Our New Toys

Brett and I have been researching new computers.  We decided that we would get a MacBook.  We wanted to see and play with it firsts, so after one of the competitions, we went to the Mall of America to the Apple Store.  There we were able to ask questions, and have some hands on instructions.  So, this is my new toy!  The children think I am addicted to it, which is quite possible.  Brett worries about my computer because I take it everywhere with me.  I can't help it, there are so many possibilities with it, and I never know when I might need it. Before we left, Brett got a new toy, too.  He got an ipod, touch.  We have a bunch of free games on it, and I take his toy with me, too.  They really are a lot of fun, and we are enjoying them.

Picture Links

The picture linked is the first in the group, just scroll through them to see the boys.

Caleb's duet:

http://midweststarz.smugmug.com/gallery/8033452_L7mXz#522861903_s5wWU

Eli's dance:

http://midweststarz.smugmug.com/gallery/8035431_7ZpK2#523074378_4Hbr3

...  I cannot get it to come up.  I hope it works for you.

Caleb's lyrical:

http://midweststarz.smugmug.com/gallery/8047618_vXYPS#524109838_83zKP

Caleb's Thriller:

http://midweststarz.smugmug.com/gallery/8049167_75Ti9#524207054_rcUAy

Competitions Completed

So, we are finished with competitions... at least for now.  We did three of them this month, and it made for a long month.  I am blogging from my new computer, so I have had to steal pictures from other sources as I do not have my own pictures on here yet, and I am too lazy to go downstairs and do this.

Here is how we ended up:

Caleb & Laney's ballet duet got 2 high golds and one platinum.  They got a dynamic duo award, a technique award, power pack invitation and were invited to go to a national competition and do a dance "camp" for a week, and they had a lot of fun together.

Eli's group got three high golds, and an award for being the "most entertaining."

Check out the pictures of Eli at this site.  http://midweststarz.smugmug.com/gallery/8035431_7ZpK2#523074378_4Hbr3

Caleb's "Thriller" dance got one high gold and 2 platinum awards.  They tied with Eli's "Funkytown" for the most entertaining, got a theatrical award, and got a few other awards.  I think Bridget will be taking this dance to NATIONALS!
Here he is with his group, and his friend Megan.
His group lyrical dance got 3 high golds.  The did really well.

All in all it was a good season.  It was just long with three of the four weekends away at competitions.  MY HOUSE IS A DISASTER.  I am paying for it now.

Try Outs!

A couple of weeks ago we went to the kindergarten center to register Claire for school.  She was able to go to one of the classrooms and play in there.  They had teachers and aids in the rooms with the children.  They also took them on a bus ride.  There was a school bus right outside the door and they went around the block and talked about bus safety (the school district busses all of the kindergartners in town to one school).

While she was in the classroom, I was in another room with parents listening to the principal and several teachers tell about the different things that happen at school.  It was my third time sitting through it, but it was Claire's first time there.

After the registration, we went to the preschool.  We were in the office with the secretary, and I told Claire to tell her what we did.  She said, "I tried out for kindergarten."  The reply from the secretary was a little giggle and then she asked, "Did you make it?"  Claire responded, "Yes, and I get to go in the fall."

Very sweet.

As a side note, the picture of Claire was taken this past weekend.  She wanted to have hair like the competition group that Caleb is in.  It's "Thriller" hair.

OLD TOYS

Yesterday I went to a rummage sale and I bought two old tape recorders.  The children are amazed by it.  I taught Caleb how to use it last night, and this morning I heard him while he was showing Eli how to use it.  He said something like, "Eli, you've gotta see this.  It is really cool."  Then he recorded himself.  They were singing into it and now the girls are sitting on the couch laughing at their voices that they just recorded.

It is the same type of things we were entertained by 30 years ago.

Oh, the simplicity of it all.  Oh, how it stimulates their imagination.  I think it was a good investment!

Dance, Dance, Dance!

We have been very busy with dance.  We have had two competitions so far, and we have one more on Saturday.  The first one we went to is called Starpower.  It was a big competition with some big dance studios.  Eli's group - Funky Town - got an elite gold.  It is so fun to watch him dance.  These pictures are from Cathy Roe's competition.

Won't you take me to Funky Town?

The girls showing off Eli.

Dancing his little heart out.

Strike a pose.  The final pose in his dance.

Posing on Stage for pictures before awards.

Caleb does two group dances and a duet.  All of them got elite golds.  I'll have to put some pictures in later.

Both of the boys were asked to go to Ohio in July to be runway models for a dancewear catalogue.  They were excited, I not sure at this point what we be doing.

Performing at the Mall

Caleb and Eli did a pre-competition performance. The groups they dance with performed at the mall. A couple of my friends took some pictures - YAY for friends. There are only pictures of Caleb doing his duet. Here are the pictures:

This is Caleb with his duet partner. They dance to Tiny Dancer by Elton John.

This is the line where the song says, "Only you, and you can hear me..."

Here they are getting ready to do a lift. It is a pretty cool move.

Almost at the end. They are going in for the finale.

The last pose, as the music ends.

When we were looking at pictures, Caleb, who has to focus on holding his partner, said, "Wow! That looks cool!" He has never seen it from this angle (either have I for that matter, I get to sit on the side of the studio and watch their practices). They have a lot of fun dancing together.

Eyes

Caleb has had glasses for a couple of weeks, and he has wanted me to take a picture and put

it on my blog. So, here he is. He had told us for a couple of months that he was having a hard time seeing the board during class, and that he had to come to the front of the room. We finally broke down and took him to the eye doctor. His eyes are just at the point when they start to put children in glasses. He really likes them, and he takes really good care of them.

Winter in Minnesota

It's winter in Minnesota

And the gentle breezes blow

Seventy miles an hour

At forty-five below.

Oh, how I love Minnesota

When the snow's up to your butt

You take a breath of winter

And your nose gets frozen shut.

Yes, the weather here is wonderful

So I guess I'll hang around

I could never leave Minnesota

'Cause I'm frozen to the ground!

(Thanks papa for the poem)

Beautiful Birthday

The Saturday before my birthday, Brett and I went to the church early. He went to play basketball, and I went to do some visiting teaching work on the church computer. When we got home, Caleb had orchestrated some breakfast for me. Juice and muffins. Yummy!

This is what we came home to. It was very thoughtful of them.

Then on Sunday, we were invited to a friend's house for a Superbowl party and a joint birthday party. Noah's birthday is the same day as mine, just 10 years later. We bought my pie, and Ashley made Noah's cake. She insisted on putting in all of the candles.

Noah wasn't feeling very well, so he posed for the pictures, but he wouldn't blow out the candles, so I got to blow out the candles. I got most of them in one breath, I think I missed two. Can't believe the smoke detector didn't go off with all of the smoke. Also, some of the chocolate started burning on my pie. Yummy!

Then, on my actual birthday, Brett took care of dinner. He went to Perkins and brought home a salad, some appetizers, three entrees, and another French silk pie (Eli left the other one out on the counter, so it melted and we had to throw the left overs away). So, Brett served up dinner and dessert. Yummy!

Yes, my birthday was all about eating. YUMMY!

Brett also brought home a bouquet of tulips. They are beautiful, and NO, I didn't eat them.