Well I posted about the kids' piano recital a little while ago and you can read about it here, but oops - I guess I kinda forgot to post the videos of the kids playing, so here they are:
Emma playing 'Barkey's Boogie', from the Conservatory Canada Grade 1 repertoire. This is her 4th year playing:
Kaleb playing 'On Top of Spaghetti', from the Sunbeams 3 MYC repertoire. This is his 3rd year playing:
Navia playing 'Measles' from the the Sunshine 1 MYC repertoire. This is her first year playing:
Enjoy!
ps - if you're getting this on an email feed you'll have to actually come to my site to view the videos - www.baileymoments.blogspot.com.
On Monday Braden left for another business trip to Paris. So while he's gone I'm trying to make sure that when someone has something on I can go to it and also make sure that they can make all their ballgames as well. Tuesday was a test for me though, and without great neighbors I couldn't have done it!
Tuesday morning Kaleb had his first oral class presentation that he really wanted me to come to. So at 9:15 I was at the school, video camera in hand! He did a great job! Here is just a bit of it because he had to answer questions from his classmates for about 5 minutes after he was done presenting . . .
When he was finished I had enough time to come home and get lunch ready for Navia and then I went back to the school, picked up Navia early and we went to Emma's track and field meet, that was at a high school in Orleans.
We were lucky to find her right away (with so many kids around it was pretty hard to find anyone!) and she told me that she had already run a 100m Dash, which she didn't even know that she was in, and she won it so she'd be going on to the finals at 3:15. That was a problem - Kaleb got out of school at 3:30 and it took 45 minutes to drive from the track meet to our place so I knew I was in trouble. Luckily I had a neighbor's number in my cell phone and she said that she'd pick him up from school and take him home with her two boys and they could hang around until I came home - which was supposed to be around 4:30. Emma was glad because she really wanted Navia and I to watch her finals.
So we hung out and first up was her 4x100m Relay - she was the 3rd runner and I wanted to take pictures so Navia said she'd take video of it (hmmm - never again - it will make you sick to watch!!!). When the baton was passed to her their team was definitely in second place, but she is fast and you could see her catching up until she was the first one to pass the baton to the last runner and he ran and ran and they won the race at 1:07.26 with second place coming in at 1:08.55. Everyone was cheering like crazy and there were 4 very happy kids coming off the track! They'll be receiving their awards on Friday at school for that race.
Next was Ball Throw, which I ended up missing because I couldn't find her. By the time I found Emma she was grinning from cheek to cheek with a red ribbon for first place in the Ball Throw. She won throwing it 27.10m with second place coming it at 25.30m. Guess all the baseball and catch with dad paid off big time for her!
The we just had to wait around for a while until her 100m finals - which were delayed. Finally it was time and she ran really really well - passing everyone and making it so that even in the pictures you could just see her! I learned that I am not 'Carrie', I am 'Emma's Mom' . . . "oh, are you Emma's Mom, you must be so proud . . . she's so fast . . . you're a lucky mom . . ." Emma thought it was great! She won the qualifying heat with a 16.24 (second was 16.92) and won the finals in 18.47 (second at 19.54). By the looks of the times you could tell that the heats were in the morning and the finals were the last event in the hot afternoon.
Once the race was done we had to run to the van to pick up Kaleb from the neighbors, which ended up being at 5:30. As soon as we were home we grabbed him and I told the kids to have cereal for dinner because we had 15 minutes and we had to make it to Emma's baseball game, which was a 45 minute drive away. We made it in time and Emma pitched a couple of great innings and hit some amazing balls . . . helping their team to win 20 - 6 . . . and they were the team that last year we had a hard time beating!!! Our girls are getting better and better each game. They actually are undefeated and we only have 5 games left!
We got home, everyone had showers/baths and were in bed by 9:45. It was a long, long day! I was so thankful for neighbors who are willing to help out in a pinch and also video cameras as we were able to send Daddy the videos and I was emailing him throughout the day, letting the kids know what he was saying and how proud he was of each of them - which put big smiles on the kids' faces too!
