Boys of Summer

Awards Day Clean Up

Chad once again blew us away by collecting an armful of awards at school this year.  He almost (so close) got straight As again this term but missed by 1% in French with an 85%.  Bummer!  No cash prize for him but we did treat him to a sushi supper. 

Band Mom

I just spent a very fun weekend being a chaperone for Chad's band trip to Victoria. 
Here are a few highlights!

 An honour to play on the steps of the Legislature!

I sure hope that Chad stays on with band!  It's fun to travel with those kids!  Aside from that,  the discipline and high standards that Mr Joiner expects from those students will teach them such valuable life skills.  I was most impressed with how they respected him. 

Go Screaming Eagles!!!

ACT ~ That's A Wrap!

 Well, we had a pretty good fan base for the final performance with A.C.T!  We really appreciated all the support from friends and family.

 My parents, Uncle Andrew and their friends, Bill & Ella.

 The renowned 'Miss Smiff'.

 Our international contingent, Daisy and William.  Oh and 'hi' Keith!

 Auntie Tracy, Heather (aka Miss Smiff) and 'the mom'!

 Grandma, Grandpa and Uncle Murray.

 And Auntie Tracy even brought her mom, Lynne.

 The show was great and Chad did a bang up job with the lead role of Aladdin.  What a lot of lines he memorized!  How many people get their school principal coming out to support them?  Nice!

 Daisy needed a shot with the star.

 Chad's bride...the princess.  Very nice choice for your first proposal, Chad!

 So proud of my two self-confident and self-assured boys.  They definitely did not inherit any of these qualities from moi!

 The whole cast...such terrific kids!

 Liam loved the show and was really into it.  Sadly, he faded fast after the curtain closed due to after affects from a booster shot the day before.  Ugh....poor guy.

I won a raffle basket this year!  Yippee!  It was packed with all sorts of baking equipment which was really appreciated as I rarely treat myself to new items. 

 

The following photos are not mine.  These were posted photos that one could order but we just took pictures of them.  I guess that's sort of cheating....yikes.

 

 

 

 

And now we move onto a new chapter in our lives.  Saturdays without waking up to get to rehearsal at 8:45 am.  Oh what bliss.  What joy!  What freedom!  The boys still have the acting bug...look for them in school productions in the near future.

Party

On the evening of Chad's birthday we had a party for him...and only him.  Chad revealed that he doesn't like it when I combine his birthday with Keith's.  Well...PARDON me!  Ha ha...no problem, Chaddles.  We can accommodate such simple requests.

 Nice pose Liam.  Chronic nose twitching abounds around here with that kid.

 Chad got some pretty nice loot from everyone including William and Daisy!  We gave him a Leatherman tool as is tradition in our house for newly minted teenagers!

 My boy looks way older than 13 I think.  The question is...will he look 35 when he's 18? 

 I made a heavy, decadent chocolate cake that I served with vanilla ice cream.  It was GOOD!

 Daisy was flanked by two ladies who kept her entertained all evening.  She's such a good sport!

And I got smart and set up my camera for a group shot.  Turned out pretty good, hey?

 

The next evening Keith and I took Chad out for dinner and a movie...no siblings.  He really liked that and so did we.  We love spending time with our kids!

Happy Birthday Chad!

Adding Another Teen to the Mix

I now have two teenagers as this morning Chad officially turned 13 and entered a new and exciting time of his life.  Chad is my cuddly, sensitive soul.  He craves praise and attention and strives to please.  A classic middle-born!  He's also proving to be quite academic and an athletic to boot.  His musicianship and acting skills are becoming sharpened as well.  Is there anything he can't do?!  Yes...eat bananas!

 

 Chad loves Oroville but does not love water.  He's always been very cautious and took a long time to learn to swim.

 I can guarantee this gift contains Lego.  He's a lifetime fan.

 Chad grew a ton between grade 6 & 7.  He's almost six feet tall now and wears a size 11 shoe.  His voice has changed and well....he's definitely a young man!

 Chad's brown eyes melt our hearts.  First person in our little family to have brown eyes so it was such a treat.  We call them chocolate eyes!

 A great thing about Chad is that he is always up to try new foods.  This makes life very fun and flavorful.

 Chad enjoys school and I never have to remind him to do his homework.  He's quite responsible!  He also loves turtles and really wants one for a pet.  I'm not in agreement with this request!

 Chad and Nate get along quite fine but Liam and Chad are a different mix altogether.  It's absolutely love-hate.  They can get along beautifully but mostly they do rub each other the wrong way! 

As the big show approaches we are very excited to see Chad play the lead as Aladdin.  Wow....only his second show with A.C.T. and he's a headliner.  Way to go!!!

And this little face will live in my memory forever.  A sweet and quiet little soul with a need to be picked up often. 

You're on your way to great things and we are SO happy to be your parents.

xo

Spectacular!

The offer has always stood.  In our house, straight As means a reward of $100.  Until this day, the offer had never been redeemed.  Chad is officially the first in the house to achieve a perfect report card!  He worked hard for it and he got his reward.  Happy parents and a satisfied Chad!

 

The Christmas Carol

We wrapped another successful ACT production of 'The Christmas Carol' over the weekend.  Thrilled for BOTH my boys as they were in their element.  This was Chad's debut performance with ACT and he did very well.  Proud mama here!

Gorgeous head shots!

The ghosts of Jacob Marley, Christmas past, present and future really gave a fright so we had to go and show Liam there was nothing to be scared of.  He was able to see that there was a friendly teenage girl under the grim reaper costume instead of something sinister.

Nate was a superb Bob Crachit and Tiny Tim was so cute.

Liam was proud of his big brothers!

Jacob Marley did almost TOO good of a job being a scary ghost.  Yikes...well done!

Time for a wee rest and then we prepare for the spring show.  Aladdin!