Gloucester Township Day '16.

Towards the end of the school year, and for the past eight years of living in Gloucester Township we have always attended Gloucester Township Day. It truly is a huge event within the community, and having had two of my oldest daughters participate in singing on stage along with their fellow classmates who are part of the choir or musical, and various groups is something that I always look forward too! Even in this heat! 

It was a hot day, and couldn't believe how long we toughed it out for a few hours with a toddler! Good thing we had a ton of water to keep us hydrated. It seems that every year this carnival gets bigger and bigger. There have been more rides in the past couple of years, and so when the kids saw a few of their favorites there was no hesitation in letting them fun some fun. Normally we come here just to walk around,, and hear our daughter sing, and then leave. But being that this will be our last time coming to Gloucester township day we splurged a bit! 

We had some time to spare before Lexie's performance, and walked around checking out which rides they had. Noah was in awe when he saw this ride. He said, "I can't wait till I'm tall enough to get on this ride." 

 Noah, and Chelsea were pointing out which ones they wanted to ride, and after a while Noah rode the balloon ride with Lexie. 

They also had a chance to go on the fun slide, which in their opinion was not as great as the wooden slide at Smith park, but the three ticket ride was worth it. 

Since it was so hot with hardly any breeze the kids wanted to ride a ride where they could get some air. The Sizzler was the answer! Since I always get on rides with Noah I figured I'd let Jon get on with him. Their so cute together. 

And these two girls. 

I was starving, and as much as I wanted to eat before getting on rides we didn't. We ate after we rode, and the food they have here is pretty good. Chicken fingers, and fries are always a favorite! 

Noah cannot stop wearing these shades. They are his favorite especially since they were given to him by a Kings Hawaiian Rolls representative! 

Everyone did an amazing job performing, and singing. It was so nice to have heard Lexie, and Cassie sing "for good" from Wicked. You can view their duo here. They did an amazing job, and it reminded me of when Sierra sang on that same stage singing the same song too! Major deja vu! You can see Sierra sing the same song here

Here I am with my arms around Noah dancing to a song that was being sung, and Chelsea in the background being a goof. After she saw this photo she told me that I look "buff." I call it chunky. I may have a bit of muscle tone left, but this photo proves that i probably need to tone up my arms a bit! Ha! Ha!

I am in love with this photo. I love how I captured a moment between father and son, and how you can see the adoration in Noah's eyes for his pa. Love them both so much! 

It sure was bittersweet when we left. Knowing that this will be our last time coming to this event. Even though it'll an hour away from where we'll be living I know that we probably won't make time to come because of what's going on in our new community, and what not. I'm grateful for the times that we've come to support Gloucester Township , and for all the hard work that everyone does to participate in this event for free! I love how this community goes out of their way for families, and for the mayor to create a safe, and fun environment for the kids, and families. This is what I look forward to in our new community, and know that we'll be fine as long as we bring all that is good to our new community! 

township day, a scholarship, & fun in the sun.

We survived yet another hot day in the sun at Gloucester township days this past Saturday where Sierra, and members of the high school choir came to provide entertainment to the community. It's tradition here in this township for the schools in the surrounding area to participate, and share their talent. 

Alexandra played again with her middle school band, and the Highland high school choir came and sang the same songs they sang at the spring concert. One of the songs they sang was a medley by Queen. They did a good job on that one, and you can see them sing that here. (you know what to do with the links :-)

There were also two special musical numbers sung by two wonderful ladies...one being my daughter Sierra. These two sang a duet last year too.

Sierra and Takiyah were unbelievable and they nailed those high notes. I especially loved it when they sang "For Good". This song was perfect even for Sierra. She has made so many friends in the past five years, and with this being her senior year it was a perfect song to end the day with. She sang with her heart, and I know that others have been touched by her loving spirit.

Another song they sang was "Just Give me a Reason". There was a little bit of technical difficulty in the beginning with Sierra's microphone, but they both sang that song really well. I was looking at the audience as they were singing, and they literally couldn't take their eyes off of them! 

Their applause proved all too well that they loved their performance. Made my heart happy! 

the happy crowd 

After their performances Sierra wanted to take Chelsea & Noah off my hands for a few hours. I obliged, but only for a little while because Noah was getting a little cranky. I did bring his hat this time, and he seemed to do fine without me for a couple of hours. I later returned just in time as they were going to announce the scholarship winners.

The scholarships were given by the Gloucester Township committee. We are so excited that she was one of the chosen recipients, and are so proud of her receiving it. This will help her out so much throughout college.  

Since Jon was at work I recorded a little bit of the ceremony as well as the treasurer explaining the history of how these scholarships came about. Apparently they have been giving these out for many years. You can skip to the part where she receives the scholarship at 3:38.

You can spot Sierra a mile away. She's the one that's always smiling! 

The Lord has certainly blessed our family with the things we are in need of, and I'd have to say our cup runneth over with blessings when it comes to Sierra. She has been accepted to one of the best Art schools in the country, and has received a few scholarships. It's bittersweet for her senior year to be over, but she is excited to go to college in the fall to learn, play endless music, and "grow up" some more! 

A township celebration

The sun was sure out in full force this past Saturday as we spent the day over at Veteran Memorial Park to celebrate the township we live in as well as feasting on food, entertainment from various bands including my girls, and doing a lot of walking looking at all the craft booths. Unfortunately Jon had to work so it was just me and the kiddos. 

Lexie is in the honors band and they opened up with playing the National Anthem.

Sierra and her friend Takiyah sang a rendition of  "I dreamed a dream" from Les Miserables. I got chills while listening to them sing. There was a bit of interference because of the wind, but otherwise they both sang beautifully! You can listen & see them here. Just listen for yourself (smile.)

These kids had too much fun. 

Chelsea being silly with Trent

Sierra & Chanel

 We decided to leave after the girls performed to have dinner at home, and to pick Jon up from work where we ended the evening watching the fireworks. It was super crowded, and we watched them from a distance. We still got a pretty good view of the fireworks. I look forward for the Fourth of July where we plan on seeing the fireworks from here. 

 Yep...the beginning of summer is just around the corner, and I love it!