So we survived . . . but that doesn't mean that I'm not looking forward to Friday when Daddy comes home and we can do this running around thing with 2 parents . . . and the kids are anxiously waiting for him too! Guess we just love him too much to let him leave for too long!
ps - if you're receiving this through an email feed you'll have to come to my website to watch the videos www.baileymoments.blogspot.com.
There is a website called Kids of Integrity by Focus on the Family. (http://kidsofintegrity.com/) It is a free resource to help your child develop Christ-like attitudes and behaviors. Well - in this house we aren't always Christ-like and right now there is a lot of bickering between the kids so I thought I'd give this site a try.
So this afternoon when the kids got home we started working on 'HARMONY'. We read a story from the Bible, talked about some things in the story and then we had an activity to help create harmony. I tied the kids' legs together in a row - Navia, Emma & Kaleb. They were given a list of things to do and they had to work together in order to make it work. They started off arguing, yelling and even crying. I decided to stay out of it and see what they would do. Within a minute they sat themselves down and started trying to figure it out - naming feet 'one' and 'two' and practice walking. They managed the stairs TWO times and finished all their tasks laughing as they were walking around.
At the end they sat down and told me that they learned that if they weren't patient with each other they couldn't go anywhere, if they only thought about themselves and not now the person beside them was doing then they couldn't go anywhere. They took off their ropes and gave each other hugs and I told them that they did a great job. Oh, and this week as we're working on getting along in harmony with each other, I'd give them a head's up that if two of them were arguing I would be tying them up to each other again and give them another list of "to-do" for them to figure out - it's definitely the most unique "consequence" that I've ever heard of!
We'll see how it goes, but as soon as they were released from each other they all ran out to the trampoline and started playing together so peacefully! Hopefully this is the beginning of a harmonious week in our house . . .and hopefully that will continue for weeks to come!
I thought that I would try and take a picture a week of my front flowerbed, just so that I can see how the flowers develop throughout the season . . . I'm loving the look of it .
We went to our ol' fishin' hole and the kids had a blast fishing with Daddy for the first time. They caught some small fish, but are looking forward to some bigger ones next time. I loved taking pictures of them and just seeing what I could capture . . . the mirrored images, etc. I still need to work on my technical, but I'm loving taking pictures of my favorite subjects . . . my family!
There's our boy . . . he learned how to whistle 2 years ago while on Gramma and Grampa's Farm and he hasn't stopped since!!!
Emma caught a fish before I had everything on my camera set up so it was a super quick, moving shot . . . but at least if you look really closely you'll be able to see the little fishy's tail in Daddy's hand.
I told Mom that I'd post a pic of our front garden. Last summer I had a landscape friend design it and this is the first year that everything is coming up without me having to do anything . . . and I LOVE it!!! The day lilies started flowering a few days ago and the phlox was in bloom a couple weeks ago. I love seeing it each time when I drive up to the house and I still think that it is the best front yard on the street!!!
Today was Emma's first time at the Hudson Sargeant Relay. Yep, she made the team and was so excited about it. She was the only grade 4 that made it so it was exciting and a bit nerve-wracking for her. She was a bit scared about dropping the baton, but we told her that she'd do fine!
She got to the school at 8am to catch the bus to the site. Unfortunately both Brade and I had other commitments in the morning, but I planned on going to see her when Navia got home from school. When she did we took off to the relay site and it took a while to find Emma, but while I was looking for her I realized that everyone there looked kinda old - it really didn't look like there were 10 year olds there. I kept looking and finally found her on the grass hanging out with a friend.
I guess we missed her relays - she placed 2nd and 3rd in them, but they were the first races of the day. I felt bad, but she was okay with it and just excited that they did well and she didn't have to go back to school for the entire day, but instead could hang out and cheer on her team-mates. While I was talking to her I realized something - there weren't any grade 5 relays . . . nope . . . this was a Relay Meet for Grades 6,7 & 8's!!! I knew that she was the only grade 4 but didn't know that she was running with grade 6's!!! Yep, we have quite an athlete in her!
