Butternut Squash Soup with Red Lentils
1 day ago
Showing posts with label Sela. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sela. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Budding Filmmakers
Sela, Nina, and Lauren worked very hard on a Christmas video to enter in a Disney Contest. There are thousands of entries, but they are sure that theirs will be chosen! They had a few songs provided by Disney to choose from. They chose "Naughty, Naughty Children."
Sela celebrates her 11th at Sky High!
When my friend, Jayne, suggested a joint birthday party at Sky High back in November, I jumped right on board! Knowing we would be gone all of November and returning two days before Sela's birthday, the last thing I wanted to do was stress about a party. So the Boys vs. Girls party was born! We had the girls come to our house and the boys met at Hunter's. After some mild trash-talking phone calls made to the boys' car on the drive over, we met up at Sky High and the kids (and dads!) had an absolute blast challenging each other in Dodge Ball. Jayne and I enjoyed watching these fun, competitive kids try to outlast each other. The party was the easiest birthday either of us had ever planned. They even cut and passed the cake for goodness sake! Sela had so much fun celebrating with her favorite friends and there couldn't be a nicer birthday boy to share the party with. Happy 11th Birthday, Sela and Hunter!!
Her party was on the 10th, so we had a little family celebration on the 9th.
What a fun night! We love you, Sela!
Her party was on the 10th, so we had a little family celebration on the 9th.
What a fun night! We love you, Sela!
Monday, October 24, 2011
Catching Up
That sure is snoozer of a title, sorry. My creativity muscle is tired.
I can't wait to be on Hawaii time. I love how long the days feel when we're there. I know it's because we wake up at the crack of dawn to the roosters and the sun, but for some reason it's much easier to roll out of bed and get going when it's warm outside than when it's dark, damp, and rainy. Is it odd that everyday I have that song playing in my head "I want to get away....I want to flyyyyyyy away?" Yes, I'm ready for island time.
Even though we're homeschooling the days seem to be cruising by. My favorite part of the day is Math right now. We get right to it first thing in the morning. I love the Singapore Math. I love how the kids are challenged and how the material is presented and the pace at which it moves along. Nina felt like each day of 1st grade math was a review of stuff they knew (I think most kids felt like that!), so she is so pleased.
Sela has to finish most of her work for the day if she wants to go to PE at 11am. And let me tell you, there is no bigger motivator. This girl will do anything to go to PE. This provides such great leverage. A couple weeks ago I mentioned to the girls that we may have to start missing PE because it seems like by the time we get back home around 1pm, our productive hours are pretty much gone. Rollin comes home and there is just more going on in the house. I like to get the essentials done in the morning and leave the afternoon for reading, self-directed learning type activities and electives. Also, documentaries, games and such. If we focus, we can accomplish so much by 11.
Anyway, my point in all this is that Sela started setting her alarm for 6:30 all on her own. She gets up and does some writing, computer work, and Math. It's pretty awesome. She is much happier and feels great. She is realizing how much more mentally alert and motivated you feel in the early hours of the day. I liked pointing out to her last week that by the time her peers were getting settled in at school at 9:30, she had already accomplished so much! Such a great lesson for her and all of us! Now, if Mom could follow suit and walk across the yard to the gym at that hour, then we would all be doing what we should be doing!
We had a busy weekend. Sela and Nina had their first Vocal Recital!! Boy were they excited. And nervous. And excited!! I think I would have been just plain nervous.
Bad news first. I put the wrong time in my calendar. I woke up early, made sure the girls were ready, had their lyrics, had time to practice, have a nice leisurely lunch, etc. Most of all, I did not want to be in a rush! Around 12:50, I went to the computer to print the directions and saw the start time was 1 rather than 1:30. My heart sank, really. I panicked and told (or yelled!) everyone to get in the car and we flew out the door. I was so disappointed at my oversight, especially for the girls' first solo recital in front of a crowd! Of all times to screw up. There is nothing worse than walking in late, especially when there are 6 of you! And you have to perform.
We pulled into the little church parking lot at 1:20 and no kidding, right as we walked in the back of the chapel, Mrs. Jennifer announced Nina Serafin. Poor Nina did not have one second to catch her breath or relax. But she walked straight up to the front, stood in front of the microphone and sang her song! I was so proud of her. She did great! Sela was right after her. They didn't have to rearrange the program for our tardiness, we walked in almost on cue. Still not optimal, of course, but better than having their names called and not being there. Sela did great as well.
