Emily-Sr. Speech Presentation

This year Emily and J.Michael participated in a new speech class through our church. Throughout the year they prepared and presented a series of speeches and then chose one to present at the final Homeschool Support Group meeting through our Church. Here is Emily's speech. We are very proud of Emily's hard work to present this speech. You may notice the video is a little shaky at times...well let's just say I had a little helper. :)

*remember to turn off the blog background music in the sidebar

The Riddler

Our Emily is good at tying us in knots with her wit in riddles. Here are a few samples of her latest zingers. Post your guesses in the comment section and I will post her answers in a few days.

Deep in the heart of the Amazon
He springs upon his prey from the tree tops
And with silence and stealth
that would put a sniper to shame
He vanishes away into the moonlight.

What am I?

I am found in the wastelands of the North,
where the wild winds blow strong
I fill many with fear and dread
causing the mighty warrior to bow
And the lowly ant to meet it's death

What am I?

I dwell in the hearts of the people;
Where no man's eye has seen.
My mission is to destroy and enslave
and my harvest is great.
Yet, most deny my existence
and thereby prove my presence.

What am I?

When Emily was early elementary age we would do Dr. DooRiddles. She loved doing these associative reasoning puzzles and they helped her to think outside the box. She is now working on this skill with Andrew by making up riddles for animals and he is doing very well. He loves to play the "Animal question game". Big sisters are sooo much fun!

Christmas Piano Recital

Emily and J.Michael have been hard at work learning their pieces for their Christmas Piano Recital. Their piano teacher Miss Sarah Hulin(she is the one sitting directly behind the kids in the video) has been teaching them piano in our home. She has been a tremendous blessing to our family and a great encouragement to Emily and J.Michael to pursue excellence, practice diligently and to be challenged by trying more difficult pieces to play. J.Michael played "Psalm 1 and O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" and Emily played "Amazing Grace, My Chains are Gone and What Child is this?" . Emily also did the arrangement for What Child is This which was challenging for her but it turned out beautifully. Great Job! I am so proud of both of you and your willingness to share your gift of music with the residence of Silverado Senior Living Center. It was truly a blessed night. Silverado Senior Living Center is a place for seniors with memory diseases. Most of whom we visited were unable to have coherent conversations with us but the music blessed them and seeing the little children and being hugged on brought smiles to their faces. We were so blessed to be part of this ministry...thank you Sarah!

*remember to click pause on the playlist music in the left sidebar so you can hear the video

I apologize for the shaky footage in advance...I had a little helpoor. Nana you may need to have your doggie bag handy!