Alpine Days

I get excited for Alpine Days every year, and now that we have kids who can participate, the activities are becoming more fun and interesting. Amber and Karli decided to sing at kareoke and lip sync night, so we trotted down to city hall and added their names to the list. I was skeptical to see if they could actually pull together a number, but to my great surprise, they did it!
Since "Camp Rock" is one of their favorite movies and they can quote every line, they decided to sing "This Is Me" by Demi Lovato (she plays the star of the movie, Mitchie, for those of you non-Disney-Channel people...I used to be one...sigh...). They practiced a lot at home, but didn't get to practice with Angela, my sister and their accompanist until the day of the show. I was worried and scared to see what might happen, but we got them ready and sent them on their way.

Kinzie and her friend Kassie also had numbers on the program and I was so proud of Kinz for getting on stage and working it out (for a Clark, she put on a great show!). The Clarks are known for their shy and timid stage presence--okay, let's be honest, most of them would rather die than be on a stage--but Kinzie held her own and actually even cracked a few smiles. It was darling!

At long last (don't you just love last-minute schedule changes?), I convinced the lady in charge to let my girls jump the line and perform already (one can only handle so many 'tweens lip syncing to teeny bopper music, you know?). Amber, Karli, and the wonderful Angela hit the stage and let it rip. I was so proud of my two cuties who were not even nervous. It was a shame that Karli's microphone wasn't turned on because she sang every word, and Amber offered some great theatrical interpretation to the words "shine" and "this is", which she pronounced "'sizz" just like they do on t.v. Being the emotional wreck that I usually am, and being pregnant on top of that, I just sat there in the aisle blubbering like an idiot because I thought they were so brave and adorable. Check it out:

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The stars (Karli, Kinz, Amber, and Kassie) posing before the show.

Kinzie and Kassie rocking out to "Tell Me Somethin' I Don't Know".

Amber and Karli in their cute Alpine Days t-shirts.

The culmination of Alpine Days was the parade on Saturday morning, during which I thoroughly enjoyed the high-sixties weather. We walked to the round about which was the starting point of the parade, and the kids scored loads of candy, balls, necklaces, and the like while Adam and I were handed dozens of bottles of water, coupons, a tote bag, and a t-shirt. I'm telling you, the beginning of the parade route is the place to be! The girls had a great time yelling for candy (Adam had to stand by them to ensure they weren't trampled) and I had a great time people-watching. My favorite subject (victim?) was the dad in the gym shorts, basketball shoes, and yellow t-shirt who kept instructing his kids to "spread out all the way over there and hustle! Grab it all! Get me one of those hats! And that shirt! Hey, kid...that's my stuffed animal!"
Alas, he was the quintessential annoying parent who monopolized our whole segment of curb to stuff his gym bag with as much candy/prizes/parade swag he could get his grubby hands on (I've noticed in Alpine there are a lot of parents trying to re-live their youth through their kids...yikes). I just hope that his getup was a result of an early morning stint with his fellow Elders' Quorum members at the church gym rather than his official parade uniform that facilitates gathering the most stuff of any parade goer on the street. Sheesh.

Here he is...just waiting to pounce on the innocent children who may try to pick up a piece of candy from the street.

Karli and Amber had some serious competition for candy, but they managed to fill a bag for each of them and for Rex. Adam was a grand and decidedly not-overbearing coach.

Can you believe it...sweats in August? I loved it!

We had a great day hanging out with our family and enjoyed the fireworks from our deck that night. Until next year, Alpine is ours to explore!