Blue Rondo

Robyn has been doing very well in percussion. Especially since this is her first year, I am impressed with her progress. I mentioned before that Mrs. Taylor had put her on an advanced team for the upcoming competition.

Like many competitions, hours of practice go into one performance and everyone hopes that it all comes together at the right moment. Naturally, we went to watch.

Things to look for in the video:

Robyn of course. She is standing to the far right. She played the Xylophone. It has a brighter sound, so you can hear her come in about 9 measures into the performance. Also, because she has a louder sound, you can hear her mess up later, but it is minor, and I really think she does a fabulous job throughout.

You can see Pearl watching and being very good, because sometimes she has a hard time sitting still, but she was an excellent audience for this performance.

Robyn was very happy to be done with her song. We were able to go listen to the two other groups from our school perform in the intermediate division.

We didn't stay the entire time, but when Robyn returned home in the evening, she had great news. Their group had won second place in the Advanced Junior High Large Ensemble Category. (Turns out they only lost by one point, so it was close.) Here she is with Leah who had a Vibes solo.

Robyn was over the moon. This was a big deal for her. So much so, that she designed and made shirts for everyone in the group.

I like that there is an actual measure from the song on the front. It was a hard song to count in 9/8 time. I heard a lot of 1-2, 1-2, 1-2, 1-2-3.

I would say it was a huge success of a day. And I love the talent and smiles that go along with it.

Lucky Number Seven

Birthdays keep coming...I'm used to that. But I haven't quite come to terms with my youngest getting older each year. June and Pearl, the oldest and youngest. Those are the hardest ones to swallow, although I realize if June stopped growing, Robyn would just catch right up and there would be a new leader that I would want to quell.

I get it.

Kids grow.

I love it actually, in a funny bittersweet sort of way.

And of course I love birthdays.

My baby is now 7! Not much of a baby anymore. I remember June was seven when Pearl was born and I thought she was soooo old.

Seven is pretty ancient.

Pearl opted to have a family party. (My preferred choice.) She woke up in the morning and since it was a Saturday, there was no school standing in the way of immediate present opening. This is the best face of the pictures. Look how intent as she opens up the plastic on that Beanie Boo.

She got great gifts from everyone, but she was especially excited about some gym clothes since we signed her up for tumbling. (She already has her cartwheel down solid.)

Measuring is a must. Pearl is leading the pack in height. (Which is funny because she is still the shortest.) When all is said and done, Pearl will get to look down at all her sisters.

Balloons came later in the day. The striped seven was requested by her highness.

Later we put the colored balloons over the can lights. It made a really cool effect that is very hard to get on film. But trust me, it was like a colored disco party.

Pearl wanted to go swimming for her birthday. Swimming in March is not your typical activity, but with a rec center nearby, it is always possible. (Even for us winter birthday people.) Her swimsuit was new along with a great swim shirt from Grandma Dargan.

The pool was great. A little cold, especially for Pearl who probably has zero body fat, but we were digging it.

The day ended with Raspberry Cake. Yumminess at its best. That Panda sleep mask is a favorite. Sometimes she will wear it around for days. (Luckily she takes it off for school.)

Candles out my big girl!

We love you Pearl. Your sassiness is almost unbearable sometimes, but if it means having you, I will take it all. I want every little bit of you in our family!!

Oh and don't forget lunch. She had to go a different day, since missing school is an important part. These dates are some of dad's favorites.

Jokes on Me

We took our annual silly pictures for April Fool's Day. I got them all edited and printed at Costco, but they closed too early for me to pick them up. But I thought to myself that I could still blog on the actual day.

And then I totally forgot.

Typical.

Not that it really matters, but here they are just a few days late.

Cazier's in all their silly glory.

On the actual April Fool's, we listened to Conference and had a great time relaxing. No pranks for us. Just some old fashioned family time. That's the best way to celebrate a holiday.

Gymnasts Squared

I promise that I don't love Ivory more than my other children...she just happens to have a lot of stuff going on recently, so here is another post about her.

