VICKSBURG HISTORY PRESERVATION WEEKEND RECITAL

The big dance weekend that the kids have been working so hard for over the past 6 weeks has finally come and gone! From Native American times to Proud Mary, they took the stage with confidence and smiles, and we all had so much fun watching it all come together! (And yes, there will be a DVD for anyone who wants to see the kids dance in their 5-6 numbers with the voice-overs and seamless transitions from one dance to the next!)

Dress Rehearsal was a bit more chaotic than usual, since the stage was still being put together and the dressing rooms were not ready for us until we'd already been there for half an hour. The kids were patient and so well behaved through the wait, and really gave it their all once they were finally up on stage! I took advantage of the lack of an audience to walk up front and grab some photos.

First up, the Native American dance, performed by all ages. Cora was one of the drumming girls that entered the stage via forward roll. James had some leaps and spins across the stage. They all ended with a pow-wow circle and it looked pretty cool from out in the audience.

Next up (for our kids) was the Spanish number. James did a jazz performance with all the Level 1 dancers. After that, he was in the Newitt Vick number, set to the song Down to the River to Pray. This was by far one of everyone's favorite numbers and I know James felt special to get to dance with the older girls (Level 1 and below did not perform in this number, except for the boys). The instructors joined them on stage for this number during the real show (but were busy instructing during the dress rehearsal). I showed all these photos to James after rehearsal and reminded him that although he has a beautiful smile, this is supposed to be a somber number. You wouldn't believe how quickly he turned it off the next day and got into character (especially during that parachute-type scene, I mean, come on, that's every kids' favorite recess activity - hard not to smile when you're having so much fun!)

(That's Newitt Vick and his wife on the ground, by the way - they died from Yellow Fever in 1819.)

Next up were the Battle Scenes. First the Confederate soldiers (the PreBallet and younger kids), then the Union toops (Level 1 and up). Then they all danced together (and pretend shot at each other) during the big battle scene, and finished with the Battle Hymn.

(Cora and her Lyla)

Then came the Grocery Store scene, where all the kids were in Colonial Outfits and the little ones (Cora included) had a little ballet solo in the middle of the number.

Next up for Cora was the Coca Cola number (bottled here in Vicksburg first!)

And finally the finale - Proud Mary!

The next day, after a couple soccer games, a quick lunch, and some much needed showers, they kids got fancy and we headed back over to the convention center. By this point they were REALLY excited for the real deal to get started (but first, a couple more run-throughs of the bigger, more complex numbers).

As is tradition with RiverPointe, the dancers joined hands in prayer before the show started.

They danced for a full house (that overflowed to the tables set up for the dinner to follow the show). From what we've heard, everyone enjoyed the show and Dr. McMillin (who had the initial idea) was especially pleased. There were even a few attendees who showed up in period costumes.

After the show, the dancers enjoyed a reception with fresh-out-of-the-oven cookies and punch. We let the kids have 3 each, then took them to a late dinner up at 10 South with their friends Alex and Kara. We lucked out the kids at their own table, so the adults were able to have a pleasant conversation.

All in all, this was a great experience for the kids (and us too), but we're exhausted and pretty glad there's no Christmas recital this year (so we now have a reprieve until spring!)

PENALTY KICK COMPETITION

Soccer was extra busy today due to a Penalty Kick Competition sponsored by the Knights of Columbus. The kids took turns kicking 25 soccer balls into the goal, with 5 points for a center kick, 10 for the corners, and 20 for the upper corners. Cora didn't want to miss a shot, so she aimed for the center almost every time and James wanted to hit the corners for extra points, so he made about 70% of his shots. They both ended up with about the same score.

 They both played good games today too, so it was a really nice start to our busy day!

HARD LIFE, EH?

POPCORN JEDI

Pack 104 had their big Trails End Popcorn sales kickoff tonight! This year the incentives are Star Wars themed, so the boys all wore Star Wars shirts instead of their uniforms.

