Rachel's Band Concert

The video is long and the only person who will probably watch the whole thing is Grandma.  Thanks, Grandma! I'll watch it too! I did put the songs the band played in reverse order because the best songs were at the end of the concert so the best songs are now at the beginning of the video.

I think Rachel and her beginning band did a wonderful job.  They have only been playing since the middle of October.

I was sitting too close.  If I would have been up higher, I would have probably been able to video tape more than the feet of the band members.  Maybe I could have done a better job of including Rachel in the video.  I don't think you can see her at all.  She is on the second row, second girl on the left right behind the first girl on the left on the front row.

There she is....it's kind of like finding Waldo.

Because Rachel and her flute can't be heard over the other instruments, she gave me my own personal concert at home. I remember listening to her play her first song "The D Song" which was the note D over and over.  She then learned "Hot Cross Buns" which sounded very much like "The D Song."  She has really enjoyed practicing and is much improved.  I'm very glad she enjoys the flute. I love music, but she has never really enjoyed it until now.  I hope she continues to enjoy playing the flute.

Gymnasts and Bell Ringers

My girls enjoy gymnastics at the gym and at home.

 

Rachel played "Let's Go Band" at a basketball game. I wasn't fast enough to get a video and people kept walking in front of her so the pictures are bad.  She did a great job though...trust me:)  Her band concert is coming up this week so I'll be sure to get a video of her then.

I sure love my upside down girls.

A lovely rendition of "I am a Child of God" with bells.

Playing in the Snow

After days and days of heavy fog, it was so fun to see the sky today.  Not only was it a beautiful day...it was a day off of work!! Perfect!! I went on a little walk to a small waterfall and then we drove a few miles out of town to find some snow to play in.  

I just had to take a picture of the sky so I can always remember what it looks like even if it is foggy or rainy and generally gray most winter days....

 The girls had a blast sledding.  I went down the hill once and then spent the rest of my time taking pictures.

Who needs a sled when you can slide down on your belly!

Every place is a good place for a cartwheel...

Here is a little video with more of our adventures of the day:

Random: Magic Show, Playroom, Silly Note, and Silvertips Singing

Warning: This will be a very random post.  

First, Erin Joy wanted to perform a little magic for your entertainment. (Both girls are enjoying the magic set that Santa brought this year.)

Next, I thought I'd take a picture of our favorite room in the house...the playroom.

We just acquired a free air hockey table.  Nice! The girls love it.  Notice the screen too....we love popping popcorn and watching movies in this room.

This is a cheap recliner that makes a perfect spot for me to sleep during movies.  Nothing like a good nap during a good movie!

Erin Joy loves to write me notes.  I thought this one was quite humorous and different from her usual "I love you, Mom" notes.  She even calls me "Stacey" instead of "Mom."  It's a pirate telling me to walk the plank.  She slid the note under the bathroom door while I was in there and ran away giggling.

On the other side of the note was a ghost telling me to run, hide, and face my fear.

We went to the Everett Silvertips game so Erin Joy could sing the US and Canadian National Anthems with her school choir.  The choir was great, but hard to hear because the mics weren't working properly or we were too far away or something.  The game was entertaining, but certainly a sport that I don't enjoy and would never watch again unless one of my kids were singing.

I think it is really rude to boo whenever the referees come on the ice.  I think it is terrible that fighting is encouraged.  Whenever the players started fighting, the crowd would chant "let them fight, let them fight."  I looked at my girls and said things like, "Don't them them fight.  They shouldn't be fighting. That's mean.  We should be nice to each other." I'll stick with Mariner's baseball as my favorite sport to watch.  Besides, there are wonderful garlic fries at Safeco Field.  At the Silvertips game, we had an expensive cup of cookies that Erin Joy dropped all over the ground and didn't get to eat, and stale popcorn.  Missed my garlic fries....  

I told the lady sitting next to me that I wished I had brought a book to read.  She happened to have a kindle app on her phone and we talked about good books during the game.  I missed watching 4 of the 5 goals scored.  The Silvertips won by a score of 3 to 2.  Glad they won.  Glad Erin Joy had fun singing.  Glad I don't need to buy season tickets or go to another game for a really long time.

Video of the singing.....

Happy New Year!

Look at these cute baby outfits knitted by my sweet neighbor!  I'm excited to give these clothes to my three new nieces.

 We don't need a tunnel for our train...the girls will take care of it!

 We invited a few guests, ate good food, played games, then welcomed the new year at midnight with fireworks provided by my neighbors. Fun!

 On New Year's Day, we took advantage of the beautiful weather and played in the snow up the road from our house.  (No snow at our house, but there is snow about 30 minutes away...perfect. I'm glad there isn't snow at our house, but if we really want to find some, we can.)