Two more instruments invaded our house this year, the year that the girls could choose an instrument for 6th grade band (or orchestra). Susannah chose flute and Moriah chose percussion. FYI, if you're wondering, beginning percussion is a small set of 'bells' (looks like a xylophone) and a drum pad (not a 'real' drum...yet). They have both done well with their respective instruments and are part of a small band at school.
An opportunity to audition for an all-district 6th grade honor band was presented a couple of weeks ago and Moriah decided she'd like to audition. Susannah was less than enthusiastic, but I encouraged her to think about it since we'd be going in for Moriah anyway. Susannah eventually decided to audition as well and we three ladies went into Anchorage yesterday right after school to audition.
When we arrived, we saw that there were many kids waiting in the hallway to audition. Susannah noticed right away that there were a lot of flutes. The girls headed into the practice room, where we were met with a relative cacophony of instruments practicing. Quite a difference to the music room in Girdwood. The girls warmed up, running through their scales and songs, and then we joined the throngs in the hallway, trying to figure out where to go.
A kind parent pointed out that the audition rooms were labeled, so we found the flute line (with about 10 kids in it) and we found the percussion line (very short). Moriah got into her audition room first and the adjudicator took his time, showing her something on the snare drum, talking, listening, etc. Susannah had a longer wait (but she was happily chatting with the other kids in line) and I had assumed she'd still be waiting when Moriah got done. Not so. I turned around and she wasn't there anymore. They had opened up another audition room to make things go faster.
Moriah got out of her audition just before Susannah was done. Moriah was bubbling over with excitement and was really happy with how her audition went. I watched Susannah come out of the little practice room and could tell her audition wasn't as positive. She looked like she was about to cry. I listened to both girls describe their auditions and it became clear that they had completely different experiences. I was sorry it hadn't gone smoothly for Susannah but I was so proud of both girls for making the effort to audition in the first place.
I ended up writing a note to the music department this morning to comment on the very different experiences of the girls. Not sure what I thought it would accomplish, but my momma heart wanted to acknowledge and try to 'fix' the negative audition Susannah went through.
By the time I got home tonight, there was a nice reply from the music department. I appreciated that they heard my concerns and gave me a little more information to help me understand the audition process.
Along with that email came another...the girls had been chosen to be in the honor band! When I told them, Susannah's mouth dropped open and she just stared at me. Moriah (if I remember correctly) did a fist pump. We'll have to do some schedule shifting once practices start in January, but that will all work out eventually.
I'm so proud of those girlios!
Showing posts with label Susannah. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Susannah. Show all posts
Friday, December 11, 2009
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Not-togetherness, togetherness
Yesterday was a twinteresting day for our twin sister sets. (trying to be clever, here...bear with me)
Not-together:
Bethany had been sick with an on again, off again fever that came back Monday night. She was semi-okay Tuesday but was still slightly feverish at 4:30 in the morning Wednesday morning. Which meant I wasn't going to send her to day care, even if she had shed her fever by the time she woke up. The decision then became: do we send Abigail alone? Without her buddy? Without her sister?
Jim decided that, yes, having at least one busy little toddler gone would be beneficial for him. We thought we could sneak Abigail out because Bethany was still sleeping fairly hard, but Abigail chose to wail loudly for her baby doll and woke her up. Jim quickly spirited Abigail away to get her dressed and ready while I distracted Bethany. We fully expected Bethany to be upset at not going to Little Bears, and once she caught wind that Abigail was leaving and she wasn't, we got the full-on tears and "I wan go Little Bears!" I shook her out of her crying by getting her dressed. This made her think she was heading to Little Bears too and I did not try to disabuse her of the notion. I just never said "yes, you're going." (*guilty grin*) Jim got back from taking Abigail as Bethany was looking for her shoes, and we had another round of tears when Jim gently told her she wasn't going.
I did not think this boded well for Jim's intention of having a productive morning, but happily I was wrong. After the initial sadness and tears, Bethany settled into a morning alone. Apparently Abigail was perfectly happy as well. So much for my fear that they'd miss each other too much and be sad all morning. Yay! Gotta love when those unfounded fears are proven wrong!
