Piano recital

Emily performed her two piano pieces today. She did really well! Later we went and delivered crumble cookies in honor and memory of Ethan's short but impactful life on the earth. 

We love you Ethan! 11:11❤️💙

 

Emily's Piano Recital

Emily memorized 2 pieces for her piano recital and she did so good! We are so proud of you Bubs!!

 

Piano Festival

Madisen has been practicing really hard on her 2 piano pieces for over a month. She had Festival this last weekend and she did great! We are so proud of her. She got a 47/50 and with that a Superior rating. She was so so nervous and forgot a few basic things on her pieces but overall did very well. She was glad to be done with it, and to be honest, so was I!! It was very stressful at times!

We are going to go to Orange Leaf to celebrate tonight!

First Piano Recital

Madisen has been taking piano lessons for about a year now and has had two piano teachers so far. This new teacher I think has been great for her. She has learned a lot and enjoys it for the most part. We struggle with practicing everyday, but I think that's what most parents go through. The daily reminder to practice and the hassle of getting it done without complaining. ;) We are sure proud of her though. She doesn't give up and keeps trying even if she makes a mistake. 

After the piano/cello recital one of the parents brought in bells for the kids to play Christmas songs. Avery and Madisen really enjoyed that and it was fun seeing them feel more confident as they played the bells. 

Talent Show

For activity days Madisen had a talent show and her leaders lip-sang a song to Alvin and the Chipmunks. It was pretty cute. All the girls did very well in their talents. Madisen played the piano for everyone but I didn't get a picture of her because I was so focused on her I forgot. But it turned out pretty traumatic for her. She had been practicing her song for 2 weeks and played it perfectly. She even had it memorized. Well, she was so nervous she couldn't find "c" position and so she had her hands on the wrong keys. She started to play and immediately stopped and looked at me. I motioned to her from the back of the room that it was ok and to keep going. Well she did and you can guess how it sounded. She was devastated. As a mom your heart just goes out to your kids when they are in those types of situations. I didn't know whether to go up there and help her or stay back. I didn't want to maybe embarrass her more by going up there. So I just sat there with a broken heart for her. 

Graciously everyone clapped and she came over to sit by me and just started to cry. It wasn't as bad as she thought it was and I tried to reaffirm that to her. I told her I was so proud of her for having the courage to even try to play for everyone. We left early as she was just so upset. She started piano 5 months ago and the other girls that played that day have been playing for 3-4 years. So I told her she can't compare herself with them. One day, I told her, she will be playing just as well as them if she keeps practicing and working hard at it. I told her of an embarrassing experience I had during one of my piano recitals and told her everyone has at least one! I think that helped as I got a laugh out of her. Later that night we had her play it again in for our family. And she did it perfectly. 

Ryan and I are very proud of her and we love to hear her play. Sometimes she really enjoys it and other times it's a battle to get her to practice. I guess that's how it always is as a parent. Ups and downs!

I just pray and hope that she learned something from this and it made her stronger and want to try again and not give up. I also hope she learned to have compassion on those that find themselves in her situation and to reach out to them as one girl did for her.  

I've been Tagged.

1. Favorite picture and why?

We don't have our home computer up and running at this time, so I don't have many pictures downloaded to this laptop, just the ones we have taken recently. While we were staying in Colorado for a few days before heading down to Texas, we went to the Colorado Springs Zoo, with Ryan's family. There, at the Zoo, they had a huge wooden porch chair, that was just adorable! I sat Emily down and she instantly threw a fit, sliding herself down the chair with a determined grunt in protest, to definitely let me know she is NOT going to pose and BE cute no matter what. 

Obviously, it was the sun in her eyes that she didn't like, (I don't blame her). And maybe, just slightly though, annoyed with me for putting her there in the first place. :) So before she got too outraged with her current surroundings, I snapped this beauty. HA. Now, who's more ornery?! (That was a rhetorical question...you weren't really supposed to answer that).

2. Time to admit it, name your favorite reality TV show? 

Biggest Loser!!!

 This is pretty much the only show I watch, (which I find myself even getting burned out of this lately) besides an occasionally entertaining Oprah or Dr. Phil show. I am just not into TV shows. I find so many inappropriate and disgusting, that I just don't find joy in watching TV very often. Plus, I want to set an example to my girls, that if something is not appropriate it goes off. That doesn't mean that every show is bad, I haven't even heard of half the shows on TV these days. So if you try to spark a conversation about some TV show with me, and I have a blank look on my face... yeah, now you know why.   I choose other ways to waste my time, either on the Internet or making endless lists of things I want to do and goals to work on. Which is ironic to me, because, as I spend time writing lists out all the time, I could be working on some of the things ON those lists. Such is (MY) life. 

*Sorry got off on another tangent there, the question was, "what is your favorite tv show" and I end up talking about lists and other ways I waste my time...I'm a dork!

3. If you could go one place in the world where would you go? Who would you take? 

I was just researching how much it would cost to Disney World the other day online and finding hotel deals and such, so I would love to be able to take my girls to Disney World and any extended family that could come too would be so fun.


4. If you won the lottery, name the first three things you'd do with the money?
1. pay tithing :)

2. pay off debt

3. buy a house


(Or should I say, 2.buy a house, 3.then pay off debt.)

5. What is your main regret in life?

That I didn't stick to playing the piano in high school, and that I also never took choir or learned how to sing because I was too afraid of getting made fun of even more than I was already.


6. Where has your favorite trip been to so far?

I have never gone on a trip anywhere spectacular or out of the western part of this country. I know. Boring huh? Someday Ryan and I hope to take a trip together.

7. How did you meet your spouse?

We were in the same ward at Ricks College, and we had a an activity/dance night in the Taylor Building and Ryan came up to me while I was dancing with a group of friends and said, "Dance with me." 

It wasn't a question. It was a command. Haha! 

So I did. I mean, he was definitely cute enough. :)

8. Name something that irks you.

Hmm...where did I put that list....

Just Kidding. I have never written a list about things that irk me...but maybe I SHOULD. hehe. 

I would have to say people that are blatantly rude, bold or selfish and don't think they are. Being late to things, is another thing that irks me. I am not talking about 5 or even10 minutes, I am talking about a half an hour or more! Grrr.... I usually laugh about those things later though. haha.

I tag...

April, Cristi, Rory, Genny, and Joanna and Lisa (when they both find time, as they just had a baby! But I just love their blogs too :)

Our New Piano!

Ryan and I have been wanting to get a piano, well ever since we were married, but could never afford one until now! Thanks to President Bush! :) We have been looking and checking out pianos online, and in stores for the past several months. We got a flyer in the mail last week saying that Idaho State University was selling all their old pianos, so we set up an appointment to go look at them, and found the perfect one for us! We got a brand new one for just a little bit more then what the used ones cost. It is a Yamaha Clavinova 230. We wanted one that could hook up to the computer to record music, but also one that looked nice. Ryan has an amazing voice and he has written many songs in college and since we have been married. He has made 3 CD with his A capella group, Poprox and also has done several single hits! Someday I will have to download some of his songs! They are amazing!

I also play piano some, though I am not as good. I do enjoy sitting down and playing some hymns(the easy ones). Anyway we are just super excited to finally have a piano in our home!!!