A Fifth Grader and a Second Grader

Summer left just as fast as it arrived and this year seems a little bit different. I, for one, didn't have reoccurring nightmares throughout the summer that it was the first day of school and my students had arrived and there were no desks, nor chairs, let alone planning done on my part. I don't know if this is a good thing or not, but it feels good. And it only took me 9 years to get here. I hope it's not a fleeting feeling of calmness. The Honduras trip was a good thing for me.

And the girls. They are getting so big. So independent. So helpful. Yes, I know this is just day 1, but I'm feeling appreciative of their proactive attitudes and their willingness to help more and more in the daily routine. They were excited last week to pick out their very own alarm from amazon and have loved getting up to that. Marcela made her famous breakfast burritos for all of us and Cecilia helped at dinner by helping with the salad and getting drinks for all of us after she saw that I sat down exhausted. Marcela even helped out by getting Armando to help her fill out the of the back-to-school paperwork with Armando while I made dinner. As Cecilia would say it was a Win-Win-Win-Win-Win. :)

Our 1st day of school photo ritual was adjusted a bit because Marcela, although willing to make breakfast for everyone, was not feeling too willing to pose for the camera. She was worried we'd be running late to school and just wanted to get out the door. Cecilia, on the other hand, would have loved to take a few more. Funny how they change. It has been the exact opposite in years past. I'll take what I can get. Sure love my girls. And watching them grow is hard and wonderful at the same time.

So, here's our little moment frozen in time. I'll blink and tomorrow they'll be taller. Our fifth and second graders:

Marcela Dances Potolos from Bolivia

We always look forward to this program, but this year was extra special because both of the girls were dancing. 

Marcela always looks forward to the annual cultural dance and this year she was able to learn a South American flute song on the recorder called "El Condor Pasa."

She and her classmates also danced "Potolos" from Bolivia. 

Cecilia La Bailarina!

I'm a happy and proud mom today! Cecilia did an outstanding job at her very first cultural dance celebration. Her class (first graders) danced to the Colombian "Pollera Colorá" and she made so proud because she is so much like me (timid and shy), but she didn't let that stop her from having fun on stage in front of hundreds of people! (Something I'd have a hard time doing today, not to mention when I was a 1st grader!)

Watch for her shimmy shoulder magic at about 1:30. She surprised us all! Go Cecilia!

Girls On the Run

Cecilia and I ran with Marcela at one of her practices last week. I had to snap a shot of Marcela racing her friend, Brenna, as they practiced their running. Brenna's a really fast runner, but I think she was at a disadvantage against Marcela's longer legs. 

Marcela was invited to participate in a program at our school called Girls on the Run. When the P.E. teacher first talked about it, I thought it was a simple running program, but after I attended the first parent meeting, I've learned that it's so much more.

The program lasts for 12 weeks (meeting twice a week) and consists of mini-lessons that teach the girls to understand themselves, value relationships, and the joy of teamwork as they exercise. At the end of the 24 sessions, the girls run a 5K with a running partner (me)! So it's time to get to work and get in shape!

My Ski Trip

Marcela took a field trip with the entire 4th grade to Park City Ski Resort a couple of weeks ago. Read below to see what she had to say about it!

My experience skiing was amazing! One of the things I loved is my instructor. I was so thankful that I didn't have the instructor that my friend, Leora, had because when she fell he would yell at you and pull you up by the hood. Another thing I loved is that you can do french fries to go really fast and then pizza to slow down. I was doing that and I kept falling because I couldn't have balance. In fact one time I ran into the fence because I didn't stop in time. This experience is one of my favorite experiences and I hope that YOU can go skiing one day and enjoy it as much as I did.

**After original post: One of the 4th grade teachers sent pictures of Marcela taking ski lessons. Thanks, Ms. Ford!

Thanks to Ski Utah for this fun opportunity!

Field Day June 2015

 Last June, on one of the final days of school, Marcela's class (my class) was watching a movie and having field day in the afternoon, so I decided to let Cecilia come along and enjoy the fun with her sister and friends. They had a blast going through all of the field day games and getting wet.

 Running through the sprinkler after playing water tug-of-war.

 Double Twister painted on the grass.

 Wet sponge relay.

 Gigantic soccer supposed to be played in crab-walking position.

Ceci's Kindergarten Graduation

Cecilia finished Kindergarten last May. She wanted to wear her hair curly for the special occasion. Luckily, Armando was able to sneak out of work for a bit and I was able to sneak away while my students were at recess for a minute to celebrate this accomplishment. 

Cecilia had a special friend in class that entered kindergarten later in the year due to health issues with Leukemia. He didn't speak English and she loved putting her Spanish to use and helping him out. He was her favorite friend in class. And she still talks about how she liked having him in class almost a year later.

Cecilia's Singing

Cecilia hasn't always had the ability to express herself in words. She struggled a lot as a toddler to form sounds and to finally speak. But she has always loved music and has surprised me with her ability to hum complicated melodies that she would hear on the radio (even though she may not have been able to form the words). So when the opportunity arose recently to join the school choir, Cecilia was elated. (Of course the fact that her darling 1st grade teacher would be the conductor might have been enough to get her to join even if she hated singing...but her adoration for her teacher is a post for another day.)

She and 100+ other students joined too and at the end of their first practice, I peaked in and heard them singing the chorus to the popular Brave by Sarah Barellis. You all know I can cry at the drop of a hat, but I wasn't the only with teary eyes amongst the onlookers. This choir is bigger than just 100 kids singing. They're not just learning about music. The power of their voices together along with the message they are singing seems to do so much more.

I'm so grateful for the collaboration of parents and teachers who are volunteering their time and talents to bring an opportunity to these kids to learn and develop their talents.

I can't wait until they do a concert....for now a couple of cell phone clips I made when I went to pick her up last week.

Didn't School Just End?

It seems like last year just ended and we took a long weekend and here we are at it again. Cecilia started 1st grade and Marcela 4th! Oh, my goodness, they are growing too fast! Cecilia was insistent that we put curlers in her hair the night before and was extra excited about her owl backpack (with wings that flap) and an owl lunchbox. This is her first year getting to go all day and she gets to take a lunch. 

A family friend who has a daughter just between the ages of my girls offered to make all three of them t-shirt dresses and matching jewelry for the first day of school. They picked out the fabric and wondered why their mom doesn't take them to the craft and fabric store more often. If only we lived closer to their Grandma Brenda! I just don't have the patience for sewing. 

Marcela wasn't quite as excited as her sister to get back into the swing of things, but after the first day (and now the first week), she comes home every day with new things that she is loving to do in her class and new reasons to love her teachers. Each day she gives me ideas of new things I should implement in my classroom and today she surprised us with an entire poem that she has memorized in her Spanish reading class. When I heard it, I wanted to cry. She is growing into quite the helper and really is her mom's right-hand gal, both at school and at home. I am so grateful for her willingness to pitch in and help and hope it doesn't wear off anytime soon.

After a few pictures around the school, we dropped Cecilia off in her line. Even though she didn't have any friends, she was happy to stand in line. It's always hard to have to leave them when everyone else's parents are standing in line with them. But they are stronger than their mama and do just fine.

Marcela was welcomed by a group of her friends and they really picked up as if they had just come back from a long weekend. They've been in the same class since 1st grade so they all know each other really well. :)

Here's to a great, healthy school year! And high hopes that the girls won't get sick too much. High hopes because it's day 5 and I'm home with Cecilia who vomited all the way to school today and I scrambled to find someone to take her and cover my class. Tomorrow we'll be laying it low and hopefully she'll recover quickly. Not the way any of us like to start a new year.