March 21: Chicago Trip!

Chicago Trip!

Jim took the boys to Chicago for a weekend trip. It took about 4 hours to get there. They first went to the Sears Tower, currently known as the Willis Tower. Jim's brother, David, and nephew, John, met them there. They went on The Ledge, but I don't think any of them were too comfortable with it! 

on The Ledge... 

After The Ledge, they went to The Bean, which is in Millenium Park. The Bean is a stainless steel sculpture that is famous.

After The Bean they just walked around Millenium Park and down to Grant Park, and along Lake Michigan. They went to David & Cindy's, which is in Wheaton, Illinois. They ate pizza at a Chicago style pizza place in Wheaton. They spent the night with David and Cindy. 

Sunday, March 22: They went to the Art Institute.

The Nigerian display.

They went to eat at the Naf Naf grill at Jer's request. He wanted to try Mediterranean food. They all really liked it! They ate shawarma, which is basically a gigantic tube of seasoned steak about 4 feet tall and thinly sliced. They sliced it from the side, and put it on a pita with some hummus and veggies. 

Navy Pier was next on the docket. They walked around and ate some fudge. Yum! It was way too cold and windy for the ferris wheel. It was about 20 degrees out!

They drove the Magnificent Mile. They were going to shop at The American Girl Store, but there wasn't any parking. LOL!!! (For those of you not in the know, The American Girl Store is every girl's dream and every boy & dad's nightmare! It is a store full of nothing but American Girl merchandise, which includes books, dolls, clothing for the dolls, & accessories for the dolls.)

March 14: BOINGGGG!!!

BOINGGGG!!!

While we were in Cedar Rapids at state speech, Jim took the boys to the trampoline place. They had a great time bouncing around on everything. Jamo was busy with jazz band, so he missed the trip. :(

Special socks you have to wear while jumping. They have rubber things on the bottom

 like toddler socks! :) OH! And they make a great fashion statement, too!

Too fast!

March 8: Artsy...

Artsy

Alex made this monkey vase for me. He worked very hard on it in 3-D Art. He is very proud of it, and he should be! I love it! I love the way the monkey is hugging the vase, and his tail cracks me up. :)

Mar. 1: A New Record in Service

A New Record in Service!

This has been a crazy week for us. Actually, every week is crazy for us, and that's why I haven't posted in a while. So when I got on and saw that it had been Dec. 30th, I was a little embarrassed! I had no idea it had been this long!

Mar. 1: All 3 boys and Jim shoveled the church walk and stairs, and we shoveled out Mr. Dowell, Jamo's trumpet teacher. We were supposed to get an inch of snow, but we really got more like 5 inches.

Total service hours: 8

Mar. 4: All 3 boys plus Jim and myself worked at the Girl Scout meeting. 

Total service hours: 10

Mar. 5: Jamo spent 5 hours and Alex & Jer spent 3 hours each setting up risers, etc. for the show choir invitational. It was hard work, lifting the heavy risers and pounding the legs in, and turning all the cranks on the bottom.

Total service hours: 11

Mar. 6: Jamo turned 17 today! All 3 boys spent 2 hours setting up & decorating rooms for the invite.

Total service hours: 6

Mar. 7: The day of the Fort Madison Show Choir Invitational. Jamo got up at 4am to get ready for State Jazz Band competition. He got to the high school around 2, and then helped people as needed at the invite. He performed at 10:00 pm in the jazz band, and had an awesome impromptu solo! Jim & Krys spent from 9 am to 12 pm working at the judges' table. We recorded and figured scores for all the judges for all the schools competing.  Alex and Jer worked from 9 am to 1 am, with a couple of breaks in between. They were gophers and table wipers, They worked hard all day!

Total service hours: 58 yes, 58!

Our family put in 83 service hours this week! Like I said in the title, that has to be a new record!

March 14: State Speech

State Speech

The boys went to the District Speech Contest last weekend. They both did a great job! Alex got a 2, and Jer got a 1, which means he got to go to State Speech this weekend. Jer got 3 1's from the judges, and was selected to perform at All State, which is in Cedar Falls on March 30. Congratulations, Jer!