Sometimes we just brave the heat

And I use the term "we" very loosely, in this case meaning the rest of my family.

After all, I am still in hybernation mode...until October.

Luckily for the kids, there's a new skate park very close to our neighborhood.

Unluckily for the kids, it's really busy early in the day on the weekends.

Luckily? Unluckily? for the kids, there's little traffic there in the middle (read, HOTTTTTTest) part of the day.

When it's 107 outside, this concrete park warms up to 130ish. Emphasis on the "ish." They were all enthusiastic troopers though and hung on through the heat.


Oh, these photos just don't properly represent the level of heat they endured.

I think this gives a better visual of the heat index.

And the color of their faces when they got home.

Artists' Statement

The three older kids finished art camp yesterday and brought home loads of new artwork. This year's camp was a drawing class.

It's great fun to watch something really click with the kids. Kathleen really seems to enjoy perspective drawing. Actually, that was one thing each of the kids came right home and went to work on each day after camp. Kathleen even produced a perspective drawing tutorial for me so I could jog my memory on the technique.


She even filled in the cover of her art file with a perspective drawing.


Still working on vertical lines and distinguishing different planes.


Sometime during the week, she was probably forced to vary her pieces from her preferred perspective drawings.

Diffuse Color and Texture Beach Scene


Mike finishing up his cityscape perspective drawing.


A texture scene


A portrait by Miss MK.


Miss MK loves color!


Kids and teacher


All artists' statements: "Art camp was really fun!"

School planning in progress...

No, we haven't been off on some lengthy exotic trip. We've been swimming at the pool, boating on the lake, having gates fixed and air conditioners serviced, enduring hail storms...and making every effort to keep from melting. It's been 100 degrees for the past few days, and I'd just like to say,


"It's
HOTTTTTT!"


The kids started fiddle camp last week, they're ready for VBS at the end of the month, we're signed up for art classes, and I've just been doing some fun school planning now that we've finished up our year.

Can you tell what time period in history we'll be studying this year?


I've had fun going through lots of other books we'll be using this year. I can't wait for the kids to dig into these 50s edition classics.


They were given to my aunt by my grandparents. The inscription Grandma wrote.


LOVE hand me downs!

Isn't the artwork in this Hans Brinker book sweet?


Presenting...


Black Beauty

Classic books are forever gifts!

Piano Recital

All three of our pianists were simply splendid.


Mary Kate played:
Swans on the Lake (Thompson)
Square Dance (Faber)
Sonatina for Two (Palmer)


Duets with their teacher are great fun!


Mikey's pieces:
Minuet (Haydn)
Spanish Cabellero (Faber)
Jazz Waltz (Palmer)


Kathleen played:
Sonatina in G (Atwood)
The Breakers (Aaron)
The Fiddler (Palmer)


It's a joy to see the progress they've made this year!

Ahh, the last recital for a while...'til fiddle camp.

3-Ring Circus

May usually seems a bit crazy with all the end-of-year activities--even if our kids don't even go to school. Contrary to what some people may think of homeschoolers, we don't live in a bubble...although being in a bubble seems quite appealing at times!

Today, it was feeling like a little 3-ring circus of activity. Dad was cutting the boys' hair (no pix).

Kathleen was practicing on her unicycle (sans juggling act).



Cleaning and tuning violins, practicing songs...a violin recital.





Bike jumping.




Front yard tackle football.



Now watching...Flipper (1963 original).


What does your 3-ring circus look like?

Violin Performance

The kids' Sunday performance is now viewable online by clicking here...in case you have a spare hour and a half to listen. =) You can slide the play button to scan through and listen to a few songs.

The performing fiddle group (under the umbrella of their classical Suzuki training) is called The Blazing Bows. It's been a lot of fun for them to learn both styles.

Another Blazing Bows Performance

Yesterday was the kids' first live stream broadcast.


A little pep talk after their last performance seemed to do the trick with Jimmer's fidgeties. He did great for the entire hour and a half!


The show got going after the producer of the event made a little specktacle of Cleve Hattersley and Kathleen for a few minutes...on the secrets of music--style.


Jimmer was even quizzed about what he likes most about playing the violin.

He said that he likes playing in the performances the best.

Would you take a look at all those pronounced holes in our kids' chins? Dad's strong gene.

(We could even see those little dimples on the kids' ultrasounds. No kiddin'.)

They all had a fun time.

Kids' Live Stream Violin Performance -- Sunday, April 5 @ 3PM (CST)

TODAY -- The kids' perform LIVE...right here on my sidebar.

See the little embedded live stream thingy on the top of my sidebar?
That's where you can watch it.

If it doesn't work here on the blog or if it's too small to view, click here to watch it on the performance location website.

They'll be playing with Sweet Mary and Cleve Hattersley from Greezy Wheels.

(I'll be removing the sidebar live stream shortly after the show is over.)

Traditional Music Festival

The kids' latest violin gig was at a downtown arts center for the annual fundraiser for Friends of Traditional Music.

All went very well...


(fiddlin' away)


...until there were some featured students playing.


That would be when there were several songs in a row that Jimmer didn't play.

He was being pretty good at first.

Then he started yawning,


straightening his hair,


checking behind his ears,


and tapping both feet at once.


Then he decided to share in his own entertainment.


A bit of a sword fight with the bows started...


...and I was sinking in my seat.


Good thing I was in the back row of seats or I may have run up there to stop him...or at least may have made a scene by violently making gestures to get him to stop as I tried to stay in my seat. Again, I'm glad I was in the back row, helpless.


Another 6 year old girl was doing similar things and lifting up her dress and all, so I guess I shouldn't be so hard on Jimmer.

They loved the green room(s) because that's where the cookies and drinks were located. I'm just happy the adults at the arts center were thoughtful enough to wait until AFTER their performance to offer them cookies. Who knows what antics Jimmer would have come up with if he had been sugared up beforehand!

After they all got a few cookies and some soda in them, we sat in on a kids' fiddle work shop. It was basically a little jam session where professional musicians helped kids learn how to jam together with different instruments--violins, guitar, banjos, etc. Maybe our kids will partake in one of these clinics next time.


Since my new camera doesn't have a video feature, I still have to figure out how to get video uploaded on here from our regular video camera.