These voice lessons have been a very positive experience for the girls. They are feeling more confident with their singing. Maybe even a little over confident :) Sela forwarded me a link this week for tryouts to sing the National Anthem for NBA games! I got a good chuckle out of that! She has probably sung this song a hundred times in the past few weeks, and it's not an easy song! I know I can't hit many of the notes in that song, but Sela is working hard at it and sounding terrific. Anyway, because we were late to their recital and didn't get to settle in, we didn't get a chance to video their performances. I think the teacher did though, so we'll see if we can get a hold of it. Sela sang "I'll Stand by You." Nina sang "Love Story" by Taylor Swift. For this first recital, she let them sing songs they knew and were already comfortable with.
Saturday evening, we had another Carpe diem event. I forgot to blog about our last amazing Sea Kayacking Trip to see the Orca Whales, but this time, it was Jodi Bean's choice. And she picked a good one! She plays fiddle and has always wanted to play in a Blue Grass Band. So her idea was to hire a venue, a band, and play a couple songs with the band. The Tall Boys, a local Seattle band, performed. Jodi played a few songs with them and she did fantastic. The rest of us played our supportive role and gave the square dance our best effort. One of their band members calls the square dance moves and she got everyone participating. I laughed so hard watching the "gents" do fists in the middle when they were all supposed to join hands. We were so bad. Zig is Californian through and through, I guess. But a fun night for sure. And I would definitely do it again.
We had no clue what we were doing.
We did, however, master this highly technical move.
Some of the crazy Carpe diem members all tired out after the hoedown.
I can't wait to be on Hawaii time. I love how long the days feel when we're there. I know it's because we wake up at the crack of dawn to the roosters and the sun, but for some reason it's much easier to roll out of bed and get going when it's warm outside than when it's dark, damp, and rainy. Is it odd that everyday I have that song playing in my head "I want to get away....I want to flyyyyyyy away?" Yes, I'm ready for island time.
Even though we're homeschooling the days seem to be cruising by. My favorite part of the day is Math right now. We get right to it first thing in the morning. I love the Singapore Math. I love how the kids are challenged and how the material is presented and the pace at which it moves along. Nina felt like each day of 1st grade math was a review of stuff they knew (I think most kids felt like that!), so she is so pleased.
Sela has to finish most of her work for the day if she wants to go to PE at 11am. And let me tell you, there is no bigger motivator. This girl will do anything to go to PE. This provides such great leverage. A couple weeks ago I mentioned to the girls that we may have to start missing PE because it seems like by the time we get back home around 1pm, our productive hours are pretty much gone. Rollin comes home and there is just more going on in the house. I like to get the essentials done in the morning and leave the afternoon for reading, self-directed learning type activities and electives. Also, documentaries, games and such. If we focus, we can accomplish so much by 11.
Anyway, my point in all this is that Sela started setting her alarm for 6:30 all on her own. She gets up and does some writing, computer work, and Math. It's pretty awesome. She is much happier and feels great. She is realizing how much more mentally alert and motivated you feel in the early hours of the day. I liked pointing out to her last week that by the time her peers were getting settled in at school at 9:30, she had already accomplished so much! Such a great lesson for her and all of us! Now, if Mom could follow suit and walk across the yard to the gym at that hour, then we would all be doing what we should be doing!
We had a busy weekend. Sela and Nina had their first Vocal Recital!! Boy were they excited. And nervous. And excited!! I think I would have been just plain nervous.
Bad news first. I put the wrong time in my calendar. I woke up early, made sure the girls were ready, had their lyrics, had time to practice, have a nice leisurely lunch, etc. Most of all, I did not want to be in a rush! Around 12:50, I went to the computer to print the directions and saw the start time was 1 rather than 1:30. My heart sank, really. I panicked and told (or yelled!) everyone to get in the car and we flew out the door. I was so disappointed at my oversight, especially for the girls' first solo recital in front of a crowd! Of all times to screw up. There is nothing worse than walking in late, especially when there are 6 of you! And you have to perform.
We pulled into the little church parking lot at 1:20 and no kidding, right as we walked in the back of the chapel, Mrs. Jennifer announced Nina Serafin. Poor Nina did not have one second to catch her breath or relax. But she walked straight up to the front, stood in front of the microphone and sang her song! I was so proud of her. She did great! Sela was right after her. They didn't have to rearrange the program for our tardiness, we walked in almost on cue. Still not optimal, of course, but better than having their names called and not being there. Sela did great as well.
These voice lessons have been a very positive experience for the girls. They are feeling more confident with their singing. Maybe even a little over confident :) Sela forwarded me a link this week for tryouts to sing the National Anthem for NBA games! I got a good chuckle out of that! She has probably sung this song a hundred times in the past few weeks, and it's not an easy song! I know I can't hit many of the notes in that song, but Sela is working hard at it and sounding terrific. Anyway, because we were late to their recital and didn't get to settle in, we didn't get a chance to video their performances. I think the teacher did though, so we'll see if we can get a hold of it. Sela sang "I'll Stand by You." Nina sang "Love Story" by Taylor Swift. For this first recital, she let them sing songs they knew and were already comfortable with.