 Den leader David, William, Derrick, and James in line for their pizza dinner

 The Mississippi Cub Scout Troops are selling the following items this year:

Apparently the Light Butter popcorn packs do not sell well here (imagine that!), so they are no longer offered in Mississippi. There are a few other changes as well, but most of the classics are still there. Orders and money (checks made out to BSA or BSA Pack 104) are due on October 30th. Let James know if you're interested in supporting his Pack this year!

PTO PERFORMANCE

The Bowmar 2nd and 3rd Graders performed a 4-song musical history tonight for the parents after our PTO meeting. They were so cute (and I'll admit, it was nice for them to have a real stage and a music teacher who clearly puts a lot of effort into her classes).

FLAT ROSABELLA

Bowmar GATES students aren't the only ones mailing Flat Characters around the United States. Cora received a blank one from her friend Willow (who lives in Ohio) that she was instructed to color, take adventuring, photograph, and mail back. So Cora created Flat Rosabella, and she went with us to soccer, then saw a couple famous sites around town.

BOWMAR BEARS HARVEY RELIEF

One of the Bowmar leadership groups, the Lighthouse Team, put together a fundraiser aimed at raising $500 to purchase giftcards for a school in Vidor, Texas. They are a really small town that lost pretty much everything due to Hurricane Harvey and the resulting flooding. Weeks after the event, the students were still out of school, and most had lost everything they needed to complete their school year. Our Bowmar kids wanted to help, and they raised over $1200 to send to the school to purchase new backpacks and books and supplies.

Service projects are a big deal at Bowmar (as are fundraisers - we are not a Title 1 school) and we're really loving the discussions they start between the kids and us. James and Cora are learning a lot more than Math and Reading and Science this year, and we couldn't be happier!

ALL THE THINGS

We're in our final BIG week of September. We've prepacked backpacks, Scout bags, soccer bags, and dance bags, and the piano bag will be added to the pile in a couple days (James needs those books to practice right up through lesson day). The laundry room is filled with hangars numbered for each song in the recital this weekend, with accessories attached in Ziploc bags, and a cheat-sheet printed out for each dressing room to remind us which orders the costumes go in and what each kids needs to wear for each song. We're organized and ready for the week - hopefully it will last through Saturday!

Starting next month we drop one dance day, then the month after that soccer will end. Parents of older kids have warned me about how things might get easier as kids get older, but they also get busier... and we're certainly finding that to be truer than true this year. BUT... the kids are happy, they're getting enough sleep (and plenty of exercise), and they are both excelling at school (and still loving to read in any spare minutes), so we're going to keep on rolling with it. We're proud of them! And I'm proud of us too (for keeping it all together and in order, most of the time - there was a forgotten soccer bag once that required an unplanned trip home between school and Bootcamp). 

*pattingourselvesontheback*

COOKIE CORA

Cora received her Girl Scout Cookie sales awards at her meeting this week, and she couldn't wait to use them to make a double batch of breakfast cookies!

 The days where her "help" in the kitchen are gone - she's a real helper nowadays and it really makes baking more fun. Before I know it, I'll be teaching her to cook (on the stove, since she already makes her own mac-n-cheese in the microwave in a pinch). If only James would show some cooking interest... Oh well, plenty of other chores he can help with!

CARA BETH'S HULA PARTY

Cara Beth turned 8 and celebrated with a hula-themed swim party!

BREW BUSINESS

The Brewery really is coming to Vicksburg (have I mentioned that here yet?) - it even has a name (that makes it OFFICIAL official, instead of just big hopes and dreams). Jay does not know his role yet, but he'll be involved in some way (even if it ends up being simply his recipes used and sold on site). He's become friends with the owner, the brewery manager, and the restaurant manager (the brewery will be attached to an artisan pizza place, which also has a name - the whole place is under construction and set to open in about 45 days!) He had a meeting with them the other night at 10 South and he sent me a beautiful sunset rainbow photo from the rooftop.

Then he attended his first ever Craft Brewer's Conference with them on Friday:

 Things are getting hoppy around here!