3rd Grade Concert

Today was John's 3rd Grade Concert.  The theme was "Sing and Play Across the USA."  The kids were not only singing but playing the recorder as well.  John was a little nervous when I got him on the bus this morning.  He said "I'm worried about my recorder solos.  One song is really fast and I'm not that good."  I reassured him that he would do fine and to pretend that they were just practicing and not performing in front of a big audience.  He's so logical and he said "Well in practice Mr. Trast talks to us.  And he won't be talking during the concert." 

This was my first concert at Swimming River School so I was a little worried about parking.  I arrived super early and was a little surprised to see that they were letting parents in ahead of schedule.  I quickly ran inside so that I could grab a good seat.  I ended up in the fourth row.  Not too bad.  John saw me in the audience and waved.

The show started with the kids singing the Star Spangled Banner.

Next they sang "Home on the Range."  John's class also played a recorder solo. 

 

They then sang "Old Brass Wagon."  My video wouldn't upload for that song.  But trust me, they did an amazing job.  The next number was "Deep in the Heart of Texas."

 

 

The next song was "Beautiful Dreamer."  Watch this video closely, towards the end of the song John has the biggest yawn.  Seems fitting for the song.

 

The next song was "Simple Gifts."

"Yankee Doodle" was next and the kids in John's class had another recorder solo.  This was the song John was worried about.  But I think he did an awesome job.

The final song was "This Land is Your Land."  Once again, it was an amazing concert.  I'm so proud of John and his classmates.

 

 

Kindergarten Concert

Friday Gillian's school had their first ever Kindergarten Music Concert.  The kids have been practicing for months.  Gillian has been home singing songs for weeks now (check out the lion sleeps tonight). 

The theme was "Old MacDonald Had a What?"

 

The kids started out singing Old MacDonald and then replace a common farm animal with something crazy.  Then they would sing a song based on that animal.  The first song was "Rockin' Robin." Gillian is in the middle of the group wearing a fish hat.  Please don't mind the bad video quality, I used my cell phone and the lady in front of me was not very cooperative!

The second song was "The Lion Sleeps Tonight."  This is obviously one of Gillian's favorite songs.

The next song was "Humuhumunukunukuapua'a."  The kids explain in the clip, but the humuhumunukunukuapua'a is the state fish of Hawaii.  It is a fish that looks like a pig.  Gillian has a very special part during this song. 

The fourth song was "Five Little Monkeys."

The next song was "I can't Spell Hippopotamus."

The final song was "See You Later Alligator." 

The kids did awesome!  We are so proud of Gillian. 

The lion sleeps tonight

Today, Gillian was coloring and John was using his spirograph in the kitchen.  I didn't have the radio on or the TV on.  So it was pretty quiet.  Before I realized it Gillian started singing.  I thought she was just going to sing for a little bit and stop.  But she didn't.  I was able to get a little video of her performance.  She is concentrating so hard on her coloring that she didn't even notice me filming her.

Classroom rules

Tonight, Gillian kept singing this little song. It went something like "follow directions quickly." Later I heard her say "Rule number two." Finally I got her to sit still long enough to sing the full song.

 

Her art teacher made up these simple rules for her classroom. The song helped Gillian to remember. Very creative teacher. 

Gillian's Preschool Graduation

Gillian's Preschool Graduation was on Tuesday last week.  She was very excited to graduate and was up bright and early that morning.

Daddy and I dropped Gillian off at school and we were able to get front row seats for graduation.  TLC combined the Kindergarten and Preschool Graduations, so there was a lot of kids.  Graduation started with the kid marching in and lining up.  Once everyone was lined up, the kids introduced themselves.  Gillian proudly said her name loud for everyone to hear.

After the graduates introduced themselves, they sang Phil Collins' "On My Way."

Next we said the Pledge of Allegiance, and the kids sang "My Country Tis of Thee."  The graduates then sang "Over the Rainbow."

The Kindergarten kids also read "Pete the Cat" while the Preschool class said the refrain.  I didn't get video of that, but the kids did an awesome job!  After the story, it was time to present the diplomas. 

Gillian accepted her diploma proudly.  She also went back in line and clapped for each and every one of her classmates.  Then the kids recited a poem and then they sang "The World is a Rainbow."

They finished off the graduation by singing "It's a Small World."  And we also got to watch a slideshow of pictures from this past year. It's amazing to see how much they have grown.

