Ballet Camp

Last week was ballet camp for the big girls.  Clara and Ainsley were so excited about Summer ballet, and the week did not disappoint.  Fairies, princesses, crafts, music, dancing, tutus, and sweet friends - could it be more fun?  Ainsley was especially excited as this was her first ballet experience, after watching Clara for the past 2 years.  She had a ball, and is really looking forward to starting classes in the fall.

Ainsley making sure the feet are correct

Perfect! :)

Point and flex

1st position

1st position

With sweet friends

Circles

My precious Ainsley came up to me and sweetly cupped my face in her little hands.  She then proceeded to point to the circles under my eyes and softly say, "Mommy, when I grow up to be a mommy, will I have those?"

Yes, my sweet one, you surely will, and it is worth it a million times over!  :)

Sweet Day

 
Ed had to round this morning at the hospital, so the girls and I had a special "treatsy date" at Dunkin' Donuts.  The girls were thrilled to take an unexpected trip, especially because they are used to Daddy being home on weekend mornings, and they missed him.  So, off to the donut shop we went.  On the way there, the girls talked about what flavor they wanted....strawberry, cherry, chocolate, sugar.  Imagine their elation when they saw a pink heart donut with sprinkles - obvious choice!  Madeline enjoyed some yogurt melts and the new sights.  Fun morning!

Funny girls!

Ouch!

Ainsley tripped this morning on the way to school (actually about 10 feet from the preschool door) and smacked her head on the sidewalk.  I knew at the sound of it, she had a huge bruise coming her way and, boy, does she - a huge goose egg on the left side of her forehead.  A very kind stranger and a friend's husband helped me herd the girls aside, and I went to work on Ainsley with an ice pack, band-aid (placed to the side of her bruise - but it always helps!), and lots of kisses.

Clara was very concerned about her sister's injury, but as she assessed the situation further, she noticed something else important: "Oh, no!  Ainsley tore her tights!"  Girls....:)

So, Ainsley is home with me this morning, instead of at school, just so I can keep an eye on her.  Praying for a quick recovery!

Stump and Tell

Thursday is "Show and Tell" day at Preschool.  Each Monday, a letter of the week is introduced, and on Thursdays, the kids bring an item that starts with the letter of the week.  At the beginning of the school year, Clara was choosing simple items, but as the year has progressed, she likes to think of something that the kids will not guess - something Ed and I affectionately call "Stump and Tell".  :)  

Well, last week, the letter of the week was "N" and in true Clara form, she did not disappoint.  She quickly (on Monday afternoon) decided she wanted to bring a nudibranch to school - to which her dad said, "a what?"!  She has a book on her VReader about ocean animals, and the nudibranch is one of her favorite animals in that book. So...after hunting for the perfect nudibranch on Google images, we found a good example and printed it for her to take to school.  She proudly walked in with that picture on Thursday and was excited about showing the students.  (I did give the teachers a little "heads up" with the nudibranch - not to insult their intelligence, but I was a biology major and didn't know what it was until 3 months ago!)  

Interestingly enough, the funniest part of this story is that one of her friends, Brett, knew what it was and guessed it!  Ha!  Shows how smart these Pre-K students are...keeping me on my toes! 

Career Day

Last week, Clara had "Career Day" at preschool.  They were discussing community helpers at school, and each child was to pick a profession and bring a few items to help them describe what that worker did.  I immediately remembered several years ago (around age 2) that when you asked Clara what she wanted to be, she would say a doctor and a gaga mahmah (scary monster).  :)  Well, times have changed here.  She decided she wanted to be an artist!  She took a paintbrush with her and a canvas she had drawn.  When I asked her why she wanted to be an artist, she told me, "When I grow up, I want to make beautiful things - just like my Aunt Dawn"!   She had a great time at school that day, and even wore a dress that her Aunt Dawn has made for her.  Here's to a budding artist!

You've got mail!

I love getting mail.  There is something about checking the mailbox and finding a card or note from someone special.  I have always loved writing (even though I am not always great at keeping up on here), and it is something that I hope to instill in the girls.  Clara is already becoming quite the letter writer - she leaves special messages in the mailbox of our neighbor, Emma, at least twice a week now.  I love Emma's excitement over receiving fun cards, and I especially love Clara's joy in working on something special for a friend.

Over the Christmas season, my dreams of mail really come true.  I love opening up festive envelopes and seeing pictures or reading notes of what friends and family are up to, especially ones far away and mostly out of touch.  It is difficult once Christmas is over to part with these sweet notes and pictures - I don't want to throw them away!  But, clutter runs rampant in my house, even without extra mail, so what to do?

This year, in answer to my dilemma, we have decided to do something a little more intentional with our cards.  Each of the cards we received was tossed into a bowl on our kitchen table.  Several times a week, we pull the top card out, talk to the girls about this family (how we know them, where they live, where we met, etc) and then pray for that family.  It so far has been a fun way to introduce the girls to families that they don't well (or at all) and to be more faithful in praying for our friends.  It also makes the parting of the picture/note a little easier!  I think this will be a fun tradition for our family, and also a way to prompt me to love others throughout the year with notes of encouragement.

Along those lines, I recently had a chance to review some cards through Dayspring's blog (in)courage.  I am always on the hunt for a fun card, and this collection of cards did not disappoint.

I love the fun colors and fonts, and each one has a sweet nugget of scripture tucked inside - love! I'm really looking forward to sending these out over the next few weeks.  Thanks, Dayspring!