Welcome to the Jungle!

 

Luke performed in the first grade musical performance on Thursday night, aptly entitled, "Welcome to the Jungle".  The students put on a mini-musical based on Aesop's fable, "The Lion and the Mouse".

 

Luke told us about a month ago that he was going to be singing a solo.  Turns out that he was an elephant in the cast: 

 

It reminded us of his preschool Christmas program where we thought he was Joseph and he was actually the donkey.   Click HERE for a recap of that event.

 

That kid and his imaginary roles.  Makes for great blog material.

Luke is the top right elephant in the herd.

 

Anyway, the musical was adorable and our little elephant did a great job with all of the songs and hand motions.  I whispered to Mark halfway through the show:  "We've come a long way,"  as I recalled the time when Luke stood on the risers at church to sing his VBS songs and promptly turned around... so that the audience saw the back of his head for the entire performance.  Or Luke's first preschool music program, when he stood stone-faced and refused to utter a single word for the duration of the event.  He certainly makes life entertaining and keeps us on our toes. 

  Enjoy the pictures!

Handprint Day!

Friday was a big day for Luke.  It was "Handprint Day" at Oak Ridge Elementary for students who achieved a special milestone in the Accelerated Reader (AR) Program.  The very first day that we toured the school last summer, Luke stared in awe at the handprints which line the hallway to the Media Center and asked me,

 "Mommy, how do I get my handprint on that wall?"

Luke has worked so hard all year to receive his AR points.  He reads a book independently each night, and the next morning at school, he takes a related online comprehension quiz.  He has set goals for himself and is completely self motivated in this area.  On Friday, you could see the excitement on Luke's face as he placed his special handprint on the wall:

We are so very proud of our little reader!  May his passion for reading and love of books continue to bring him lifelong joy!  

Welcome, Spring!

 

Hooray for Spring!  How happy we are that you are here!

 

Beach Baby!

 Leah and I went to Myrtle Beach last weekend to visit Grandpa, who is enjoying his first winter as a snowbird there.  Leah was ecstatic to play in the sand ("in the WINTER, Mommy!"), and proved to be an adorable beach baby.  There were so many fun things about being at the beach for this little girl, including:

 

1.  Spending time with Grandpa: 

 

2.  Building Sandcastles:

 

3.  Beach games:

 

4.  Chasing Seagulls:

 

5.  Posing for Mommy's camera:

 

6. Sand toys:

 

7.  Tootsies in the water!

 

On Sunday, Grandpa, Leah, and I went to the aquarium, and we loved seeing all of the marine life.  One of our favorite parts was the moving walkway that wound through "Dangerous Reef", where enormous sharks swam right over our heads:

This slide was Leah's favorite part of the aquarium.  She must have climbed it at least 20 times!

 

We also watched a show and Leah petted the horseshoe crabs and rays:

 

 We had so much fun in Myrtle Beach with Grandpa- What a great weekend getaway!

ORYA Championship Day

 

On Saturday, Oak Ridge Youth Association held its Championship Day for all of the youth basketball teams.  Luke's team won their playoff game last weekend and made it to the finals, so there was LOTS of excitement in our house this week leading up to the big day.  We arrived on Saturday morning to find that the stands were packed with enthusiastic parents and adoring fans, armed with multiple photographic and video recording devices (we brought 4 such items in our family alone: 2 Iphones, a 35 mm camera, and a camcorder).  

 

ORYA pulled out all the stops for the event, and the gym was decked out with balloons and banners, with a live DJ announcing the day's events.  The players were announced individually, and ran through the tunnel of cheerleaders when their name and number was called, high-fiving their teammates on the way.   You may think that the quality of the below pictures is poor, but that grainy appearance is due to the fog machine that enveloped the gymnasium in a hazy pre-game cloud.   When you are 6, this is possibly the coolest moment in your life so far, and certainly the best one in your "sports career".  The kids were practically bursting with excitement at all of the hoop-la:    

 

"NUMBER 12:  LUKE WINTERHOFF!!!"

 

After the National Anthem played, the Cobras did their pre-game team cheer and it was time for tip-off:

 

 

Luke is the middle blue player.

 

The game was fast-paced and exciting, and Luke went to the line several times to take foul shots:



 

 In the end, the Cobras were victorious and were announced as the 2015 ORYA Champions in the age 5-6 division.  Luke proudly clutched his trophy to his chest, and whispered to me later,

"Mommy, is it REAL gold?"

 

As if the morning couldn't be any more exciting, Daddy decided at the last minute to participate in the post game half-court competition, which raises money for the youth association.  He bought ONE shot, and WITHOUT taking a practice shot, THIS happened:

 

Everyone was amazed, and two children in this family were in absolute awe and admiration of their super-star dad.  The half court finalists competed in a sudden death foul shot competition later in the evening, and Mark was declared the winner when he was the only one to make his foul shot! 

 

How proud we are of our basketball boys!