Almost Halloween!

So it has been another busy week. It seems that I have passed along my cold to Allison and Steve. They had been coughing and miserable all week and finally went to the doctor on Thursday. There they discovered that they both had walking pneumonia. Yikes. They both stayed home from school on Friday and tried to recover.

Allison had her final volleyball game on Tuesday this week. (She was coughing the whole way through.) She and I are both looking forward to the Twilight movie that opens Nov. 21st. Alli's aunt Amber sent Alli a Twilight shirt this week. I think the neighbors heard how loud she shrieked in excitement when she opened it. She was very excited!

Matthew and Joshua both had play practice again this week. Only two more weeks until the show. November 6, 7, and 8th are the performances. Matthew is even a named character- he is Charlie (Dodger's friend) and has a few lines. Of course, then Josh was jealous, so he ended up with a line too. This week begins all week practice as they run through the whole show.

I drove my ASB executive board down to Kennewick HS on Wednesday where we met with all the exec. boards from all the Mid Columbia high schools. There we assembled gift boxes for the troops and had lunch. As we were getting ready to leave, we were asked to stay a little longer and take part in the Kamiakin to Southridge human chain in support of breast cancer awareness. We were in the middle of a 3.5 mile chain of people. My students loved the idea, and I think we are planning such an event for Moses Lake next year. It was a very fun day. Check the Tri City Herald newspaper for a quote from my Business Manager.

All our kids are excited about the upcoming Halloween. The kids are very serious when it comes to their costumes. I'm just hoping to live through the events.

Miss you all much. Many hugs. :) Deb

It seems we are always running....

Shawna decided that it was time to decorate the house for Halloween. So she has spent the last week decorating every surface in our home (including the windows) with Halloween decorations. I admire her energy because I certainly don't have it. She takes her holidays VERY seriously.

Allison played her final volleyball game of the season on Thursday. She has come a long way with her skills this year. Of course, she has picked up my cold, so she has been hacking all weekend. I hope it is over quickly.

Matthew and Josh contines to have play practice twice a week. Although since we are close to the performance (only 3 more weeks) they have increased practice time until 5:00 both days. Luckily, it is down the hall from my classroom so I can work. But I am still finding myself at school way too long.

I forgot to tell you last week that Steve got me some really cool Converse shoes for my birthday. They are Maroon and Gold (MLHS school colors) and have Banda on the heel. They are the talk of the school- the students love them!

I can't believe the weekend is almost over. We miss you and love you all much.

More soon,

Deb

I'm tired of being sick!

So, as a result of my crazy week (last week), I've been sick all of this week. Yuck. Just the normal sinus mess that means I can't breathe and am pretty miserable. I actually took half a day off on Monday, but I went back to school on Tuesday- for my birthday, no less. Even though I was sick, there were some very positive events. Steve sent me some gorgeous birthday flowers, and my ASB Leadership class threw me a surprise birthday party complete with ice cream cake.

Actually, other than the normal scouts, young women activies, volleyball, play practice and piano, it has been a fairly quiet week. (There is something wrong, when all of that means a quiet week.)

Matthew had his first Boy Scout camp out on Friday. He had a great time, ate hotdogs and smores, and slept in a tent down by the lake. Brrr.... to cold for me!

Miss ya and love you much! :) Deb

Banda Family Chaos

Welcome to my attempt to stay current with all my friends and family- as well as my attempt to overcome my computer clumsiness to share our busy lives. This has been a crazy week for our family. On Monday, we had our opening Homecoming Kickoff assembly. On Tuesday, Joshua earned his Bobcat patch at his very first Cub Scouts Pack Meeting. On Wednesday, Shawna and I attended the MLHS Class Olympics where we took part in some goofy games. Matthew attended Boy Scouts and Allison attended Young Womens. On Thursday, Alli and Matt attended piano lessons, and then later Alli and I attended the high school volleyball game. On Friday, I was in charge of a 45 minute Homecoming royalty assembly. And then later on, Steve sold t-shirts at the football game, and I was in charge of a very public high school halftime coronation of the Homecoming King and Queen.

I am very glad to have just suvived the crazy week. It has been a lot of fun, but a very exhausting week for all of us.

Allison has been playing volleyball on her school team this fall. Matthew and Joshua are in the high school fall musical Oliver! They have been practicing hard, and it is so cute to find them singing the songs around the house. Mark your calendars. They will be performing November 7th and 8th. It is going to be a great show!

We love you all, and miss you. Have a great week! Love, Deb