Singing Their Hearts Out

Luke and Lindsey both had their final choir concert in May.  At their junior high, the seventh grade girls are in an all-girls choir and the eighth grade boys are in a mixed choir.  Lindsey's group did a rendition of Footloose.  It is not quite the same feel as the music from the 80's when performed by a choir, but it was still fun.  Lindsey had to choreograph the dancing for the performance and did a great job.  Luke's group did a medly of songs from the late 70's.  You could tell that both Luke and Lindsey had fun performing.

The week after the final choir concert, the music teacher held madrigal tryouts.  The madrigal choir at the junior high is an all-girl choir.  Lindsey tried out for it and made it.  She was one of only two seventh graders that made it.  She was very excited and is now looking forward to next year.

Lego Mindstorms

Heather had the opportunity to participate in Lego Mindstorms this year.  She and her partner meet after school and build a robot, program it, and test it-- all in preparation for the Mindstorms competition.  A couple of days before the competition they had a parent's open house to show us what they had accomplished.  I must admit, I was very impressed.  As Heather and her partner walked me through how they had programmed their robot, I realized I didn't understand the words coming out of their mouths.  I just smiled and told them how smart they were.  I'm not sure if I should be happy that my children are so smart and learning so much, or feel bad that I feel kind of dumb.  I will choose to be happy!

I enjoyed Heather's partner, he was positive they were going to win.  He had a scout campout the day of the contest and had to leave before awards were given.  He gave Heather his mom's cell phone number so Heather could call her with the results then the mother could call him at scout camp and let him know the outcome.  They didn't win, but they did get second place which included a medal.  Good Job!

Matthew Graduates Preschool

As you can tell, I am playing catch up for the end of the school year and into Summer.  It seems like we stepped on a slippery slide in about March and have been speeding through time since then.  Things haven't reallys slowed down but the guilt has gotten greater so I am making a better effort to record events.  Since Matthew starts Kindergarten in two weeks, I thought it was important to record the events of preschool graduation before the next era of education begins.

Matthew had a great preschool experience this year.  He was in a carpool with three other friends in the neighborhood and their discussions were never dull.  I learned that five year olds debate everything!! There were healthy discussions about who's brother was the strongest, where babies come from, which color trash can is better--green or black, if snow skiing is better than surfing, which Disney princess is the best, etc, etc, etc, (and I mean etc).  I had no idea that preschoolers were so knowledgeable about so many different subjects.  I will miss those rides Miss Tonya's house.

The graduation ceremony itself was fun.  Miss Tonya had created a slide show and story that she shared and the children sang songs that went along with it.  I realized Matthew is quite tall for his age when he stands next to all the others.  I think the boys around him were more concerned with the balloons behind them than singing the songs but that's what makes it funny to watch.  I'm grateful for the friends and teachers Matthew had in preschool.  He is very prepared to start Kindergarten and he is quite excited to do so.

Luke Conducts

Luke has had a great experience with the band program at his school.  His music teacher is the type of teacher that inspires the kids to not just be good students but to be good people.  I know Luke really admires Mr. Madsen and enjoys being in his class.  To become first chair in an instrument, the students challenge each other.  Luke was first chair for trumpet so he decided to challenge Mr. Madsen.  Because the teacher can't really play first chair, the prize was conducting.  Luke won the challenge so he got to conduct one of the songs at the final band concert.  It was fun to watch him.  He was nervous and was probably questioning if conducting was actually a prize but he did a good job.

Luke goes early to school, 7:00 am, three days a week for Jazz Band practice. It takes a lot of dedication on his part.  He gets  up and gets ready then wakes me up when it's time to go (it takes a lot of dedication on my part too!)  I have to admit that I enjoyed those drives to school with Luke in the morning.  The kids get so busy as they get older that one on one time with them becomes sparse.  Luke's trumpet skills have greatly improved.  James is always asking him to play Rocky and once in a while, Luke concedes and entertains us.

James' Birthday

James and Luke have had a tradition the past few years of attending the Father Son Basketball Camp at BYU.  This generally falls on James' birthday every year because the camp is over Memorial Day weekend. They have such a great time there together that it is a great way to spend a birthday.   However, we usually have to wait a few days to celebrate with James.

This year we met the guys at Thanksgiving Point.  James has been wanting to go down there and see the gardens.  We ended up not seeing much of the gardens because the kids weren't interested in that part of Thanksgiving Point.  Instead, we spent time at the Museum and walking around the square.  It was fun just hanging out as a family together for James' birthday.

Lindsey is 13

May 3, Lindsey officially became a teenager.  It is hard to believe she has reached that milestone.  I am so proud of her and all that she has accomplished.  She is a very self-driven young woman.  She sets a lot of goals and pushes herself to succeed.  I know she has many great years ahead.

Lindsey decided for her birthday she wanted to spend the day shopping with her sisters-- "a girl's day" as she put it.  This meant checking all the girls out of school early so we could have lunch and go shopping.  She was generous enough to encourage her sisters to all buy things for themselves too.  It became a gift giving day for everyone.  The girls all had a lot of fun trying on clothes and shoes but I think they had the most fun being together. It was probably one of the most enjoyable birthday parties I've had for any of my kids because there was no party preparation, no cleanup, and I didn't have to stress about picking the right gifts because Lindsey picked out her own things and for the first year, I know she liked everything she got.

Soccer Season 2012

We had a fun spring with three of the kids playing soccer.  We have had a break from soccer the past couple of years because no one was interested in playing.  I wasn't sad about missing a few seasons because it is usually cold and snowy or rainy during soccer season.  This year we were pleasantly blessed with great spring soccer weather.

Heather played in the older league and was one of only two girls on her team.  She realized her favorite position to play is defender.  She really enjoyed playing and says she wants to play again next year.

Savannah played for the first time and loved it.  I was surprised she was so in to it.  She would sprint up and down the field after the ball.  During breaks she would run over to the side, gulp some water, and head back out there.  I was impressed with her boldness in getting in the center of the action and kicking the ball.

Matthew also played for the first time.  He wasn't quite as aggressive as Heather and Savannah but he had a good time.  I noticed he liked to volunteer to sit out when they needed someone.  I think he realized sitting on the sidelines meant he could make up his own game with whomever was sitting out with him.  Oh well, at least he was giving others an opportunity to play.