Saturday evening, we had another Carpe diem event. I forgot to blog about our last amazing Sea Kayacking Trip to see the Orca Whales, but this time, it was Jodi Bean's choice. And she picked a good one! She plays fiddle and has always wanted to play in a Blue Grass Band. So her idea was to hire a venue, a band, and play a couple songs with the band. The Tall Boys, a local Seattle band, performed. Jodi played a few songs with them and she did fantastic. The rest of us played our supportive role and gave the square dance our best effort. One of their band members calls the square dance moves and she got everyone participating. I laughed so hard watching the "gents" do fists in the middle when they were all supposed to join hands. We were so bad. Zig is Californian through and through, I guess. But a fun night for sure. And I would definitely do it again.
We had no clue what we were doing. 
We did, however, master this highly technical move.
Some of the crazy Carpe diem members all tired out after the hoedown.
Monday, October 17, 2011
chefs in training
We made two types of gyoza last week. One more traditional with veggies and pork, and one with a lentil/shallot filling. Both were delicious. I actually ate the lentil filling with carrot sticks the next day. Sela was a master gyoza maker by the time we were through.
Nina got out one of her cookbooks and chose (surprise surprise) a dessert. That girl has a sweet tooth like none other! But she did almost all the work herself and was pretty proud of the result. Looks like she made sure to sample the chocolate as well!
Nina got out one of her cookbooks and chose (surprise surprise) a dessert. That girl has a sweet tooth like none other! But she did almost all the work herself and was pretty proud of the result. Looks like she made sure to sample the chocolate as well!
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
XC Finals
Rain, sunbreaks, wind, mud, cold, and a rainbow at the end of the meet. Cross Country season is officially over.
Sela is always telling me she is one of the shortest girls in her grade. I tell her she's average height, but this photo kind of proves her point!
I realized just how out of alignment Sela's body is when I zoomed in on this photo. One knee cap is at least a half inch higher than the other. Time to pay the chiropractor a visit.
Another fun XC season behind us. Now back to tennis!
Sela is always telling me she is one of the shortest girls in her grade. I tell her she's average height, but this photo kind of proves her point!
I realized just how out of alignment Sela's body is when I zoomed in on this photo. One knee cap is at least a half inch higher than the other. Time to pay the chiropractor a visit.
Another fun XC season behind us. Now back to tennis!
Thursday, September 29, 2011
race day
I'm always a bit relieved when the cross country meet for the week is behind us. There is the whole knee thing...I cringe watching her run right now, but Sela is also a little ball of nerves and excitement on race days. She gets nervous because she feels people (herself included) expect her to win so anything short of 1st feels like falling short. I agree, it is certainly less stressful to be the underdog. Anyway, she pulled off another tight race this week with her close friend and super athlete, Morgan, at her heels.They really push each other and have made each other much stronger runners over the past few years.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Sela's 1st CC Meet
Toward the end of the summer, Sela started having some pretty intense pain in her left knee, and a fairly significant bump began to develop. She had so much pain she had to stop playing tennis for the last couple sessions of the summer, and definitely no running. I took her to Children's Hospital to have her seen and the doctor sat down across from Sela, took one glance at her knee, and said she had Osgood-Schlatter.
From what I understand, this happens when significant physical activity occurs alongside a growth spurt. The condition can be short lived or plague young athletes for years. Sela was disappointed because she really enjoys sports and was having so much fun playing tennis. She was also looking forward to cross country season as well. The doctor said if we could rest her knee for a month, she could slowly begin to try some sports again, but needed to really take it easy if any pain accompanied physical activity. She's been good and has taken it easy for the past 4 weeks. The pain is gone and the swelling is going down.
She decided to try cross country to see if the pain would come back. She had one practice and 1 meet last week. She won first place in a close race and her knee felt fine afterward. I was so relieved. She may only get a few runs in this season, because the pain very well may return, but I was happy she had a great beginning to the season.
I tried to video part of the race for Zig since he was out of town. The girls were coming up "Heartbreak Hill." I did a horrible job on the video, oops!
These girls really push each other to do their best. They are great competitors and even better friends!
From what I understand, this happens when significant physical activity occurs alongside a growth spurt. The condition can be short lived or plague young athletes for years. Sela was disappointed because she really enjoys sports and was having so much fun playing tennis. She was also looking forward to cross country season as well. The doctor said if we could rest her knee for a month, she could slowly begin to try some sports again, but needed to really take it easy if any pain accompanied physical activity. She's been good and has taken it easy for the past 4 weeks. The pain is gone and the swelling is going down.
