In trouble..........sort of

Ashley received the viola sheet music for Lord of the Rings in her Easter basket.  She has recently read the Hobbit for school and has been an almost obsessive Tolkien geek for the last little while.  Yes, we are a little proud.  Since receiving said music, she practices more than her minimum daily half hour with little or no prodding.  Easter Monday, she spent an hour playing and listening to the accompanying demo cd. 

The only downside is that she has spent very little of her practice time in the 2 weeks since practicing her Chamber Orchestra music or her music for her lessons.  This past Tuesday, her instructor got after her a bit and invoked the concept of eating your vegetables first and then having as much dessert as you want.  So yesterday she practiced what she had to first and then opened Lord of the Rings.  She practiced 45 minutes.  I recorded her playing In Dreams from the Fellowship of the Ring.  I threw her off recording her and there are a few oops in this, but I don't care, I'm posting anyhow.  If anyone wants to know why more often than not I have the score from the Lord of the Rings movies in my head, this is why.

 

Easter pics

Here are some belated pics of the Warner kids all decked out for Easter.  Thanks again Grandma for the great outfits.

I know that last picture is blurry, but that mischievous grin sums up the Lord of Chaos very well.

Chestita Baba Mart

Today is March 1st.  In Bulgaria, people EVERYWHERE are buying wearing and exchanging martenitzas.  It is something I loved when we lived there.  If you are interested in the tradition, the link is here.  To all of my 4 remaining readers, I wish you a happy Spring and am sending you a virtual martenitza.  Chestita Baba Mart.

All Aboard

Trent decided to spend birthday money on a train set this year.  He had already racked up the  hero points that day by fixing Ashley's computer problem so that she could play her online minecraft she spent some of her birthday money on.  He replaced my burned out headlight.  He was fixing things right and left and then he brought home his birthday present.  It was so fun to watch all the kids gather around and watch, but Trent really put the icing on the cake when he let them each have a chance to run the train, even the Lord of Chaos.

Challenge Nails

Last week were the middle school challenges for all orchestra or band students who wanted to challenge for a higher spot.  Ashley had to learn two pieces of music because she both challenged up to Chamber Orchestra and because she was challenged for her chair in Strings Orchestra.  The latter is practically a given since she is currently first chair in the Strings Orchestra.  She picked up her music and had 10 days to prepare.  I was looking over her practice chart and realized that cumulatively, she put in over 7 hours of practice in 10 days.  I wish I could tell you how it turned out, but I won't know until tomorrow.  Plus, everyone who challenged another or who was challenged played in front of one another in one practice room.  NO PRESSURE!  Trent and I really wanted to stress with her that we are so proud of how hard she worked and prepared and that that alone is a win.  So, in addition to telling her all of that, I spent Monday afternoon of Martin Luther King Jr. Day preparing her challenge nails.

She can't have her nails long since she plays a string instrument, and I am no pro, but I think it turned out o.k.  She heard about some picture her teacher saw on facebook and then after googling wanted two owls sitting on a branch along her nails on her bowing hand so that while she played, it would look like owls were sitting on a branch.  Her other hand says hooo across the nails.  Lots of amateur mistakes, but she thought it was great, so that makes it so.  Perhaps we've started a tradition.....

 

 

For any interested in what pieces she had to prepare, for Strings Orchestra, she had to play a selection from Integrity by Larry Clark.  I should have recorded her playing, because I can only find band clips on youtube and it sounds different.  For challenging up to Chamber Orchestra, she had to play a selection from Farandole by George Bizet.  You can listen to that here.  For those of you have or have  had Little Einsteins fans, it is the piece from Annie's Solo Mission, which ironically, was on last Thursday.  I recorded it and all of kids watched the whole thing.  Too funny.  Every time I listed to her practice, I was singing, "here I come.  I'm off to save my friends.  I'm flying Rocket.  Can  you hear my rescue song."

