Dance Team Debut

We have been so busy with kid and school and work activities that I have not had time to post much lately ... but I did promise Abby to get this video up on the blog as soon as I could so Drew could see her performance with the THS Dance Team tonight at half time of the football game! Abby is in the group of girls on the right, and she is right next to (and briefly ends up behind) one of the THS Dance Team members. I zoomed in closer, and then you can see her better.



Last Saturday she attended a 4 hour camp and tonight the girls performed. All of the little ones on the field with her are kindergarteners, and they did a great job! I think I see a future THS Dance Team member in our midst! But then after halftime when she was watching the cheerleaders, she was having a really hard time deciding which one she should be "when she grows up" so stay tuned! :-)

UPDATED: Here are two pics sent to me by friend and local photographer, Jenny of Simply Charming Photography. She was on hand with that incredible camera of hers and captured some night shots I could never get! (click to see larger view)

Dance Camp

Abby was very excited today to be able to attend a dance camp put on by the THS Dance Team! She was there from 9 am to 1 pm and they learned a routine that they will do at halftime of the high school football game next Friday. She really enjoyed her time there and thought she was really something for getting to go do this dance thing with the high school girls!

Happy Birthday Mitch!

Yesterday was Mitch's birthday and we celebrated at home last night, complete with a cake with the "proper" number of candles. Not only did they take quite a while to light, they left a LOT of smoke when they were blown out! :-)

Raining and Raining and Raining ...

What a wet weekend it has been! It rained pretty much all day Saturday ... now today we are getting the remnants of Hurricane Ike. In less than 24 hours, our rain gauge has collected nearly 4 inches of rain ... and it's still raining! Not sure if you can see that 4" mark of rain above, but it's pretty soggy here!

Back in the school routine!

The past week has kept us busy with school, kid and other activities!

Drew is doing really well at college ... getting into the groove with classes and his music activities. He auditioned for and made the Carthage Choir, which is the group traveling to Europe in January. And he was happy with his performance in music theory and piano proficiency testing ... scoring well in the categories he needs to complete his music education major requirements. He also auditioned for and got a spot in the pep band ... so that will mean playing for all home football games, as well as men's and women's basketball games ... and since pep band is an "on campus job" he will actually be paid for all time spent in practicies and playing at games. So that will help give him a little spending money!

Beverly is really enjoying her time at Tremont High School and settling in very well. I have been posting to her blog, Ten Months in Tremont, and she had several exciting things going on the past few days that you can read about there!

TJ is enjoying middle school and the challenges that come with changing classes and getting to know what is expected from you with 7 different teachers. In addition to regular middle school academic classes, he also has Spanish this year ... so that will be a nice diversion from just math, science and social studies!

Abby absolutely LOVES kindergarten! She has done so well in getting up and moving every morning. She has always been a bit of a "sleeping in" kind of gal, and now she wakes up very easily at 6:45 am for mom. Other than showing a bit of being tired at night, she has not had much adjusting to do with the new kindergarten routine. She goes full day, getting on the bus at 7:30 am ... with school from 7:50 am to 2:50 pm. She really thinks it is neat to eat lunch at school and carry a tray!

Heading to College!

On Saturday we headed North with two fully-loaded vehicles ... one Drew will keep at college ... to get him moved into the dorm at Carthage!

We spent the night in Kenosha and took Drew out to dinner at a favorite local restaurant. Then it was up early on Sunday to head to campus for the big day. The check-in process was organized and pretty smooth, and Drew got checked in, received his parking pass and room key all in one place. Then it was on down to Denhart Hall to wait our turn to unload. We followed the crowd and moved everything out of our cars into one shady area under a tree, then moved the cars out of the way for more families to unload. All in all it went pretty smooth and Abby and I guarded the pile while several loads were taken up to Drew's 4th floor room.

He was very happy to see upon entering his room for the first time that he did get a bit of a view of Lake Michigan from his room. He's on the top floor, and it's a coed dorm with guys on one wing, girls on the other, with a student lounge in the middle.

His roommate had not yet arrived so we started moving furniture and getting ready ... feeling it would be best to set up and then the guys can move things around if it doesn't fit their needs. They each have a nice bed, desk and dresser than can convert the bed into a bunk or loft if they choose. His roommate arrived and unloaded a few things, and since he lives fairly close will get a few more things in the next few weeks. So he was not quite as loaded down as Drew was!

We hurried up the final unpacking and getting a few things in place to head to the Chapel for a formal "Freshman Convocation" service. Drew joined his classmates in the new Carthage Class of 2012 on the main floor, and families were ushered to the balconies. The chapel is a beautiful building and used for many of the Music Dept programs at Carthage as well as church services. Speakers included the Mayor of Kenosha and the College President, and some choral music was provided by the Music Dept students. So I guess it's possible Drew will need to go early again next year to sing with the group at next year's Convocation! Drew's class is the largest ever to start the year at Carthage with just over 750 students. We were told that they come from 20 U.S. states and 10 other countries.

Then it was on to lunch on the lawn of the President's home, which sits at the north end of the campus. With 750 arriving freshman and their families, they fed hundreds of people a wonderful lunch set up outdoors in tents and overlooking Lake Michigan.

From lunch we hit the bookstore and stood in long lines to get the necessary books. $651 later, he's all set for classes to start on Wednesday! :-)

Then it was back across campus to check out some Lake Michigan views and to the room for a little more straightening and organizing. Since we won't return to campus until late October and he won't be home until Thanksgiving, Drew needed to take all of his warmer fall and winter clothes, so he had quite a load. We really did pretty well making it all work and fit!

About 4 pm it was time to say goodbye and good luck ... I'd like to tell you that I was very strong and did not cry, but I cannot lie ;-)

Sunday night, Monday and Tuesday are full of freshman activity for Drew, including a block party last night and choral auditions and games/activities in the athletic facility tonight. Carthage is such a beautiful campus ... and we are thrilled to have Drew beginning his college journey at such a wonderful place. We have been nothing short of impressed on every visit, and know he will grow and expand his horizons in a great way here. Even though we'll miss him like crazy at home!

On a sad note, Drew called today to let me know that a freshman student had passed away last night. He thinks it was more of a medical issue than an accident or otherwise, but the news is sketchy at this time. My heart goes out to those parents who dropped their son off and said goodbye, only to get home to the tragic news.