Wedding Day

Allison 'wanted' to participate in Dollar Dance with Chris. So sweet.....      She was even brave enough to go up to the DJ and request a song without me or Bruce even knowing about it! :)

My sister Amy and her cutie-patootie Shelby.  I LOVE the Shelby smile!

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Cousin Debbie's Wedding Rehearsal

It's been awhile since we've had a wedding in the family.  Cousin Debbie (Marilyn's oldest daughter) became engaged at Christmastime.  She is in the Kansas National Guard, and her fiancee Chris is in the Missouri Army Reserves. Plus, Debbie began Physician's Assistant training in Wichita back in August or September. Debbie had already been deployed for almost a year to Iraq as has been Chris. I figure you never know when that could actually happen again. With that threat always lingering, and Debbie's school training, I guess they decided that May 22 was as good of a day as any to get married (plus, it's Armed Services Day).

The wedding was in North Kansas City area.  Chris' minister performed the ceremony, but the church was neither one of theirs. I almost got the notion that it's a church that rents itself out for such weddings, but I don't really know that. :)

Allison was the flower girl so we were to be at the rehearsal Friday evening.  The ring bearer was a 6-year old nephew of Chris, named Hunter. I think Allison is already telling him a thing or two and they've only known each other for like 3 minutes.

...and cutie pie Miss Shelby was there for us all to ooh and aah over too! :)


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Last Day of Kindergarten

The last day of kindergarten coincided with getting ready to travel to the Kansas City area to participate in our cousin Debbie's wedding.  We needed to be in Kansas City by late afternoon/early evening, so in order to get there earlier enough, we needed to leave right after lunch time. In past years, school has always let out at lunchtime on the last day of school, but of course would not be like that...dismissal was at the normal 3:30 time.  So, although I felt bad about it, we needed to take Allison out of school early.

Before she left, however, we made sure that she got to participate in 'marking' her new classroom for 'future generations'.  Each of the 15 students of the inaugural kindergarten class in the new classroom got to put their handprints in paint on the wall by the water fountain.  There are times that I think the handprints can be overdone and become tacky, but I think this was done sparingly enough and appropriate I think it'll be okay :).

This was not only our last day of kindergarten, but also our last day with Mrs. Harries as our teacher.  Because she teaches preschool too, children spend three years with her. It will be a different environment for sure next year when we move to first grade.

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Nearing the last day of school

Getting closer...the last day of school is drawing nearer and nearer...soon kindergarten will be but a memory, and we will move on to first grade. WOW!   Yesterday, Monday, Allison participated in the field day hosted by her school.  Two other area Lutheran schools participate, so it's a nice event.  Grandma Joyce came up from Alma, and watched Allison participate. I didn't take my camera, but thankfully she had hers so she took a couple of pictures.

Then last evening, Allison had her first t-ball practice.  Most of the kids on the team are from her school.  There are only two who are not...I almost feel like it would be weird for those two families....   She is a pretty good little ball player, and she was really pretty much on the ball last night (when she wasn't trying to wear her ball glove as a hat, that is! :)

We are having quite a bit of trouble right now with Allison keeping her hands to herself again. I thought things were going better over the school year, as I knew that was a big concern at the start of kindergarten. Her hands are always seeming to be on other kids, and yesterday to the point that she was actually in a (playful) fight fight with a boy, and when they were sitting on the ground getting into a kicking fight with their shoes; she seems to always have to pester the person who is in front of her or in back of her in line.  I am sure there is a lot of it from all around, the other kids included, I doubt she is the sole instigator, BUT we need to get a better handle on it.  She needs to mature a little bit in this area, get some self control, and be able to act but not REact if someone else does something that provokes this behavior.  I know she's 'only' six, but this shouldn't still be happening.


