Summer!

Wow, I'm bad at posting! Sorry! Summer has begun, and as usual it is busier than I expected. I am teaching quite a bit. Mark is busy with his 3.5 summer students. M3 participated in a swim camp with the college swimming coach. She had a great time and learned a lot, and next year she wants to spend the night in the dorms! Eeeek! M & M both did a naturalist camp at our local "lake" and really loved identifying the plants and animals and tromping around in the mud.

Of course, we are having lots of time to play with friends on the deck:
...and for visitors (we're looking forward to more visitors this summer!!):
We are the pigtail trio (Mon, cousin O, and M3)!! (Apparently some of us are succumbing to the humidity worse than others. Ew.)

Bittersweet

Last week was a bit bittersweet, as we said good-bye to two of our international "kids." I really can't believe how quickly the four years have gone! We can hope to see them in the future, which may be easier with Shitanshu who is moving to Seattle to work at Amazon. Inwook is returning to Korea to fulfill his mandatory military service, so we probably won't see him again for some time. What a couple of outstanding kids....

It was also bittersweet because both M and M finished the school year, and they both had great years. In particular, M4 had a fantastic year with a fantastic teacher and a great class. He got pretty teary as he made a card for Mrs. M to tell her what a great teacher she is. M3 wasn't as sad, but she was ambivalent after a year of friends, music, and new experiences at the middle school.

The fulfillment of her birthday present made things a bit better, I hope, as we went to see Taylor Swift in concert. It was really a fun show....definitely different than any concert I've been to: dancers, set and costume changes, fireworks, yada, yada , yada. It was a great show for a first concert! It's not like M3 LOVES Taylor Swift or anything (like clearly many of the screaming girls at the show do!!), but the girl plays multiple instruments, writes much of her own music, and doesn't rely on sleaze to sell her music. She's a good role model, and her songs are inoffensive and sometimes even good! I'd call myself a fan after this show. Plus there were people hanging from ropes and spinning, and I like any show where that happens.
M3 and a couple of her buddies before the show at dinner. First concert! Woohoo!

All about music...

It's definitely been a musical spring, what with all the concerts happening! M3 had her "all-city" band concert on Tuesday. Really, it should be called "all-school." All the band students from 5th grade through high school were together. Each played a few of their own pieces, then they all played together for the last piece. It was neat, because the younger kids (well, at least M3) were really excited to hear the high school and witness their possible future in band. Actually, it was nice for me to hear, too. It truly is impressive how much the 5th graders have learned in this one short year and exciting to hear the HSers, who sounded great! I do feel lucky to have a good music program in our schools.

I love this picture with all the brass:
Half the gym; half the band students:

In sadder music news, M and M's music (violin and piano) teacher is going to stop teaching. She's getting too busy with two high schoolers. So now we must scramble to find new teachers, and certainly there is no way we will find one who lives a block away like Sarah does. Hopefully, we will find teachers who have her patient and kind personality!

Solo!

M3's solo is close to the end. Grease is the word!

Mothers' Day and Dance Performance

We had a great weekend with Grandma and Grandpa! They got to see M3's dance performance (pics below); we ate, we biked...thanks for so much fun, G2! Here is a Mother's Day pic:
I am having some problems loading the videos from the kids' concerts, so here are some pictures from M3's dance performance. The piece was choreographed by a college student who was studying community dance, and it was called "Woven Stories."
M3 is making a very Markish mouth in this last pic!! Weird to think there is a gene for that sort of thing!

Spring Concerts

This makes me laugh. M4 is in the blue vest.



(I posted this before, but Blogger has been having some "issues" I think. ARgh!)

The Festivities

Some photos of the crazy goings-on around here lately! All within the last week!

M4's spring concert (I have a video I'll post, too):
Coloring eggs with Nana:
Representing Japan in the International Student Organization's Cultural Evening with their international "sister," Chinami (and a student named Claire in her lovely kimono):
On the hunt on Easter morning!
This in addition to music, tae kwon do, M3's rehearsals for the dance performance she's in this weekend, and hanging with Nana and Boppa. A good, busy time was had by all!