"Show And Tell"..

Danish (english below):

Da jeg kørte Liam og Benjamin i skole i går (fredag) sagde Liam ”jeg synes lige det har været weekend”! Det indkredser hvis meget godt vores fornemmelse lige nu - tiden flyver afsted! Det er egentlig ikke fordi vi oplever en masse, men når nu tiden flyver afsted, så er det også dejligt at have tid til ”de små” oplevelser.  

Skolen arrangerede i år for første gang en “Worlds Fair” (Verdensudstilling). Alle 5. klasses elever kunne tilmelde sig og lave en præsentation, i deres fritid, som så skulle udstilles for alle de andre elever på skolen og forældre. Benjamin var meget opsat på at deltage og var ikke i tvivl om, at hans præsentation skulle være om Danmark. Det var sjovt at se ham arbejde på, og få ideer til, projektet. Det holdt en smugle hårdt at få det færdiggjort, da energien ikke altid er i top når man først kommer hjem fra skole kl. 16.00 og derefter skal lave lektioner og så også have dette projekt ved siden af. Men han gjorde det og han var superstolt af resultatet.

Benjamin working on his World's Fair project

Benjamin's presentation

Silas, og hans fodboldhold, spillede i sidste weekend i ”Future Stars Tournament” - en weekend cup i Eagan ca. 45 min. væk. De var garanteret 3 kampe og med mulighed for at gå videre til semifinale og finale. Første kamp var lørdag morgen kl. 8.00 og med 2. kamp kl. 18.30, kunne vi bruge den lange pause sammen med familien Orman, som bor ca. 15 min. derfra. Det endte med, at de kom med og så Silas spille aftenkampen (her kom Marys kusine Emmy også for at heppe). De endte med at tabe første kamp efter en lige affære og kampen om aftenen vandt de stort. Det var nok til at komme i semifinalen som skulle spilles søndag morgen kl. 8.00. Vi besluttede os for, at jeg kørte Silas afsted og resten blev hjemme.  Kampen var tæt med gode chancer til begge hold. Da kampen var forbi, og der stadig stod 0-0, skulle de i straffesparkskonkurrence for at afgøre hvem der skulle have finalepladsen. Der blev brændt lidt på skift, så det var utrolig nervepirrende at kigge på, og det blev først afgjort efter 7. spark, hvor Silas lavede endnu en fantastisk redning og blev den helt store helt. Mary og drengene var med på et videoopkald under straffesparkene, så de fik lov til at følge dramaet. Finalen skulle spilles kl. 12.30 og var mod det hold som de tabte til i første kamp om lørdagen, så de var meget opsatte på at få revanche. Men først tog vi på restaurant og spiste frokost og holdet hyggede sig med hinanden. Til finalen kom Mary, drengene og onkel Johnny. Det var en tæt og god kamp, men desværre blev det til endnu et knebent nederlag. Silas havde en fantastisk weekend og mærkede et godt fællesskab med de andre på holdet.

Silas soccer shot out in the semi's. 

Team huddle after the finale

Vi har også været inde og se elever fra Middel School (mellemtrinnet) opføre musicallen ”Madagascar - A Musical Adventure Jr.”. Det var en sjov musical og en god oplevelse at støtte op om lokale arrangementer. Det var særligt sjovt for Mary, da hun kendte en masse af eleverne fra de måneder hvor hun underviste (flere af) dem i kor.

Benjamin og Mary har faktisk fået endnu en musicaloplevelse, da de tog ind for at se Ruth (Orman) i hendes skolemusical. Dejligt for dem at kunne støtte op og få en hyggelig oplevelse sammen.

Benjamin and Mary at Ruth's school play

Flere billeder (more pictures):

Grandpa and Liz visiting for cake and fun 

Silas practicing for a worship night at church 

Extra day off - Escape room #1

Extra day off - Escape room #2

Mothers day dinner at Famous Dave's resturant

Spring time

English (AI translated):

When I drove Liam and Benjamin to school yesterday (Friday), Liam said, "I feel like it was just the weekend!" I think that captures our current feeling pretty well—time is just flying by! It’s not really because we’re experiencing a ton of major things, but when time flies like this, it’s also wonderful to have time for the "little" moments.

This year, for the first time, the school organized a "World's Fair." All 5th-grade students could sign up and create a presentation in their free time, which would then be exhibited for all the other students and parents. Benjamin was very keen on participating and had no doubt that his presentation should be about Denmark. It was fun to watch him work on the project and come up with ideas. It was a bit of a struggle to get it finished, though, since your energy isn't always at its peak when you don’t get home from school until 4:00 PM and then have to do homework on top of working on this project. But he did it, and he was super proud of the result.

Last weekend, Silas and his soccer team played in the "Future Stars Tournament"—a weekend cup in Eagan, about 45 minutes away. They were guaranteed 3 games, with the opportunity to advance to the semifinals and finals. The first game was Saturday morning at 8:00 AM, and with the second game at 6:30 PM, we were able to spend the long break with the Orman family, who live about 15 minutes from there. They ended up coming along to watch Silas play the evening game (Mary's cousin Emmy came to cheer him on too). They lost the first game after a close match, but they won the evening game by a large margin. That was enough to get them into the semifinals, which were played Sunday morning at 8:00 AM. We decided that I would drive Silas, while the rest stayed home. The game was tight, with good chances for both teams. When the whistle blew and it was still 0-0, it went to a penalty shootout to decide who would get the spot in the final. Both teams missed a few shots back and forth, so it was incredibly nerve-wracking to watch. It wasn't decided until the 7th kick, where Silas made another fantastic save and became the big hero. Mary and the boys were on a video call during the penalties, so they got to follow the drama. The final was scheduled for 12:30 PM and was against the team they lost to in the first game on Saturday, so they were highly motivated to get their revenge. But first, we went to a restaurant for lunch, and the team had a great time hanging out together. Mary, the boys, and Uncle Johnny came for the final. It was a close and well-played game, but unfortunately, it ended in another narrow defeat. Silas had a fantastic weekend and felt a great sense of camaraderie with his teammates.

We also went to see Middle School students perform the musical "Madagascar - A Musical Adventure Jr." It was a fun musical and a great experience supporting local events. It was especially fun for Mary, since she knew a lot of the students from the months she spent teaching (several of) them in choir. Benjamin and Mary actually got to enjoy another musical experience, as they went to see Ruth (Orman) in her school musical. It was lovely for them to be able to show their support and have a great time together.