Making THE CUT!

A few weeks ago, Jacob told me that he was thinking about cutting his hair! What? Where did that come from? was my first response. Jacob said, "Well I'm thinking about getting a job and I have to interview for that internship, so I think I should cut my hair".

WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH MY SON!?

I have been trying to get him to cut his hair shorter for 5 years with no luck. But, a wise Brother-In-Law once told me that "Hair style is not a big deal. Styles come and go and it can always change. When you pick a fight with your kids, make sure it is worth the battle".  I took that to heart and decided a long time ago that hair was not an issue worth fighting over. I think that saved me from years of fretting. It was his hair and his decision. Thanks Tom!

But, now it was his decision and he wanted to do it. All I can say is WOW! Some of that inner confidence shows on the outside now too. Check out his photos:

BEFORE:



AFTER:

Xcitement!

Xhilaration & Xuberance in Xhibition.

Tonight is the premier showing of this year's show choir shows. It was suppose to take place last week but we were snowed out. Xhilaration (varsity show choir) had their first competition last weekend. They won Best Choreography, Best Vocals & Grand Champions! That is the first time ever for the first competition of the year so I can't even image what they will be like as they progress this season.

Their competition this past weekend was out of town so we did not make it to the show, but with their win, we are even more excited to see the show tonight. Jacob is in both combos this year so we will once again be following the show choirs closely. Their combo director said that the combo had the highest score in finals but the caption award for Best Combo is given out after the afternoon prelims. We are off to Waukee, IA this weekend. I will post our pics soon.

(Update after Waukee... Xhilartation took home a 2nd straight Grand Champions award & the Best Combo award)

And some of the "Best Combo"

'Tis the Season

I haven't been here for a while but no better time than the present to get going again.

I hate this time of the year...
I hate this time of the year because Christmas is over. Time spent with family is always memorable - but gone all too quickly. It seems like as soon as Christmas day is over, everyone wants to pack up all of their Christmas decorations and go back to the way life used to be. I would rather enjoy the season of Christmas into the New Year and remember the real reason to celebrate this season (Jesus) a little longer. I say why not carry our good spirits of Christmas into the new year. Wouldn't it be nice if people were caring and compasionate all year around and just not at the holidays??? So for me, I am still celebrating the season (even though my house isn't docroated anymore).

I love this time of the year....
I know that many of you will disagree with me on this one... but winter is wonderful! There is nothing like a freshly fallen snow to bring everything  to life again with it's sparkles. You know every girl likes things that sparkle. And snow means it's time to get out skiing. I don't know exactly why I like this sport so much but I really do. I love swishing down the hill on skis. And this year I was out sledding again. There's nothing like "acting like a kid again" to make you feel young! Okay... I don't exactly love the subzero temperatures but how long can they really last. The weather will always change eventually and I can put up with it... or get outside and do something to enjoy it.

I hope everyone is enjoying their "New Year" and it brings them many new happy memories!

Retreat

I just had a great scrapbook retreat weekend. Friendship with fellow scrapbookers, some awesome food, no chores, fresh air at camp and I come home rejuvenated and ready to go again! I know not a lot of people understand our weekends away. They think "scrapbookers"... they must just be crafting. But scrapbooking is so much more than that to me. It is a way of documenting life's moments... preserving a piece of our life to remember. I know that life is much more than a few memories, but this is one thing that I can do to share with my family what they mean to me. Here are some of my creations from the weekend:

Making Time...

This is one of those things that I think most parents struggle with their high schoolers about.... making time for the things that are important. They have school, homework, extracurricular activities, recreational and family activities, and they want to be involved in it all! So how do you teach them to decide what is IMPORTANT?

Of course, what I think is important and what they think is important may not necessarily be the same. School for example... is surely at the top of both our lists but school "extra-curricular" activities are very time consuming but very important to the kids. Doesn't that count as making school a priority? You don't want to let everyone else down because you need to do more research for your paper. It also seems that when things get busy at school it is all the family time that seems to get cut first! I know that as they grow up we will see less of them but that doesn't mean I won't miss that time spent together. I am learning to relish those times more.

How do you teach your kids that it is okay to give something up? That you don't need to participate in everything. I think this is going to be one of our biggest challenges this year.