 

 

UPDATE:  Ashley's Strings teacher found her in the cafeteria today.  She did not win her challenge into Chamber Orchestra.  Sad I know, but he did tell her that she played so well that he will be adding a chair to Chamber Orchestra and moving her up, so everyone wins.  Hooray!  So excited for her and grateful that I don't have to find a new long black dress for the Spring concert.  That is harder than you would think.  

Watch Your Feet!!

We are fortunate to have many individuals who are talented when it comes to wood working in our family.  I have a bookcase and a pirate chest toy box from my stepfather.  The girls both have handmade cradles for their bitty babies from their Papa Jon (Trent's father).  Ashley has an amazing wizard staff from a Halloween costume in 2012 that Papa Jon carved and painted for her.  It clinched the win for her in a costume contest that year.  My girls' toy box was made by my late grandfather, and my stepfather's father has made jewelry boxes for both of my girls and a wheelbarrow for Jon.  Well, Owen's wheelbarrow arrived yesterday to much excitement and fanfare.  My stepfather actually did the work on this one as his father is recovering from some major surgery, but I love the tradition and the wheelbarrow is great.  It bears Owen's nickname.  We call him the Lord of Chaos, but Grandpa Norman has dubbed him Captain Khaos and has made sure that for the time being, he outranks his dad.  : )  We've already had lots of fun with the new wheelbarrow.  The only problem is that we need to watch our feet as Owen loves to get things going and run them back and forth across the house, and if you are in the way, knocking into you becomes part of the fun.

What can be as much if not more fun than a new personalized wheelbarrow?  A big box of packing peanuts to play in of course! 

Merry Christmas

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas.  Here is to a year FULL of blog updates in 2013.  : )

It's Concert Season

With all the other festivities that come during December, around here it has become concert season as well.  Ashley started playing viola in 3rd grade at school, and there is always a winter concert and a spring concert.  Now that she is in middle school, that is no exception.

However, this year she has had new opportunities, and I've really enjoyed watching her learn and grow.  Since this is my blog, I get to be an unabashed proud mommy here.  You've been warned. 

At Ashley's middle school, the students audition early in the school year and are placed in either Chamber Orchestra (the higher more challenging) or Strings Orchestra.  There is a similar situation for band students, but since Ash is an orchestra student, my story will stay there.  I can give a LONG version of the story, but since it really doesn't matter I'll keep it short and say that after auditions, Ashley was placed in String Orchestra but as first chair.  In October, an application came home to audition for the All County Orchestra.  For students who are involved with the orchestra program (they do the same for choir and for band) at their Middle or High School, there is an opportunity to audition for an All County Orchestra.  The experience is relatively short and kind of intense, but it is really neat, because they play in a larger fuller orchestra setting with students from all over the county.  They have a guest conductor and a concert master and the full experience.  Ashley came home with the application and music and immediately declared she wanted to this.  I was torn, because while I don't want to discourage her from trying for things and reaching for opportunities, I was worried about her getting smashed by potentially not making it again.  Furthermore while the strings instructor was encouraging Chamber Orchestra students to audition, he was very much of the opinion that for the Strings Orchestra students, it very much depended on the the individual student.  He even encouraged some to wait another year to audition.

Well, Ashley has been taking private lessons once a week since this summer.  We really like her teacher and only regret we didn't start her private lessons sooner.  Anyhow, she worked remarkably hard preparing for her audition.  She took her music to her lessons and worked with her instructor, she practiced scales and chromatic scales every day and even took the advice of some older students and practiced her sight reading.  It paid off, because she made it into the All County Middle School Orchestra and was seated eighth chair out of 18 violas.  Of the 6th graders from her school who made it, she was the only one not in Chamber Orchestra.  Preparations included 3 sets of 2 hour rehearsals, one full Friday of rehearsals the day before the concert and 4 hours the morning before the concert.  When she came home from her first rehearsal I would say that she was as close to in over her head as I've seen her without actually being in over her head.  By the end, she was doing well and had a wonderful experience.  She had developed her talent more, can't wait to audition next year and is committed to working really hard on improving her overall technique.  Wish her luck on that last part because part of being first chair means that when her instructor allows for challenging in January, she can count on being challenged for her seat.  She is a little bit nervous, and she definitely has some things to work on, but I love seeing her enjoy it so much and love hearing how much she has improved.  She is even considering challenging up to Chamber Orchestra.

