DOWNSIZING!!!!!

We are seriously thinking of moving at the end of our lease.  We are s-l-o-w-l-y getting rid of things we don't need, don't want or aren't working properly.

Today, we decided that my white desk had to go.  When we moved it downstairs, we broke several things off of it.  It was holding together by the weight of the books in it.  Zachary tried to unscrew the top of the desk off so it would be easier to get up the stairs.  Only one side had screws, the other side was glued together.  I thought if I tipped it on its end, we could see how it was put together.  Well, here is what it looks like after we tipped it:

Notice the t.v. - the top was broken somehow.

Two things down, many more to go...

WESTLAKE'S GOT TALENT!!!!!

Last night was WCA's "Westlake's Got Talent" show.  Zachary was helping Alex in his skit.  Alex is a drummer.  They set up a whole drum set and Alex started playing.  He is really good.  While Alex was playing, Zachary's job was to be a janitor and take away his drums, one piece at a time.  It was really funny.  Alex kept banging on the parts that were left, while Zachary took another piece away, etc.  You get the point.  When all the drum pieces were done, Alex banged on the floor and the legs of his stool.  Then Zachary took the stool away and Alex banged on his drum sticks.  Then Alex got fed up and threw his sticks.  That was the end of a crazy skit.

Here is Zachary in all his janitor glory:

Zachary has on Dad's old car-fixing coat (Z smelled like oil all through the program).  A girl that is great at makeup, made him Elvis-type sideburns.  He even had a dirty rag sticking out of his back pocket.

One of the teachers did this routine:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcGA4alhPas

Zachary also ran the sound throughout the program.  My friend has a video of his skit.  Here is the link to the video - hope it works (since I am so talented in the techno department).

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=253481078121731

I guess the above link doesn't work, sorry!  We tried to fix it, but to no avail.  Where's my techno-wizard when you need him? 

It was a fun evening!

ACSI!!!!!

Zachary and I spent Friday and Saturday at the ACSI Music Festival held at Olivet Nazarene University.  The campus was amazing.  It was HUGE!  We know, because we walked it several times a day.  The festival is 19 different schools coming together to practice and perform a concert on Saturday afternoon.  It included Jr. High Band, Sr. High Band, Jr. High Choir and Sr. High Choir.  The Sr. High Choir was led by ONU's choir director.  Our first practice was for 3 1/2 hours.  The director had the kids STAND for the WHOLE time.  The chaperones (me) were to sit within the choir and make sure the kids cooperated.  My job was to take care of four guys in our choir (which included Zachary).  It had been the norm in the past that the high school boys were awful.  Not this year, Zachary, David, Jeremy and Malik were amazing and VERY well behaved!  Made me proud!

The full choir during a rehearsal.  Notice the pipes for the organ.

Please enlarge this picture just for a look at those pipes.  Last year, the choir director played the organ for part of the concert.  He did not do it this year.  We were so disappointed.  The organ and the pipes cost $1,500,000.  It takes a month to tune it all.  We would have loved to hear it played.

The blond in the white shirt is Summer, from our church.  We didn't know she was going to be there.

The Sr. High Choir during the concert.

Zachary is in the front row, just to the left of the conductor.

It was an amazing weekend.  Too bad it was on the same weekend as the time change.  We are exhausted!  There will surely be a well-deserved nap this afternoon.

AND, at last, I finished the last puzzle that I got for Christmas.  This one was VERY hard.  After I had about half of it done, Elyse read the box.  It says that the back of each puzzle piece would make a pattern too.  That is when I turned over a few pieces and realized that I didn't have them in the right places because the back pattern didn't line up.  So, I had to take several things apart and start all over.  But, alas, it is finished!

If you look closely, you will notice that there are still 10 pieces out of place.  I finally just stuck them wherever I had a hole.  See the black in the middle of the gray water.  Silly me!

A - MAZE - ING!!!!!

A church in Gurnee built a HUGE maze out of refrigerator boxes.  The art work was a-MAZE-ing.  Westlake Seniors rented the gym for two hours this morning.  I dropped Zachary & Elyse off and went out for coffee with a friend.  The theme was "The Magician's Nephew" from C. S. Lewis' books.

The starting point...

Zachary crawling out of his first time through...

Elyse found a peeking place in the tree...

Elyse first time through...

Our friend, Sarah...

The magician...

More of Uncle Andrew's study...

The wood between the world...

Some of the story line...

Secret tunnel...

Yes, they did!

According to the kids, that was totally awesome!  Such a fun idea!  Luke & Lacey, you should do this for the last night of Base Camp!  There was a cardboard cattle run at the beginning, so everyone could take turns.