Spirit Week

Spirit week 2011. My first experience as a PTO mom,,,,Yeah. I can honestly say I have been so excited about this moment for many years. Each year Mabank holds what they call "spirit week". This week coincides with homecoming week. Each year the district chooses a charity to raise money for through various activities throughout the week at different campuses. The charities chosen this year were The American Red Cross and The Mabank Education Foundation. The Red Cross was chosen in honor of the ten year anniversery of 9/11. The Education Foundation was formed to provide teachers in the district with grants to support their needs. This week was soo hectic and I have very few pictures and those I do were taken with my phone. So sad, but life I guess.

We started around a week and a half before spirit week started with a trip to The Sale Place, to buy 'mum making" supplies. My friend Michelle, and I and 3 of our poor children, Trace, Cooper and Harper headed out Friday morning for supplies. Let me just say they were troopers in a crowded craft store buying flowers. Not much fun for little boys. And, at one point Harper went rolling down the aisle in the cart buy herself, (I beleive their floors were a little uneven). But we all survived, hit the McDonalds drive through on the way home and got hard at work on the mums. My house looked like Mabank exploded in it for about a week. Three or four nights that week my house was mum making central for moms and teachers, trying to get these ready to sell for spirit week. We made over 100 mums, 50 garders, and numerous bows and hair clips. Did I mention that I developed shingles in the middle of all this. Yes, I am serious, I thought originally they were just bad bug bites, until I developed sharp pains shooting around my sides.

One of the many mums I made.

Monday, started with the opening of the spirit store before school. The spirit store sales "Mabank" themed items to raise money for the cause. After the spirit store we prepared for Grandparent's Day. Central Elementary holds Grandparent's Day to coincide with spirit week. Tons of grandparents came. My dad "Pops" and Erik's mom "KK" was able to come eat lunch with Hagen, he was so excited. I am so thankful that he had grandparents available to come eat with him. During the lunch periods the spirit store was open and the PTO took grandparent pictures.

Harper and Cooper after the spirit store.

That evening we attended the spirit rally at the High School. There was lots of food, games and fun raising. One of the big hits was the "Central Jail". Which consisted of a cattle trailer with a poster board as a jail sign...I Love East Texas. It was a huge hit, you could make a donation to lock up someone of your choice.

Hagen with his friends, Chole and Caden behind him. He won that sweatband in a game earlier that night.

Tuesday consisted of more mum sales, and eating dinner at Bean and Burger where the Central Elementary teachers were waitressing for tips. It was also hippee day and pictures with the panther.

Wednesday, Crazy hair and sock day.

Thursday, the PTO provided lunch that the teachers could purchase for $5. All money of course went to fund raising. We had so much food, soup, salads and desserts. The teachers were able to eat for two days on the food that was brought.

I had to include this. This is Cooper's little friend Presley and the necklace he made her out of the leftover mum supplies.

Spirit week ended with Mabank raising over $63,000.00, and central elementary raising over $20,000 of it. What a great week.

And one last picture...

Harper at her first football game.