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Bob Seger Concert, 5-10-11, #7

Can I just say O-M-G?  My wonderful husband saw that Bob Seger was going to be in concert in Omaha just a few weeks before the actual concert.  He got on Ticketmaster, and purchased two tickets, and we printed them off. We drove to Omaha on the appointed day, arriving at the appointed time, and walked to the appointed side of the arena.  We give our ticket sheets to the usher who looked at the seat numbers and began walking us to our seats.  We knew that they were going to be 'pretty good' seats, all things considered, but we really had no idea "HOW GOOD".  He just kept going down and down. Pretty soon we are like RIGHT-BY-THE-STAGE!!  Our row 5 seats suddenly became the same as row 1 seats, and I tell you if I was a spitter I could probably spit on the stage! It was unbelievable. The folks around us were pretty much having the same reaction...they could not believe we were that close either.

The realness of being so close really hit us once the concert began of course.  You can get an idea from the pictures how close we were to a rock and roll legend.  Bruce does not see things, movies, films, concerts, tv shows , etc., more than once. Once is enough in his book. He has seen Seger at least three or four times. So, we know just from that that Bruce is a HUGE fan!  Bob is aging obviously; he's just turned 66 on the 8th of May.  But man oh man, can "THE MAN" sing!!! He still has the voice even after years of fighting career crippling and near-ending laryngitis, etc.

I have always been interested in when you see these young girls usually on tv and they see their 'singing or acting idol' and they start crying, etc.  I always thought that was so weird.  Well, this night I had tears streaming down my cheeks, to be soooo close to this music legend, and he's just feet away singing some of his hits making it feel like he is singing to you.  I read once somewhere that music is the soundtrack of our lives. I've always taken that to heart because I do enjoy music so much.  Bob Seger has been a huge influence in that soundtrack for both Bruce and myself, and this evening was a treat, a real treat!

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Allison end of kindergarten program 2011_0001.wmv

All I can say about this picture, which I was trying to capture for memory of her kindergarten end of the year program, screams 'attitude'! :)

The kindergarten and preschool kids all performed the same songs and fingerplays. There was quite a crew. One end of the line of kids would get settled down, the teacher would go to the other end to quiet them down, and the first group would start acting up again.

The school has had 8th grade graduation and kindergarten graduation on this evening following the end of year program for years.  I've never really seen the point in kindergarten graduation, but I'll just go with it....it's a tradition.

Yep...it was signed.

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Bob Seger Concert, 5-10-11, #5

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Bob Seger Concert, 5-10-11, #4

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Bob Seger Concert, 5-10-11, #3

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Bob Seger Concert, 5-10-11, #3

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Bob Seger Concert, 5-10-11 #2

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Bob Seger, 5-10-11, Omaha, NE #1

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Dance Recital 5-7-11 Song #2

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Dance Recital 5-7-11 Song #1

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Mother's Day Weekend Dance Recital

It's that time of year again...Mother's Day Weekend activities here in town.  This includes something that we had begun to participate in about three years ago now...the dance recital. It is this weekend that Allison's dance studio holds their annual dance recital.  For the last two years, Allison has danced on Sunday afternoon, but this year she is dancing on Saturday night.  Hopefully I will have some footage later.

She looks so grown up...:)

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Allison's Gathering of the Talents Award

I'm so proud of my girl.  Allison's school participates in a competition called "Gathering of the Talents" sponsored by Concordia University, Seward, Nebraska.   Students from Lutheran schools from a 4- or 5-state surrounding area compete in divisions such as Creative Writing, Art, Dance, Singing, Dance, etc.  There were approximately 1,600 or so total entries by students.  Allison's school had approximately 36 entries.  The work and performances are judged and given a blue, pink or yellow standing.  The blues are then judged again, and the top are given purple awards...kinda like highly distinguished award.

All of the entries are purely voluntary and I believe worked on or completed out of the school setting for the most part.  I know, for example, some of the art projects were done in school, but for the most part this is an out of school, independent entry process.  I entered Allison in the Creative Writing and the Art categories.  Basically, she needed to dictate a story to me, and I had to type it for her, and then for the art it was basically just to draw a picture.  When they get older they can do 3-D art projects, as well as participate in dance and music.    

