First Piano Recital

Maddie just participated in her first piano recital.  Bizarrely, it was held on Mother's Day but it ended up being just fine.  She did great.  Only because I have heard her practice her song so often, I recognized a spot where she messed up just a bit, but she recovered perfectly and I doubt anybody else would have even noticed.

Back in April, Maddie participated in a piano competition, obviously her first ever.  We didn't have any clue what to expect because we had obviously not done it before.  We learned quickly that there were several groups of kids, based upon their level.  Each child played their piece and was then given a score.  After all the kids played, the top three performers from each group were invited to a special concert.  The highest score from each level got to play their piece at the concert, but the other two were recognized and received a trophy.  We were pleasantly surprised to learn that Maddie was the number two player in her group, so we got to go to the concert.  It was very exciting for her and a huge honor.  As always, we were so proud!

All ready to go in a play at the competition

 



These are the second place winners from each level

Little Ball Player

Watching Micah play ball has been quite a funny experience.  He has actually done really well, as far as paying attention and doing what he is supposed to do.  But, he is a 5 year old boy so there has been plenty of playing in the dirt.  And plenty of picking flowers.  I wanted to try and capture a few of those moments on camera, and I did, but I also got some really cute pictures of Micah doing what he is supposed to do.  Sometimes Micah can be a handful (well, okay, most of the time!), but my goodness, he has to be the cutest child that ever was born.  Other than his brother and sister - they are equally cute :)

 

 

 

 

Pre-K Fun Day

Well, Micah was supposed to have Pre-K Fun Day and Maddie was supposed to have Field Day.  On the same day.  But the day was freezing cold, rainy, and completely yuck.  So Field Day was postponed and Pre-K Fun Day was modified a little.  Originally, the kids were going to sing some songs for us and then we were going to go outside for bubbles, sidewalk chalk, face painting, popsicles, etc.  But you can't go outside when it is so nasty (even if it is May!!!!) and so they just did a little program indoors and that was all.  Micah did a very good job with his singing and motions.  He is a little unpredictable about that kind of stuff, but he did his thing!

For some reason, the videos are being difficult so I will have to post links instead of the actual videos.  Here they are:

http://youtu.be/v1LPcezfRZw
http://youtu.be/UTwsYP3k9eE
http://youtu.be/kwK5xIwMQe4
http://youtu.be/JOUWdF1Mwtk
http://youtu.be/28KqEJd4kak


It was disappointing that Micah didn't get to do the extra fun stuff that was supposed to happen, but it was still a fun day.  They did have popsicles in the classroom and they were presented with a Pre-K completion certificate.  We also got a portfolio of some of their best work as well as a Mother's Day gift.  Of course, there are still a few weeks of school left but things are definitely winding down.  Overall, this has been a good year for Micah.  He has had a few struggles toward the end of the year, but he has also had lots of good days along the way.  His writing has improved, although he still has a long way to go.  He has a little bit more endurance for coloring and completing assignments than he did at the beginning of the year.  His reading skills have completely taken off and he is most definitely way ahead.  I would consider him a reader at this point.  He impresses me with his ability to use context to figure out unfamiliar words.  He is most definitely ready for Kindergarten.  I'm already praying that he will get a teacher who can challenge him academically, and who can help him begin to master self-control for discipline issues, with a kind and gentle spirit. 

It is hard to believe that he will be in Kindergarten next year, but we are almost there!  Good job Micah - you made it through Pre-K!!!

Oklahoma Land Run

In Oklahoma, the Land Run is a big part of the history of the state.  And sometime in the elementary school career of a Oklahoma student, they will do a Land Run reenactment.  This year, Maddie had her turn.  She very kindly volunteered us to created a covered wagon.  She wanted this task because the students who brought that covered wagons got to be the heads of household, which was apparently a desired position.  So, we worked on the wagon together and it actually turned out quite cute!  Costumes were not required, but were encouraged and my overachieving daughter definitely wanted to dress up.  And unfortunately, I didn't have any pioneer costumes lying around the house, nor did I have time to go all over town to find one.  Amazon.com came through for me once again - a really cute costume with free 2 day shipping, all for $12.99.  SCORE! 

The Pioneer Girl with her Covered Wagon

 

The weather this spring has been terrible.  Rainy and nasty the whole month.  And the Land Run day was no exception.  Thankfully, it was more of a drizzle though and they decided to go ahead and proceed with the land run.  It was a really fun day for the kids.

