  With every ride, the little one said, "I want to do this again!"

A lot had changed in the ten years since I was here last.  One of the biggest changes was in Test Track at Epcot.  Now, you design your own vehicle and get to test ride in it, measuring your car's performance against the other designed cars in your group.

 The guys designed a car that won in the capability and power categories.

The girls won in fuel efficiency and responsiveness.  Here's a brief video advertising our car:

Next, we headed over to a ride that took us through the history of film where we saw the tomb displayed from Raiders of the Lost Ark, and this scene from the Wizzard of Oz.

At Animal Kingdom, our little one decided to use her big sister's $5 Disney Bucks toward a souvenier, giraffe Mickey ears!

Since the giraffe is her favorite animal, the safari ride was a must on our to-do list.  Interestingly, the safari ride ended up giving our son quite the scare!  Pretty funny.

Our little one sporting her souvenier headpiece while watching kangaroos and other animals Down Under.  Great trip!

Cruise

We decided to take advantage of spring break and take a cruise out of Florida.  The port was beautiful, and the most organized port I've ever been to.  

The hot tub was constantly filled with kids.  This picture had the least amount we'd seen, as most of the time it had 15 at a time.

The ship went to the Bahamas, so it was nice to enjoy some warmth.  Here, our little one enjoys some ice cream overlooking the harbor where we docked.

While in the Bahamas, we really enjoyed snorkling.  We saw lots of fish, coral, and even a turtle!

The beaches were really nice, too!  Our son tried to pass for 18 and order a drink.  It was quite comical when they asked where his mom was.

Another excursion was on a sailboat.  We enjoyed rum punch and great music on the boat ride!  Eric and our son swam in the water among ocean life (including a shark!), then helped the environment by collecting floating plastic.  

The bad thing is that Eric's rum punch cups blew away, so then he contributed to the trash.

Battle of the Books

Our little one decided last fall to compete in a school-wide competition called Battle of the Books.  To be eligible, you have to gather up a group of 5-6 students and each commit to reading at least 5 books out of a possible 20 pre-selected, award-winning titles.

Then, the teams compete in the spring to see who remembered the most about the books.  The team who correctly answers all questions regarding the author, characters, places, and events within the books will be crowned victorious to represent the school in the district-level competition.

Each team then elects a spokesperson who is the only one allowed to answer for the team.  Our daughter was given this prestigous role, and we were honored.

Want to know how she did?  Click the links below in order so you don't spoil the ending.

Part 1 - (You won't want to miss the introductions and first 5 questions.)

Part 2 - (Keeps you on your seat for who begins to drop out.)

Part 3 - (Did this just go into overtime?)

So proud of our little girl and her teammates!

Apple Tree

When our son was in 1st or 2nd grade, he brought home a delicious red apple seed from school so we could watch it germinate.  It was in a plastic baggie with a little dirt and a damp paper towel, so we taped it to the window. To our surprise, this little seed did actually sprout after a few weeks.  We then planted it in a small container and kept it indoors on the window sill.  

When the sprout grew tall enough, we transferred it outside to the middle of the back yard.  Despite several markers, it was mowed over several times.  Gradually, like the little engine that could, the apple tree took off.

Here's that seedling now pictured with the one who originally planted it..

When this tree begins to produce it's first apples, our son may be out of college and have children of his own.  What a special treat some day to pick apples from the tree he started from a seed.

Volleyball

Eric signed me up to coach our little one's volleyball team.  This move would insure that I made it to every volleyball game & practice on-time and didn't spend as much time at CDS.



Well, I suppose that did work favorably.  I have enjoyed coaching these amazing girls, and especially spending more time with my little girl.

The girls range in age from 7-10, and many have never played before.  With my limited middle-school volleyball experience, I relied heavily on the two assistant coaches, Eric and Jennifer (has two girls on the team).  Her oldest daughter really became good friends with our little one.

Despite my hesitation, I'm glad Eric signed me up.  It did take a lot of time, but we created great memories.  Plus, we've had a strong season with each girl learning to serve, talking on the court, supporting each other, and having fun.  

Mr. Powdersville

Our son entered a high school competion for Mr. Powdersville.  This one is a comical spin on the female version, but nevertheless, is still highly coveted.  The theme was Mardi Gras.

There were about 10-12 guys who competed.  Not bad for a small school.

The first competition was "sports wear".  This was pretty comical, as several had sport talents like video gaming and, well, no sporting experience at all.  Our son chose to go with snowboarding.  Here's his clip...

Next was the talent competition.  While many of the contestants did a comedy routine, our son took a more serious route and played the piano...

Click here to play video

For the last category, he was escorted by Miss Powdersville in the formal wear.  I may be a bit biased, but what a handsome young man!

Click here to play video

Although he didn't win the title, we are proud of his willingness to sign up for this and "put himself out there'.  This took a lot of nerve, he did great, and we couldn't be prouder.  Way to go, son!