Happy Thanksgiving Day!

We hope you have a wonderfully Blessed day!

Last night we went to our first Marching Band Concert for Nicko's High School Band. I personally have never heard of a marching band concert, but we were quickly educated. All I can say is it was an amazing experience. I was very impressed. Here are a few highlights from last night.

• The school fight song was played three ways one as a march (which is pretty traditional), once as a ballad, and the last version was 6 tubas playing the school song in harmony.
• Three costume changes by the band director.
• A very touching tribute to Veterans.
• A selection of musical numbers from Star Trek.
  
• A music video that 12 students created. The kids took a Taylor Swift song and wrote their own lyrics about how the best way to be cool is by joining the band. It was adorable.
• Incredibly creative percussion performances.
• Audience participation with singing, yelling, jumping up and down, clapping or snapping if you wanted to play it cool, waving, and lots of applause.
• Four songs from the musical Grease.
  

Overall, the concert was over two and a half hours long and every minute was entertaining. I am so happy that Nicko is not only enjoying his musical education, but is part of an environment that encourages creativity and expression in such a positive way. The thing that stood out to Joel and I was how much fun the band had while they performed.

A Poem

A Thanksgiving Feast Pantoum
By Alyssa Boiten

My family and I would all get together.
My family is important.
Our family would sit around the table.
My Dad would say the prayers.

My family is important.
My family would talk, talk, talk while we eat.
My Dad would say the prayers.
We would fold our hands and Dad would say the prayers.

My family would talk, talk, talk while we eat.
My family and I would talk and feast.
We would fold our hands and Dad would say the prayers.
My family and I would surround the table while we feast.

My family and I would talk and feast.
Our family would sit around the table.
My family and I would surround the table while we feast.
My family and I would all get together.

Our One Year Anniversary

November 9, 2008 was the day a big yellow moving truck pulled into the drive way of our new home and we officially started a new chapter in our life. It is amazing what a difference a year can make. It sure is fun to look back, but I am even more grateful that we are settled.
Here are the kids' top three things that they like about living in Wisconsin.

Nicko - The people that live here are really nice to us, I like swimming in the lake and I like all the cheese they make here.

Daniel - I love all the dairy products that Wisconsin makes, I love my school and I like being able to go fishing off the dock any time I want to.

Isaac - I like the wood paneling in my bedroom, I love having a big yard to play in, and I love fishing off the dock.

Alyssa - All my new friends, I like our house and I like living by the lake. I really hope it is warm enough next summer to actually swim in the lake.

And just for fun, here are a few before and after pictures. It was Alyssa's idea to not label the following pictures. She wants you to see if you can tell which pictures are the before and which ones are the after. ;-)




OPPS!!! I lost an 'after' picture. I must have accidentally deleted it. I will have to retake the picture and post it later.