 

 A little square dancing before the big run

My pretty pioneer girl 

See that wagon way in the distance?  That is Maddie and her "family".  They were chosen as Sooners :) 

Enjoying their lunch on their newly claimed land 



A little bit of love from little brother before we headed home

 

A very cold, bundled up little brother at the land run



Do It Myself

Mason is in the middle of the I-Want-To-Do-It-Myself phase. Whatever needs to be done, his response is "I gig it" (I get it). But there are some tasks that are just better left to mom, but he has apparently not learned that lesson!

He was playing and ran into something or fell down, or something that resulted in him calling out "boo boo Mama". He rarely cries when he gets hurt, but is vocal about letting you know he has a boo boo that needs to be kissed. So, I babied him a little and put him in my lap and said "does Mama need to kiss your boo boo?". His response? "No, I gig it". And then he proceeds to kiss his own boo boo. And go on about his merry way.

And just because I love this sweet face, here is a picture of him doing his most favorite outdoor activity -blowing bubbles!

Already Two Years Old??

Today is Mason's 2nd birthday.  How could it be possible?  We had a little family party for him yesterday and he seemed to have a fun time - cake, grandparents, and presents!  Life is good if you are two!

We set his party for 4:00 so that Mason could take his regular nap and (hopefully) be happy for his party.  It worked for the most part although he didn't nap as good as usual, but he was still relatively happy.

Unfortunately, the birthday boy is just a little bit cranky and I'm worried that he may have another ear infection.  He goes to the doctor later in the week for his 2 year check so we can have it looked at then. 

Here are the highlights from his party.  The theme was Elmo because that is his favorite thing right now!

There are so many fun things about a 2 year old.  Mason is starting to be more independent and wants to do everything on his own.  His line right now is "I get it" which sounds like "I gig it".  Whether it is easy or hard, he wants to try to "gig" it all by himself.  But he is still a major Mama's boy and often prefers me over anybody else (which I love).  He is a TV addict and would watch as much TV as we let him (much like big sis Maddie).  He loves to play outside and is still showing a strong love of balls and sports.  He likes to "play catch" for long periods of time although he surely has his own way of doing it.  He is talking up a storm.  Sometimes he is very easy to understand but other things only Mark, Maddie, Micah and I can translate.  He is completely smitten with Maddie and gives her hugs, kisses, and cuddles as much as she wants.  But he also enjoys Micah and is thrilled when Micah invites him to play in his room.  Mason and Micah are definitely a pair of boys - one of them burps or passes gas, and they both laugh hysterically.  He is also easily irritated by both of them though - he doesn't like to be interuppted when he's at work on a task and they often bug him, and he is quick to let them know!  Mason is quite a trooper - he has to go to softball practice, piano lessons, grocery shopping, baseball practice, errand running, etc and he is generally an enjoyable and entertaining companion.  He is really in a good place right now - independent and determined to do things on his own, but happy, obedient, and sweet at the same time.  We are enjoying this little boy so much and he is such a blessing to our family.  Can't imagine life without him!

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Micah is officially a baseball player. He had his first game on Tuesday and it was funny. They play "modified" coach pitch, which means that they get three pitches from the coach and if they don't hit it, they get 2 tries to hit off the tee. For some insane reason, they have the 5 and under teams (us) playing against the 6 and under teams. So, the other teams have a huge advantage in age and experience. For his first game, he did ok. In the field, he spent lots of time playing in the dirt, but they all did so we just rolled with it. When he got up to bat, he wasn't able to hit the coach's pitches so he got to hit off the tee. He actually hit it pretty hard, right down the third base line. Which would have been great, except that Micah only has one speed and it is S-L-O-W! So, by the time he sauntered to first base, they were easily able to get him out. For his next game, Mark used a little well-placed bribery - the promise of a dollar if he was able to get to first base. It worked - he got a good hit off the tee, and then ran quickly to first and earned his buck. In the field, a ball came to him and he picked it up, but just held onto the ball as a run crossed home plate. No worries though - at this age, just getting them to go to the ball and not fight with teammates is a victory.

I am pleasantly surprised that he seems to be enjoying it so far. It is too early to tell if he will want to play again, but for now, I'm thankful that he is doing something active and getting to be part of a team. And I get to enjoy my favorite sport!! And this little dude looks so cute in his uniform .... I mean, does it get any cuter than this??