Friday, December 31, 2010
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Winter Concert with JAMM
On the heels of Alexia's winter choir concert, Mikayla performed on Dec 16, 2010 with the Mount Baker Middle School choir group.
The show began the moment you walked in the door. Mikayla and her group were in the entryway singing Christmas carols to the arriving parents.
In case you were wondering, JAMM refers to Jessica, Alyssa, Mikayla and Mikaela, all of whom were standing near each other during the concert.
In the auditorium:
Zoom:
Wide Angle, for ambiance:
Another Zoom:
The Video:
Nice job, everyone!
~E
The show began the moment you walked in the door. Mikayla and her group were in the entryway singing Christmas carols to the arriving parents.
In case you were wondering, JAMM refers to Jessica, Alyssa, Mikayla and Mikaela, all of whom were standing near each other during the concert.
In the auditorium:
Zoom:
Wide Angle, for ambiance:
Another Zoom:
The Video:
Nice job, everyone!
~E
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Winter Concert: Alexia
On December 15, 2010 we went to Alexia's school to watch her winter choir concert.
The entire concert group:
Alexia, wearing fleece gloves for one of the songs:
She requested that I not include this song in the video because she deemed it too embarrassing.
Alexia holding an artificial candle in one of the songs:
The video:
Stay tuned for the video and pics from Mikayla's Winter concert... coming soon!
~E
The entire concert group:
Alexia, wearing fleece gloves for one of the songs:
She requested that I not include this song in the video because she deemed it too embarrassing.
Alexia holding an artificial candle in one of the songs:
The video:
Stay tuned for the video and pics from Mikayla's Winter concert... coming soon!
~E
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Mary Christmas from Alexia
As per an earlier post, this year Alexia was cast to be Mary in the annual Christmas show put on by the Sunday School kids at Salem Lutheran Church.
She did a great job reciting her lines... and here she is in action:
On Stage with Joseph:
Reciting her lines:
Pre-Show greetings with Nana and Poppy:
We are very proud of how she took the initiative to memorize all her lines and perform with such confidence. Nice job Alexia!
================
Later that evening we had fun playing Wii Bowling and the classic Board game of Life with Nana and Poppy.
=================
In other news, we discovered that Alexia was not familiar with the term "bobtail". This vocabulary gap came to our attention while she recently sang "Jingle Bells" for us in the car.
Here is her slightly modified (and possibly an improved version, in my opinion):
Dashing through the snow
in a one horse open sleigh,
o'er the fields we go,
laughing all the way!
Bells on cocktails ring,
making spirits bright,
what fun it is to laugh and sing
a sleighing song tonight!
(You know the rest)
Of course we had a good laugh about it.
Finally, in case you were wondering "What is a bobtail?", well, you can read all about it right here.
~E
She did a great job reciting her lines... and here she is in action:
On Stage with Joseph:
Reciting her lines:
Pre-Show greetings with Nana and Poppy:
We are very proud of how she took the initiative to memorize all her lines and perform with such confidence. Nice job Alexia!
================
Later that evening we had fun playing Wii Bowling and the classic Board game of Life with Nana and Poppy.
=================
In other news, we discovered that Alexia was not familiar with the term "bobtail". This vocabulary gap came to our attention while she recently sang "Jingle Bells" for us in the car.
Here is her slightly modified (and possibly an improved version, in my opinion):
Dashing through the snow
in a one horse open sleigh,
o'er the fields we go,
laughing all the way!
Bells on cocktails ring,
making spirits bright,
what fun it is to laugh and sing
a sleighing song tonight!
(You know the rest)
Of course we had a good laugh about it.
Finally, in case you were wondering "What is a bobtail?", well, you can read all about it right here.
~E
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Cupcake Creativity
Mikayla, Jessica and Mikaela have recently taken an interest in decorating cupcakes.
With plenty of guidance from The Food Network, various YouTube videos, Betty Crocker and probably even the Pillsbury Dough Boy these three gals have whipped up some interesting results in our kitchen over the last two weeks.
Neither Chef Boyardee nor General Mills have been much help, but I bet the Cavity Creeps are dying to get in on the action**.