The All County Concert was amazing.  I wish I had recorded some of it.  The Middle Schoolers did great, and the High Schoolers were outstanding.  They demonstrated what one could look forward to with hard work and dedication.

Wednesday the 19th is her school concert.  Maybe I will record a little then.  In the mean time, I'm a super proud mommy of this talented young lady.

Back Again and with a Rant

Want to get back to this blogging thing.  I actually miss it.  Facebook is so quick and easy that it has taken over, but let's face it.  You can keep track and do things with more explanation here than there.

What better way to start than with a soapbox style rant regarding the elections.  You've been warned! 

Our kids don't go to school on election day.  They use the schools for polling places and the parking and lines etc. that voting creates makes it very difficult to conduct school.  So on Monday, Sammy came home telling me about the class activities they did regarding the elections.  Sammy is in 2nd grade so it was typical 2nd grade stuff.  At one point they went around the class and said what they would do if they were President.  In predictable 2nd grade fashion, the answers became increasingly fantastic from vending machines to deal with forgotten snacks to installing a pool for swimming during P.E.  The activity seems right on track with a second grade class.  I myself had an 8th grade class write a classroom constitution once.

When watching the news later I saw some individuals in New York talking about the efforts to deal with the superstorm that blew through a week ago.  One woman begged President Obama to send his truck and get her power back on.  She wept and couldn't understand why the President wouldn't get her power back on.  It was a powerful comparative moment for me.  I will acknowledge upfront that my views on the limits of government aren't necessarily the same as others.  For me, however, I was a bit floored by the acknowledgement that not much development happens between that second grade lesson and that adult moment.

In short, when our kids are young we ask what they would do if the President and they have fantastical and sometimes even silly answers and it never dawns on them that the President can't do anything he or she wants to.  The President of United States can do anything right?  That certainly is the perception of most 7 and 8 year olds.  However, I don't think we do much between that point and adulthood to correct that perception.  I felt terribly for that woman in NY.  There is a lot going on here to help residents and schools in New York and New Jersey who lost so much in that storm.  Still, it rocked me a bit that she would think that the President had the ability to turn her power back on like it was something that could happen like that if he would simply decide to do it. 

It isn't just the storm relief effort either.  I find an astonishing amount of adult Americans who don't have a concept of the limits of government or the separation of powers and certainly not of the concept of federalism (which powers belong to the state and which to the federal government).  I find it remarkable that very few seem to question the President's ability to do anything he or she wants to do let alone bother to extend that questioning to what SHOULD the President of the United States be able to do.  It is no wonder we as a nation expect a President to be the source of all reform, of all legislation, of everything, and it is no wonder that we fail to react outside of political wonks like myself when a member of government blatantly does something they shouldn't be able to do.

It is no small feat creating a government, and we have a wealth of debate and discussion at our disposal to understand the struggles in determining what our government could and should do.  As a result, I find it sad that we don't bother to ask those questions anymore and accept a rather elementary view of the job and role of the President instead.

The County Fair

As I am sure most who still read my blog know, my kids participate in a local 4H Club. It is not what you probably think of when you think of a 4H club, but 4H it is. As a result, they've been exposed to entering things in our local County Fair. We didn't enter last year, but friends in our club did. This year, Ashley was determined to enter something in the Fair. Her original plan for cross stitching an owl design and turning it into a pillow fell through early in the summer when she ended up to busy to get it done. At the end of July, however, she went off to a week of art mini camp. One of the middle school art teachers, who also happens to live around the corner from us and go to church with us, holds mini art camps in her home during the summer. Ashley attended one last year and loved it. Therefore, when Mrs. B offered to let Ashley attend a class that several of her friends from school were doing at the outrageous "super good neighbor discount," of $40, we sent her right over. The class usually costs 3 times that much. Anyhow, for 5 days, Ashley rode her bike or scooter around the corner for 2 hours each afternoon. By the time she was done, she had created lots of great things, two of which she decided to enter in the Fair. She chose the batik pillow she painted and sewed and the acrylic painting she made of an ice cream sundae.

