Hello? Is this thing on? Here’s a test-run of a storify embed:

Wednesday was the 2nd Grade Music Concert at Booksin Elementary, part of the end-of-year ceremonies for Felicia’s school.

If you can’t find her, she’s in the third row, slightly to the right of the literal shiny star. We all know she’s also a shiny star. Enjoy:

Shhhhh. The password is “milleryoungmusic” [without the quotes].

It’s really just the beginning of the “May Memory Season” of capturing end-of-the-year pictures and videos for school activities and everything else. This weekend’s entry is the annual children’s musical performance at Campbell United Methodist Church.

“Once Upon a Parable” is a compilation of six Biblical stories, woven together with song and dance. Jocelyn, Felicia, and Kiana all has roles scattered throughout the show, including witty one-liners, narrator turns, and solo performances.

If this embedded YouTube playlist doesn’t work for you, you can also find the individual stories at the YouTube playlist site. Enjoy!

This week was the annual Talent Show at Willow Glen Middle School. Among many great acts featuring singing and dancing, Jocelyn selected a song to perform solo in front of parents and peers.

From Friday, April 27, 2012 … Jocelyn sings “Reflection” from Disney’s Mulan:

Mulan was originally released in 1998 – as was Jocelyn – and the song was recorded by Christina Aguilera. Listen closely to the lyrics, and it’s a pretty good reflection of what young teenage girls might be feeling as the grow into the world around them. We’re lucky to have a duaghter swho is smart and self-reflective, who we definitely consider to be perfect.

It’s time for a 2nd Grade simile and metaphor lesson!

Editor’s Note: We’re going to withhold the name of the intended grandpa (Felicia did write this about one in particular, but it’s more fun to keep Grandpa, Papa, and GrandPaPa guessing!

My Grandpa is … by Felicia Keller

Old like Methusala,
Hungry like a starving elephant,
Shiny like a penny,
and Strong as a lion.
Musical and a smooth voice,
fun as a horse,
as funny as a pig on rollerskates,
and smart like Albert Einstein.
My Grandpa is all of these things.

Bonus: Happy Birthday, Grandpa!

Editor’s Note: This one is definitely intended for Grandpa, the one who celebrates a birthday today. Jocelyn wrote this last night in en email message, and used her creative license to gleefully present it as one big block of text.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR GRANDPA…HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!! (now you make a wish and blow out the candles) YAY!!!!!!!!! NOW WE CAN EAT CAKE!!!!!! YUMMY!!!!!!!

