Parade picture

The girls made the online newspaper (not sure if they're in the actual paper or not), but here they are waiting patiently for the parade to start -- w/ their two close friends from dance.

Katie's play & Maddie's field trip

Katie did very well on her play that she had -- she was so nervous before it started, but she did great! Danan Hughes was her "Grandma" and when he came onstage, she tripped going backwards, and fell. Ha ha She said later she didn't realize he was so ... tall! She loves to act ... definitely a drama queen. :D Sorry for the fuzzy pictures .. I can't zoom in to take a picture, so when I crop it all off, it becomes fuzzy. GRR!!

Maddie had her first field trip as a Kindergartner last week. However, it came on a day it was supposed to rain, and they can't cancel. So off we go, and it's sprinkling. We go into a huge barn and learn all about the different kinds of pumpkins, etc. There's the Baby Boo pumpkin, the Cinderella pumpkin, and some other weird, odd names for pumpkins. Then we go to the animals, and pet them, then off to the tractor for a hay ride where the kids will pick up their pumpkin. However, there was a HUGE dark cloud coming, and I just knew it was full of rain and lightning, and it was. We were stuck in this circus tent for about 20 minutes while the teachers and pumpkin patch people decide what to do. Pouring down rain ... you should have seen these kids faces when we said we were going back. So so sad!! So we get to the entrance, and our bus is still not in line to pick us up. So I had to walk out to get her, in the pouring rain w/ my umbrella. She was taking a freaking NAP! Earlier she was smoking in the bus (had to take something back to the bus after we got off). not good! by the time we get back to the school, we're all soaked to the bone, literally.

I'm really surprised at the math Katie is learning in school -=- about medians. I don't remember learning about that until much later. Katie's teacher told me she herself was surprised at how much sooner kids are learning the harder things. She also said most of the time, the kids aren't ready, but it's how the schools are anymore. How scary! Katie's already had two field trips, one to the middle school (Science Center is there), and the other to Burr Oaks. Katie said she had the best day of her life there. I guess she was picked to be the assistant and help her out. She also touched a snake. On the nature walk they saw a baby snake, chipmunks (whoever sees those anymore?), squirrels, doe, and two turkeys. She was in heaven.

Madison has been learning about Ms. V & Ms. P, and the sounds they make. She's a very smart cookie, and she definitely remembers everything that's said even if she doesn't "appear" to be listening. So, watch out next time you say something and you don't think she's listening. She's very tricky. :D Trust me on this!

Most of you know we have a Mexican restaurant we love to go to: Lucia's. Well last week we went to eat dinner there, and Lucia (the owner) asked if the girls could go shopping w/ her. We were surprised (who asks OUR kids to go shopping? I don't even want to take them shopping!), and said OK. Three hours later she brings them home, and she's spoiled them rotten: each got an expensive Halloween costume, a toy they want (Maddie gets Baby Alive, aka Chucky's girlfriend), Katie picks out a shopping cart and a play microwave (I know, surprised me too), and then play shoes for Maddie & slippers for Maddie, oh, and ice cream at McDonald's and candy too. Spoiled them rotten ... for sure!

Baby Joshua & Maddie ...

St Louis Highland Games

Friday night the girls & I left for St Louis for their last Highland Dance competition of the year. We stayed at the Marriott hotel (WOW!!) b/c it had a wonderful discount for competitors of the Games this year. The girls were soo enchanted by how fancy everything was!! We got in the hotel about 8:30, and ate some dessert w/ another family who was also dancing on Saturday. Afterwards the girls went swimming in the indoor pool (coolest pool according to Katie b/c it had a huge glas partition separating it from an outside pool & inside pool. The next morning we had room service delivered to the room. Since there wasn't a McDonald's or another breakfast place around the hotel, we had to do something about b-fast. I noticed a kids breakfast was only $3.95, and had two eggs, fruit cup, hashbrowns, bacon & juice/milk == so we had a healthier breakfast than if we had donuts. :)

