Lily's 9th Birthday

2015 was a busy year. Lily pointed out that I didn't blog about her birthday last year. I had all the material - just didn't get a roundtoit. So here is Lily's 9th birthday in review. We didn't have a big party - just one friend over for a sleepover and a Saturday shopping spree. The following weekend, we went to GS camp at Camp Kachina. Dad was out of town that weekend as well. We love our spunky talented full of energy Lily!

Annual Valentine's date 2016

Ammon in big boy school

Today was the start of PPCD for Ammon. He was essentially demoted from the PEAR program for lack of progress last semester. But that means he is at school all day with a hybrid of PPCD and TWC program. He was excited to take his lunch. When he asked me what the the kool aid jammers were for, I told him it was for his lunch at school. His eyes got super big and he gave me the most excited drop my jaw as far as it will go face I have ever seen. I wish I had had my camera for that priceless face!! You can tell he didn't let go of that lunch all morning. We'll see how long that will last. LOL.
Mom is nervous for the changes and hopes all will go well. I'm also looking forward to him reaching his goals and working on his motor skills and social skills with friends - like taking turns and sharing. Hopefully his speech will improve. He's still hard to understand even though his language has picked up and he's talking a lot. If you don't know what the context is, it's VERY hard to know what he's saying. And if he doesn't understand you he starts on his own conversation - usually about Mickey Mouse Clubhouse which is also code for I want to watch TV. Or I really liked "" on TV and I want to watch more. Or at least I think that's what it is. . . Not 100% sure.

Jessica at Solo/Ensemble Contest Jan 2016

This was perhaps one of the most challenging songs that Jessica has learned thus far. She had me nervous and I'm never nervous for her. But this song. . . well. It began with the fact that she picked the hardest song her Middle School Choir director had last year. So this year in order to challenge herself, we went to the High School Choir director to pick a song. The choir director who was available showed her some music and she picked this one. I asked if it would be challenging enough for her and he assured me that college students use this song, so I said, "OK." The hardest part was getting a practice CD with the backup music. The teacher to make that was busy in rehearsals for the musical. So we didn't get the official music until a week and 1/2 before the contest. She did her best off of Youtube, but it wasn't the same speed as the music she got and she was having a hard time with the ending. The trills proved to be the most challenging, especially the last one. We spent a night just going over that ending. It took me a while to figure out even how to play what she was trying to sing. Wow! I had no idea it would be that tough! She got it though just in time. This is the recording of her practice just before the real deal. She kept forgetting the ending and forgetting to breath for that ending. So of course I was nervous. Usually she is confident and bored by this point in the game. This time I had to redirect her friends so she could focus and concentrate before going in. I made her hum it in her head over and over before she entered the room.

So the judge was impressed by the level of her music and I'm thinking - you better get this girl because otherwise you are just going to look like  a fool for picking a song too hard for you. Then the lady said she sang this song in her college senior graduation recital. Great! So she's familiar with it. More nerves!! I didn't record her because I didn't want to add to her nerves or mine. 

I needn't have worried. She did it. Better than this recording even. She hit every note. She didn't run out of breath. She supported everything and did her thing! Phew!! It was awesome and she got her 1. 

Now what to do next year? Yikes.