Fight the Bear

Our pack has a fun tradition!  When a boy has completed the requirements to earn his Bear rank, they have to "fight the Bear" to win their Bear badge.  They are sent into a tent, where a Bear (usually their father) is growling and shaking the tent, making it look like an epic battle for the badge.  At last month's pack meeting, it was Jacob's turn.  As he fought the Bear, items of clothing and even a styrofoam head came flying out of the tent.  Everyone thought Jacob was a goner.  But he emerged victorious and was presented his official Bear badge.  Hooray for Jacob!

Awards!

Taylor Junior High holds an awards ceremony at the end of every school year to recognize outstanding students at the school. Noah was a shining star! He received school medals for outstanding citizen, as well as outstanding math, science, and reading student for the 7th grade. By the end of the night he was jingling as he walked because he was wearing so many medals. He also got a trophy. Hooray for Noah! We were watching an old family movie the next weekend and we had asked 5-year-old Noah what his favorite part of Kindergarten was. He said "the homework." So appropriate!

Goodbye Mr. Quamo

When we all went to the last Band concert of the year, we had no idea it was Mr. Quamo's last event at Taylor.  That evening I helped serve a banquet to the band students and their families and then Mr. Quamo gave out end-of-the-year awards.  I am so proud of both Spencer and Noah for their talents and achievements in music.  The concert that night was amazing!  I especially loved Noah's percussion class and their Stomp-like performance.  The class had worked for months, experimenting with noise-making every day items and writing the music.  Noah had a section that he wrote and directed, with kids tapping rhythms on a table with silverware and their hands.  So cool!  We are heartbroken at losing Mr. Quamo.  We will miss his humor and eccentricities as well as his big heart, personal interest in the kids, and musical talent.

Bunny Buns

http://lds.org/friend/2011/04/bunny-buns?lang=eng

Isaac and I have been trying to do something out of the Friend magazine every day for a few months now.  He loves the stories and activities, but especially the recipes.  We made these "Bunny Buns" out of the April 2011 issue.  They were so super yummy!  He was so proud to share them with his brothers as an after-school snack.

Cute as a Bug

Isaac graduated from the Cute as a Bug Preschool on May 16, 2011.  Here are some highlights of the year.  See if you can see why we will love Ms. Cheri forever and ever.

Ms. Cheri is so smart and loves to learn right along with the kids.  She helped them learn to read and nurtured an interest in science!



Like the day I showed up after school and Isaac had a giant snake wrapped around his shoulders...

or the day Ms. Cheri taught the letter "T" by letting the kids feed a tortoise.

When the kids master a difficult concept, she tells them to "Kiss Your Brain!" which means to kiss your hand and touch the top of your head.  I was continually amazed at the things Isaac would learn.

Ms. Cheri adores field trips.  I can't even count how many they went on this year!  I got to go help with the Mother Nature's Farm day.

OK.  If you don't love Ms. Cheri yet, check this out:

Now, you tell me, what preschool teacher would dress up like a witch for Halloween, stand on the roof, and toss a pumpkin onto her driveway?  Ms. Cheri wanted the kids to see where the seeds came from.

She also invited families to come hand out trick-or-treats at the preschool Halloween party.  Granny Paula and Grandpa Tom were lucky to be able to be Isaac's family that day.

On Mud Day, Ms. Cheri had the kids wear grubbies and explore in the mud.  Look who just sat on the sidelines and wouldn't get dirty.  Silly boy.

Christmas brought all sorts of fun learning.  Isaac was so proud of his gingerbread house.

And the "Polar Express" Day, complete with PJ's and hot chocolate, was a huge hit!

Snow Day was fun, too.  Since there is no snow in our part of Arizona, the kids had a massive snowball fight iat the park, with cotton balls!

Ms. Cheri taught the kids about polar bears and blubber and how it keeps them warm in freezing water.  It really works!

Another favorite field trip was Cici's Pizza.  The kids took a tour of the kitchens and each made their own pizza.

And Pirate Day was the major highlight of the year.  Ms. Cheri had buried a treasure chest at Val Vista Lakes beach and had the kids follow clues to find the treasure.  I'm so sad I don't have a picture of her in her Jack Sparrow costume.  You can't even tell it is her!

The kids loved the day they went to the Riparian Preserve and followed a mother duck and her ducklings around the park.

I cried a little at Isaac's graduation.  So did Ms. Cheri.  She just gives her heart and her bucketloads of love to everyone.

I can't believe it's over.  I wish we could stay at Ms. Cheri's forever!

We will always remember Cute as a Bug Preschool, and the wonderfully gifted and talented Ms. Cheri.  What an elect lady.

Segway

For Christmas, I gave Jeremy a gift certificate for a Segway tour in Sedona.  It was coming up on the expiration date so we planned a day trip and left the kids at home!  We had such a nice day.  Sedona's red rocks are gorgeous and the drive was beautiful.  We had a little bit of extra time on the way there so we stopped at the Chapel of the Holy Cross and enjoyed the stunning design and architecture.  When we arrived at the Segway tour, we completed the learning and safety course and were surprised how easy the Segway is to handle and maneuver.  Then our guide took us on a tour through some of downtown Sedona and off-road through the Jordan Historical Park.  We loved the Segways!  We even talked about purchasing some and starting our own little tour business (St. George, maybe?).  On the way home we stopped at a little bakery for lunch.  Really, what better way to end the day than with a mouth-watering turkey sandwich on Rosemary Walnut bread?  What a great day.

Piano Theory

Twice a year I hold a Group Theory Day for my piano students.  They all get a chance to perform for each other in a less-stress environment, plus we do all kinds of fun learning activities and games.  This year we played Composer Bingo and a "Family Feud" type note-spelling game.  Then I introduced an Ice Cream summer practice incentive where they get to earn scoops of ice cream and toppings.  Yum!

Disney

I was so excited to be asked to chaperone Spencer's Junior High Band trip to Disneyland, especially because my best friend Wendi would also be going!  It was a tiring three days but it was fun to be with Spencer and his friends at the Happiest Place on Earth.

I loved seeing how Disney treats their visiting performing groups!  They were very professional but made the kids feel so special.

The Band spent one afternoon in a clinic at Disneyland.  The director who worked with them has conducted many of the Disney films' orchestras and was amazing!  They learned clips of music from two Disney movies and recorded them in a professional studio.  Then the director would play back the music, with additional sound effects, along with the corresponding video clip from the movie.  Very cool!

The next day the band performed on the Backlot Stage at California Adventures.  It was such a beautiful day and I was so proud of all of the kids!

One of the pieces they performed was a medley of Journey songs.  Spencer worked so hard to learn the piano accompaniment to these songs and got to play on a keyboard at Disney.

While we were packing, I was reading the packing list to Spencer.  It included black dress pants to wear for the onstage performance at Disney.  Spencer went to his closet and grabbed some dress pants.  The morning of the performance I looked at Spencer and thought he looked funny.  Then I realized it was his pants.  He wears a size 18 black dress pants with his normal Sunday suit, but somehow he had packed a size 12 dark blue dress pants from an old suit that was hanging in his closet.  I could not believe what he was wearing!  I laughed myself sick.

Like I said, it was an exhausting three days.  Those kids never slept!  And the drama!  We arrived home at 4:30 Sunday morning and I was never so happy to see my comfortable bed.  But I am grateful for the experience.  Great memories, good times.

Arts and Letters

Jacob entered the Visual Arts division of the annual Franklin Elementary Arts and Letters contest.  He was proud to receive an Honorable Mention ribbon for his artwork, a piece entitled "The Lucky Egg."  Good job, Jacob!