Here is a brief sample of what they've shared with their families and even their classmates so far:
The Chow Mein Cupcake:
The M&M Ladybug Cupcake:
The Chicken Pot Pie Cupcake:
The Alien Cupcake (before the addition of antennae):
Little Yellow Ducks:
Flower:
They are dealing with a lot of different ingredients and learning all about what works and what doesn't. Practice makes perfect and it seems like they have plans to get a lot of practice in the weeks to come.
In the event you would like to put in an order for your own custom cupcakes for an upcoming party or event I'm sure this trio of girls would love to discuss how they can help you out.
~E
** Yes, Dental appointments are already scheduled.
With plenty of guidance from The Food Network, various YouTube videos, Betty Crocker and probably even the Pillsbury Dough Boy these three gals have whipped up some interesting results in our kitchen over the last two weeks.
Neither Chef Boyardee nor General Mills have been much help, but I bet the Cavity Creeps are dying to get in on the action**.
Here is a brief sample of what they've shared with their families and even their classmates so far:
The Chow Mein Cupcake:
The M&M Ladybug Cupcake:
The Chicken Pot Pie Cupcake:
The Alien Cupcake (before the addition of antennae):
Little Yellow Ducks:
Flower:
They are dealing with a lot of different ingredients and learning all about what works and what doesn't. Practice makes perfect and it seems like they have plans to get a lot of practice in the weeks to come.
In the event you would like to put in an order for your own custom cupcakes for an upcoming party or event I'm sure this trio of girls would love to discuss how they can help you out.
~E
** Yes, Dental appointments are already scheduled.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Making Alien Cupcakes
Aliens, ducks, chow mien, caramel apple pie and flowers seem to be the kids cupcake theme favorites.
Unfortunately we haven't been allowed to sample very many of them because the artistic chef in the family is reluctant to let go of her creations.
More pics coming soon...
~E
Monday, December 6, 2010
Our Leaning Tower of Pisa Christmas tree.
Despite our best efforts, we couldn't get this thing to stand upright. Holiday Cheer was tough to find, but we eventually had the thing decorated and stabilized.
Luckily, Poppy showed up a week later and had the thing standing vertical within 30 seconds. I kid you not... it was a Christmas Miracle!
~E
Note to self: If anyone can't seem to locate their "Pony Pal" books from the garage, don't forget to look under the tree skirt.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Woolley Parade and tree lighting
The girls participated in the Sedro Woolley Christmas parade along with their 4H dog club while T and I watched from the sidelines.
Following the parade we met up with some friends for a nice dinner in Mount Vernon.
~E
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Specks Favorite Songs
Ronald "Specks" Beckman
1924 - 2010
Here are a few of Ron's favorite songs for your listening pleasure (downloadable and playable in a .wma format).
For some reason, these won't play for me if I just click on them, but you can probably Right-Click on the link and select 'Save Target As' to download the file to your computer and listen to it at your convenience.
Track 1
Track 2
Track 3
Track 4
Track 5
Track 6
Track 7
Track 8
Track 9
Track 10
Track 11
Track 12
Track 13
Track 14
The song names and artists are not currently available, but I'll add them as I figure them out.
Of course, if you know them then please submit a comment with that info and you'll save me a bit of detective work for sure!
~E
1924 - 2010
For some reason, these won't play for me if I just click on them, but you can probably Right-Click on the link and select 'Save Target As' to download the file to your computer and listen to it at your convenience.
Track 1
Track 2
Track 3
Track 4
Track 5
Track 6
Track 7
Track 8
Track 9
Track 10
Track 11
Track 12
Track 13
Track 14
The song names and artists are not currently available, but I'll add them as I figure them out.
Of course, if you know them then please submit a comment with that info and you'll save me a bit of detective work for sure!
~E
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Monday, November 8, 2010
Scarecrow Scramble 11-7-2010
This weekend we ventured down to Lakewood, WA so Mikayla could participate in the 2010 Scarecrow Scramble Level 4 Gymnastics Meet at Lakewood YMCA on 11-7-2010.
Mikayla performed well, and had a great time.
Here she is, posing with Coach Michelle and Coach Stephanie after the meet:
Here is a video of her in action:
Here is a cute snapshot of Mikayla, teammate Kaitlin and Alexia waiting for the competition to begin.
Next competition for Mikayla is the Sectionals event, scheduled for November 20th.
Not to be left out, Alexia is also thoroughly enjoying gymnastics, as a Level 3. Her competitions will start in January 2011.
