Dance Recital #8

Yep...Kylie has been dancing long enough to be in 8 recitals.  She started just after she turned three because I thought it would be something fun for her to do.  She had one tap, jazz, and ballet combo class and quickly learned that she loved to dance.  Never in a million years did I think that at the age of ten, she would spend three days a week at the dance studio.  She loves it!  She is learning all styles of dance and it has brought so much joy to her life.  I think her favorites so far are tap and lyrical, but I am sure that will be ever changing.  Check out some pics from her eighth recital in June.  This is after many months of hard work and dedication, picture day, an all day Saturday run through, and two dress rehearsals.  The show takes place on a Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night.  So needless to say, but the end of that week, we are exhausted.  At least David and I are.  Kylie always says on that Saturday night on the way home that she wishes it wasn't over yet.  We just laugh and are thankful that we are done for a while.  It is a crazy time of the year, but I just love to watch her on stage.  I often hear from people in the audience that she is one that draws you in and you can't take your eyes off of her.  You can just see the love she has for dancing when she is on stage.  There is a look on her face that I rarely see.  I look forward to watching her dance for many years.

Costume Preview :)

Kane Spiritwear

Hip Hop

Ballet

Jazz

Tap

Lyrical

Singing

Dancing at the Recital

Standing in circle time before the recital with all of the performers

Kylie and Miss Kristy - the studio owner/director

Awards for her 8th Recital - photo collage of all of her years

 at Kane Dance Academy

Golf

Now that Grandma has been retired for a while, she has recently been learning how to play golf.  I think she quickly realized that this might be something that Chad would enjoy (maybe after watching him excel at miniature golf), so she decided to sign him up for some lessons this spring.  Chad could not have been more excited.  Keep in mind that this kid already plays soccer in the summer, basketball in the winter, and baseball in the spring.  He has his mind set that he wants to learn karate and how to perfect his breakdancing skills, and so finding the time for golf was a little bit difficult.  Thank you again to Grandma for helping to get him where he needed to be many times during his lessons.

He did a great job and now knows all kinds of golf vocabulary, the names and differences between each type of club, and enjoys watching golf when it comes on ESPN.  In fact, he enjoyed it so much that Grandma thought he needed his own set of golf clubs.  I don't even think he realizes how lucky he is.  I had a great time going to watch him play at then end of his lessons.  He is looking forward to golfing more with Grandma in the future.  It will be fun to see him learn more.  Not sure what sport he is going to end up sticking with yet.  He can't play all of them forever can he?  :)

Piano Recital

When I was young I always wanted to learn how to play the piano.  We never even owned a piano, but whenever we were in Utah at my grandparent's house, I would always sit down and pretend that I could play.  Once I learned how to play the clarinet in Junior High and could read music, I started to play hymns and primary songs when we were there.  I could only read the right hand, so I never really learned how to play completely.  It is a goal of mine, and some day I will learn. 

I knew that I wanted my kids to learn how to play so that we could enjoy music and singing in our home as they got older.  The problem has been that my kids want to do/learn everything and everything costs money!!  It has been hard to narrow it down to one activity at a time.  Kylie is a dancer, and there would be no way to give any of her classes up for piano.  She has been interested in learning to play, and thanks to Grandma, she started taking lessons in January.  Grandma offered to pay for her lessons, and I will forever be grateful.  It is amazing how much she has learned in such a short time.  Some day, Kylie is going to teach me how to really play the piano - left hand and all!

In May, Kylie had her first piano recital.  I knew she was prepared, but I still felt a little nervous because she had never done this before.  She seemed very calm about the whole thing and I think she knew that she was prepared.  It was really neat to watch her walk up to that piano with confidence and play what she had been practicing each week.  I look forward to watching her learn more and to continue to share her musical talents.  Thank you Grandma!!

Kylie's very first piano lesson!

Recital Day!

End of the School Year Fun

The end of the school year is always very busy!  This year was no exception.  Check out all of the fun things the kids got to do as the school year ended.

March - District Music Festival
The kids both sing in the All Stars after school program at Promenade.  They always sing at the District Music Festival and I love to see their faces light up when they know that people are watching them.  This is much different than what I see at the after school rehearsals.  :)  Many of their friends are in the group with them so they enjoy the time they get to hang out together and perform.  This year they sang a couple of songs from the radio so that even Cameron could join in and sing.  It was really cute.

April - Open House
In our family, Open House is a big deal.  Granparents, aunts and uncles, and sometimes even cousins come to check out the kids classrooms and all of the fun projects the kids have been working on throughout the year.  Its always a little embarrassing walking in to the classroom with our own little entourage, but they just know that's how we are.  :)  Both Kylie and Chad take us on a tour of their room, show us their desks and projects, and introduce everyone to their teachers.  Here are somes pics from that night.

Kylie and her teacher, Mrs. Harris

Chad and his teacher, Mrs. Pitts

May - Student Awards
I am always very proud of Kylie and Chad when awards time comes.  They are seriously amazing.  Chad was awarded the Standards Master Award, which means that he had all 3's (proficient) and 4's (advanced) on his report cards all year.  He is such a smart kid and really loves to learn.  He never complains when it is time to get work done, or to finish up homework at home.  He is quickly reading every book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kids series and will sometimes read for more than an hour at a time.  Sometimes we cant get him to put the books down!

Kylie ended up with an entire stack of awards by the end of the assembly because of those that her teacher decided to hand out.  She excels in all areas and ENJOYS school.  Sometimes she tells me that she feels like a weirdo because she loves to be there and learn and says that lots of the kids in her class don't.  I told her that I am glad she is weird.  It's going to get her far in life.  :)  She was also given a trophy this year for having the highest language arts CST (state test) score out of all of the students in third grade (the previous year).  We are so proud and happy that she is able to perform well on these difficult tests.  I know I never did! 

May - End of the year Luau
The AMAZING Promenade PTO always puts on a fabulous luau at the end of the school year.  It has become a tradition and the kids look forward to spending time with their friends and teachers one last time before the year ends.  We had great food, snowcones, hawaiian dancers, and of course music and dancing with our favorite teacher DJ - Mr. Dalilis! 

Spring Field Trips

Kylie and Chad always get to go on at least one fun field trip with their classes at school each year.  This year, Chad went to the Hidden Valley Nature Center not too far from where we live.  He wasnt feeling that well that day, but he was a trooper and went on the long hike and everything.  As I was getting there, they were just coming up a long hill at the end of the hike.  He did not look well and I actually got a little worried for a while when he would not eat or drink anything.  I'm not sure how he survived, but he did.  Once it was time to make a fossil and see the snake, he started to perk up again.  It was fun to be there and hang out with his teacher and friends.

In fourth grade this year, Kylie has been studying the history of California, including the California Missions.  This year for the class field trip they had the opportunity to visit the San Gabriel Mission in Los Angeles.  I think it was very exciting for the kids to actually see some of the things they have been learning about.  They learned a lot and were able to see what life was really like back when people were living there.

They also had the opportunity to pan for gold at the school with some early gold rush settlers.  She loved it and I just so happened that I was at the school working on some things that day so I was able to get some cute pictures.  I thought it was pretty impressive and really showed the kids what it would have been like to live back then.