And the beat goes on....

We have settled into a "school year" rhythm here in the Leahy house. Mornings come too soon, nights are filled with meetings, homework, and school events, and the days in the classroom are "boring" according to the three teens.

However, Janni definitely has more enthusiasm for school that either Hunter or Hailey. He really seems to enjoy his classes now. As of Friday he moved out of his 1st period architecture class into a class called "academic enrichment" -basically a period when he can get help with his other classes. The teacher will insure that he isn't having any issues with the language difference that might be causing him to not succeed. He seems happy with the situation so I am happy too!

Friday night was all about the football game. But, prior to the game Janni asked Amanda, a precious, adorable girl, to be his date for Homecoming. He found this poem online and we went to our favorite local florist to pick out fresh flowers and a ballon to attach the poem.

Homecoming
A night of music,
Of fun and laughter.
A beautiful story,
Like Cinderella in Ever After.

We shall dance,
We shall dine.
It'll be the best,
You'll have a good time.

Say yes to me,
You'll have fun.
A night to remember,
When it's done.

What can you lose,
Give me a chance.
Say you'll go with me,
To the Homecoming Dance.

You know me,
I'm certain that's right.
How bad could it be,
It's just one night.

Just say yes,
You won't regret.
It's going to be a night,You'll never forget.

Isn't that the cutest?
Needless to say, she said yes!!

(He had hidden the ballon and flowers in her car so she saw them when they got into the car to leave for the game)

Saturday was his mom's birthday so the main priority was making sure he was able to Skype with her on her special day! Hailey and I were also able to say "Happy Birthday" - technology is so cool. And, fortunately, Maria has a pretty good command of the English language since Hailey and I really aren't fluent in either German or Greek.

(Yes, Hailey completed two years of German. But that's a topic for another post. One with a lot of blonde jokes. I'm well on my way to being fluent as I can now say "Hello" and order pineapple and wine. Important stuff!)




The Happy Birthday Skype session with Maria

The kids spent weeks shopping for the perfect outfits to wear Saturday night to the much-anticipated "Bad 80s Dance!" And they definitely did pay homage to the decade of my youth:

Hunter was out of town for the weekend and missed the dance but Janni is so laid back he doesn't even mind when he's the only one with the group of girls...what a great kid!

Though the night didn't necessarily end as they hoped (TOO MUCH TEEN DRAMA!) I think they still had fun. At least from what I could glean. They weren't too forthcoming with details.

Sunday was gorgeous here in Houston. The temperatures finally dropped from the 90s and it seemed like we finally had a break from the scorching Houston summer heat. Janni, Hailey and I headed down to Galveston for a meeting/gathering with other exchange students and their host families. We got a bit of a late start and then hit some traffic on the way so I asked Hailey to please e-mail the couple that was hosting the gathering and let them know we would be late. A few minutes later, shortly after we drove onto the island, my phone rang. Captain Dave, whose home we were driving to, let me know that I had the date wrong and that we were supposed to be at his house NEXT weekend. Oops. Not exactly sure how but I entered it on the wrong Sunday in my calendar. The weather was so beautiful that we decided to make the most of our day and grab some lunch and walk on the beach. It may have technically been a wasted trip but I really don't think it's possible to go wrong when the result is the beach on a gorgeous day....right?!

Even better, we get to go back next Sunday...for the gathering on the correct day! There's a method to my madness. Really.