Ballet

Last night was opening night of The Spark's dance recital. She did a great job, and all the girls looked so beautiful. She watched the girl next to her almost the entire time to reassure herself of teh next moves. Their teacher sits in the front row doing the whole routine from her chair so all the youngest dancers can watch and remember. When I suggested to The Spark that she watch Ms. Kathy in front instead of the girl next to her, she said, "I wasn't looking at the girl next to me." Um, yeah, the entire time. The older kids' dances are always fun to watch too. Lots of hip hop this year. Tonight we'll go again and without the littles so maybe we can stay til the final bow this time.

good game

We are in the thick of baseball and recital season. Logistically it is a challenge, but it's always fun to watch the kids doing their thing once we get them where they need to be when. Last night #1 had a b-ball game that ended after dark. I was with The Spark and Cupcake at gymnastics, but it was night when the rest arrived home, so I'm not sure how well the players could see the ball after dusk. #1 was all amped up when they got home because they won 12-11 thanks to his pitching pal Sam striking out the batter with bases loaded to get the last out of the game. A narrow victory indeed.

Zippy has a game tonight so maybe J will remember the camera again. I'll be at The Spark's dance recital dress rehearsal and then Princess Eee's pre-school end of the year potluck and concert. I think I'm going to have to take store bought cookies to the potluck (gasp!).


Here are some pics from last night's game...

Here's the blur that is #1 on the move:
He loves playing catcher.

His first time at bat last night he smacked a double over the center fielder's head.

And the most enthusiastic spectator every season wearing the shirt he created all by himself at school this spring:

"Just call me Zippy!!!!!!!!!!!"

Spark & Co.

The Spark's very best friend is moving soon. Way too soon. Two hours away, so we'll still get together. They see each other almost every day now, so it will be a huge loss for all of us. BFF's mom took the girls on a hike yesterday after a sleepover at their house, and she took these pics. Figures the folks we want to stick around the longest would sell their house in a few short weeks when others sit for ages. The girls' kindergarden graduation is coming up soon, so I'm sure I'll have more photos of this dynamic duo soon.

Red hot stick meets upper lip.

Corn cobs roasting on an open fire. Mommy sipping on a beer. "Help me, help me," being sung by a Cupcake. And flaming stick strikes my lip.

Okay, so it doesn't make a very good carol, but it makes a pretty good story. It's a good thing I love my little Cupcake to pieces. And it's a darn good thing that this was a complete accident on her part too. She just wanted me to shove another pre-cooked, 1/2 cob of corn onto her roasting stick so she could roast another one like her sisters and friends. The glowing end of the stick got me, thankfully, just above my lip and not in my eye. The bummer about burning an upper lip is that you just can't help but smell the burning flesh and hair. Fortunately, the friends with the fire pit also have an impressively stocked liquor cabinet, and we quickly switched it up a notch from beer to Bourbon which helped with both the throbbing pain and the burning smell.

And then my friend Jessie put it all in perspective when she got a much bigger boo-boo on her face the next day. Stitches, swelling, smashed teeth, black eye. Beautiful face meets jammed greenhouse door in a hurry, but that's her story to tell. Let's just say that Jessie will probably be a lot more careful closing the greenhouse doors on the farm from now on.

ballet, track, Mom's Day

Ah...the annual track meet. This year was pretty darn miserable. It was 43 degrees and vaccilated between a light, steady rain and downright downpour. #1's relay team, which has won the event for the past three years, didn't make it to the finals. Zippy was faced with the fact that although he is extremely fast even against bigger kids, he simply cannot get going fast enough against the other three fastest 7&8 year olds who are all at least a full foot taller than he is. It was freezing. It was wet. Results didn't measure up to what the boys had hoped and dreamt. But they do love to run fast and it was fun to see everyone from all the surrounding towns and see how much all the kids had grown and changed over the winter when we really don't see anyone from the public school system since none of our kids do winter sports with them. No track photos this year since our hands were too numb to hold a camera.

Then there were dance photos for the local dance studio. Always the same day as the track meet. Not sure why that has to be, but it is. The Spark got all dolled up in her costume for the Memorial Day weekend recital. We didn't spring for the expensive, professional photo package so I took these before we headed to the studio for the group shot. All the group photos from years past hang in the hallways at the studio so I didn't want to miss being there.

And then there was Mother's Day. It was snowing and bitter cold, but I still got out for a nice long walk with #1 who, after all, made me a mother in the first place. Before that though I was treated to the ultimate treat for a woman who despises morning yet lives in an echo-y house full of children and dogs: I got to sleep in! I didn't even believe J when he brought me coffee and donuts and told me it was almost 9:00. Then I was regaled with several homemade gifties from the troops. Oh, and for lunch? Chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and chocolate bars on top. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Mother's Day ended at the stroke of midnight. It was about 12:05am when Cupcake started yelling that night. She continued relentlessly bopping between our bed and hers with short burts of quiet sleep mixed with long, loud bouts of tantruming until 5:20am. She is good at sleeping soundly when everyone else in the house is starting to rise. When she wakes up just in time for school or the days' morning activities, she has no recollection of putting us through the wringer all night long. Maybe it's just her way of making sure she continues to be the only child in the family who does not have to share a bedroom.

I love these boys!

Here's a quick conversation recap from our game of Snowboarder Monopoly tonight. Zippy drew a "halfpipe" card known in regular Monopoly as a chance card. It said something like, "Pulled a McTwist in front of a betty, collect $50."

Zippy: "What's a betty?"

#1: "A betty is a girl."

Zippy: "A hottie girl."

#1: "Mommy is a betty."

Awwwwwww, I love my boys!

Happy Birthday!

Can anyone guess what J's favorite candy is?