Saturday we left for the games. The games was in the Forest Park, which is a beautiful area in St Louis == where the zoo is, as well as a Natural History Musuem, etc. There were so many joggers, walkers, parachuters (yep, hang gliders?) -- it was really neat. Maddie went first in her competition, and had a hard time w/ her first dance, 16 pas de basques. She didn't really want to go up (nerves probably?), and of course the piper was moving along quite quickly for the speed of the music, so it threw her and a few other dancers completely off. She did her three dances, and they were then awarded: she got two second places and a fourth. Yay for Maddie!! After dancing, she changed into her capris, and commenced to climbing on the stands like a monkey. The thrill of her day.

Katie was next .... she is still a beginner, and so she was placed in the 8 and up age group for beginners, which had 10 dancers. The majority of the dancers were in their teens ... and VERY good too. The weather was so hot, sun was so strong and hot .... I felt bad for all the dancers. The organization for this competition didn't do a great job, and had hot bottled water for the girls, so they had nothing cold to drink. Anyways, Katie did 4 dances, and did a fantastic job!! Her teacher was there watching as well, and is also a judge around the US for other competitions. She was keeping tabs on who should win the medals, etc. Katie won first place for ALL her dances!! PLUS she won the Best Dancer Award for her age group!! YAY for Katie!! She was so proud of herself. I told her to do her personal best and have fun. Her teacher told us after the competition Katie was the best dancer out of all of them in her group!

We tried to go to the zoo after the competition, but it was SOOO packed, that we couldn't get it. We went on home and made it in good time. I think I'm all High School Musical'd out, if that makes sense. :) That's all we listened to on the way home. SIGH I've got "I'm Fabulous" running through my head at all hours of the day ....

This week the highlight will be Katie and her play == on the 11th. :D Her first play for that day is at 2:45 and then the other is at 7:00.

If you Where ....

The girls had their dance in McPherson a week and a half ago. Katie and Madison placed GREAT and did an awesome job! Katie had a few slip ups, but she placed two first places, one second place and one third place (and was disqualified from the last dance). Madison did three dances, and placed first place in all of them! Way to go girls!!

Katie has to write a poem every week, it appears. Her first one last week was this (I'm including the misspelling words too)

If You Where....
If you where a dolphin,
Would you die in a colfin?

If you where a pig,
Would you wear a wig?

If you where a chicken,
Would you eat chickenlicken?

If you where just you,
What would you do?

Her second poem this week .. and apparently it doesn't matter if it makes sense or not:

Rain is coming
Rain is splashing
I can hear my mother humming
Drip Drop the rain is hear
I just want to smere (smear?) the rain.

We leave this coming Friday night for St Louis. We'll be there until Sunday, enjoying the final Highland Dance Competition of the year on Saturday and enjoying our mini vacation on Sunday. Katie is still getting ready for her big play coming up in a week. She's so excited, and has informed me she has the most beautiful dress for her play. The school provides all the costumes, so we're excited to see her perform. She has all of her lines memorized. Katie also has been down w/ a bug ... I thought for sure it was strep after she had been complaining of sore throat, headache, stomachache for a few days. Last night I looked in her mouth and lo & behold I see the infamous markings of strep ... so I took her in to Urgent Care last night, and turns out it wasn't strep! I guess there's some horrible bug going around that mimics strep, but it isn't actually strep. The dr was very surprised as well b/c her throat was horrible. So, we're back to ibuprofen for her until she feels better.

The girls are also SOO into the new High School Musical 2 ... let me tell you that both Mike & I have the music coming out of our ears, and of course, we hear it in our dreams at night. The girls are sooo engrossed in this movie, and their music. Halloween is coming up, and Maddie wants to be Pippi Longstocking (got to figure this one out and how I'm going to do this) and Katie wants to be Hannah Montana ... ha ha ha! I wonder if they'll be something easier ... like a baby doll?