New sweater

Q7 got a newly shrunken sweater from MeMe ... I can't believe how well it fits her. She's wearing it right now. She looks grouchy, but actually she is fine. Note in the first picture C8's feet ... in C44's shoes.

 

We went down to the Mall yesterday to visit with K42 who was down for a conference. It was so lovely to visit with her. I took this photo. Q7 made me promise to use it for next year's Christmas card before she even saw it, and I agreed.

All that is dependent upon me getting my Christmas card act together. You should expect last year's Christmas card by the end of the month. Only it won't be a Christmas card.

First piano recital

C8 and Q7 has their first piano recital last night.

We had to drive over to Chevy Chase last night for the recital, but was in a lovely church with a grand piano. The drive wasn't bad, no traffic, and we had dinner nearby. And then the recital!

I never did recitals when I took piano lessons, so the format was all new to me. Recitals apparently start with the students who are less experienced, and end with the most experienced/technically competent players and pieces.

Q7 was third last night. As this was the end of her first year this seems appropriate. The video is a little fuzzy ... I am not sure why. But Q7 was the only student at the recital to sing and play at the same time, which I've mentioned before. A number of parents said how great that was, and how difficult. This praise did not seem to have any impact upon Q7, but when the girl who closed the show told Q7 how great she'd done singing and playing, that made an impact. Ah, peer pressure, both good and bad. Hopefully this is the good kind and will stick, because as of late Q7 has been saying that she hates piano. I do have a hard time really believing that, since she seems to really enjoy playing and singing. And she clearly enjoyed listening to the other pieces last night, especially as they progressed. She was sitting and paying attention and really listening.

Q7 picked this piece based solely on the name, "The Unicorn Ride."

C8 was also at the end of her first year, so I was a little surprised as to where C8 was placed in the line-up,  about halfway through the program. Although she did push forward to do a piano piece at the elementary school talent show she was placed 3-4 slots after the girl who taught her piano last summer. But, C8 just loves the piano and classical music, despite the fact of getting "rhythm lectures" (and "dynamics lectures") from her piano teacher every week.  To get her to think about rhythm and dynamics during practice all I have to do is shout out "rhythm lecture!" and she will think about it rather than rushing through the piece.

C8 couldn't have cared less about the other performers. When asked, she said her favorite piece was her own. And after the girl before her finished, C8 was up and almost out of the pew before the girl had even taken her bow. I literally had to hold her back.

C8 picked a more classical piece for her recital.

Another field day

Q7's field day.

Down to Magruder Park for field day. Today was K & 1st grade, so lots of kids. There are four K classes and four 1st grade classes, and they are all stuffed. Lots of kids. Q7 was on the yellow team, so we had to run out and get a yellow t-shirt for her on Thursday night. She paired it with a too-small pair of purple shorts and a pair of pink and white fur-topped knee-high socks. And mary-janes. So she looked spectacular. Actually, this first photo is spectacular. M7 is very photogenic. I took a few of her for her mom ... and all of them were great. Q7 got somewhat washed out in the sun. But look at that smile on her.

Chasing the soccer ball. Q7 kept telling it it was a bad soccer ball and had to go to detention because, as she said, "whenever I tried to kick it straight it flew in the reeeeaaally  wrong direction."

Sack race! She did not fall. But she looks very determined..

Tire roll. Q7 said "It was also very very naughty" ... in that it couldn't stay straight. Video to the right.

Balancing the ball on the tennis racquet. After this game we did the egg race ... but they had only TWO eggs left by the time we got there. And none by the time we left.

I spent the day spritzing kids with water, taking them to the bathroom, keeping them in-line, and generally hanging around.

Happy Mother's Day

And a big thanks to the children and C43 for remembering me. C43 bought me a new kitchen scale at my request (because the last one pooped out after too many batches of bread). And the girls made me lots of stuff ... Paper flowers in vases, cards, poems. They filled their books with puzzles for me. A couple of years ago we bought two small books for them to write/draw in whenever there was a holiday like Mother's day or my birthday. Q7 and I have also corresponded in it. So pictures and drawings are in one place. And Q7 insisted that C43 make me a scrambled egg (yum) which he did, with toast. And Q7 ate all of the toast.

Then we took a picture! Well, this is actually the 2nd. I was wearing glasses for the first and the girls suggested I take them off so I look like me.

You lost what?

We lost Q7's nightgown that I made her. I have no idea how or where. Obviously, or we'd have it now, right? So I had to make her another. Which I did. Although I didn't have any pillowcases that were old enough/ not tattered enough to use. So I just used fabric I had. And it looks more like a dress than a night gown, but what the heck.

So, of course I had to make C8 another nightgown. This one looks more nightgowny. I got to use an old bedsheet for this one, so it has a lovely little sheer stripe at the bottom.

And, waaaay back in January or February when C8 had lice I threw away her hot pack, and made her a new one a month or two ago. So of course I had to make Q7 one. C8's is the patchwork one, Q7's is the owl one. Both are slip-covered, and you can wash those babies up so they are not so gross. Although I'm realizing now I forgot to put in lavender with the rice. Oh, well. They are particularly good because they are sectioned and just the right size. Our last ones were too big and floppy (C8s and Q7s) and too small (mine). Now we only have mine to make left ...

All the fabrics came from the last project I did, the fabric alphabet I made for S1, fabric donated from friends and neighbors. That fabric alphabet was a good project. I should make up tutorials for these projects because they are quick and so satisfying to complete!

I missed April entirely

Here's the April round up.


Right after those photos of the jump roping girls? It snowed.

We drove to Massachusetts for Easter, and Q6 dressed up in the car with some fun Easter junk that she got in a basket. C8 refused to wear the mask, of course.

Q6 had her birthday and became Q7. We did much better this year than last year ... cookies on sticks for school, family party, and a girl party at Chillum Splash Pool. I sent the invites out on Friday for a Sunday party. Said no gifts, please, spent 2 hours swimming, 45 minutes playing and eating cupcakes (no frosting, just baked on sparkly sugar,and it was perfect).

More updates for May soon.