Christmas concerts

We had to split the Christmas concert viewing this year into two, as Melody did the primary one and Malcolm now being in grade 4 was in the intermediate one. It's always such a frenzy at the primary concert with parents jockeying for position to get their best shots with their phones and tablets! Both kids did really well, it's hard to imagine next year that Malcolm will be leading the school as a fifth grader because next year his school will be moving to a middle school system. The kids did well in their performances. Grandma even continued the tradition and went to both concerts!

The last day of school.

The school year has been a great success for both Melody and Malcolm. For Melody, although it was a bit of a rocky start she did very well with the adjustment of starting school. Here's an excerpt from her report card: "Melody had a very successful Kindergarten year. She learned so much and is well prepared for Grade One. Melody says the most important thing that she learned in Kindergarten was to count to 100 because 'some people don't know how'. Melody was most proud of the work that she did in writing because "I used to not know how to write'. We had many varied experiences during the Kindergarten year. On behalf of the family, we'd like to thank Mrs. B for her efforts this year. It's certainly been a great experience for our daughter. Also, despite all our homework woes, Malcolm did really great too. We're very proud of him. In fact, at the end of the year he was one of the kids chosen to receive both the Citizenship and Effort awards in his class. Here he his being recognized at the end of the year assembly. Mrs. Moy: Here's an excerpt from Malcolm's report card: "Malcolm has had a successful year in grade three and a very busy third term. He enthusiastically participated in many activities including: Jane's Walk, the Burnaby Village Museum field trip, and the Mad Science Workshop. Malcolm is one of the first students to lend a hand without being asked; it is common to see him helping a teacher tidy up, simply for the sake of being kind. He feels that his greatest achievement this year was, "reading because now I am great at reading". Malcolm states that his greatest challenge thi year was, "math because it was hard". Here's a good comparison, between the first day of school and the last day:

Horse racing and trap shooting.

We're a little behind on the blog posts these days. For whatever reason, they've fallen off the list of priorities, so here are a few weeks combined into one.

I'm happy to report that school is in full swing, both kids have adapted very well to all the changes. Non-withstanding the first few days of kindergarten that involved some tears and quivery bottom lips from the Kindergarten side, Melody hasn't looked back since. Every morning at drop-off she gives a hug then right on into the classroom. It looks like we've finally seen a turnaround from Malcolm too, with respect to doing his homework. In the weeks that preceded, any mention of homework brought on some serious tantrums and bad behaviour. The introduction of an allowance, bonus points (at school), and whatever else has produced a welcomed change. After Monday's epic battle, he managed to settle down and finish his work. Let's hope it continues. Cause if he things grade 3 is tough, he's in for a shocker.

Hastings Little League put on a fundraising event at the track a couple of weeks ago. The funds are to help with the construction of the new baseball diamond. It was a beautiful day filled with sunshine, small winning wagers, and some magnificent animals strutting their stuff.

The Trap Shoot Shootout Fall Invitational happened last weekend. Roger organized and hosted a trap shooting tournament for his friends this past Sunday. Albert managed to edge out Roger by one point for the Gross prize and Colin who shot lights out 21 in the second round managed to capture the Net prize. The names are being engraved as we speak. Roger is hoping to make the event a annual occurrence. Here are some pics:

Hello Grade 1.

What a difference a year makes. It's hard to see the kids grow up right in front of your eyes, cause I see them everyday, but comparing the pictures to last year there's definitely a difference. He's a little taller, his face is changing and fingers crossed he's maturing. We all wish Malcolm the very best this year as a first grader. He'll definitely make that leap with his three "R"s. Our boy is growing up.