I'm so proud of our little girl.  She is going to do awesome in Kindergarten next year!

Shake It Off

We ate dinner outside tonight.  While I was cleaning up, Daddy was playing some music for he kids.  He motioned to me that I should check out Gillian.  "Shake It Off" by Taylor Swift was playing.  Gillian was dancing and singing into a straw microphone.

2nd Grade Concert

Friday was John's 2nd Grade Concert.  This year the theme was Character Counts.  MFA teaches the kids "Pillars of Character."  The pillars are Responsibility, Respect, Citizenship, Caring, Trustworthiness, and Caring.  They focus on a pillar every month and it was nice to see an entire concert focused on everything they learn throughout the year.

I have videos of all their performances.  The quality isn't the greatest, but you can see John grooving and singing.  He is wearing blue.  

The first song they sang was Respect.  

The next song was Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

Next was I'll be there.

Then they did John's favorite, Our Lips are Sealed. 

The finale was Think.

Thanksgiving pageant

Today was the annual Thanksgiving Pageant at Gillian's school. All the classes sing songs and then they have a turkey lunch.

Since Gillian's class was going to sing songs about turkeys, all the kids in her class had headbands with turkey legs on them. 

Here are some videos of the songs.

Once again, TLC put on a great show.  I'm so glad I got to see it!

Beach day

Today we started our stay-cation with a day at the beach. Gillian was super excited. In the car on our way there, Gillian said "It's the beach day!" 

It was a little breezy when we arrived and the waves were really big. The kids immediately put their feet in the water and said to us "You need to get wet!" We told them not yet. They continued to run in and out of the waves. Gillian gave up after a little bit, but John didn't stop. A lifeguard came over and said that the rip current was really bad today and if he wanted to go swimming it had to be in front of the lifeguard tower. 

John gave up on the water and decided to bury my feet.  He worked really hard on burying my feet. I broke free and then buried John's feet (and most of his legs).

Gillian, meanwhile, entertained herself by looking for rocks and making "cupcakes" and singing songs. 

We ended up walking over to go swimming in front of the lifeguard stand. Aunt Betty held Gillian's hand and I held John. John is crazy. He wasn't afraid of any of the waves. He got knocked down a couple of times, but got back up again. He loved it. Gillian fell one time got her hair wet and I thought she was done. But she complained the rest of the time we were at the beach. "I want to go back in the water!" She is tougher than I thought. 

Overall it was a pretty great day at the beach. 

Camp Show - take two

Today was the second day of camp shows at Briar Hill.  Since I am so close to camp, I had decided to go to go both days.  Today I asked Grandma and Grandpa to join me.  Aunt Betty also came, because we didn't actually get to see John perform yesterday.  We arrived at camp today and saw the end of the previous show.  Betty and I both said to Grandma and Grandpa, "When those parents move, we need to move to the front and get the first row."  Grandma looked at us like we were crazy.  But it didn't stop Betty and I.  We practically ran to the front.  We ended up getting seats right in front.  And the perfect view of my boy and the rest of the Hortons. 

When they were done, the announcer asked them "Do you want to do it again?" The kids all yelled a mixture of NO and YES!  We laughed.  Then the announcer asked the parents "Do you want to see it again?"  The parents of course said yes.  And the kids had to dance again for us.  They did a great job.  Afterward, we got a few pictures of the Hortons.  

In the hall

Gillian wanted to watch Frozen again this weekend. We have been singing the songs ever since. Tonight at dinner, we were listening to Pandora and "Do you want to build a snowman?" came on. The kids faces lit up and they sang along.  It came to the line "Do you want to build a snowman? Or ride our bikes around the halls?" Gillian said "That's bad. You have to ride the bikes outside. Not in the hall!"

Sunshine

On John's first day of school, he came home and told us "We are going to have a music concert in June!"  (check out First Day of First Grade).  Well he was wrong, the concert wasn't in June, it was in January!  The concert was on Friday.  John has been talking about the concert for weeks now.  And I was very excited to see him perform.

Grandma was going to join me at the concert, but Daddy wasn't going to make it since the concert fell on a Friday.  But in a last minute maneuver, Daddy was able to get off.  We told John that Daddy wouldn't be able to make it so that it would be a nice surprise.  Grandma, Daddy and I met at the school and found seats inside the cafeteria.  John was all smiles when he saw us.  At that time, I thought he saw Daddy but we found out later that he didn't know Daddy was there until the end of the show.

