Marching band highlights

This is Caleb and his friend Alex, who got new marching band uniforms this year! They enjoyed them, they were very nice and even had stirrups on the bottom of the pants so they could be adjusted. They looked so sharp! The plumes were white this year, instead of black. 

Buddies!

These pictures are from band camp in the summer, when they were working on their show...

 His marching band picture for this year...

 Lined up to play the national anthem at a competition...

 Entering the stadium before the football game, he is the biggest bass, number 5...

 All dressed up and ready for halftime at a football game, I helped put the plumes on their hats (Shakos) again this year...
Warming up...

 Fun with bass friends...

Playing at competitions this fall...

They looked so neat all lined up in the stands at a football game...

Warming up at the state competition in Colorado Springs...

This was during quarter finals in the 5A schools...

On Saturday, more extended family came to see Caleb and his band play, including grandparents, an aunt, uncle and cousins... we loved seeing them all!

The weather was very cold and stormy when we were there, and we even got snowed on! There was a weather delay so the semi-finals turned into finals...

There's our school logo! GO FMHS!

They performed well! Since it was kinda windy and snowy, they didn't have their tarp in their final performance, which was fine. They looked good and took 8th place! We are proud of them. It is the highest our school has placed in 5A marching band competition! Great job kids and parents! It took quite a lot of parents to help with the props, tarp, the mirrors, the plumes and more. We even shined their shoes before they went on the field!

Here are all of the kids waiting to hear how the final placements were done... they are a great group of kids, who took time out of their busy schedules to practice and play music. It has its own lasting reward!

We are kinda glad that it is over, since the weather is so cold. "The Missing Piece" was a good show, and they worked hard on it, adding little things to it each week. They will perform in the parade of lights downtown soon, and then they have to turn in their uniforms! We look forward to marching band again next fall!

I love these verses of men with trumpets and jars triumphing before God in their battle...

Judges 7:18-20
(Gideon said) When I and all who are with me blow our trumpets, then from all round the camp blow yours and shout, “For the Lord and for Gideon.”’

Gideon and the hundred men with him reached the edge of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just after they had changed the guard. They blew their trumpets and broke the jars that were in their hands. The three companies blew the trumpets and smashed the jars. Grasping the torches in their left hands and holding in their right hands the trumpets they were to blow, they shouted, ‘A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!’

Caleb's 16th birthday highlights

We had a wonderful time celebrating our son Caleb's 16th birthday last weekend! He worked hard and finished his driver's education online, and got his driver's permit on his birthday. He has been enjoying getting behind the wheel some already!

 His actual birthday was on the evening of his first band concert. After having pancakes (a birthday tradition), he opened a few gifts, including a new pea coat! He loves it and looks so sharp in it!

 Yes, he had to wear a tuxedo to his first concert!

 We had a neat "glow" party for him on the weekend. We invited family and friends for dinner and dessert, as usual. We had glow in the dark bracelets, a glowing football, glowing balloons, and more!

 He enjoyed opening his gifts, including a belt, clothes, another ukulele, an electric razor, a "boot" for his HydroFlask, a new World Series hat, an Air Soft pellet gun, and more! I didn't take too many pictures of him opening gifts, since I was also writing them down for thank you notes!

 Even Grandpa and Grandma's dog Pookie got a glow necklace! She posed for me! :-D

 His birthday cake (pumpkin chocolate chip) made by Mom (not my forte!) since Dad was so busy making homemade pizza! Mallory helped decorate it too!

We got 16 candles on his cake, and everyone sang to him, even some of us in Dutch. "Hip, hip hooray!"

We're so thankful for our boy and the way he is learning and growing into a fine, young man! He is a treasure to us. He has grown up so much this past year, in stature (he passed me up!) and in wisdom too. 

Luke 2:52
And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.

2 Kings 14:21
Then all the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah.

2 Kings 16:2
Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. Unlike David his father, he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord his God.

Two little pilgrims...

When I was growing up, my mom had hardly any fall decorations. The only decoration I can remember seeing around Thanksgiving was a brown turkey candle that she put on the table at Thanksgiving. We teased her about it, we all thought it was funny. We had lots of Christmas decorations, many of them handmade. Decorating for fall and Thanksgiving was not as popular in the 1980's.

I have a lot of decorations for fall, including leaf strands, ceramic pumpkins, a wooden pumpkin door sign (made at MOPS, kinda like this), and fabric wrapped pumpkins (like this), also made at MOPS. I have some metal pumpkin tea light holders, and a fall wreath that I made many years ago.

For Thanksgiving, I don't have as many decorations. I have a pilgrim hat that we made one year at MOPS (kinda like this). I also have a pair of cute pilgrims, a man and a woman, made of resin that my friend Sharon gave me. Some of you may remember my friend Sharon who passed away in January. She gave them to me over 15 years ago. They have been in my fall/Halloween bin that has gone in our crawlspace.

This fall, when we pulled out the bin, the pilgrims were broken. Again. I have glued one or the other a few times. They are only resin, and I did not wrap them carefully in the box. I think I may need to toss them out this year. But I am torn, because they are from my friend who is gone now. It is just a thing, and I don't really need to hold on to things. I looked on Amazon and they do not have the same couple for sale there.

I could glue them again, but they may be broken again next year when I pull them out.

What do you think I should do? What would you do? I haven't had much time to shop lately, but thought I could look for something new. After all, I have pictures of them now!

Let me know your opinion!

They are not glued in the above picture, just set carefully together...

Some verses I've been enjoying lately...

Psalm 68:20
Our God is a God who saves! The Sovereign Lord rescues us from death. 
Psalm 69:29-30
I am suffering and in pain.
Rescue me, O God, by your saving power.
Then I will praise God’s name with singing,
and I will honor him with thanksgiving. 

Psalm 70:1
Please, God, rescue me!
Come quickly, Lord, and help me.