She decided to try cross country to see if the pain would come back. She had one practice and 1 meet last week. She won first place in a close race and her knee felt fine afterward. I was so relieved. She may only get a few runs in this season, because the pain very well may return, but I was happy she had a great beginning to the season.
I tried to video part of the race for Zig since he was out of town. The girls were coming up "Heartbreak Hill." I did a horrible job on the video, oops!
These girls really push each other to do their best. They are great competitors and even better friends!
Friday, September 9, 2011
Swifty
This week one of Sela and Nina's dreams came true.
On a whim, my friend, Kim, and I decided very last minute to surprise our girls and take them to the Taylor Swift concert. They were very excited just to be having a girls' night. When they climbed in the car dressed in their sparkles, they still had no idea what we where doing. And oh the screaming, squealing, and carrying on once we broke the news!! They were kind of in shock and not sure whether to believe us at first.
The concert was darling. Taylor Swift wore lots of pretty, sparkly dresses, sang all of their favorite songs, had beautiful and creative sets, great dancers and dance routines, and our girls had a blast at their very first "real" concert. They sang their little hearts out along with Taylor Swift. I was totally impressed with how wholesome the entire concert was. Perfectly appropriate for their ages in every way. Go Taylor!
Emma, Nina, Kate & Sela
Tacoma Dome after 3 hours in traffic!
I took my small camera so forgive the red-eye and blur in most of these photos.
Here she is, right in front of us! She had so many cool guitars.
We made it home at 1:30am with some very tired but happy girls.
On a whim, my friend, Kim, and I decided very last minute to surprise our girls and take them to the Taylor Swift concert. They were very excited just to be having a girls' night. When they climbed in the car dressed in their sparkles, they still had no idea what we where doing. And oh the screaming, squealing, and carrying on once we broke the news!! They were kind of in shock and not sure whether to believe us at first.
The concert was darling. Taylor Swift wore lots of pretty, sparkly dresses, sang all of their favorite songs, had beautiful and creative sets, great dancers and dance routines, and our girls had a blast at their very first "real" concert. They sang their little hearts out along with Taylor Swift. I was totally impressed with how wholesome the entire concert was. Perfectly appropriate for their ages in every way. Go Taylor!
Emma, Nina, Kate & Sela
Tacoma Dome after 3 hours in traffic!
I took my small camera so forgive the red-eye and blur in most of these photos.
Here she is, right in front of us! She had so many cool guitars.
We made it home at 1:30am with some very tired but happy girls.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Summer Star
We find at least one bunny den every summer. The kids peek at the bunnies and have even held them, but we've never tried to keep them. The mother always comes back and the bunnies have all grown and left their nests. This year, however, Kona found a bunny den. Baby bunnies carry no scent to protect them from predators, but Kona must have seen movement or something. The kids were playing in Rollin's "workshop" beneath the trees and all of the sudden there was all sorts of commotion. The kids were screaming, Kona was scrambling, and Rollin came running across the yard cupping something in his hand. Kona ended up eating one of the babies, one escaped, and Rollin caught the third. Their nest was gone. The kids took great care of "Summer Star" for 6 days. We did lots and lots of research on how to get this bunny strong enough to release into the wild. Sela woke at 4am to her alarm to feed. We talked to the pet store and they sent us home with some puppy milk to supplement. The bunny continued to grow, drink milk, eat alfalfa, and once we felt confident that he was at least 31/2 weeks old (the age we learned that cottontails are completely weaned and ready to head out on their own), the girls took him to an empty field with lots of brush and released him. They were a little sad, but more happy because the the only place for a wild bunny is back in the wild, and they know this.
Sela and her friend, Lauren, feeding the bunny. They both love bunnies. Lauren came over several days in a row and they pretended they were college students working as animal rescue people. This was part of their job.
This is the field where the girls let Summer Star go.
Our other bunnies, Spotty and Oreo, are getting lots of playtime too. We even took them to a concert in the park a few weeks ago...on leashes. Oreo is a little temperamental, but Spotty is just the best, most docile bunny ever.
Sela and her friend, Lauren, feeding the bunny. They both love bunnies. Lauren came over several days in a row and they pretended they were college students working as animal rescue people. This was part of their job.
This is the field where the girls let Summer Star go.
Our other bunnies, Spotty and Oreo, are getting lots of playtime too. We even took them to a concert in the park a few weeks ago...on leashes. Oreo is a little temperamental, but Spotty is just the best, most docile bunny ever.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
paper mache panda
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