Together:
Moriah and Susannah had their first X-C running meet yesterday. As sixth graders at a K-8 school, they are allowed to run with middle school kids (in the 7th grade races). Both were apprehensive and both were hopeful they wouldn't finish last. Moriah was also a little nervous about trying out her new shoes, which she has mixed feelings about because of how 'ugly' they look. She hadn't had a chance to really run in them yet and try to break them in. They seemed to do okay for overall, but her feet still hurt after the race.
Here is why I call this part of the post togetherness:
They stayed pretty close to each other the entire race. This photo is taken toward the very end of the 1.8 mile race, on a long hill that you could just tell sapped the runners as they made their way past. The girls were absolutely exhausted by the end, but they were very pleased to have finished in front of several other girls.
Oh, and Samuel chose to ride the bus all the way back to Girdwood only to turn back around and drive into town with me to cheer his sisters on. What a sweetie. (but don't ask the girls if they concur...his version of cheering was a little too enthusiastic for those tired runners!)
Not-together:
Bethany had been sick with an on again, off again fever that came back Monday night. She was semi-okay Tuesday but was still slightly feverish at 4:30 in the morning Wednesday morning. Which meant I wasn't going to send her to day care, even if she had shed her fever by the time she woke up. The decision then became: do we send Abigail alone? Without her buddy? Without her sister?
Jim decided that, yes, having at least one busy little toddler gone would be beneficial for him. We thought we could sneak Abigail out because Bethany was still sleeping fairly hard, but Abigail chose to wail loudly for her baby doll and woke her up. Jim quickly spirited Abigail away to get her dressed and ready while I distracted Bethany. We fully expected Bethany to be upset at not going to Little Bears, and once she caught wind that Abigail was leaving and she wasn't, we got the full-on tears and "I wan go Little Bears!" I shook her out of her crying by getting her dressed. This made her think she was heading to Little Bears too and I did not try to disabuse her of the notion. I just never said "yes, you're going." (*guilty grin*) Jim got back from taking Abigail as Bethany was looking for her shoes, and we had another round of tears when Jim gently told her she wasn't going.
I did not think this boded well for Jim's intention of having a productive morning, but happily I was wrong. After the initial sadness and tears, Bethany settled into a morning alone. Apparently Abigail was perfectly happy as well. So much for my fear that they'd miss each other too much and be sad all morning. Yay! Gotta love when those unfounded fears are proven wrong!
Together:
Moriah and Susannah had their first X-C running meet yesterday. As sixth graders at a K-8 school, they are allowed to run with middle school kids (in the 7th grade races). Both were apprehensive and both were hopeful they wouldn't finish last. Moriah was also a little nervous about trying out her new shoes, which she has mixed feelings about because of how 'ugly' they look. She hadn't had a chance to really run in them yet and try to break them in. They seemed to do okay for overall, but her feet still hurt after the race.
Here is why I call this part of the post togetherness:
They stayed pretty close to each other the entire race. This photo is taken toward the very end of the 1.8 mile race, on a long hill that you could just tell sapped the runners as they made their way past. The girls were absolutely exhausted by the end, but they were very pleased to have finished in front of several other girls.
Oh, and Samuel chose to ride the bus all the way back to Girdwood only to turn back around and drive into town with me to cheer his sisters on. What a sweetie. (but don't ask the girls if they concur...his version of cheering was a little too enthusiastic for those tired runners!)
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Artie madness
Instead of heading to bed like a good girl, I decided I needed to blog about the new scheduling nightmare for our household. The three older kids all have roles in the school play, King Artie and the Knights of the Rad Table. Practices began today, as did the awareness that life will be busy for the next six or so weeks.
Samuel will be playing Merlin, Moriah is the town crier and Susannah is the dragon.
Samuel initially thought he'd rather be the main guy, Artie, but agreed that he probably couldn't pull off playing a 'skater dude' as well as he could play Merlin. Now he's looking forward to being the 'wise' guy.
Moriah has a large part in one of the early scenes and has a solo, too. She gets to announce competitors who will try to pull the sword out of the stone. She thinks it's funny that she has the same role that Samuel had when they did the play four years ago.
Susannah will be playing the dragon later in the play who has captured some damsels in distress. Her dragon is a refined creature who enjoys tea, and she also has a solo where she will sing about a lovely spot of tea.
I'm going to be helping the school's music teacher in whatever capacity I can, whenever I can make it to practices. I was her 'assistant' director for the Girdwood Community Theater's The Music Man in December, so she knows I make myself at least marginally helpful.
