It's that time... again?!

In the middle of August we had ANOTHER piano/singing recital. This one came too quick for me (the last was in June) and for the kids. I almost didn't make them do it, but I figured we should participate and just call it practice. 

Olivia's friend, Jessica, came to see her sing and play. It was kind of cute to see them chatting and messing with Olivia's hair, etc. It was like Jessica was Olivia's personal stylist. This is why the two get along so well!  Our neighbor gave Olivia this hair piece and she just loves to wear it any chance that she gets.

Olivia was singing Reflection from Mulan. After the last recital (she forgot some lyrics) she said she just wanted to do piano for a while. So, over the summer we mainly focused on piano, not singing. But just for fun, she practiced Reflection here and there. Well a week before the recital, she decided she wanted to sing it. I told her she would have to really practice a lot, which she did. We arrived early at the concert hall and she ran through it perfectly. I was totally confident that she would do a great job. Unfortunately, she got nervous and ended up losing her place and forgot some lines. 

It was pretty awkward- she started over again and did her best, but the song wasn't nearly as good as her practice just minutes before. A little sad, but I guess we chalk it up to life lessons. In the parenting classes I've taken, they always say to give your child lots of chances to make mistakes and fail because that is where Life's lessons are learned. We'll just call this a Learning Opportunity.

Austin played his songs well and didn't seem to have any trouble. He's really advancing in his skills and seems to be crossing the threshold from beginning to intermediate level songs. He is having to learn how to get his hands to do two separate things while playing at the same time. 

Austin is really good about practicing and I never have to remind him. Lately he does need some help with his songs, which really challenges my limited knowledge! He chose his outfit for the recital- he wanted to wear the new polo shirt we got for school and his vans. 

Of course, little missy Ashley had to take some pictures too. Who knows? Maybe she'll be up here performing in a year or two. She sure loves to sing!

After the concert we went out to dinner and got an ice cream. The kids did a great job and we were proud of them for all their efforts.