On top of all the Mom Christmas preparations, this time of year has big kid projects as well.
Lily is in her first year of high school, and I don't think she realized what a big difference that would be when it came to finals and workload. She performed in a concert, a voice recital, and three fundraising holiday dinners in less than 10 days.
Oh, did I mention that she's having her first taste of finals week? And stressing that just one test can alter an entire semester's worth of work? She's handling it all well, and I know she will be the happiest of the kids when the semester is over.
Micah seems busier this year than he's ever been before. He had his holiday orchestra concert.
Here's a short video clip Brad took. I love Hyrum's and Eve's responses. It's hard to be the younger sibling at times like this.
He had his first taste of Battle of the Books. He thought he was prepared--one of the books was Rick Riordan's The Lightning Thief, which he's read a dozen times at least. I think he was surprised how hard/random some of the questions were. His team was a little disappointed, but fifth grade is a learning year for the tough sixth grade cutthroat competition.
Fifth grade is also the year of the first big project--an in-depth state report. I posted a little about this project here.
Micah sometimes struggles with organization, procrastination, and completion. Not this time. He was on top of each deadline. He typed his paper without nagging. He talked with Grandpa Tucker about Chief Joseph and researched Philo T. Farnsworth online (know what Farnsworth's important place in history is?).
He completed the entire poster himself. Completing all of that work with no arguing and begging was a first, and I was really proud of him. Much of the credit goes to his amazing teacher, Mrs. H. She is a teacher who dedicates her time to instilling in her kids the fire of learning new things--just because there are so many amazing things to learn. I hope these changes in his work habits are permanent.
And last night was the final holiday concert--Micah's and Hyrum's piano recital.
Micah is old hat at this piano stuff, but it was Hyrum's first. Hyrum was so nervous beforehand. He practiced and practiced his songs, telling me it's bad to make a mistake on familiar songs because people know when you mess up. He even asked me if he should practice his bow. He messed up a little, but it's his first time, and he didn't get too flustered when he mad mistakes. That's an invaluable skill for a pianist. Micah learned a lot these last few months--most significantly, he is learning how important dynamics and tempo are to set the mood for a piece. Here's the video.
Now just three more days of school, the state fair, Lily's first finals, a few class Christmas parties . . . there's still so much left to do!
Lily is in her first year of high school, and I don't think she realized what a big difference that would be when it came to finals and workload. She performed in a concert, a voice recital, and three fundraising holiday dinners in less than 10 days.
Micah seems busier this year than he's ever been before. He had his holiday orchestra concert.
He had his first taste of Battle of the Books. He thought he was prepared--one of the books was Rick Riordan's The Lightning Thief, which he's read a dozen times at least. I think he was surprised how hard/random some of the questions were. His team was a little disappointed, but fifth grade is a learning year for the tough sixth grade cutthroat competition.
Fifth grade is also the year of the first big project--an in-depth state report. I posted a little about this project here.
And last night was the final holiday concert--Micah's and Hyrum's piano recital.
Micah is old hat at this piano stuff, but it was Hyrum's first. Hyrum was so nervous beforehand. He practiced and practiced his songs, telling me it's bad to make a mistake on familiar songs because people know when you mess up. He even asked me if he should practice his bow. He messed up a little, but it's his first time, and he didn't get too flustered when he mad mistakes. That's an invaluable skill for a pianist. Micah learned a lot these last few months--most significantly, he is learning how important dynamics and tempo are to set the mood for a piece. Here's the video.
Now just three more days of school, the state fair, Lily's first finals, a few class Christmas parties . . . there's still so much left to do!
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