Below I have pasted Allison's Creative Writing story.  She 'wrote' the entire thing by herself.  I did not lead her or prompt her on any of the content.  I then just typed up the content.  For several days prior we talked about beginning, middle, and end, story structure, having her keep in mind the books and stories that we read here at home, how they are structured, etc.  Otherwise, she wrote her own story.

Allison received one of three purple awards received by students at Allison's school.  Elizabeth L. received the other two, one for her Creative Writing and one for her art project.   This is the photo that was the town newspaper.  I am so very proud of Allison!

Emily, Henry, & the Catnippers

Allison Dierking

Kindergarten

Good Shepherd Lutheran School

Marysville, KS

Short Story

Emily, Henry, & the Catnippers

Once there was a girl named Emily, and she had a pet cat.  They went to the park once, and they flew a kite.  Emily flew a kite, and the cat flew a kite.  Then one day the park was closed because of a big storm.  The cat and Emily were sad because the park was closed. 

            One day they met a boy named Henry.  He had a pet cat, too.  Emily and her cat and the other boy decided to go to Emily’s house to fly a kite.  But it became cloudy and it began to rain. So the boy and Emily had to go inside to play. They didn’t know what to play inside.  But then the sun came out, and the cats ran outside.

            “No!” said the boy and the girl.  But then the cats ran to the park, and they got caught by some catnippers.  The catnippers took them to a cage and locked them up.

            Emily decided it was time for them to go outside, too, and find the cats.  The searched every building in town but they couldn’t find the cats.

            Then they saw another building and they had to check there.  A man at the door said, “Get out! This is our apartment!”

            Emily and Henry said, “You’re mean, mister, and what’s your name?”

            “My name is Mr. Grumpy Pants, and I want you to leave.”

            “But we are looking for two orange cats.”

            “Why didn’t you say so before?”

            “Because you kept saying no.”

            “Well, we have two orange cats.  Why don’t you come inside and look for them?”

            “Sarah! Kit Kat!” said Emily and Henry.  The catnippers didn’t know what was going on but then a bunch of cats arrived at the door and they all scratched the catnippers and the catnippers ran away.

            Henry went home and took his cat Kit Kat.  Emily and her cat went to the park and flew their kites.

The End

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Allison, the Baker

Monday evening Allison and I were invited to attend the Mother-Daughter Salad Supper at our church.  The Evening Circle always sponsors the evening just prior to Mother's Day weekend.  In addition to the carry in salad supper, the committee puts on some sort of entertainment/program.  This year's program was put on by one of the members, Sandy Swart.  Sandy is the church secretary, but she is primarily a cake decorator.  She does lovely cakes, very ornate; she is very talented.  Instead of decorating cakes, however, she showed some different ideas for making, decorating, and using cupcakes.  Cupcakes are pretty 'hot' now.  

Allison has enjoyed making cupcakes in the past anyway, and has made them here at home and also with her two grandmas.  So, it should have come as no surprise that Tuesday morning when she came down from bed, she asked me if we could make cupcakes, and "decorate them like the lady at church last night did."  

She is becoming quite a talented little baker.  I had no idea that she could crack her own raw eggs and do a really good job at getting no shells in the batter.  She pretty much has a good handle on how to measure the water and the vegetable oil in for a cake mix, beginning to understand well 1 1/4 vs. 1/4 c.  

For her demonstration, Sandy had little demonstration bowls of different decorative items to use when making different characters or designs on the top of the cupcakes.  Our kitchen counters were filled with cereal bowls of little confections that Allison searched for in our kitchen, including full size graham crackers (which ultimately she did not use). 

Notice the "neatness" of the workspace....not! :) LOLOLOL

Another thing that Sandy showed was different ways to present the cupcakes when dining, i.e., inverted champagne glasses, serving platters, etc.   Here is an example of a 6-year old interpretation.

...and this is what was left for momma to clean up...   Allison did pretty well at the bigger stuff clean up, but it was better if I took over the intricate clean up....

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