Taekwondo and Guys and Dolls

We had a busy last weekend of February!

Avery had her last Taekwondo belt test before her big black belt test.

Emma was there to cheer her on!

We're so proud of Avery's commitment to Taekwondo!

She has worked very hard to get to this point!

Can't wait until she tests for her black belt in JUNE!!!

We were also excited to go see the Ferndale High School production of Guys and Dolls!

Calli's brother Alex had the lead role, so we got to sit "V.I.P." with her family!

Ella joined us along with some of Avery's friends.

Luckily the "littles" were ok having me sit with them!

It was such a great show!

Followed by a fun sleepover with Ella and Emma.

Thankfully the "bigs" were willing to entertain for a bit.

(P.S. they were TERRIBLE spies!)

Valentine Horseback Riding

Anne (Mermaid) has wanted the girls to come and have a sleepover for a very long time.
She's ALWAYS surrounded by boys.
She has also wanted to have the girls out to ride her horse Skyy.
Turns out....this was the time.
After the Annalise finished her Aladdin performance, we headed out to Deming.
Anne invited everyone. Ella and Jordan were in.  That worked well for Annalise and Aidan...
Avery was feeling a little "third wheel", so Emma was welcome to join the par-tay!
They had a BLAST!!!!
(It was a little strange having them GONE on Valentine's Day morning!)

I went out to join them for some horseback riding....
Skyy and Dusty were ready to go!
The littles were super EXCITED!!!!

Annalise got to ride by herself for the first time!
Nobody leading her after a while!

Look at that SMILE!!!!!  She was in heaven!!!!!

This was Emma's first time on a horse.
She was a little nervous!

But Anne and Aidan made her feel super comfortable.
And Avery was right there by her side!

Avery got to try a little trotting with Skyy!

What a fun way to start off Valentine's Day!
Thanks Anne, Aidan and Allan!

Aladdin

 The Missoula Children's Theatre came back for another production at Skyline!

Annalise had so much fun doing Rapunzel last year she was anxious to try out for Aladdin this year!

She was also a little nervous, knowing that there were fewer spots than roles cast.

She stuck with it and was ready for the outcome...whatever might happen.

And she did it!

She was cast as one of three "Slow Moving Camels".  She's BLAZE.

Yay Annalise!

 Once again, it's a twist on a traditional story.

Here's how they describe it:

"The Missoula Children’s Theatre presents Aladdin, an original adaptation of the classic fairy tale! For Aladdin it’s not easy to find a magic lamp but it’s even harder to get a date! It’s a swirling sandstorm of famous Arabian Tales from Ali Baba to Scheherazade, and even Sinbad the Sailor, as Aladdin journeys to find a magic lamp in a Cave of (not-so-great) Wonders. Along his way Aladdin seeks answers and advice from wise Genies, a powerful Sultan, and his own Mother to find a way to meet the Princess. However, even with the lamp in hand, Aladdin will have to learn that it takes more than a wish to make a good impression. Full of memorable characters, from lost Penguins to talking Palm Trees, this is an adventure worthy of 1001 laughs."

It was a long week of rehearsals, but the show was super cute!

Annalise had a great week and loved performing!

 

Annalise was super nervous about this part. 

She was in charge of leading out the ENTIRE parade/cast!!!!

 

 Another fun year with the Missoula Children's Theater!!!

Hope they come back again next year!  Annalise had a great time!

 

SuperBowl 50

Sunday was SuperBowl 50!!!!!

We were missing our Seahawks, but decided to have a party again.

This year, the WING-OFF was completely ANONYMOUS!

The entries were in.....

The trophies were ready.....

Votes were cast.....

1st place (for the SECOND year!!!)

CARTER

2nd place

MARK

3rd place

THE WOODS

Oh....and then the Broncos played.

And won.

We'll get 'em next year!!!!

San Juan Music Educators

Avery began orchestra this year in 6th grade.

She's only been playing the viola for 4 months.

She and her two friends Isa and Alexa decided that they would participate in this year's 

San Juan Music Educators Regional Ensemble Contest.

They were the only 6th graders from Vista who chose to compete.

They practiced for a couple of months on the song "Bingo".

The contest takes place on a Saturday.

This year's contest was at a middle school in Bellingham.

There are a number of classrooms set up where contestants go in and play their piece in front of a judge 

(a member of the SJMEA).

The girls were assigned to play first.

Right at 8:00am!!

They had very little idea what to expect.

The judge invited them and their families into the room.

And then...it was go time!

 They were all nervous....

They did their best and got great praise from their judge for simply being there and giving it a try.

She had some specific feedback for Alexa and Isa. 

Avery....well....the judge couldn't think of a thing, she told her she played "flawlessly". 

They corrected some things and tried a couple more times.

In all, it was a great experience.

When they got their score back from their judge, it was very positive, 

and she encouraged them to keep up the good work!

Great job Avery!

We're so proud of you always wanting to try new things!

Outstanding Citizen

Congratulations Annalise!

She got an Outstanding Citizen award at today's assembly.

Way to go!

And guess what???

I got to be there!!!!!!

I didn't have to take time off of work to see it happen!!!!!

I get to see every single one of these things.

Yes....I'm loving being at school with Annalise....it's awesome!