~E
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Monday, November 1, 2010
Halloween 2010
Last week we found some time to carve pumpkins in preparation for Halloween.
This year is the first time both girls came up with their own pumpkin designs AND did their own carving.
This is what it looks like if you are a pumpkin seed:
They enjoyed it so much that they did it again at the next 4H meeting... which was basically a pumpkin carving party. One of them carved a "mexican pumpkin" with a sombrero and a mustache.
Some pumpkins may have lost their stems, but no kids lost their fingers!
Friday night was the Harvest Festival (or whatever they are calling it these days) at Alexia's school. The girls dressed up in their costumes, as expected. Alexia dressed up as a witch and Mikayla was dressed up as a "Hippie Ninja".
Halloween itself involved 2 hours of Trick-or-Treating with friends, of course.
I call this one: "Subdued Excitement"
Happy Halloween!
~E
This year is the first time both girls came up with their own pumpkin designs AND did their own carving.
This is what it looks like if you are a pumpkin seed:
They enjoyed it so much that they did it again at the next 4H meeting... which was basically a pumpkin carving party. One of them carved a "mexican pumpkin" with a sombrero and a mustache.
Some pumpkins may have lost their stems, but no kids lost their fingers!
Friday night was the Harvest Festival (or whatever they are calling it these days) at Alexia's school. The girls dressed up in their costumes, as expected. Alexia dressed up as a witch and Mikayla was dressed up as a "Hippie Ninja".
Halloween itself involved 2 hours of Trick-or-Treating with friends, of course.
I call this one: "Subdued Excitement"
Happy Halloween!
~E
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Choir Concert 10-28-2010
Thursday night we enjoyed a short band and choir concert at Mikayla's school.
I tried taking pictures, but they didn't turn out (see below). That's ok becasue most of the action was more suitable for video anyway.
Mikayla is in the Concert Choir group and they sang two songs. Mikayla sang as part of a quartet at the beginning of the second song.
Enjoy!
~E
I tried taking pictures, but they didn't turn out (see below). That's ok becasue most of the action was more suitable for video anyway.
Mikayla is in the Concert Choir group and they sang two songs. Mikayla sang as part of a quartet at the beginning of the second song.
Enjoy!
~E
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Lang's Horse Games
The girls have been pretty excited to participate in an equestrian gaming competition at Lang's Pony Farm here in Mount Vernon.
They saved their money in order to pay for a horse riding lesson a couple weeks ago just for the sake of refreshing their riding skills in anticipation of this event.
When word got around, Aunt Rachel and Uncle Steve were thrilled that they were able to come up to watch the show. Stars aligned and they were able to carpool with Grandpa Dave so all three could enjoy the festivities.
None of us really knew what to expect at this event since we had never been to a competition like this before. As it turns out, the group of competitors proved to be a wide mix of experience levels. Our girls fit right in with the group.
Mikayla's horse was named Czar and Alexia's horse was named Simon.
The 2.5 hours event included a wide variety of horse games and the girls were able to successfully complete each one.
We all had a great time (although the wind chill did somewhat reduce the potential enjoyment factor).
Here is the rather lengthy video that captures all the games except the first game -- which I unsuccessfully attempted to photograph.
Lang's hosts this competition once a month... and it sounds like the girls might do it again next year. Even Aunt Rachel is contemplating a lesson and participation in 2011! Woo Hoo!
~E
They saved their money in order to pay for a horse riding lesson a couple weeks ago just for the sake of refreshing their riding skills in anticipation of this event.
When word got around, Aunt Rachel and Uncle Steve were thrilled that they were able to come up to watch the show. Stars aligned and they were able to carpool with Grandpa Dave so all three could enjoy the festivities.
None of us really knew what to expect at this event since we had never been to a competition like this before. As it turns out, the group of competitors proved to be a wide mix of experience levels. Our girls fit right in with the group.
Mikayla's horse was named Czar and Alexia's horse was named Simon.
The 2.5 hours event included a wide variety of horse games and the girls were able to successfully complete each one.
We all had a great time (although the wind chill did somewhat reduce the potential enjoyment factor).
Here is the rather lengthy video that captures all the games except the first game -- which I unsuccessfully attempted to photograph.
Lang's hosts this competition once a month... and it sounds like the girls might do it again next year. Even Aunt Rachel is contemplating a lesson and participation in 2011! Woo Hoo!
~E
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