Club Days Firsts

On Saturday both boys participated in our 4-H County Club Days. For those of you unfamiliar with 4-H, Club Days is when youth can do public performances, and get a critique. They can also advance to a regional competition where they get another critique. It is a great way youth practice getting up in front of people, and speaking or performing.

This was Alberto's very first club days! He is five, and a little shy with strangers, so I was totally expecting him to not participate. In fact he told me on Friday, I'm not doing it, you can't make me. Five and Six year olds can only do show and tells. They also do not get a rating, just their critique and a participation ribbon.

With the bribe of a cinnamon roll, he took his bag of rocks for show and share. He walked into the room, holding his rocks, and did not say a word. Bless his judge, she greeted him and immediately started asking him questions. To answer her questions he kept taking steps closer. Next thing you know they had a great little conversation, and in the very end he finally introduced himself! "I'm Alex Meerpohl and I'm in the Shunga Valley Club." Very good first Club Days Alex!

This is Daryl's fourth club days. (That is hard for me to believe.) He has done Show and Share, and a couple of project talks. He is usually super quiet and not very prepared. This year, with his increased interest in history, he did a historical speech. In that category, you recite a historical speech in character. He picked a Dwight D Eisenhower speech, and he nailed it! Eisenhower read the speech from a paper, so lucky him, he got to do that too. He pronounced words like tenuous, but did goof a little on prestige. It was cute! He did so well, he qualified for regional club days for the first time!

So proud of both of my boys. I may have withheld breakfast a few morning until Daryl read me his speech, but the tears were worth it. He was the most prepared he had ever been. And, I always did give him his peanut butter toast. A mom has got to do, what a mom has got to do!

Looking sharp early in the morning! 

This show and share was just too cute for words! 

Selfie!!

Is that President Eisenhower? 

Music Program Night

Well another couple of weeks have gone by, with no one updating the blog. This school thing is trying to kill me! After this class I am officially half way done. I don't know if that excites me, or depresses me. Depends on the homework for that week. :-)

On Feb. 8th the boys both had a music program. Our school does it by grades, so there is no guarantee your kids will have a program on the same night. We got lucky this year! Even more lucky because Grandma Rosie got to come hear it too. Both boys sang, and did their actions. Our music teacher puts on the best programs! Daryl was super excited to wear his first ever suit. We had to have the waist taken in probably two inches, but he looked very sharp!

Alex woke up the morning of the program in tears. He said, "MOM it is SEVEN, I was suppossed to be in my classroom at 5:45! I missed my program!!!" I calmed him down and let him know the program was PM not AM. Of course he didn't feel better until we talked to an actual teacher at drop off. Apparently mom can't be trusted. :-)

On Valentine's Day I learned a couple of things. Daryl is still sensitive to artificial sweeteners. Sorry he threw up at your house Kelly. :-(  And, Alex is dead set on not having any pictures taken of him right now. I hope he grows out of that soon. I have to have pictures of my ALBERTO!!

My boys clean up so nice! 

This is now the regular face on get from Daryl for pictures. Ugh

I bought the boys stuffed animals and chocolate for Valentine's Day. They liked them! 

The Alex Show

Last post was all about Daryl, and I meant to write this one just a few days later. But Alex has kept me on my toes these last few weeks, so his post had to wait.

Alberto ended January with a field trip to the Kansas History Museum for Kansas day. I got to go with him and be a parent helper. It was fun! Although he got real cranky when I was taking pictures. His favorite things were building towers, looking at rocks and sewing on a sewing machine. He also liked to stop at all the exhibits that had a movie playing.

The day after his field trip we also went to our first Washburn basketball game. The boys and girls lost both games, but the boys had fun, ate nachos, and we got free shirts. A win all the way around...well except for the actual games...awkward :-/

Lastly, all this time Alex was doing this weird thing where he was running a low temp every night, but waking up just fine. His temp started creeping up every night and he started complaining of headaches. It started Thursday night and when I would consider taking him to the doctor, he would be better.  However, Sunday night he was in a lot of pain, and couldn't even fall asleep. I was praying it wasn't the flu, and wishing I had taken him to urgent care over the weekend. I didn't think we were ER serious so I decided to just nurse him through Sunday night. He woke up still not feeling good on Monday so I took him to the doctor. Poor guy had a pretty bad inner ear infection :-(. He stayed home Tuesday too to recover, but was all better by Wednesday.

So we are all good again, and ready to rock and roll some more!

"Mom look a fossil!"

He was running the peddle. 

I was so surprised he wanted to take a picture with the mascot!

This was after his Dr. Apt. and he was finally getting some relief. Poor Baby!