Here we go again...

...as usual, we've been busy, and I haven't been blogging. :( So, fasten your seatbelts and prepare for take-off!

Now that marching band season is over, Drew & Nick had to find something else to monopolize all our time. :) Nick is now on the wrestling team at MHS. They practice every afternoon for 2 hours, and have meets almost every weekend. He's on the JV team for now, but has his eye on the Varsity team. He's been debating on challenging the guy that's there now. Drew has been doing tryouts for the MHS soccer team - they practice every afternoon until 5:30. He doesn't know what team he's on yet (hopefully today!). He had to go to open tryouts because he didn't sign up for athletics, but band will change to "zero-hour" for next semester and he will have 7th period free for soccer.

Speaking of band (aren't we always?) this past Saturday the big boys went to High School All-Region band tryouts. They have to prepare 3 pieces of music and do scales too. Nick made it, and Drew made alternate!!! I'm SO proud of those boys! And, of course, Brad did middle school All-Region last month - he didn't make it, but he is one of only 3 people in his band (2nd band) that even tried out. Go Brad! We went to Faubion last night for the Winter Concert - Brad plays in Symphonic II band and Jazz Band. The kids did a great job and sounded really good! Sammi has been practicing diligently for her 5th grade choir concert tomorrow night. She's excited because they get to go to the middle school auditorium and she gets wear a pretty dress!!

Sammi has also discovered that she likes to read. She has had such trouble having to deal with her dyslexia, but she has gone through a couple of books recently that she really enjoys, and has even been known to disappear into her room for an hour or two - reading! Brad had the same thing happen last summer. He found some books that he wanted to read, and off he went. Sometimes it's hard for Drew and Nick (avid readers) to understand how hard their dyslexia brother and sister have worked to get this far, but they usually try to be nice.

During the Thanksgiving break we went to the King Tut exhibit! We rode the train downtown on a Sunday, and the museum was only a few blocks. The kids really enjoyed it (we actually kept the souvenirs to a minimum!) but what they really liked was the interactive art exhibits at the museum. There was one room that was at the end of a tunnel of prisms - the walls/floor/ceiling were white, and there were bright YELLOW lights. It made all of us look like we were in black & white. Very cool, but after a minute or two, our heads began to hurt! It was a great time - highly recommended.

Also during Thanksgiving break, we went camping. We went to Mineral Wells State Park - arrived Monday and left Wednesday afternoon. The kids had a wonderful time running through the woods, and climbing up and down the hills. Sammi made herself the official tour guide, and had each of her brothers taking walks with her to find secret special places with each and every one of them. We used our new Lodge cast iron dutch oven with great success! One night was potatoes to go with our grilled pork chops, and then we made a killer batch of chili. It was chilly, but we pretty much had the whole park to ourselves. It's nice to take my kids all camping now - all 3 boys are Scouts, so I can put them to work and they know what they're doing! Drew & Nick set up our tent, Brad was good at setting up the firewood to get our fires lit and going well, and all four of them did a wonderful job helping cook and then washing dishes!!
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