Heidi Day

The 2nd graders just finished reading "Heidi" at school and had a celebration at the end. The kids were able to dress up and they had food and played games that Heidi would have... they even had wheelchair races, and made cardboard goats (they are actually really cute)! Abby loved the book and was so excited for the celebration. She chose her outfit out of grandma's dress ups and even selected her own hair style. They even gave each of the students a really nice hard bound copy of the book to keep. I am so glad my kids go to a school that really celebrates literature and really dives into the books and brings them to life by helping them experience it. I have loved all the celebrations and look forward to many more!

Abby is a Martial Artist.

Last fall we finally started Abby in Taekwondo. She has always wanted to do this (in fact, she's wanted to teach it for years... even though she had never taken a lesson). She started in September and had her first belt test in October. Unfortunately, because we are new to this, I had NO idea what a big deal it is. Everyone else had cameras, video cameras and extra family members on hand... Abby just had me. She did awesome and has been progressing quite well since then. And, most important, she LOVES it. She had another belt test the end of January and this time we came prepared. The whole family went to support her and we have photos and video to share with you all.

Here she is lined up and ready to start. 

These test are actually quite challenging and 

I know she was a little nervous, but she was well prepared.

The first thing they have to demonstrate is their form. 

It is basically a memorized "routine" of basic moves. 

There is no room for  mistakes, they HAVE to do it 100% correct 

and if they mess up they only get one more try. 

She was nervous and ended up doing it twice, 

but she nailed it on the second try.

Then they have to do "attack and defense" with a partner. 

It is a choreographed fight sequence. 

(She starts actual sparring  soon)

Next they do a kick combination... she did great, again. 

Like I said, she was very prepared.

After that they have to recite some memorization. 

I love this part. 

They memorize a different thing for each belt level and they are all things that help them become a better person. 

For example, one of the lines she said this time talked about always facing challenges head on "today especially"!

Then she gets to break a board... this is her favorite part!!

She passed... she was so proud of herself.

Here is some video. I spliced it together. 

It shows part of her form, some partner stuff, her kick combination and her breaking the board. Enjoy.

The Belt Ceremony!

Abby is now, officially, a yellow stripe. She is now working toward her green belt, at which point she gets to advance to a new class. I am so proud of Abby and how well she has done with this. Her teacher is amazing (serious stuff... Olympics, national championships, he is very well respected) and she is learning so much more than taekwondo. He really expects a lot from his students and I have noticed a difference in Abby. Keep up the Good Work!

AHS Dance Festival

Ahhh, the annual dance festival. My kids love this... 

okay Max hates it but this is my blog and I say they love it.

The 2nd graders did the Virginia Reel and Abby was so cute. She was all smiles and had so much energy. Seriously, she did everything 10 times bigger and better than anyone else. And I'm not just saying that because I'm her mom and a little biased... she really did a great job!

I was very proud of Max as well because, as much as he hates the dance festival, he didn't let it show and he did his best to have a good attitude about it. I'm not sure what dance they did, but it was really cute and he was able to dance with a bunch of different girls... including one he *likes* a little more than the others (she is not pictured).

Abby- Where are you Christmas?

For our church enrichment night they asked Chris to put together a musical program with his friends and family. Chris worked really hard to put it together and I think it turned out really well. I didn't take any pictures because I was too busy running around and trying to help things run smoothly... BUT I did make sure I had someone get a video of Abby singing her song because it was so cute. I was really proud of her. I had to edit it down so blogger would take it and it's tilted (the person filming didn't know how to use our camera... but I'm so grateful they got it anyway) so you'll just have to tilt your head a little to the left.

AHS Christmas Concert

On December 3rd Max's school had the annual Christmas music concert. It included everyone 4th grade and up. Each grade performed 2 numbers along with the High School Choir and the Jr. High/High School Orchestra. It was a great concert and they all sounded so good.

However, I had a bad mom moment... I loaded the videos on the computer and when I went to upload my pictures from my camera my brain told me I had already done the choir concert so I deleted them. They were great pics too. So, I've included 2 clips of Max's songs... they are short because blogger doesn't like long videos. I especially like the second one where Max is yawning!

