This last full week of school has been packed with projects, studying, tests, and finals for the kids.

Sylvia showed me her Literacy final project. She used a book as a journal, written in the style of a character of another book she read. (It's really much cooler than that, but I'm trying to be concise.)

Caeden and Annah left a little gift on my phone (20+ goofy pictures of Caeden) during Nikolai's graduation open house. 

But this week, Caeden has been a defense lawyer during his Literacy class.  He had told me he wasn't even going to try to put any work into it because it said right in his book that the guy he was supposed to be defending was guilty. Then I reminded him that he is the kid that will argue for the sake of arguing and not even care if he is right.  He came home after the first day of the mock trial in class and said his teacher had asked him to be a little less intense.  I'm glad he decided to try.

The girls each sat down for a piano lesson and some practicing this week! We're hoping to charge ahead with lots of piano and voice this summer!

The girls and I watching FRIENDS before bed. 

On Wednesday, the girls had auditions for Vocal Jazz Ensemble.  Since Annah has been in the group for 2 years, she felt pretty confident she'd make it in again.  Sylvia was very nervous.  Mr. R asked her to learn both soprano and alto parts for the audition.  More than 20 kids auditioned, 6 of them 8th graders.  Sylvia said she was so nervous all she could eat for lunch was 3 little bags of goldfish crackers.  Then I got a text from Annah during the middle of the audition that said, "Sylvia needs chocolate."  When I picked them up afterwards, we had to go straight to get some chocolate.  

It turned out, there was no need for nervousness.  Both girls made the group!!! Sylvia is so excited, honored, and relieved!  They can't wait for lots of fun music adventures together in high school the next 2 years!!!

Here at home, I have been continuing to work on the reorganizing of the music room.  Today, it spread rooms though.  I moved the buffet from the music room to the kitchen, so I had to move a lot of things around in the kitchen, including moving 2 hutches into the den. So now every room is officially a mess!  But it is progress.  And it's so bad that I will have to keep going and working and organizing and recycling and donating and pitching things!

I went through some of the kids' artwork today, and found these musician collages.  The first one is Addie's, then Annah's, Sylvia's, and Caeden's.  

This wasn't an art project, but something Sylvia had done on a piece of notebook paper. 

This one made me cry. So sweet.

Art Show 2017

The kids and I went to the Amazing Ridgeview Art Show this evening--one of my favorite events of the whole school year!

It is still strange, even after almost an entire year, to see them all walking into the JH/HS side of the building, and not the elementary side any more.  They will always be little in my heart's eyes.

I always like to look back each year and remember Ridgeview Amazing Art Shows past: 2016 - 2015 - 2014 - 2013 - 2012 - 2011 - 2010 - 2009 - 2008 - 2007 

Annah took high school Art II this year, and has really loved the challenge and creative outlet of it.

This was a project she did early on, and her mind was blown when she learned about graphing before sketching! The project was to sketch a selfie, then finish it with oil pastels. I think it is a beautiful self-portrait of her.  

And I loved that it was hanging by two of her best sophomore friends' projects--Shelby and Alexis!

This charcoal project was a real challenge for Annah, but she learned a lot and did a great job with the shading and shaping.  She recently realized she earned a 100% on it, and it was the project that was taken to the conference honors art festival.  (The drawing is of a violin endpiece.)

These paper quilling projects looked very cool together!  This was one of Annah's projects I had seen, because she'd brought it home to work on it last fall. (Hers is the heart made from music clefs.)

Annah was frustrated by her lack of ideas when working on her clay project, and says it is the one project she is not proud of. I think her saucer (in front) is pretty, and asked her to have it when she brings it home!

 This is Ms. Sevik's first year teaching at Ridgeview, and Annah has learned so much from her! 

Sylvia only got to have 9 weeks of art in 8th grade, but she made some cool projects!

This etching project was perfect for my doodler!

I think Sylvia's koala, which she named "Herbert," is so adorable!

Sylvia's melting analog clay clock...

Caeden had art with Mrs. Hoffert during the first semester of his 6th grade year. She is so wonderful!

What a cool project!

Caeden hasn't enjoyed art the past couple years, as he feels his skills are lacking. I think it is just his confidence lacking.  But, he did like the clay gourment chocolates he made featuring a city skyline.

6th grade learned a lot about shading.

Fun 6th grade projects!

On our way out, Annah showed us the beginning of her current art project--a stencil she's started to cut out by hand.  It will be a spray paint/graffiti art type project.

We love the Ridgeview Art Show, and we LOVE our art teachers!!!

4th-8th grades Spring Concert

Ridgeview's 4th-8th grades Spring Concert was great this evening!  Grandma Sandi came out to Colfax again to cheer on Sylvia and Caeden!

Annah took pictures and video of the choirs.
Caeden is on the top row, 4th head from the right.  