The show started with the pledge of allegiance and then the singing of the Star Spangled Banner.  The first song the kids sang was "Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows."  I got videos of all the songs.  (As a disclaimer, I took the video with my phone, so it is not great quality and you see a lot of peoples heads.  John is right in the middle of the screen.  He is wearing a blue long sleeved shirt and khaki pants.)

  
Next was "On the Sunny Side of the Street."  John has been singing this song for weeks.  He even sang it for Grandma at dinner one night.

The next song was "You are the Sunshine of my Life." 

The next two songs, I recorded in one video.  They sang "Why does the Sun Shine?" and "Why does the Sun Really Shine?"  Clearly these were the kids favorite songs to sing.  John and his classmates really got into all their dance moves.  I am impressed that they were able to sing all the words to these songs.  I am not sure I could remember "the sun is a miasma of incandescent plasma."

They finished off the show with "Walkin' On Sunshine." 

John and all the first graders at MFA did an awesome job at their concert.  I am very impressed and proud of my little man.

Cows in the meadow

Aunt Betty came over today to help me decorate some Halloween cookies.  We took a little break to eat dinner.  After dinner, Gillian came upstairs and decided to sing a little song with Aunt Betty.  Aunt Betty asked her to sing the alphabet song.  Gillian had another idea.  She grabbed Aunt Betty's hands and started singing "Ring around the Rosie, pocket full of posies, ashes, ashes, we all fall down!"  She and Aunt Betty sat down on the ground.  Then Gillian said "The cows in a meadow."  Aunt Betty said to me "What?  Do you know those words?"  I had never heard a second lyric to
"Ring around the Rosie."  But apparently Gillian has, because she laughed at us and continued to sing "The cows in the meadow eating buttercups, ashes, ashes we all stand up!"  And she made Aunt Betty stand up.  Aunt Betty and I giggled, because we had never heard these words.  But again, Gillian grabbed Aunt Betty's hands and started singing again "Ring around the Rosie, pocket full of posies, ashes, ashes, we all fall down!"  Gillian sat on the floor, but Aunt Betty only crouched.  Gillian didn't like that.  She said "Tushy on the ground!"  After Aunt Betty sat on the ground, Gillian then said "Then do criss-cross applesauce."  Aunt Betty did as Gillian said, and then Gillian said "Now I sit in your lap."  And she sat in Aunt Betty's lap.  The two of them laughed and then finished singing the song. 

Excuse me

At dinner tonight, Daddy and I were talking but Gillian was trying to get Daddy's attention. "Excuse me. Daddy, excuse me.  Daddy.  Daddy.  Daddy.  Excuse me." Finally Daddy stopped to ask Gillian what she needed. She said "I have more broccoli?" You can't say no to that request. Daddy gave her more broccoli and she said "It looks like trees! I a giant. I eat trees!"

Also at dinner tonight, John asked us "Do you want me to sing a song I learned in music class?"  Again, how do you say no to that?

John sang his song.  When he was done, he said "Normally I end it like this."  And he dramatically put his hands out to his side. Then he said "The teacher doesn't complain when I do it."  So Daddy said, "Then keep doing it."  Gillian listened to John sing and then said "I sing ABCs."  And she made me record her singing too.  And for the record, I have no idea what she says at the end of the video.

 

Seatbelt and coffee

Gillian and I were singing "The wheels on the bus" last night. She sang a few few verses and when we got to "the people on the bus go up and down." She sang that verse and said "They wouldn't go up and down if they have a seatbelt!" Good observation Gillian. 

This morning, Daddy asked the kids "What do you want to drink with breakfast?" Before Gillian could answer, Daddy said "You want coffee? Okay!" Gillian nodded and said "I need a cup!" She got up and asked me, "Mommy, you get my Mindy cup?" She was pointing to her Minnie Mouse Tervis cup. I couldn't believe what I was watching. I didn't know of she wanted that cup because Mommy and Daddy drink their coffee in Tervis cups or if she just wanted to use that cup. Well that lasted two seconds, because once she got her cup she asked for milk. And to think I thought she was going to want coffee. It wouldn't have been the first time.  