The performances are May 6 and 7, so buy your plane tickets early to catch the performances. *grin*
(Oh, and P.S. Bethany is still fine today after her tumble. She's got a bump under her left nostril but it doesn't seem to be bothering her much.)
Samuel will be playing Merlin, Moriah is the town crier and Susannah is the dragon.
Samuel initially thought he'd rather be the main guy, Artie, but agreed that he probably couldn't pull off playing a 'skater dude' as well as he could play Merlin. Now he's looking forward to being the 'wise' guy.
Moriah has a large part in one of the early scenes and has a solo, too. She gets to announce competitors who will try to pull the sword out of the stone. She thinks it's funny that she has the same role that Samuel had when they did the play four years ago.
Susannah will be playing the dragon later in the play who has captured some damsels in distress. Her dragon is a refined creature who enjoys tea, and she also has a solo where she will sing about a lovely spot of tea.
I'm going to be helping the school's music teacher in whatever capacity I can, whenever I can make it to practices. I was her 'assistant' director for the Girdwood Community Theater's The Music Man in December, so she knows I make myself at least marginally helpful.
The performances are May 6 and 7, so buy your plane tickets early to catch the performances. *grin*
(Oh, and P.S. Bethany is still fine today after her tumble. She's got a bump under her left nostril but it doesn't seem to be bothering her much.)
Monday, March 23, 2009
Snow!!
It's Spring, you say? Really?
About two feet of snow fell between Saturday night and Sunday afternoon, deepening the already deep snow in our yard. Samuel was inspired to create a little snow cave for his littlest sisters and after dinner the kids all went out to play. (I should add here that the babes heard the word 'outside' and wanted nothing to do with their dinners...just wanted to go play outside.)
The babies LOVED it and couldn't get enough, even as they stumbled and tried to keep their footing. The older kids decided that jumping from our upper yard to the deep snow below was the thing to do--trying to see how much of their bodies would still be visible once they landed and sank into the snow. Samuel also tried to break a new trail down another part of our yard, rolling and pushing his way through the snow. He eventually ended up on his back, head buried and facing downhill, legs barely visible. He loved every minute of it.
I was outside as the photographer, not dressed for playing. Of course, I got wet anyway--at one point my right leg sank all the way up to my hip. Took a little effort to get me out. None of the kids really wanted to come in, but wet and cold clothing and bedtime for little girls meant an end to the fun. Abigail, especially, was quite put out about coming in. I took a lovely photo of her angry, tear-stained, snotty-nosed face but I won't cause her future embarrassment by posting it here. Just know that she REALLY wanted to stay out and play.
Here are some highlight photos:
Samuel and the babes in the snow cave
Susannah and Moriah waist-deep in snow
Samuel mid-jump (not a great shot unfortunately)
Moriah taking off
Susannah jumping high
About two feet of snow fell between Saturday night and Sunday afternoon, deepening the already deep snow in our yard. Samuel was inspired to create a little snow cave for his littlest sisters and after dinner the kids all went out to play. (I should add here that the babes heard the word 'outside' and wanted nothing to do with their dinners...just wanted to go play outside.)
The babies LOVED it and couldn't get enough, even as they stumbled and tried to keep their footing. The older kids decided that jumping from our upper yard to the deep snow below was the thing to do--trying to see how much of their bodies would still be visible once they landed and sank into the snow. Samuel also tried to break a new trail down another part of our yard, rolling and pushing his way through the snow. He eventually ended up on his back, head buried and facing downhill, legs barely visible. He loved every minute of it.
I was outside as the photographer, not dressed for playing. Of course, I got wet anyway--at one point my right leg sank all the way up to my hip. Took a little effort to get me out. None of the kids really wanted to come in, but wet and cold clothing and bedtime for little girls meant an end to the fun. Abigail, especially, was quite put out about coming in. I took a lovely photo of her angry, tear-stained, snotty-nosed face but I won't cause her future embarrassment by posting it here. Just know that she REALLY wanted to stay out and play.
Here are some highlight photos:
Samuel and the babes in the snow cave
Susannah and Moriah waist-deep in snow
Samuel mid-jump (not a great shot unfortunately)
Moriah taking off
Susannah jumping high
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