Treat Boxes

JMichael and Josephine are in the first and fourth grades, respectively.  So, valentine's day means a class party and candy.  This year we made treat boxes to collect all the sweet loot.  Soccer themed for the soccer star and a kissing booth for the pretty little lady.  We used chocolate chips as the "kisses".

Another Last First

JMichael hit a milestone - one he is so excited to be finished with - he lost his first tooth.  This tooth was wiggly for a while and he had been playing with it.  James tied some dental floss around it and it popped right out.  Everyone on the BallTeam lost their first tooth in the first grade.  These first are flying for our family - they truly do get so big so fast.

Germs A Plenty

Don't you love winter?  I do not.  I am a summer person, through and through.  Winter this season has been very mild and there are germs a plenty working their beastly ways through the schools and into our homes.  Our kids have been down with fevers that spike intermittently and raspy coughs and general blahs lately - all the wonderful doctors have the same diagnosis:  it's a virus.  Keep the kids hydrated and warm and let them rest.  That sounds like a fabulous few days off, if you ask me.  This "selfie" was taken while I was waiting with Samantha in the ER at Children's.  The kids are required to wear a mask to keep their germs to themselves.  So far all the kids and James have been down but, I carry on.  Maybe I'll be in bed next week?

Forensics February 2015

Rachel is in the forensics program at school - this means she competes for her school in the performance arts.  There are a bunch of categories, but, her favorites are poetry, solos and words/music.  She performs "pieces" from published and enacted broadway theater in the last two categories.  The poetry category is just that - she recites and interprets a piece of poetry.  Her team travels around the state competing in tournaments with other high schools.  Just this past weekend her high school hosted the tournament and Rachel was the student chair for the Dramatic Duet category.  This picture is her on stage presenting the finalists at the awards ceremony.  Their tournament is two days long and most of the judges for the events are the parents and staff of the high school.  I was able to be a judge for storytelling - a fun category to judge - and for poetry.  Wow.  These kids can be dramatic.  It was a tough thing to critique these kids - there were 16 schools there! - who all worked very hard and were so impressive!

Forensics has been good for Rachel - it's a great outlet and she is fantastic at memorizing.  She is comfortable on the stage whether she's singing or performing or reciting or presenting awards.

Rachel's ACE

Rachel is in the eleventh grade and has decided to attend an alternative class at school - ACE.  The ACE program (Academic Center for Excellence) is designed for students who just want to get their work done without the traditional classroom.  Rachel sits in front of a computer and "takes" four of her classes - AP English, AP History, Algebra II, and AP Chemistry.  After a full academic morning, she goes to lunch with the rest of the high school and then goes to her "social" classes, as she calls them - theater, forensics and introduction to education (which is a student aide in a third grade classroom).  She switched to ACE because she said her classes were moving too slowly and she thought she could do just fine on her own.  The program she uses is called APEX and it leads her through her assignments and gives her work to do and quizzes and tests along the way.  Her grades are great and she loves that she can just be alone and concentrate.  ACE may not be for everyone - but it works for Rachel.

Splash - January 2015

January 2015 starts off our splash pictures with a subtle message.  See the ladies' hand gestures?  What are they telling us?  2-0-1-5.  Happy New Year from the Ball Team.

Fierce? Or Foolhardy?

Samantha, here on the right, with the cool shades, and her best buddy, Laura, dressed to the nines for school today.  They are both in the tenth grade.  The shoes are Laura's.  Can you imagine walking through the halls of high school in these heels?  Up and down the stairs?  I don't imagine I would get ten feet without breaking an ankle.  Laura and Samantha both swear these shoes are comfortable....good luck ladies.  Rock those kicks!