Post spring break always means a sprint to the end of the school year, and this year was no different. Amanda's academic team won 3 different State tournaments. She has loved being a part of this group. I love her smile in this picture, it pretty much says it all. The local school district invited them to one of their meetings to rocognize their accomplishments. They are a fun group of kids.
They traveled to the front range for all three of these tournaments, which meant a lot of time away from home which is weird to have her gone so much these days.
In an attempt to figure out what is causing some migraine's, something she has been dealing with more than she would like, we had some blood drawn. She responded as she has in the past and made quick work of passing out on the nurse. Luckily she was OK and we got her to come to, and she only almost passed out the next try while she was lying down and they did manage to get a draw.
She also got her braces off! Yay for popcorn and taffy and much fewer orthodontist appointments! I love her brace free smile!
Amanda had a beautiful solo that she played with her wind ensemble at State Band Competition, they took a superior which is the highest ranking, and she was stoked about it. She also put together a quintet with some other students at her high school, and with her teachers help they were able to get a paying gig to play at. She really was proud of getting payed to play, only she had to split it 5 ways. And she is finding ways to balance all these activities while taking a pretty heavy load at school and doing well in those classes. She was invited to be a part of the National Honor Society, which she tentatively accepted, only because she is unsure how she might fit one more activity in her schedule. And drum roll, please. She also received her Young Women's medallion this spring! She has worked hard on many aspects of her life, including lots of service, and spiritual development and done several projects to get to this point. We are proud of her.
Maren was finally able to run track this year for school. They don't start field and track in the schools here until 7th grade, so she has been waiting and waiting for this. She loves to run. She did very well in every event, no surprise. The hardest part was deciding which 4 events she would compete in.
Her coach had her trying all sort of things, including the long jump. She had only practiced one day for this, and she took 2nd in this meet. Her form is awesome and she loved it!
Maren's soccer team had their best season yet. Because she plays in the rec league the team is always adding girls that have not played before, and while there is a fair amount of them that have played a lot. It is hard to come together as a team with all the different playing levels out there. But all the teams in the league are in the same boat. Something about the dynamics of her team this past year was something special. It took a few games for them to get in their groove, but once they did, they really dominated. I was so proud of Maren. She really took time with the ball when she played offense, and looked for opportunities to bring it close to the goal before she would take shots. She was remarkable. She scored almost every game, and even scored two in the championship game. And as much as I would have loved to see her play competitive soccer, she hasn't wanted to. And as I watch how much fun she has playing, I think she has made such a great decision.
The best part of their win was how well they played the ball. A couple teams in the league have taken to playing a much more physical game of soccer. And the way Maren's team handled the game amidst all the elbowing and tripping shows just how well they work together.
Maren also played for an end of the school year piano recital. She has worked hard and is getting so close to being able to play hymns and harder songs. Her teacher gave her an award for playing with expression. Which she always does so well.
Jacob had his 1st grade concert in April. The kids sang songs from all over the world. I love to hear him sing these around the house. He also played the piano this year, and is loving it. At the recital his teacher said he is the practicing king.
He played another season of soccer, and while this season was not great, poor coaching and sportsmanship on his team, he still gave it his all and worked hard every practice and game. And he learned how to dab, what could be better than that?
Jacob had a fabulous year at school. He had one of my favorite teachers, Mr Brown. They team up with Spencer's class, Mrs Golden, and do a lot of science oriented field trips and learning experiences. This spring they released some native fish they were caring for in the CO river. Jacob got up the nerve to kiss the fish goodbye.
Mrs Golden is retiring after this year and it was a bit bitter sweet for me. She has been my favorite teacher my kids have had. Both Maren and Spencer got to be in her classroom, which is what a learning community should look like. I love her attitude, energy and willingness to help the kids see what potential they have and teaching them what it takes to reach that potential. The picture below is of both Spencer's and Jacobs classrooms after they released the fish and finished the rest of the field trip. They had made owl box's for the state park we were visiting.
Spencer class also took a field trip to the Special Olympics this year to cheer a few kids from their class. It was awesome to see them cheer for their friends.
Spencer did a research project on Kit Carson, a Colorado mountain man, for school and made this diorama to go with his presentation. He did it all himself, and was very proud of it.
He also decided (completely on his own and out of the blue) to try another season of soccer. He played on a great team, and progressed a ton. His coaches were fantastic with him and really gave him opportunities to grow and improve. I was excited for him to be willing to give it another go.
He also made some awesome advancements in scouts. He earned his religious knot and completed all the requirements to earn his Bear badge. He also made this awesome pinewood derby car, that was shaped like a blue whale.
And as for me I got to help at most of the above field trips, and watch lots of soccer, track and many concerts this spring. It is awesome to see the kids excel in the things they are passionate about, and try new things. I am lucky to be a part of it. I also go to take a quick trip to Utah to spend a few days with my mom while she recovered from her second hip surgery of the year. It was nice to get time with her, and even better to let Dave struggle to figure how in the world to get all the little people where they need to be on time while I was away. They survived and I was grateful for a break!
And hurrah for school letting out! We are all looking forward to less structure, more lazy summer mornings at home, and lots of summer adventures!
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