Aubrey was inducted into NJHS at her middle school. She had to answer some questions about her service and leadership skills, get some teacher recommendations, and have a print out of her grades to be considered. At the ceremony, they each walked up to the microphone to announce their name.
Aubrey looked so pretty and she did a great job. We're so proud of her. Her friend, Jocelyn, was also in the NJHS and I got a picture of them with Tessa after the ceremony.
On May 4th, our school planned a parade for the older grades to hype them up for the upcoming STAAR test. Our counselor had the younger grades make signs and line the parade route and she also got the Franklin drumline to come and be in the parade. I was excited to be their guide so I could see Tessa. The high school students thought it was fun to be at Lundy since a couple of them had attended Lundy like Tessa did.
May 4th is also Star Wars day so everyone dressed up in Star Wars outfits. I did Princess Leia hair and wore white. The fun thing was that Audrey had dressed up like Princess Leia too, and we hadn't even planned it. I had to get a picture of the two of us together with the drumline behind us. It was a really fun event. I also found out that day that I was selected for the secretary job. I had interviewed the week before and had been waiting to hear. I started the next day. The other ladies in the office decorated my door with a huge sign and decorations. It was so pretty and it made me so happy. I was so excited to get the job, work full time, and be with such a great group of ladies in the office.
Taryn was invited to some birthday parties of her classmates and she had two parties in the same weekend. One of the parties was a pool party and the mom sent me some pictures. The party was for Kamden and their friend Devin was also there. They had younger siblings at the party as well, but Taryn was so excited to walk home with them after school and to swim and party with her friends. They had a great time together.
Abby and her volleyball team started spring league games. They played once a week and basically ran the games themselves. Coaches are allowed to be there to watch, but not coach so the captains take over and the girls just work together to play. Abby was debating if she was even going to play volleyball next year, but after the first few games with the team, she decided she really likes the girls and she still loves playing. She was nervous because there are three setters fighting for the setting position, but she was able to play a lot during the spring league games and show her teammates and coaches, who were watching from the stands, that she is a necessary part of the team. I still love watching her play and they did really well. They won all of their games except for one and then during the final tournament games, they lost in the championship game. They still looked good and will have a good season together if they continue playing hard and working together.
Aubrey had another softball game on the east side of town. She was able to bat every game, but I don't think she ever got a hit. All of the teams are new, so the pitchers are still learning and since most of the batters don't know how to hit either, most girls just get walked. This was the case for Aubrey. She didn't mind walking because that usually meant she got to go all around the bases. She was good at stealing bases on a wild pitch and she listened to anything her coach would say from the coach's box.
One of the girls on her team, Simone, has played softball for many years. She was the catcher and their best player. She always batted right before Aubrey. Aubrey would just do whatever Simone did when they were on the bases together. I got these two pictures as Aubrey was on first base and then third base. It was fun to watch her run the bases.
I tried videoing as Aubrey ran around the bases, and I luckily was able to get this picture as Aubrey crossed home plate during one of her runs. Sometimes she wouldn't get all the way to home because she was one of the later batters so if we made it to our ninth batter and we hadn't gotten all the runners around, Aubrey would end up stuck on third base when they called the inning for the other team to get a chance to bat.
This was their first win and they were so excited. Aubrey played second base and didn't have to do anything while in the field during this game, but she was ready. I took a picture after the game of Aubrey and Rianne. They both played second base during this game and had fun.
We were able to get a team picture with Coach Janes after the game as well. The girls were so excited about the win. My friend Kristina and I had to take Aubrey and Rianne for a victory treat at Dairy Queen after the game to celebrate their first win.
Aubrey had solo and ensemble the first weekend in May. She prepared a flute solo and was a part of a flute ensemble. We went to Franklin HS for the contest and she played her solo in front of a judge and an audience. She was very nervous and wasn't sure if she felt prepared enough on her solo, but she sounded beautiful and she did a great job. Here's Mrs. Allen helping her warm up and then one of her playing with her accompanist, Chris Allen, Mrs. Allen's son. She earned a 1 for her solo and she was very happy with that.
All of the flute players and the oboe player from Honors Band played a flute ensemble together. It was really pretty. Aubrey and the first chair flute, Aurelie, were the only two flutes on first part. It was the hardest part, but Aubrey worked a lot on that number so she felt a lot more confident on her ensemble than she did on her solo. I was so proud of her because she was the one who spoke for the ensemble and introduced them and their piece. She's always been our outgoing child and she does not shy away from being in the spotlight or being the center of attention. I took another picture of the group as they spoke with the judge after their performance. They did a great job and received a 1+ for their ensemble.
After they were finished performing, we took a couple pictures before heading home. Here's Aubrey with one of her good friends Anna Grace. Anna Grace is a year older than Aubrey, but they're in band together. Anna Grace plays the bassoon. Here's a picture of most of the girls from the flute ensemble, plus some other band friends.
Aubrey and Tessa both made their all-region bands. Since they are through EPISD fine arts, the shirts are the same on the front with the different band member names on the back. The girls were wearing their shirts on the same day and wanted a picture. They decided to do awkward faces for the picture and I thought it was pretty funny. Tessa's all-region concert had been postponed from January, so they finally got to perform in May. They wear their band's concert uniforms which is a formal dress for the girls, and all of the Franklin kids got corsages too which was really cool.
Tessa was first chair percussion in the 9th grade band. Their clinician was Mrs. Lambrecht, a professor at UTEP. Tessa loved her and said she was hilarious and a great conductor. They played three songs and I got a picture of Tessa and Andrew with Mrs. Lambrecht.
It's always hard to see Tessa during the performances since she's in the way back, but at least she's standing so we usually can see her head. In their three numbers, Tessa played snare, tympani, and bells/marimba.
Her favorite song that they played was the one where she played the tympani. They actually had to stop in the middle and start again because the trumpets missed their entrance during the performance, so Tessa was sad about that; but it was a hard number and they had only rehearsed for a day and a half. It was still a really good concert. Here's Tessa on the far side while she played the marimba and then one while she played the bells.
We took one more picture after the concert of Tessa with two of her fellow percussionists, Jake and Andrew. Jake is from Coronado and Andrew is from Franklin with Tessa. They had fun learning the music and spending the weekend together as they prepared for the concert. Taryn's friend, Malerie, came to the concert with us, so we took a picture of them by one of the sculptures on the UTEP campus as we walked from the auditorium to the parking garage. It was a fun night of music.
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