After tons of fun and tons of kids around, the summer is over and I am still standing.
This morning met with mixed emotions from the kids, while I calmly anticipated the silence.
James was bummed…too early to wake up, not wanting to eat yet, picking a shirt to reflect this…but a slight pick up of his mood when he thought of seeing friends.
Kate was dutiful and happy. Careful to pick out her clothes and jewelry. Adjusting her Safety Patrol belt and practicing the pledge.
Alexander was excited and full of energy–playing outside, riding his bike, and still–ready to leave over an hour early!
The dogs and I had a nice walk this morning and have been enjoying the quiet all day.
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Kate’s now 10. She had a sleepover party. One friend didn’t stay overnight, and in the AM we added one.
They had tons of fun:
ate pizza, pink lemonade, and fudge cake on china
learned to make God’s eyes with sticks and yarn
jumped on the trampoline
watched a movie
stayed up screaming til 12:45
woke up after about 7 hours 
ate fruit and cinnamon buns
packed up sleeping bags
designed t-shirts
Can I get a nap?
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Kate and Heather have been doing a dance every year for the school talent show and this year is no exception.
They do their own choreography. The song this year was “So What” by P!nk. They had a great time practicing and performing together.
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Green pledge cards formed "Earth"
Our Elementary School has been recognized as a “Green School” by our state. So Earth Day is a big deal. We have undertaken many projects in and around the grounds to help conserve energy and preserve the environment. There was an “ampitheatre” installed on the hill to keep the ground from eroding. There have been trees and bushes planted. The electricity usage has been cut by changing out light bulbs and turning off lights and computers when not in use. There are recycling bins for paper throughout the school and for bottles, cans, and containers in the cafeteria. There has been a switch to compostable paper products for PTA events and annual stream clean-ups nearby.
Today Kate’s class presented a play: “The Great Kapok Tree”. She was a narrator. The students also shared pledges of ways they could help the Earth at home with their families. Some students read recycling essays and played music too! “This Land is Your Land”
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Kate continues dancing.
This is her Hip Hop class which is her least favorite. I think it doesn’t come as naturally for her as Ballet. The thing she loves is the shoes. We ended up getting her a pair for “street wear” too! Her class is a mix; some new to dance, others just new to Hip Hop.
This week is “observation” for parents. I will post more pix at the end of the week after her Ballet/Tap and Jazz classes.
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Kate performed her winter concert with band and chorus last night. She was nervous, but she had fun. It was hard to get pix of her behind the music stand playing… the room was full!
This was the first performance of clarinet for her. The squeeking has moved on to notes already.
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The usual Halloween Costume Parade…
Parent Paparazzi.
Friends.
Ghouls and Goblins.
Teacher costumes.
Excitement.
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Today marks the end of the 3rd week of school. What I want to know is how is it that these 3 wks. are gone so fast and those last 3 wks. of summer were so torturous and slow?!!! I know that it’s all my perspective…
I have been enjoying the time,
but not entirely. In these 3 weeks, three out of five of us have been sick. Yep. School gompus has infiltrated our home! James started it and graciously shared with me. I lost my voice for a couple of days… now Kate is home from school!
I have been busy too. Both schools had “Back to School Night” where I got to meet the teachers. The Elementary School is familiar. I had 3 teachers to meet. There were three segments. Perfect. The Middle School format is nuts. The mission, should you choose to be a good parent, is to grab a map and a schedule from your kid and report to first period at the sound of the bell. (I was late) Then, every 6 minutes, after the teacher has spoken at super sonic speeds about course requirements and expectations, you must navigate all the other good parents with maps to the next class…Before the bell…Repeat for all 7 periods. Leave with handouts and prayers that your kid has a better clue than you!
I also have begun the school volunteering. Realized that I have racked up about 7 hours so far! Made a dish for the staff welcome back breakfast, and one for the staff dinner before back to school night. Took 2 stints at the fall book fair. That’s a trip– Little kids with handfuls of change and crumpled bills (totaling $2.04) wanting to buy a $4 wacky pen all before the late bell rings.
Soccer, Ballet, and Hockey have all started for the kids. Still working out the kinks in who goes where and when do we eat…
Meanwhile, the grass is growing and my garden is dying. Kirsy hooked me up with a local farmer who delivers a box of produce every week to my door. It’s been fabulous. I had to come up with a dish for lots of eggplant. I made kind of fried chips–the kids loved ‘em! I have been sneaking this veggie into sauces for over a year!
Here’s to hoping the year is not filled with loads of illness, but instead loads of fun and productivity!
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As is tradition around here, we celebrate “birth month”. Which means we drag out our birthday talk and gifts as long as possible. Since we are traveling ON Kate’s birthday, we decided to let her open some gifts before we left.
Grandy and Pop had left a wrapped gift for her about a month ago! Kate’s anticipation could barely be contained! She was very happy to discover a watch, a new dance bag, and a butterfly shirt in the box. Thanks!
Then we gave her our gift; a camera. She’s been using James’ since he got it at Christmas. Now, they don’t have to share! It’s a Nikon Coolpix. Of course, we had to stay with the Nikon family! She’ll be able to take pix of our trip to Hershey!
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Today Kate came home from a week away at Dance Camp. She a bit homesick during the week and called crying a few times… It’s hard to be away at bedtime. She was also full of excitment. They learned five dances this week! Usually, they learn just one or two during the entire school year! She even received an award for “All Star” because she “always has a smile, is full of energy, and a hard worker.” There were only nine girls from the camp to be chosen for that.
They did a show for the parents at pick-up. The pix are from that. In between dances, she fell and twisted her ankle…so she didn’t do the last dance with everyone…
I also did a video, but that didn’t turn out so well…
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