Spring Tour - Day 2

Mr. Leggett's update/pics for today:

Hi all,

Another great tour day for Limbo Fish. We started with breakfast at the hotel then a fairly long drive to Aberdeen where we had to burn some time at a park. We made really good time with very little traffic and a favorable tail wind. After a hearty lunch of pop and french fries (oh, and a few bites of hamburger or chicken parts) at the local McDonalds we headed into the deep, dark, wet, Olympic rain forest. We arrived at Lake Quinault school in what the folks around there refer to as a light rain....we would call it a steady downpour. Within minutes of our arrival the bus driver (whilst attempting to turn around) managed to get the bus thoroughly stuck in the school's drain field. The brown stuff you see on the bus tires is mostly mud.

The assembly went very well. We performed for the entire K-12 student body. They seemed to really appreciate us and especially our effort to get to them at Lake Quinault which is basically the middle of nowhere. It seems that performers don't get out there all that often.

Because of the stuck bus we had to scratch the ferry ride off the itinerary. We got to Zoopa by 7:00 and had a groovy dinner. The kids are now merrily burning some extra energy in the pool. It is a little warmer tonight.

Tomorrow will see our last performance of the Tour and the bus ride home. Don't forget our Smoovies Gig on Saturday. The kids should be sounding REALLY good by then. You might be surprised at how good they sound.

More later....

(Ethan, Isiah, Gary, Benson, Josh, Christian)

Spring Tour - Day 1

Chris has been with Ethan on a steel drum tour in Seattle. They are having a great time. Here is Mr. Leggett's (Ethan's director) email/pictures he sent today:

Hey all,

Here are a few pictures from the day. It was a good, but wet, day. Our performance at Seattle Hill went very well. The Seattle Hill kids loved LF. One of my past students (a special kid that played in my first Kid Calypso steel band at Tapteal in 1995) is now a teacher at Seattle Hill. She was so excited to have us there.

On a sad note. One of our 4th grade girls broke her lower leg/ankle on a piece of playground equipment at Seattle Hill. We were waiting for the gym to clear out before we set up and the kids were playing outside. Very sad, her parents will be taking her home.

We had some dinner at Red Robin and then off to the mall to buy stupid stuff, then to the hotel and to the pool. As you can see, it is an OUTDOOR pool. Supposedly it is heated but judging from the short amount of time they were in the pool, the blue pallor and shivering bodies I would say the temperature is only slightly warmer than the air temperature.

Tomorrow we are off to the Olympic Peninsula for another gig. More pics tomorrow....

BJ signing off.....

It's Official - She's a Teenager

My baby is 13. Just crazy! I love celebrating birthdays. We have quite a few fun traditions.

First - we always hide our presents. This year Taylor just wanted clothes. Now that she is getting older, it is hard to buy the correct things without her with me. The solution - 100 one dollar bills....hidden, of course!Can you tell how happy Ethan is about this? "Why does she get money? I need some money! Taylor, can't I have just some?"
We always decorate the house (or at least their door) the night before:They eat their meals on the birthday plate: (made by yours truly)
They get to request their own menu for the day. Sometimes it involves a restaurant, sometimes not. Taylor's picks this year: pancakes/bacon for breakfast, tri-tip/mash potatoes for dinner and mud pie for her bday cake:
One of their favorite traditions is that they don't have to do any chores. It's not like a normally work them to death, so I don't know why it's such a big deal - but it is! We finished off the night at mutual (I filled in for the beehives) with a flour fight. Fun times! Notice that Taylor is now taller than me. Darn her!
Happy Birthday, my sweet girl! I love you more than words can describe. You are everything I wish I was when I was your age.

TCGFSA

This is the only picture I got of Taylor's jamboree on Saturday. I'm sure I'll have plenty more to share later...

Soccer Sadness

Emma is so sad that soccer is over. She loved every bit of it and can't wait until it starts back up again in the fall. She, too, had a great season and learned SOOO much.

Her face in the picture makes me laugh!Throw-in:Her good friend, Nattie:
Goal kick:
Eating oranges at half-time:
Score!

Proud Parenting Moment

At Kaden's preschool they have a 'Day at the Park' to celebrate the summer birthdays. The class meets at the park to play, then they gather to celebrate the bdays. Everyone that has summer birthdays bring a treat to share. Miss Patty (the director) brings ice cream. I am showing you this picture for a reason. Notice the bag of yummy caramel popcorn? Don't you think that most kids LOVE caramel popcorn? Obviously one little birthday girl named Nicole did! She proudly passed around her bags of popcorn to all her friends. Each one said, "Happy Birthday" and "Thank You"......all but one. One loud and boisterous kid screams, "Ewwww! That's gross! MOM!!! MOMMM!!! I don't want this stuff - it's disgusting! MOM! COME GET IT!!!"Yeah, all the parents look at me and are anxiously awaiting my reply. What is this mom going to do? Is she as crazy as her son? Has she not taught him any manners? How is she going to handle this embarrassing situation?

I did what any good mother would do! I screamed back in likewise manner, "Kaden Christopher! Sit back down and be quiet!", turned bright red and buried my face in my hands.

...and enjoyed that bag of popcorn the whole way home!

Big Shoe

Emmaline as a Native American:

With BFF, Ellie:Ethan's 5th grade "sticks":

My camera died right when they were getting to the good stuff...

Somethin's Missin'...

Before:
After:Yes, worth the money for sure!

School Softball

Taylor is done with school softball....just in time for TCGFSA to start! She had a great season and especially enjoyed playing with her friends on the team.

Good hit:Awesome shortstop:She's an awesome base runner:

Friend Friday Fun

Our weekdays are so crazy that we set Friday afternoons aside for friends. The kids get out early at 1:15 so they have extra time to play (or 'hang-out' as Ethan would say).

Kaden with his best buddy, Brett:Emmy and Amy:
Ethan and Cannon:

Mother's Day Tea

One of my favorite events is Mother's Day Tea at Kaden's preschool. The kids serve us cake and "tea" and sing us songs. Can't believe my baby is growing up!

Getting ready to sing:
His infamous CHEESY grin:
Love this kid!

T-Ball Madness

Kaden had his first T-ball game...

He is such a fun kid and loved every minute of that crazy game! Kids were coming out of the woodworks diving on top of each other to get the ball. So fun to watch!

And of course, half of the fun is holding these 2: