Melissa sings in the Winter Choir Concert

Another wonderful concert!    There are 5 choirs at Westview High School.  Melissa is a member of Westview High school's Les Chanteuses which is an audition women's choir.  The concerts have grown  in attendance so has now been broken into two concerts so everyone can come watch.  The Concert Choir and Cantores sing for both concerts back to back, and the other three groups sing at one of them.  We attended the 8:15pm concert and as we entered those exciting were raving at the wonderful concert.  Well, they were right- it was a wonderful holiday concert!  It was a full house and we again enjoyed the great talent of Westview High School.

Here are recordings of Melissa singing with Les Chanteuses (she is in the front row, :

Mary Speaks

by L'Engle/Gawthrop

Noel des enfants qui n'ont plus de maisons

by Claude Debussy

A Present Fur Elise

by Beethoven/Brownsey/Lantz

It Came Upon a Midnight Clear

Sang from the balcony in between groups- sorry the lighting was dark

Melissa leans over the balcony to talk with us before the concert began.

Holiday Band Concert

We enjoyed a very festive Holiday Band Concert at Westview High School.  The Jazz Band, Concert Band, Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble played.  To make transitions not so boring, each section of the Wind Ensemble played carols from different locations of the autitorium while they reset the stage.  It made for a very nice concert.  Here are recordings we made of the groups Melissa and Rachel played in: 

Wind Ensemble, Melissa on Tuba

Sleigh Ride

by Leroy Anderson

Wind Ensemble, Melissa on Tuba

Auld Lang Syne

Traditional Scottish Melody

Arranged by Chip Davis as recorded by Mannheim Steamroller

The Low Brass (Invisible) Trio

The First Noel

They also played Carol of the Bells but we weren't ready to record that one- bummer it sounded really good! 

 Concert Band Rachel on clarinet

A Fantasy of Carols

 by Jay Bocook

Concert Band Rachel on Clarinet

A Clebration of Hanukkah

by Howard Rowe

Oh Christmas Tree: Frosty

Tradition goes on- we went to get our Christmas tree the weekend of Thanksgiving. We went to Christmas Mountain again and weren't disappointed. Such a great place to go to start off the holiday season. I must admit, this was the fastest that we've ever picked out a tree! It must be the fact that there were only 2 kids that needed to agree. This year they named the tree Frosty. He has a nice frosty blue shimmer. It was a fun afternoon.

Free Hot Chocolate

Only two pairs of cute boots this year.

What?

Taking in the view

We found one!

Holding on while dad saws it down (he was missing Kevin).

Rachel helping haul the tree up the hill?

A good view of Frosty's Frost

Counting his age

Waiting for the pick up

Back to the limo

We had to take this cutey home with us (the reindeer too)

Frosty the small tree

Rachel designs our rainbow tree.

Puppies in Parade in Portland

The girls had the opportunity to participate in the My Macy's Holiday Parade today downtown Portland.  The marching band did this as a fund raising activity.  They got paid $20 each to participate.  They were assigned their costume by height and weight.  Melissa and Rachel were happy when they were assigned to be puppies with the Dalmatian float.  They checked in at 7:15am.  Brian and I got there at about 8:45 to watch and were home by 10:30am.  It was a fun parade. Just blow up floats, costumed people, and marching bands all playing Holiday music.



My friend Anne and her boys were stars.



Melissa the beige Puppy with rosey cheeks.



Rachel as a Puppy Dalmation talks with kids with  real dogs.

Melissa waves to the crowd.

Oh Chirstmas Tree

On Saturday November 28th we headed out to Christmas Mountain in search for our perfect tree. Unfortunately Jennifer had to work and didn't get to come with us. It was one of our fastest trips yet. I don't know if it was because we had nice weather, or because the kids weren't being so picky, or because we just found it fast! Anyway, we enjoyed some hot coco and then boarded on the tracker trailer and headed up to the tall trees. This is the one we chose- a fine noble. We named him "Charles". He is very well build and shaped! Not too tall, not too short, and bushy just the way we like it!

Rachel enjoys flicking the little tiny tree top- one of Charles's neighbors.

Jessica and the measuring pole. Notice the lovely scarf she is wearing. It is the Westview choir scarf for the year. At the choir retreat a couple of weeks earlier they did an activity that involved yarn. Jessica volunteered to take it home and crochet it into the scarf. It will be passed around each week. She was given it first and got it for the long weekend.

Taking is the beautiful view from the top of Christmas Mountain.Kevin said that it wasn't fair that he had to lay in the mud every year and cut down the tree.

Melissa volunteers to cut down the tree and gets to work.

Hauling the tree to the road for a pick up.Loading Charles onto the trailer. We had to stop at Mistletoe Lane for this photo. Mistletoe is one of Melissa's nicknames.

Waiting for Charles to be shook and bailed.

He looks so small now!

Here we go! It was a nice, cold, but sunny day for a tree hunt. Charles is now in the front room waiting to be decorated.

Thanksgiving Feast

Thanksgiving 2009 was a real treat for our family. We served 22! To make room for everyone we moved one of our couches into the living room, and set up two more tables. Everything looked and tasted wonderful. The best part was spending time with family and friends. The Wiseman family of 7 joined us as usual, and in addition we had a bunch of Carters too! My Aunt Bonnie was here, and my cousin Craig and his wife Tracy, their daughter Wendy (my 1st cousin once removed) with her husband Ben and two kids Xander and Eliza, and her brother Jake.

After feasting we enjoyed visiting and laughing. Later Xander came and told me that Thanksgiving was over now, and it was time for us to get on with the Christmas singing and instrument playing! So we all crowed into the living room and got out the instruments and played and sang Christmas songs. I must admit we are getting better each year!

It was a great Thanksgiving. I am so thankful for all the many blessings I have been given. Especially family, friends, and music.

Christmas Season is Now Officially Over

Well, the snow really mixed things up around here! School was closed for a week, concerts canceled, church cancelled for 2 weeks, and schedules where almost non existent.


Now with the snow melted, and school back in session, things are getting back to normal.

I got all the Christmas stuff packed away and in the attic- all except the nativity set from outside, and the snowman my folks brought up. Unfortunately after the snow thawed the ground was extra wet and mushy. A section of the fence just tipped over - cement on the post included! This was the fence section that the Nativity was set up in front of and the fence fell right on top of it! It was covered! It is now a little squished and bent up and in the garage sitting in a mess waiting for my attention.

January 7th was the Westview High School Winter Concert. It was a great concert, always my favorite of the year. Jessica and Kevin sang beautifully (I know this because I'm their mother and can pick out their voices from the group.)

Enjoy these songs from the concert:

Now that the concert has been performed, and the decorations are put away, I feel that the holiday is complete and officially over.