Becca's Dance Festival

Oh my goodness! We have had such a FUN morning!! Today was Becca's school dance festival! It was so adorable and fun and cute and HOT! :D It was outside and the classes would come out one door and go in the other after their dance was done. Becca's class was very first! I came running the last few steps and whipped out the video camera and just about then the announcer goes, "Here's Barb's class doing the Star Spangled Banner, please stand and sing along!" All of a sudden the heads I was going to tape over are standing up! :D LOL Some of it is in between people, but I will try really hard to get it to a place where you can see it! :D They "walked" (i.e. were pushed in their chairs) around in a circle while the music played and then they lined up at the end and waved their flags. It was just adorable!! :D Already by then I was wishing for some shade, sunscreen or some hats or all 3! :D

I thought about video taping the other classes, because they were such a riot, but instead I put it away and just danced with Gracie and Landon. :D So, sorry there are no visuals for that part, but I have to tell you some of the cutest things! Gracie loved the Under the Sea one... they walked around dressed all ocean-y and they had flippers taped to their chairs and there were mermaids, dolphins and even a King Triton! At the end, they were all wheeled under a limbo stick with fabric strips coming down off of it and they would all grin as they came through! It was so cute! You could tell they had practiced it and that they all liked going through the "waterfall." :D They also had bubble machines going and EVERYONE loved that! :D

Gracie also loved the I Want Candy number! They were all standing in a row and dancing and singing along and they were, of course, throwing candy. The best one is the big, tall boy who would grab a handful and throw it straight up in the air and it rained down on their class! :D They threw some out to us, too... eventually. :D

The hokey pokey was one of my favorites. :D The ones that could stand, stood in a line and then for the "turn yourself around" part, the two in wheelchairs were wheeled around the ones in the line and the one girl (in a chair) was just grinning the hugest grin in all the world! It was so sweet!!

We all loved the Boot Scootin' Boogie. :D They were older, higher functioning kids and one of their teachers was out in front doing the actual Boot Scoot. One of the girls kept up really well! :D The rest of the class were doing their own thing and they were all just so funny and cute! My favorite guy was a big kid with Downs and he's just walking all over in and out around his classmates. :D The other guy is so tall and skinny and talkative and he's right out in front just jumping around! They were having SO MUCH FUN! :D

At the end, we all moved all the chairs and did the Chicken Dance together. So, there's preggo Diana holding Landon and doing the Chicken Dance with Gracie! :D It was HILARIOUS!! Betcha wish there'd been a video camera turned on to ME during that one!! :D We had SO much fun and I wish you all could have been there because it is just impossible to be unhappy in a place like that!! :D

I hope you're all having just the best day ever! I love you!!!



Head on over to the Kids' Blog for more pictures! Drop me an email if you need an invite. :)

Organized Chaos

I'm terrible at keeping this thing updated! I think of several blog posts I want to write every day, but finding the time is harder than it looks! :D Of course, my kids are fed, clothed and happy and that really is more important. ;)

We just started school again this year and so starts the battle of the bus. Probably for the next 13 years, as long as Becca is in school, we will have to battle with the bus. School starts for everyone the same; 9:00 am. Becca rides the bus in her chair and I can't leave the house until the bus gets here, but Emily needs to be at our neighborhood school by 9, too. I would LOVE to walk Emily to school (it is SO much cooler in the morning!), but generally the bus doesn't get here in time. I usually have to back the van out and park it around the corner so we can run to it as soon as Becca is on the bus. I've asked nicely and I'm sure she tries to get here a little earlier, but oh well. A morning or two, Geoff has stayed long enough to put Becca on so I could leave early enough to walk with the other three. But then he's home that much later. *shrug* We do the best we can! We always walk in the afternoon and come home dripping in sweat with headaches and everything else that goes along with getting overheated! At least I'm getting exercise!

Geoff sent me an article the other day that said that a study proved that it is better to be fat and healthy than thin and unhealthy. Geoff rides his bike to and from work every day and is losing inches even if muscle pounds are replacing fat pounds and he is in much better shape than I am. I get winded way faster than someone my size should. See? I've been telling you guys all along that being skinny is not all it's cracked up to be! ;) My endurance is way less than it could be. I have strong arms from lifting my heavy kids, but I get worn out walking or biking for too long. I'll get there!

I think my strongest gene influence must come from my Hammon family line. My Great-Grandpa Hammon was a farmer and a very hard worker and tall and lean. It came through him, his son and my Mom. I have that Hammon tenacity, too. :D I don't give up until the job is done right. I think that's why Heavenly Father sent me Becca. :D He knew I wouldn't give up! As my kids were running in and out this morning watching for the bus and getting ready for school, I got frazzled. I felt like there were so many of them and only one me! This happens a lot, I'll be honest. But, I just took a step back and located each one and gave them a charge that would keep them safe and where I knew where they were and took small bites until it was all managed. Survival some minutes, true enjoyment most minutes... that's sums me up mostly. :D

Well, there you go! A nice, random post to catch me up a little. :D I really do love reading the blogs of family and friends and I hope you enjoy mine once in a while. :D