Merry Christmas!!!

Virtual Christmas Recital: Updated!

Every year, before our church's Christmas program, children from the congregation play Christmas or classical pieces for the parents, while the children are in their classrooms getting ready for the program.

Brogan played "Silent Night."



Braden was assigned the task of going last. He was told to plan 10 minutes worth of Christmas songs because sometimes the children take a bit longer to get ready.

Just before he made his way to the piano, he was told to play only one of his three prepared songs. He picked "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" because he'd played it last year and knew it the best.


Afterward, he was asked to play his other two songs after the program, as children were making their way back to the classrooms. He did, but everyone was leaving and there was so much talking that you can't really hear the piano on the video tape. So I asked Braden to play those songs again at home. Scroll down to see them.


Colson sang with his kindergarten class. That's him on the far right. ( That's how we do it in our house: Start 'em out on the far right wing, never on the left.) He the one waving, giving me the "thumbs-up" between songs, and generally mugging for the crowd. He's so shy.



UPDATE: Here are Braden's pieces he played at the conclusion of the Christmas program.

The Holly and the Ivy/ O Christmas Tree


Joy to the World.

Overheard at My House

Today, as we ran errands, Colson picked up a kindergarten reader that we'd left in the car (one of those Dick and Jane- type readers) and began reading aloud to himself.

Colson (Reading aloud):
Rachel said, "Andrew, will you come and play with me?
I want to play with you.
I have a little table.
We can play together with the little table.
Do you want to play with the little table?"

Andrew said, "Yes, Rachel.
I will play with you.
I would like to play with the little table.
Together we can play with the little table."


(Pause)


Colson (talking to himself): Wow. It's like she's got some kind of mind control!

Another Climate Protest

Hundreds gather to protest global warming.



HT Melissa

I Needed This Today.

Thank you, Foil Hat!

Yeah. Latin was rough this week. 'Nuff said.

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

Brrr!

Last week a blizzard swept through the midwest. After two days of snow and one long night of high winds, we found ourselves buried under a little over one foot of snow.

The kids couldn't wait to play in it. Braden, however, knew that he would be spending a lot of time shoveling. And he did. He spent a couple of hours and got half the driveway done before M. came home from work. He went out again later to re-shovel the front of the driveway where the snowplow had buried it again.

When M. came home, he helped Braden shovel the other half and the walks. Our neighbor took pity on them and came over with his snowblower to help. They were VERY thankful!

The day after the storm, this was the view out my front door.























Because of the winds, the snow was almost two feet deep on the porch. In some parts of the yard (mostly against the house) we saw drifts of nearly 4 feet.
























Colson went out to play and took every precaution against the cold. (It was -2 F.)


















Colson had fun getting the mail. It's not usually this challenging!






















Brogan worked very hard at building a snow fort.


















This picture really shows the effects of the wind. We're on the edge of the neighborhood, so we really felt the wind. In some parts of the yard the snow barely covered the grass. In others (especially up against the house) the snow drifted up very high. In most places, though, it's about a foot deep.














It's been a great time to hunker inside and do school! Our area schools were closed for 3 days. We kept up with our schoolwork, however, and it wasn't until Day 3 that the boys figured out that public school children weren't at school. (insert evil laugh here)

I'm Just Sayin'...