This year has been interesting because Ivory is following in June's footsteps in A.L.L. She has the same teacher June had in 5th grade and many of her projects have been the same. But several of her projects have been different. This is disconcerting to me. I feel like I know what is coming and then it is all changed. Most of it has been easier. From what I gather, Mrs. Mahoney feels there are some kids that couldn't handle the rigors of previous assignments so she has slimmed them down a bit.

Hmmm...not sure how I feel about that?

Images of Greatness is a HUGE night for A.L.L. In the past, the kids have made boards, done several side projects, dressed as their person and come to an evening where they recited a bio poem, which is a poem that rhymed detailing the life of their person. They had to write the poem themselves and memorize it. It was intense. June went as Laura Ingalls Wilder the first year and Princess Di the second.

This time around, the kids were asked to do an essay instead of a bio-riddle. That meant they didn't have an evening centered around the kids. Instead they had an afternoon where they set up their boards, but get this...dressing up was optional. Boo. It didn't have the same feel at all.

Ivory worked so hard on her project though. In 5th grade they have to choose an American who has had an impact. Ivory wanted to do Simone Biles, but Mrs. Mahoney said she didn't qualify. Ivory was very sad. She tried picking other people, but her heart wasn't in it. On the day they had to finalize their choice, Mrs. Mahoney caved and allowed a few exceptions. Simone Biles was one.

In part, Mrs. Mahoney was worried about kids finding enough info and getting a book about their person. Luckily, just such a book exists about Simone. Check out Courage to Soar. Ivory loved the book and was always telling me little tid-bits about it.

Her board looked great when she finished it. Kudos Ives. (Please ignore the messy house behind, although that is how things usually look.)

Here are some interesting facts about Simone.

On the day of, it was fun to go around and see all the boards. Even without the bio-riddles, it was cool to see all the people the kids picked to research.

Sadly, not many people dressed up, but you'd better believe Ivory did. We put glitter around her eyes (like Simone) and she even put chalk on her clothes as if she had just been competing on the beam or bars.

They had to bring three items to go with their board. Ivory chose the book, some medals, and I talked her into bringing her beam. It was a hit. Her project was on the edge, so she set up her beam nearby and entertained people. We took these pictures before it got too crowded. For a while there was a group of girls around her. She eventually put her beam away to keep it safe.

It was a very fun afternoon, although I think I still like the evening version more. Perhaps it was like this because the 5th and 6th grade A.L.L. are currently at separate schools. Who knows? All the kids did a great job on their projects. My other favorite board was this one...

Abby got special permission as well to do Bethany Hamilton. What an inspiring lady. Sadly, Abby was gone that day. I would have loved to see her dressed up with one arm.

Ivory's 11 Year Gallery

That's right. This spicy personality is 11!

We already celebrated her last month, but as usual, birthday shoots run a little slower. I asked Ivory where she wanted to take pictures. We stewed it over for a while and then we both came up with the same idea...at the gym.

Ivory spends an insane amount of time there anyway. And it is fun to get some pictures of her doing what she loves. We got special permission to come in on a Saturday. On a weekday it would have been super crowded, but we had the gym almost to ourselves. (The tumbling team was there, but we stayed out of their way.) Ivory switched over to High Altitude a year or so ago and she has had a great experience there. I'm not sure gymnastics will be her entire future, but I love the skills she has learned and the strength she has developed. Enjoy her photo shoot.

Since we found a mirror, I was able to get a picture with her as well.

It was lucky that we were indoors because it decided to rain. Despite the dreary weather, Ivory was convinced that she wanted Menchie's for her treat. It was too early and they weren't even open, but we came back as soon as frozen goodness was available. Love my Ives. Do you like how I'm emphasizing my silver highlights. (Someone called me out the other day. She said, "Maleen, you are going gray." I told her it wasn't anything new. I'm just embracing it.)

I'm pretty sure Ivory is a chocolate addict. Remember her birthday when she asked for Brownies with Chocolate ice cream? Well, I think everything in her Menchie's bowl was brown with extra chocolate drizzled on top. I can't really blame her.