So I convinced her to take a picture, even though it isn't of her running (and no, Navia isn't drinking Coke Zero . . . she's pretending to be 'cool' . . . oh what are we going to do?!?!?)
After saying good-bye to Emma, Navia and I walked down to the beach (just beside the race site) and we hung out for a few minutes - Navia was just upset that she didn't bring her bathing suit!
And that was our day . . . now to run (okay . . . walk!) to school to go pick up Kaleb and then get Emma later so that we can go to the first of 5 baseball games this week . . . it's a busy one!
On Sunday, May 15th I had my annual Spring Music for Young Children Recital. I had 2 different recitals so that they wouldn't go so long, with 21 students playing in the first one and 22 in the second. Everyone brought a plate of goodies so we were able to hang out and have refreshments after each one.
My students did an amazing job with each one going up and they looked so confident as they played - even playing through any mistakes as if they never happened! Needless to say I'm very proud of each one of them.
The three students that would stick out to you, though, would be Emma, Kaleb and Navia . . . and they each did incredibly well!
Navia played at the first recital as song called "Measles". She was in Sunshine One and is really excited about going into her second year of piano!
Her class also played a rhythm ensemble - "Are You Sleeping?"
Kaleb is in his 3rd year, and just completed Sunbeams Three. He played "On Top of Spaghetti" and did a great job - he is a really strong player!
And then his class did a rhythm ensemble - "Over the River and Through the Woods".
Emma played at the second recital and this is her very last year with me as her teacher. She graduated Moonbeams Three this year and will be going on with a private instructor next year. Yes, it's kinda sad because I really enjoy teaching her, but I know that she'll enjoy her new teacher!
She played "Barkey's Boogie" from the Conservatory Canada Grade One repertoire.
Instead of doing a rhythm ensemble like the other classes, the Moonbeams Three class did a chime ensemble of "Pachelbel's Canon", which sounds amazing!
I had to have a picture of my graduation class - check out their medals!!! Yep, you don't have to be an athlete in order to get a really cool medal engraved with your name!
The recital was a success and it was another great year of teaching! Here are the students from 2010/2011, minus a few of them. Can you find the smiling Bailey children???
Emma had a medieval project to do for school - choose a tool or building from that period and recreate it - as close as you could to the real thing. They then would be presenting it, along with a poster board of pictures and other research done, to the their grade 4 class.
This was not a project for Mom, but right down Daddy's lane, and so Emma spent a long time designing it, figuring out all the dimensions, etc and then they took a trip to Home Depot to decide what to make it out of . . . this is Daddy's account of the fun that they had together . . . .
"Made a castle with Emma for a school project.
Lots of kids made it with Popsicle sticks or cardboard, but we went BIG. 2 big 1.5x12 inch rough fir timbers, 4 archer posts lookouts, crenel and merlins along all the walls, and the grand entrance - all designed by Emma.
Had to cart it in on a big rolling tray cause it was so heavy.
I hoped the other kids at school would love it - but i will confess that i secretly hoped no one had a bigger one even more...:)
Found out some stupid kid brought a 3' working catapult that shot tennis balls. I hate him and his dad. - jk!"
This project won't be lost on Emma, because she LOVES medieval things and has been collecting various figures and this entire castle was based upon their measurements so that she'll be able to play with her version of a 'doll house'!
"I believe in the sun even when it is not shining. I believe in love even when not feeling it. I believe in God even when He is silent." - Jewish inscription in Nazi Hideout
Faith never knows where it is being led, but it knows and loves the One who is leading. Oswald Chambers
Let's see . . . a busy family of five going crazy and loving every minute of it - that would be us! What can you say with an active dad, fun mom (yep, I'm the one writing it - hee hee) and kids that are 11, 9 and 7!!! And - to top it all off we are a few provinces away from all our family. So...what better way to share our lives with the ones that we love than blogging and letting you all in on not just the big moments, but the little ones too! Welcome to the little things that make us a family!