The Birthday Girl

Gillian's birthday was Saturday, so we celebrated at school on Friday.  I brought in pizza, cupcakes, cookies and goodie bags for her class to celebrate.  Gillian consistently asked Daddy and I, "Johnny come to my party?"  We made sure that John was included too.  When I arrived, Gillian was already wearing her birthday crown that her teachers made her.  The kids ate all their pizza quickly.  I think they were just excited to get their hands on the cupcakes.  John and Miss Margaret walked around and handed out the cupcakes.  The kids sang Happy Birthday to Gillian.  It was perfect.  They are at the stage where they yell more than they sing.  But it was perfect.  The kids ate all the icing off the top of the cupcakes and only a few of them actually ate the cake.  I snuck out while Gillian was distracted washing her hands. 

 

Daddy picked up the kids from school and Gillian was still wearing her birthday crown.  In the car on the way home, Gillian was singing "Happy Birthday." Daddy assumed that she was just singing "happy birthday to me." But when he turned around he noticed that she had placed her birthday crown on her knee.  She was singing, "Happy Birthday to knee."  Next she moved the crown to her foot and sang it "Happy Birthday" too. 

Saturday was her birthday, and I woke up early and put her presents on the kitchen table.  I was downstairs working on the computer and I could hear someone up and walking around the house.  I assumed that it was John (he is my early riser), but soon I heard two sets of footsteps walking down the basement stairs.  Gillian and John were on the stairs.  I hugged my little 3 year old.  I noticed that she had two new My Little Ponies in her hand.  I asked her if she just woke up by herself.  John said "No.  I woke her up.  I was real gentle."  My sweet little man woke up his sister to give her the presents he picked out.       

Bedtime Songs

After we tucked the kids into bed tonight, Gillian started talking to herself.  This is nothing new.  She does this every night.  As a matter of fact, Daddy actually encourages her to talk to herself.  She still takes naps at school, so most nights she is not always ready for bed at bedtime.  But we still like to keep the routine.  Anyway, after she was in bed for a little while tonight, we could hear her singing a little song.  It went something like this "I love my pink room.  I love it because I like it.  I like my big girl bed.  No more baby crib!"  I got up to start recording her singing.  Below is a video of what I was able to record.  It was as if she knew I was recording, because she stopped singing and just started talking. 

Audience

I asked John if he had graduation practice today. He said "Yes. And we had an audience today!" I said, really? Who watched you practice today! He said "Gill!" I was a little surprised and asked if it was just Gillian or if her whole class got to watch (I was a little afraid that Gillian was in trouble and her punishment was watching graduation practice). John said "The whole class." Gillian described practice "I sit in a chair! Johnny sing a song. Then sit on the steps. I clap." She was so happy that she got to watch John practice. She told me all about it again when I was tucking her in to bed. She is so proud of her big brother. 

Teapot

A couple nights a week, we have a dance party for the kids. Basically, we just play some music for the kids and them them dance. John and Gillian love dance party nights. John has now started to name his dance moves. He does "the jet" which is him running around the room with his arms stretched out. He also does "the plane," a slower version of "the jet." He has probably a dozen different moves now. Gillian copies or tries to copy all of his moves. Tonight, Gillian copied John, but at some point started running around with her hand on her hip. I had a hard time hearing her with the music. Finally I heard her say "Tip me over and pour me out!" And that's when I saw not only did she have her hand on her hip, but she also had her other had stretched out over her head. My little girl was dancing and singing "I'm a little teapot."

Serenade

John got a harmonica from Mimi for Christmas this year (it was in his stocking).  He loves the harmonica.  He immediately started playing it on Christmas morning.  He decided the best place to play it was on Mimi's loft that overlooks the great room.  This way everyone could enjoy his music.  After seeing and hearing how much John loved the harmonica, Mommy and Daddy nicely asked Mimi if we could leave the harmonica at Mimi's house for save keeping.  Mimi told John that she would hold on to it for him.   

Last night, we went to Mimi & Poppy's house for dinner.  John was barely out of his jacket before he asked Mimi for his harmonica.  Once he got it, he ran upstairs to serenade us from the loft.  He did take a break for a little bit and told Mimi "Gillian can help you and Poppy with the food.  I'll distract everyone with my music!"  Gillian decided to join John upstairs and join in the fun.  She accompanied him by singing the Alphabet Song.