Unbeknownst to all(except Grandpa, of course), Grandpa has wished to go on a visit to Dream Island, where all your dreams come true. So, at midnight, the birthday-wish-wish-make-truers come to collect Grandpa. They enter a portal to the land of no time, where there is no such thing as time. That way, Grandpa can stay there as long as he wants. They take Grandpa to a majestic palace, where he is to be treated as King for the remainder of his stay. Then, after everybody has eaten their fill of cookies, candies, and cupcakes, the birthday-wish-wish-make-truers do their birthday-wish-wish-make-true dance. Suddenly, the entire palace is transported to Dream Island. As Grandpa steps outside, he is suddenly showered with iphone4s and GPSes. He grabs as many as he can to take home to his grandchildren. A little ways away, there is a sign on a door advertising a massive geocache competition that is happening in 10 minutes. Grandpa is excited. He likes geocaching. He hurries off to a large amphitheater where the rules are being explained. Soon, Grandpa is off searching for geocaches, with the help of one of the GPSes that he caught when he first came out of the palace. The first geocache has a description of “yummy goodness.” Grandpa thinks maybe it could be a bakery. He asks a young girl where the nearest bakery is. She says nothing, but points down a side street. Grandpa hopes she knows what he is talking about and sets off down the street. On his way, he sees several rabbits, and remembers his childhood days. Thinking of the real world also reminds him of Grandee, who he wishes were here. But, alas, the one thing Dream Island cannot do is transport living people who don’t have birthdays currently to the island. Thinking of Grandee makes him remember her cheesy bread, and once again, he remembers the bakery. And just in time, too. He was about to walk straight past it. He looks down at the arrow on his GPS. It is pointing to the store, but he is still 742 ft away. Even though he would like to get something from the bakery, he doesn’t, because he is on a geocaching mission. He walks around the store and down the street next to it. He is getting ever closer. 568 ft… 431 ft… 379 ft… 211 ft… 143 ft… 97 ft… 36 ft… He rounds the corner. And stops in amazement. His awe slowly turns to excitement as he beholds the sight in front of him. A giant chocolate fountain is in the middle of the square. And there are people swimming in it. Grandpa jumps up and down happily. He finds a room to change into his swim-clothes(which conveniently appear in his backpack). He rushes out and takes a flying leap into the fountain-pool. He has just finished a lap of backstroke when he realizes he has forgotten about the geocaching challenge. Oh no! Still covered in chocolate, he leaps out of the pool and races to get his GPS. He has a hunch that the chocolate fountain contains the geocache. Grandpa takes one look at the GPS and knows he is right. He jumps back in. Since the terrain is extremely difficult, he figures the geocache is at the bottom of the pool. He dives down to look for it. After several tries, he spots a blinking light. He goes over to investigate. He has found it! Grandpa is victorious! Eventually, Grandpa thinks it is time to get out and do more geocaching. He decides to investigate one in the middle of a lake on a small island. That way, he can kyack over there. Grandpa continues his glorious day, which just keeps getting better and better. He eats pancakes and waffles for lunch in the bakery he went by before he came to the chocolate fountain. He takes pictures of beautiful flowers on a nature hike. He even learns how to snowboard, even though he falls several times. At least now he can tell David he tried. He is quite satisfied when he enters the palace once again. He eats dinner, which is sausages, asparagus, and cheesy bread in the banquet hall. When he is done, he begins to feel quite sleepy. A servant escorts him to his bedroom. He falls asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow. He has had a long, fun, tiring day. Soon, the birthday-wish-wish-make-truers come in to collect Grandpa and take him back home. They enter the magic portal and arrive at the same exact time they left. Grandpa doesn’t notice, though, because he is asleep. The birthday-wish-wish-make-truers bestow good wishes upon Grandpa, and then they leave. In the morning, Grandpa wakes up with tons of energy because he has slept in. That was another thing he wished for. The next day, all the items in the house want to help Grandpa because he still has Dream Island’s magic on him. The Dream Island magic makes items jump into Grandpa’s hand, such as his coffee, the TV remote, and even the glass frog he accidentally dropped. He also finds some really yummy chocolate under his pillow. Grandpa tells Grandee all the things that happened to him, but he isn’t sure she believes him. So, the next time his granddaughters, Jocelyn and Felicia come over, he tells them all about it. They believe him, he is sure. Maybe they have even been there. If they have, he knows that they will always remember it. Because he sure will.

Happy Birthday! I hope you liked your adventure to Dream Island!

Love,
Jocelyn

It’s Christmas Day of course! And it brings our traditional Mommy Christmas Carol for 2011, which is a fun mash-up of Martin-Keller Family memes.

2011: The Most Wonderful DAY of The Year

—-

Past Christmas Carol gifts:

2010: O Tanenbaum
2009: Frosty the Snowman
2008: The Race That Long in Darkness Pined
2007: Away in a Manger
2006: Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!
2005: What Child is This?
2004: I Saw three Ships
2003: One-Horse Open Sleigh (Jingle Bells)
2002: A Sweetie Goose in a Pear Tree (12 Days of Christmas)

Senior Times – December 2011

The “Diamond Ringers” youth bell choir directed by Karen had holiday double duty today, performing twice in the morning serices and a third time in an afternoon Christmas Concert at Campbell United Methodist Church.

If you missed it, here they are with “Carol of the Bells” from this morning and “Jingle Bells” form this afternoon (in one handy video clip):

Diamond Ringers Xmas 2011 from David Keller on Vimeo.