This song is so cute!  (Though I should have started practicing it at the beginning of the semester like the kids did, rather than the day before the concert!)  It is a well known J.S. Bach fugue, with very cute words about kids during cold and flu season!  

VIDEO: Cold and Fugue Season

VIDEO: 3 Little Birds

Caeden sang in a trio at the end of this piece!

VIDEO: Changamano

In 6th grade band's pieces, Caeden played bells, tambourine, snare drum, castanets, and other percussion instruments.  I think percussion is perfect for keeping him focused and on his toes!

6th grade band played several pieces from their beginning band book that I did not record.  However, they are advanced for a typical Ridgeview 6th grade band and also played 2 difficult pieces that were great!  This one is the theme from the Indiana Jones movies.  (Caeden found it a little disappointing that it was May 4th [think Star Wars and "May the 4th/force be with you] and two non-Star Wars John Williams pieces were played on the concert.)

This piece is really cool!

The JH choir presented several songs.

VIDEO: "Don't Stop" 

VIDEO: "Three Contemporary Latin Settings"

Sylvia sang a very difficult improv/scat solo in this song, and I was super proud of how she did! She had a really rough day with her voice actually...Last night she had a bit of laryngitis and was drinking hot tea all day today to try to help that.  Then she had 2 huge asthma attacks during the school day today, and had to use her rescue inhaler 5 times in a row with each one.  Then she had another asthma attack during intermission of the concert--right before the JH choir's performance!
VIDEO: "Blue Skies"





VIDEO: I'm a Believer


We finally thought to sit where we could see Sylvia play her horn in the band!

VIDEO: "Hedwig's Theme"

VIDEO: "Benediction"

All of the kids did a great job performing this evening, and it was fun to be part of making music together!!!

Puppy Therapy

It is really tough to be a teenager. Friendships and relationships of all kinds keep getting more complicated. You start to realize there will always be people doing mean things, and it is up to you to react with kindness and forgiveness.  

Ugh. Junior high has been such an emotional and social struggle for Sylvia, and she is so looking forward to going to high school.  However, this past week, Annah has been the one struggling with friendships and not knowing how to express her feelings in words, and feeling like she has been [emotionally] run over by a truck.  It's rough.  

Both girls looked so lovely in their new clothes and shoes yesterday morning, and I wanted a picture of them.  This was their first reaction.  "We don't have time for that, Mom!  We need to get to the bus!" Daughters, if you didn't waste the time protesting and complaining, it would have been over in 20 seconds!

Fortunately, they did decide to cooperate, and now they both are so glad we took this picture!
My precious girls.  So loved.

During the school day today, I got a call from the school counselor.  She was calling about Caeden! Yesterday when he came home visibly upset. He didn't want to talk in great detail about it, but said that basically he lost "all" of his friends.  

With all of the emotional uproar, I decided we needed a little bit of happy distraction!  Kaitlyn, Hunter, and Ainsley had been over for piano lessons in the morning, and repeatedly invited us to come see their 8 puppies before they go off to their new homes. This was perfect timing. I texted Jenee' this afternoon to ask if we could come see their little 3-week-olds for a little bit.  When she said yes, I told the kids to go get in the car immediately!

We enjoyed about an hour of puppy therapy, holding and petting the fluffy sweet little yellow pups, and visiting with Jenee' and the kids.

It was pretty great therapy, and everyone was smiling and much more relaxed after about an hour! 

Puppy kisses!!!

It's a heart full of puppy love!!!

What an incredible blessing!!!
I am so grateful to Jenee' for making time for us in their very busy day!!!

What I didn't realize was that Caeden was still dealing with his emotions about what happened yesterday when he left for school this morning...

Basically, the gist of it is...Junior high girls keep asking him to "go out."  He is 12 and (and more mature than most in this instance) very aware that he is not ready for a romantic relationship. (Thank you, Jesus!) So, when these girls [send other kids to] ask him out, he just says, "No."
Embarrassed, broken-hearted junior high girls freak out, create dramatic stories, spread rumors, get classmates to choose sides and make fun of him...chaos ensues.  

So today in English class he wrote a poem about it his feelings and sent it to everyone in the entire 6th grade as an apology.  He was also "staring off into space" and not talking to anyone in class, and freaked out a substitute teacher who didn't know him.  Another student showed the sub Caeden's poem, and she sent someone immediately to get the counselor.  Caeden was taken to the office to talk with counselor and principal, but didn't want to name names of kids who were picking on him because he didn't think they were doing it on purpose.  The counselor had a good long chat with him, gave him candy, and he said he was fine to go back to class.  Then she called me, and we had a good discussion about how wonderful Caeden is, and how much we love him.  He was fine when he got home.
It really is tough growing up.  I'm so thankful we have good people around us who help us through the icky stuff!