Showcase Time!!

 Every year, at the end of the school year, each grade puts on a showcase. Each class recites a poem or piece of literature, sings a song, and does a dance.

 Kathryn's class danced to "Get This Party Started",

 sang "The Heart Song" (she was an oxygen), and also sang "The Armed Forces Medley". It was very fun to watch them get into everything and do such a great job.

 Kathryn also was graduating from the Grammar School so she received her 1st of 3 medals. Here she is shaking the Head of Schools and Lead Teacher's hand.

 Comparing medals with her friend Josh.

This cohort of girls is who Kathryn spends most of her time with. When they get along they are best of friends but when they don't, Oh man!!! Watch out!

 For Sarah's showcase, they recited "Oh Captain, My Captain", sang "The Bill of Rights Rap",

 and danced to "Ninja Ballet".

 Sarah's teacher also has an end of the year Greek and Latin Party. They are tested on 300 greek and latin roots and derivatives and if they score in the 95th percentile and up, they get a medal at the awards ceremony.

 Sarah only missed 2 and was so excited to get a trophy. She has had a fabulous teacher and has really been amazing for Sarah.

She also got the "Critical Thinking Award" and is here posing with her friend Montse.

 This cute boy recited "My Shadow" and loved watching all those 1st graders be so enthusiastic.

 They danced to "Walking with Dinosaurs" and it was so hilarious to watch him. He counted the entire song..."1,2,3,4,1,2,3,4...." and had quite the dance moves!!

Now on to the end of the year and summer and I can't wait!!!

End of the story...we hope (:

 Where do I even start with this boy...these past 7 weeks have been amazing and tough. I know in the bottom of my soul that we have been so blessed and so taken care of. Even in the midst of medical bills coming almost daily in the mail, I still feel so strongly that everything will be completely okay. That this will work out. That my Savior is intimately aware of our family, our struggles, and He protected this boy!!! It could of been so much worse, and we've seen many stories lately where it was but it wasn't for us and for that I am forever grateful.

 We will have stories for the rest of our lives because of this experience. If you have never thought of the things you can't do with not having two arms functioning then you are in for a treat. Seth was a trooper (most of the time) through all of this but I can say that he never once complained about those casts and he never complained about us having to help with him with all sorts of unpleasant things, especially when you are 13 and private kind of guy! I fed him 152 times, we helped him in the bathroom 123 times, Sam showered him 45 times, we helped him blow his nose 19 times, we helped him get dressed 50 times, we did awesome amounts of homework with him, we scratched his head 37 times, brushed his teeth 100 times, and loved him so much!!

I had the privilege of feeding him almost every meal, including always lunch. He would come in the SPED room and I would feed him. It would daily look like above, para's working and me feeding him. He was such a good sport about the teasing and the feeding but I think it taught him to appreciate us and love us. He still asks to be tucked in bed and tells us at least 3 times before going to bed that he loves us. 

 Then on May 6th we went to see the doctor, 7 weeks from casting and 50 days since the accident. He was so excited to be getting his arms back. We celebrated the night before by having strawberry shortcake (and him almost being able to lick the beater) and playing Ticket to Ride after the younger ones went to bed. 

 He was stoked to be in there, even with dead skin falling off everywhere and super skinny arms. See that grin...one happy boy!!

 Can you see all that skin on his pants?

 They are both free...yeah!!!! Now let's wash those babies off and get some lotion on those arms.

 As we were waiting for the doctor Seth could NOT leave his arms alone. He just kept scratching and scratching and scratching, by the time the doctor got to the room there was skin everywhere. All over him, all over the floor, all over the chair. I swear they were going to need to get the vacuum in there--so gross!!

 The doctor put him in braces for 2 more weeks because he has one spot in his right arm that the bone is not growing there. It looks like a divet in the bone. He is not super concerned but we are going to go in for x-rays every couple months to keep an eye on it. He also has a slight, 10 degrees, angle in right arm because they didn't do surgery to set the bone but that is suppose to fix itself by one degree every year until he stops growing and should not interfere at all with life.

He is so happy to be doing everything on his own (as are his Dad and I--haha!!) and we are so grateful for the wonderful life we have and for this boy that is here with us!

Pirates of Penzance

It has been show weeks at our house and this dude, 2 casts and all was a pirate in the Jr High version of "Pirates of Penzance"

We actually sewed the clothes the EMTs cut off in his accident back together to wear as his pirate clothes. He thought that was pretty cool and they did look awfully piratey with all the jagged edges!!

This time he got to blend into the background for most parts and he loved that. 

 It was really funny to watch him because he would do these sly things in the background that we just hilarious. He is quite the comedian and loves it.

 The play was really funny, I have never watched it but it had wonderful lines and was a lot of fun to watch.

 At one point the pirates take off to surprise attack the police.

 They then put Seth in a wheel chair to make him look even more hurt and have him do this big fight scene with the "Modern Major General".

 It happened right in front of our chairs and was so hilarious to watch.

 Sam and I were rolling in our seats.

 Especially because the "pirate" pushing and turning his chair was having quite the time of it!

 You can see that he loved this part too.

 He then gets his friend Logan, who's a policeman, cornered and procedes to bug him. He isn't suppose to in the play but it's one of those things that Seth throws in there and it works quite well.

 As they haul everyone off to jail.

 Then singing the last song. 

 And him sitting on the girls lap. For everyone else, it was the other way around, but he was making it funnier and switched with her because of his arms. 

What fun it was to watch and we are so glad that show weeks are over!! Yeah (:

The Jungle Book--Sarah

5th grade was also performing "The Jungle Book". Sarah was Bagheera and did absolutely fantastic.

 Sarah with her two besties, Makayla and Taylor. They all loved being together in the play and being super silly.

 She had a lot of lines and was quite concerned that she was going to forget them but she remembered them all and was so happy about that.

 Her and Mowgli.

 Her and the "snake".

 Singing with the Jungle.

 Her talking with Baloo.

 Singing with the monkeys. Sarah takes after the Beus side and has a wonderful, clear, beautiful voice and it was so neat to her hear sing.

 Bowing at the end. 

What a great job she did and it was so much fun to watch her shine up there on the stage.