Ivory gets more expressive with every year. I love her more every year she gets older. And speaking of older, would you like a sneak preview of how she will look as a granny?

At least she will be a happy old lady.

Battling Books

I love me a current event since I am always catching up. And nothing is fresher than the news I have for you today. Well, actually, it is about 4 hours old, and if you left milk out that long, it would be naaaasty. (But still pretty fresh for this blog.)

The junior high did Battle of the Books today. (And yesterday.) I feel guilty because Ivory and Daisy did theirs back in February. They both did a great job, but I was volunteering, so I never got pictures. Daisy's team was the only 3rd grade team to make it to the semi-finals, although they didn't win. And Ivory's team got a great score on pool play day, but didn't make it on finals day. But they both read many books and had a good time. I'm proud of all the kids who take a stab at reading a pile of books and answering questions about them.

Personally, I love reading. (You know that.) But if I had to take a quiz on what I read, it would be laughable.

Back to current events. I asked to help out with the junior high battles, and since I am at the school often, I just had to run over during flex. Battling at our junior high is much different than the normal battles. Our media specialist doesn't follow the American Battle of the Books format.

You only have to read 7 books instead of 30. (The librarian chose books he thought the kids would be interested in.) The question format is different as well. In standard play, every question has a book title as an answer. Most questions begin, "In what book..." and the kids give a title and author for points.

Here, Mr. Trent (the media specialist) made up his own questions and rounds. Round 1 consisted of open answer questions, such as, "Who was Kira's best friend?" Or "What did Rigel learn from the mystic?" (Those are made up questions, by the way.) All the teams had a mini white board and they would answer simultaneously. Whoever answered correctly, received a point.

My job was keeping score. Mr. Trent had a projector with questions and answers and I kept a tally of all points earned. Round 1 was played yesterday and at the end of Flex, these were the scores. (Team 1 and Team 10 didn't show up. That is why they have no points...not because they were awful.)

In case you are wondering (and I know you are) Robyn is on the Cherry Bombers - Team 4, and June is on the Bookaneers - Team 9. Apparently, they have never had names before, but I asked the teams what they wanted to be called and everyone chose something. (I'm all about shaking it up.)

As you can see, June's team was leading, but only by a small margin. The rules change for Round 2 and 3, so it was anyone's game.

Round 2 consisted of quotes from the books. If the teams recognized the book, they could write it down. It was worth 2 points now, but a wrong answer subtracted 2 from your total. So, it wasn't wise to guess. I honestly can't remember the scores at the end of Round 2, but it was pretty close.

Round 3 was open answer again, but this time instead of using the white boards (or placards as Mr. Trent called them) the first person to raise their hand, would answer, with no help from their team. The questions were a bit harder and were now worth 3 points with a wrong answer subtracting 3. It was intense and much harder to tell who raised their hand first. That part always stresses me out.

All the kids did a fantastic job. I was especially proud of June who answered the question, "What was the date of Anne's last journal entry." No one else even raised their hand because no one wanted to get it wrong, but June remembered. (She should after studying Anne Frank so much for History Fair, but that is still a very small detail to remember.)

The game was SOOOO close, with only 1 point separating the winner and second place. Check it out.

Yes, I would like to brag a moment that my kids' teams came in 1st and 2nd. They both did a great job, along with the 3rd place team. That is a lot of info to remember. I did get pictures at the end so you get some happy faces of the winning teams.

p.s. I can't remember, but I think June came in 2nd or 3rd last year, but I never blogged about it.

p.p.s. To the right of Robyn is Christina, one of June's best friends. When Robyn couldn't find a fourth person for her team, Christina offered to join. I thought that was pretty cool. She was the only 8th grader on their team. Maybe next year, June and Robyn will be on the same team...but I doubt it.

p.p.p.s. If you are wondering what they read, here is a list of the seven books:

When by Victoria Laurie
Red Queen by Victorie Aveyard
Storm of Lightning by Richard Paul Evans (Michael Vey)
Sky Raiders by Brandon Mull
Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson
Diary of Young Girl by Anne Frank
The Elite by Kiera Cass (The Selection)