When it came time for 4H entries, Ashley was sick, and I didn't get everything together and to the 4H office in time. As a result, she entered in open class, which as the name suggests is open to anyone in the county. It turns out that putting her painting in a frame was not preparation enough. It wasn't wired, so the fine arts section was not going to take it. I knew Ashley would be disappointed but a good sport about it. Indeed she was, but thanks to very good and quick thinking friends, we determined it could qualify in a handicrafts category, and one of my friends took it back to the Fair and entered it when she took her boys for their 4H entries.

Wednesday was an early dismissal day from school, so we took the kids out to the fair just to the exhibition tent to see how everyone did. I have to say that our little 4H club did well. Everyone who entered something won a ribbon of some kind, and we had 2 champions and 2 reserve champions included in that. Ashley won a second place ribbon for her painting and a first place ribbon and reserve champion for her pillow. She was so excited about the ribbons. The $8 dollars that came with them was truly an after thought. The kids already have plans for their entries next year.

Painting on display at Fair

Pillow on display with ribbons

Hee hee. Reminds me of the Wizard of Oz.

A little time for goofing around

The gang at the Fair on Wednesday

Better pictures of the painting and pillow

We went back as a family on Saturday so that the kids could see the rest of the Fair and so that Trent could see Ashley's entries on display. At the last minute, Ashley decided to enter the 4H junior archery competition with her friend Leonora who was there for that competition. She hadn't shot her bow in quite a while, so I was weary of this plan, but she assured me it would be good practice. You can't say that girl didn't have a great attitude about it. The kids shot 3 arrows each from 5, 10 and 15 feet. The targets were low, which was a bit difficult. At 15 feet, Ashley sunk her last arrow into the inner blue ring (6 point ring). I am sure it counted for more points considering the distance, but I am not sure how many. There were 30 kids shooting, and we had other things to do, so we left and had lunch, rode a couple of rides and left. We figured there was nothing to find out. When I returned Monday to pick up Ashley's items, ribbons, and check, I noticed the check was for $9. Confused, I looked over the itemized list at the bottom. It turns out, Ashley placed 6th in the youth archery competition and won $1. Guess who wants to practice her shooting more and enter the 4H shoot at the end of October?

That shot with the target is the arrow that won her 6th place.

Earthquakes, Hurricanes, and Floods oh my!

First of all, I want to thank everyone who checked in on us to make sure we were o.k. during Hurricane Irene. I really appreciate your thoughtfulness. It is nice to know we have people looking out for us.

We started school off with an earthquake. That first weekend brought Hurricane Irene, and now we are dealing with some flooded roads as it has been raining pretty steadily for 3 days now. It really is quite a collection of weather and geographical phenomenon we've experienced.

It would seem that we are back to normal routine (well, mostly normal). Last week, we only had one day of school as the school was in one of the areas that lost power. The school regained power around 5:00 Wednesday evening, but they had already called the day of school and did not want to mess around with parents' child care arrangements, so the kids had four days off last week courtesy of Hurricane Irene. I am still of the opinion that they should have had school Thursday, but that is a different blog post perhaps.

On day two of our hurricane sponsored mini-break, we joined some friends for a day at the National Zoo. I love the National Zoo. It isn't as big and grand as many other zoos, but it is really fun, has something for everyone, and because it is part of the Smithsonian, is free. Jon got to see his beloved giant pacific octopus. Ashley and her friend Abby were able to go up to the bird house (a part of the zoo we have previously neglected), and Sammy got to visit the great ape house. In fact, when we left the great ape house, the orangutans were crossing the wires built for them from their outdoor area all the way to the Think Tank. I'd never seen this on previous trips. My friend Stefanie has been to the National Zoo many times and had not previously seen this, but what a fun sight for all. I am only sorry my nephews who were here for a visit in late June didn't get to see this.































