Festival of Cultures

Last night was my kids’ International Festival of Cultures. The children display their singing and dancing talent for the parents. I won’t publish pictures since I don’ t have permission for the other kids in my pictures, but I just have to comment on the night.

“Every year I get a lump in my throat when the kids parade out,” said the principal as she began to announce the night’s events. You see, there are 48 countries represented, 11 states and 30 languages spoken. People ask how it can be done. By opening up their arms to each individual student AND their family this school is unique and wonderful and welcoming. I love it that my kids are a part of it.

The night begins with the kids parading out to the open-air amphitheater single file. They are encouraged to wear the costume of their native country and let me tell you, there are some dazzling costumes. The emotions are also near the surface for me each year as I see this. My heart catches in my throat several times as the parade goes on.

Then we are all given the chance to see songs and dances from around the world in many languages. This year, Sariah made a friend of a woman who didn’t mind that she goes a mile a minute and I was able to video some of the events for Joseph who couldn’t be with us.

The finale is always a song called, “Good-bye my friend.” I remember the first year Nathan was involved in this program we had just heard that his wonderful little school would be closed and it actually made me cry to think of the community he had been a part of coming to an end. We were, happily moved to this current school and love that all our children will attend here. Being that there are children from all over the world, most of my children have felt the loss of a child they have befriended who has to go back to their home country. This is dedicated to all of those friends wherever they may be…

Good-bye My Friend

Good-bye, my friend

Adios amigos,

Sayonara, adieu, so long.

As you go down the road of life,

Carry in your heart a song.

I hope you’ve enjoyed

the time we spent together.

Filled with magic and song.

All good things must end they say,

Carry in your heart a song.

Sayonara!

Carry in your heart a song.

Sharing time

We already loved Inside-Out A cappella. Somehow, this group has succeeded in recording another album (my understanding is that they don't even all live in one state anymore). Before our trip out west, I ordered this new CD, called Sharing Time. We have all been bee-bopping to it ever since. Even my kids who won't sing in front of us, will sing to this CD. If you have Primary aged kids and haven't experienced "Primary Colors" or "Sharing Time," it's high time you did!

Can't get it together

We're back from our vacation but I just can't seem to get my act together to actually write about it and post pictures. Between Joseph and I we took about 1300 pictures. Many of them need to be deleted and we have a lot of duplicates.

We had such a nice vacation, but we have decided that we should either never go on vacation or just be on vacation ALL THE TIME! (Side note: Joseph thinks we would eventually run out of funds this way!) It has been so hard for me to try to acclimate myself to regular life. Things are really firing up next week as the activities start up again.

Nathan, though he has allergies or the beginnings of a voice change, has been granted at least one more semester in choir, for which I am grateful. He leans toward playing the cello this year. May will do choir as well as a group called "Girls on the Run" and will be training to run a 5K in November. I'm thinking of trying this running program that my brother found online where you start out small and work up. I haven't run since college, so this should be interesting!

Elijah doesn't have anything going besides first grade. He had a good time in soccer camp in August. Sariah is going to take a Community Music School class starting next week. We'll do library storytime as well as the Nature center preschool program. She's enjoying getting more attention since the others returned to school, and her behavior proves it!

Joseph has been named "Interim Director of the Office of General Assessment and Accountability," so he's officially a big wig (paycheck doesn't match, unfortunately!). He'll be in this position for some unnamed amount of time until they restructure the office and hire new people. Good work, Joseph! What an honor to be chosen!

Brigham is obsessed with keys. Just yesterday I told Joseph that we needed to get him his own set because he's always carrying mine around and I'm afraid he'll lose them. Then, guess what? He lost them. Now he has his own set and I have mine, but I can tell he's envious of my new set and has his eyes on them! He likes to open and shut the doors and try to lock and unlock them. He goes around saying "Doh, doh, doh, doh." (means door) We think he's awfully cute.

Sometime soon I'll get these photos sorted out and try to write for my posterity about our vacation! :)

My favorite memory

This last semester, Nathan and May participated in the Prep Choir to the MSU Children's Choir. It was such an awesome experience for them. They had two wonderful choir leaders, Melissa Mills who we knew from our previous ward. She is a doctoral student at MSU. Our kids loved her. The other is Mary Alice Stollak who is also wonderful. She, along with the Children's Choir, have won two grammys for their work.

At the end of the semester, there was a performance in Great Hall of Wharton Center on MSU Campus. The dress rehearsal and the actual concert were magical. The kids were glowing while showing their stuff. I was a very pleased mom watching her two talented kids perform. It left me feeling so uplifted and like the sacrifices I had made to help them were so worthwhile. We all wished ourselves back in time to repeat the concert again!

We hope to continue with choir for a long time!

Summer Vacation is Coming!! YEAH!! YIKES!!

As usual as summer vacation approaches I feel inadequate to deal with a house full of five 24/7. I found that I do like to stay home in the mornings and afternoons rather than driving this week as our van was being fixed. (It turned out to be advantageous to fix it because the cost was less than the trade-in value). It's nice to just get going on my morning routine rather than breaking it up by driving. I usually come back and I'm distracted by things other than chores and it takes me longer to get through them.

Yesterday I went out and dug up half of one of our front flower garden. We are going to plant some seeds soon. I'm thinking about clearing a small plot for sunflowers. Today I'm going to dig up the flower garden on the right side of the house because most of it is overgrown with things I didn't want there. This is my first year back to gardening in about four years. I either haven't been motivated or have been otherwise incapacitated (babies!!). I'm kind-of excited. I never figured out if I was a gardener before, meaning I'm not sure if it's a hobby for me. It definitely is for my mom and that's why I tried it out. I still have things in my yard that came to me all the way from Utah the first year we lived in our house. Thanks Mom for donating them and thanks Dad for driving them across the country!

So, about the kids. I'm going to get some workbooks today. I'm getting the hard ones this year. Nathan had this type last year that was a bridge from third to fourth grade and it was challenging. I think all the kids will have them this year. I have them signed up for some camps which they are all excited about. Nathan and May and I are also going to practice singing. I've ordered a keyboard. Nathan has to reaudition for choir because he couldn't reach the high notes (G above C2). We're not sure if it was allergies or the beginnings of voice change. I may try to teach the kids a little piano. With the keyboard I also ordered an introductory book that teaches the basics for learning to play hymns. Finally, I have to get their job charts set up. We had a decent system last year. Hopefully, we'll all keep sane this summer. Our wonderful vacation starts August 18.

I'm working on my spirituality lately. I'm praying more often and reading from the scriptures in the hopes of inspiration. I need it!! I do feel very blessed. Just little things, like how beautifully my flowers came up this year without much tending in recent years. Brigham is a gem. He keeps us laughing and smiling. If I could just relax my type A-ness (lol) even more than I have already done and ENJOY life that would be wonderful. Any prayers would be a welcome addition.

Shelley, how do you make a Google homepage? I'd like to do that too. Sounds cool.

Take care everyone,

Cindi