Enjoy!

Abby's Devotional

It was the 2nd graders turn to provide the school devotional for the month of November. In keeping with the spirit of Thanksgiving it was all about the pilgrims and Indians and the first Thanksgiving. They all did such a great job. After seeing the same kids in kindergarten and 1st grade it is so fun to see them grow up and have more confidence... this was the first year that every single child could be heard well and no one even fumbled. Abby was remarkable. She sang a short duet (see video below) and delivered her line like a pro (no video... the battery died). She seriously shocked us! Watching the devotional really reminded us of the spirit of thanksgiving and helped us prepare for the holiday. We are grateful our kids go to a school where they can have devotionals that help us to feel the spirit.

Abby all ready and excited to begin the program.

The whole set... didn't they do a great job?

Abby delivering her line.

I love the expression on her face and her fists clenched. 

"God's providential hand was at work making known the blessing of this new world and the part it would play in his plan of liberty and restoration. John Smith's writings about the new world came into the hands of the pilgrims and they determined to journey to this new world so they could worship as they pleased."

What a beauty!!

Coleman obviously enjoyed the devotional.

Sorry for the poor quality... we were caught off guard 

and didn't have the camera ready. But you can hear 

her and eventually you can see her.

Abby "The Tool Girl" Higbee

How cute is she!! One of our favorite things about summer is day camps at Thanksgiving Point. Max and Abby each go once a week (different days... which gives me 2 full days with almost no sibling conflict... makes it worth every penny!) and they are really cool. Each week has a different theme and they are really elaborate, well thought out and educational. And the camp counselors are awesome, my kids adore them. This is our third summer participating and my kids really look forward to it and always come home excited about what they did that day.

Last Thursday, Abby came home even more excited than usual. The theme had been "Tool Time" and they spent the day building: sawing, drilling, hammers, nails, etc. I actually thought this was one she wouldn't really get into so I was thrilled that she had such a good time. She made a memory box from scratch, learned how to stain wood, used a power saw BY HERSELF, and tons more... I'm actually surprised how much they did. She loved telling me how to do everything and was quite pleased with herself. She even got this cute apron and goggles to keep and earned an award for being the "Best Builder" (I'm not sure if that is something everyone got, but she was really excited about it!) This is the only time either of my kids have wanted pictures of their day camp experience and, of course, I was happy to do so... and now all of you get to enjoy my little Tool Girl!

Abby's Birthday Celebrations!

While at the family reunion in Flaming Gorge, my mom surprised all of the June and July birthday people with cupcakes and gifts. Of course the focus was on the kids and they loved their little "Surprise Party". Thanks so much, Mom!

After enjoying Father's Day dinner we had a little birthday celebration for Abby and my niece, Lizzie, who was turning 3 years old the day after Abby. Of course they had cute gifts and Abby loves the Strawberry Shortcake doll and horse they gave her.

The actual day! Abby shares her birthday with her cousin McKenna Higbee. They were born just 4 hours apart and have loved telling everyone they are "twin cousins" ever since. (It's actually a very interesting story if you ever want to hear it... long story short: McKenna was very late and Abby was 6 weeks early... we decided they must have been up in heaven plotting how they could get here at the same time!) Lucky for us McKenna was visiting from California so we celebrated together and we celebrated big!

We started with a little pampering... a day at the salon that ended with matching fingers and toes!

Then we had a delicious dinner with both families at Tepinyaki (I have absolutely no idea how to spell that!)

The whole gang after stuffing ourselves way too much.

Next we were off to the park for cake, ice cream and swimming with all the Higbee family. The girls had a blast and were so cute.

We are grateful to everyone who came and for all the awesome gifts. Abby has had a great time playing with them all the last few days.

Abby loved swimming with all her cousins and jumping of the diving board. She could have stayed there all night.

What a great way to celebrate... it truly was a birthday week! I can hardly believe she is 7!! She is growing up way too fast and I am so proud of the wonderful little girl that she is. Happy Birthday Abby! We love you so much!