So, by the end we were all very ready for school to come back. Sammy said it felt like first grade had never really happened. It really almost felt like first day of school take two on Tuesday sending them back for almost an entire week. It has been an entire week of indoor recess though as it has been raining since Monday afternoon. We were glad for the break but are very glad to be back.

In above pictures, you can see the alligator hanging out in the grass outside the reptile house, the whole gang of kids from that day, and the male lion. Behind him are the lion cubs born earlier this year. You can see that they are starting to resemble full grown lions more than cubs.

"...It All Starts With an Earthquake"

As I am sure you know, because it has been all over the news, Tuesday brought not only the first day of school, but a 5.8 magnitude earthquake in VA, which was felt loud and clear here in MD. Other than shaking Owen awake and knocking some things off of shelves, the only damage we experienced was the loss of Ashley's prized sand dollar that she found whole in Myrtle Beach, cleaned up and preserved. She had it up on her bookshelf, and it fell with several books on top of it.

The following Thursday and Friday we spent preparing for the arrival of Hurricane Irene. Saturday night was really windy, and there was plenty of rain, but we did not lose power, and we had very little yard debris compared to the area at large around us. Therefore, I am glad to report that we weathered both natural disasters this past week well and really have no story to tell.

We do, however, have our own little disaster creator in our house. This week has seen the onset of the nickname Hurricane Owen. Since he could crawl, he has gotten into anything he possibly could. That of course escalated with his ability to climb, cruise and now walk. It is a constant adventure to see what he will get into or onto or take apart. He creates havoc with piles of laundry and loves to empty the silverware from the dishwasher. As a fun example, take this picture. One day this past summer, the kids had fries with their lunch, and Jon left his on the coffee table complete with the ketchup he had with them. I went in to check on the kids. Owen was in with them, which isn't unusual as he loves to be where they are. I found him pleased as he could be with himself, sitting in a pile of fries and ketchup with ketchup everywhere. They were within his reach, so he went exploring. This is just an example of how things are with our little hurricane. He sure is a cute little mess maker though, and it is a good thing he LOVES a bath as he needs one frequently.

New Blog

I am seriously thinking of renaming this blog so it is less or our information right in the url address. I realize this may be a very bad time as I've been so bad at posting that few even look here anymore. If I do, I will post new address in advance of moving to new blog address. Thanks all.

Back to School

Hey, I'm doing something on time on this blog. Perhaps I really am getting back to it.

Today was the first day back to school. It almost seemed to come in a rush. We were all prepared. It just seemed to all of a sudden be here.

This year, Ashley is in 5th grade, so she can ride her bike to school. She is also a safety, which means she has to be to school a little bit early so that she can get her stuff inside and get to her post, which happens to be one of the crosswalks. Therefore, she now leaves us early. She gets on her bike and rides to her friend Abby's house, and they ride to school together since they are both safetys. It felt a little strange just sending her off this morning, but I guess it is a peek at what is to come as next year she will be in middle school and not even going to the same school with the others.

Sammy is so excited to be a 1st grader, and Jon is excited to, "finally be in second grade," and to have one of his very best friends in his class. I couldn't be happier about how Jon's class looks and about what teacher he got. Hopefully that will stay the same all year.


Hey, how about some pictures?

Last first day of Elementary School

Off she goes

My friend Marnea got this when Ashley stopped to join Abby.

She is so excited to go back to school.

My second grader.

The walking group. We've gained a couple and lost a few.

Jon and his best friend Mason

Ashley in her crosswalk. Tomorrow she gets her safety belt. Maybe I will get another picture.

Oh, and here are pictures from back to school last year, which I shamefully never posted. I am including these for those of you who, like me, enjoy seeing how much the kids have or haven't changed.

The kindergartners actually meet their teachers the first two days and then do staggered starts the rest of the week. They then all go together the following Monday. This was Sammy on her first official day of Kindergarten.

With her teacher after she told me to "GO!"

Our walking group

At school.