It's time once again for our update on all the activities and adventures the Elia Family has been up to this year! Check out the information and pictures below to find out what is new with us. You can click on any picture to see a larger version.

We hope that all is well with you and your family. Have a great holiday season and best wishes for a wonderful new year!

SCHOOL & FRIENDS
Zack is enjoying the independence that junior school brings and is handling it well. In general he is a very responsible kid and easily manages to stay on top of the lengthy and involved projects that are required. Thankfully he learned how to type this past summer, so Mom doesn't have to type them for him! He maintains a nice balance that allows him to get all his homework done, but still play with friends after school almost every day that he doesn't have soccer. He has kept several good friends from last year and befriended several new ones this year. He seems to attract "good kids" so we are happy about that!

An unexpected perk of junior school is the cafeteria which has multiple choices every day including mozzarella sticks, pizza, cheeseburgers and french fries. Quite a change from having only one lunch choice in elementary school. Zack was enjoying lunch so much that he went through nearly $100 in the first month!!!

Zack chooses to wake up an hour early in the morning (taking after his dad) in order to have time to read and chill out before school (taking after his mom). If only he would use that time for good, like making breakfast for the family!

TROMBONE
Zachary continues to play the trombone this year, much to our delight. Being band geeks ourselves, Peter and I are glad to see him enjoying it too. In addition to Concert Band, he also auditioned, and was selected, for Jazz Band.

A few weeks ago he auditioned for Honor Band, which is a band made up of kids from four counties. In addition to scales and a rehearsed piece, the audition also required him to sight-read a piece he had never seen before. He did awesome and was selected to participate. His band teachers are very proud because this is a big accomplishment.

We need to give a special thank you to our friend Kyle who gave Zack an extra trombone so that he could leave one at school and keep one at home. With all the practicing he does it is a huge advantage and saves Zack from lugging such a big instrument back and forth every day. Thanks, Kyle!

Both kids are still playing piano and making great progress. Much to Peter's delight Zack has recently started learning some basic Beatles and Billy Joel songs. I'm not sure if Zack prefers them over the classical pieces, but we get a kick out of hearing them!

SCHOOL & FRIENDS
This year, for many reasons, we decided to open-enroll Jackie in the elementary school where I teach. It is in the same district, but we have 10 elementary schools and it is not the school she would normally attend. Jackie and mom drive to school together. There are a few other "teachers' kids" in the building and she has a nice friend Abby with whom she spends most of her time before and after school.

Jackie has fabulous teachers and is excelling again this year. She is reading and doing math well above her grade level. Like her brother, learning new things come pretty easily to Jackie. She loves her new school, which looks a bit like a castle, and is at the age where she still likes having her mom around. We have a standing lunch date every Wednesday in the cafeteria which is great fun, but loud!

Jackie has met several nice girls at school and has become an expert at the monkey bars on the playground. She is a very confident and independent little girl.

At this time Jackie still wants to be a teacher when she grows up.

Despite being as girlie as she is, Jackie asked for toads for her birthday. Toads! She got two fire-belly toads that now live in her room. She named them Princess and Hopper. Of course she refuses to handle the live crickets which are their food, but thankfully her brother is kind enough to feed them for her. She is lucky since her mother certainly wouldn't take that job!

She asks for presents like Barbies, but then spends her play time with legos and Game Boy. We are sure this is related to the fact that these are activities Zack is willing to participate in with her, and she always wants to play and spend time with him.