Show and Tell: It's All About The Arts Baby!

Arts Night at the elemetary school is a BIG deal. A BIG DEAL!

It is a celebration of all things creative: visual art, voice, and instruments. In fact, for a small school (110 kids K-12) they go all out! So many people come to support their kids, grandkids, nieces and nephews, in fact, that there is barely room for people to stand!

This was Bear's first year. Each child had their own 'exhibit'.

A few Bearish selections...

Walking the halls is great! And then, they sing... It is cute, but looooong. Comedian decided to make herself comfortable...

Why yes - of course - by lying belly down in the middle of the isle, program in hand and without concern for any people that might actually want to walk there - or take pictures. Ha! I love that girl. She really knows how to live life!

The musical theme was 'America' with Memorial Day so close. They really did a nice job! I'd share a short video snippet with you but blogger hates me. Soon, real - soon, we will work out our differences, amicably - of course.

Happy Memorial Day to all...our kids know their freedom didn't come free. What are you showing and telling?

The Gap Before The Gap

Comedian (as you know) has finished pre-school for the year.

Bear has four more weeks.

So, the BIG question around the house has been, "When does summer really start mama?"

Because, dates on the calendar and abstract concepts have yet to resonate with my littles, I have reverted to such measurable responses as...

When the nets are up at the tennis courts.

When the lake opens for swimming.

And... The day when you let me sleep past 6am!

The last is more of a 'when pigs fly' kind of joke (prayer)...cause well, you now that Comedian, she likes to start her stream-of-consiousness joke telling when the rooster crows!!

So, what are we doing with gabs of mommy and me time??

"picking flowers for Emma"

"Drying socks the RIGHT way"

"making bread (at 6:30am... because) we didn't have none toast"

And, of course, stopping to smell the flowers.

She also....plays playdough, alot, takes long leisurley baths, dances to the 'rock star' (also known as Taylor Hicks) and is an all together cheery being!

There is alot of 'uh-huh' and 'uh-hum'ing going on too, as I respond to her various statements of fact using 'but' as a universal conjunction as she shifts topics on a dime...

"But when I with Grandma and Grampa I saw Mrs. C but she has a mom but her mom doesn't talk but sometimes moms don't talk, but you talk, and I talk, but sometimes my sister screams, but that is too loud for my ears but sometimes I scream quietly but if you hit someone you have to go on the naughty step but that's why I don't hit but I did hit one time and I cried and cried. Do you remember?"

And on, and on, and on it goes. And it melts my heart to hear her talk, the lilt of her voice, the pure optimisim that the world is her oyster even it if doesn't make sense.

Ahh - my comedian. I love her for all she is and I'm LOVING this time, just with her - even if not too much else is getting done.

Heck, I'm learning how to dry socks, "the right way"!

Movin' On Up...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE...

Ms. Comedian 'graduated' from her second year of pre-education-education today at 10am.

The ceremony consisted of an adorable group number.

(ONCE AGAIN..VIDEO READY BUT BLOGGER UNWILLING TO ACCEPT. IS THERE A GENERAL ISSUE OR DO YOU TECHIES THINK IT'S MY COMPUTER??)

Then the other class performed while Comedian watched with wonder!

Followed by the presentation of colorful certificates.

Afterwards, the kids and their families enjoyed a picnic in the most amenable weather yet.

Not in attendance was her big sister, Bear, who had to go to her own school. Both girls were "sad about it".

But she was overjoyed that Papa made it!

Well done my sweet! Another year over...it's hard to believe.

Perfect Moment Monday - Lack of Support

Turns out - lack of support can sometimes be a good thing.

Bear has never been one to be rushed into any milestone, so we've never pushed. I didn't think she was ready. Apparently, she was - more - than ready. If my battery hadn't died you would have see her turning without hesitation only seconds later.



As she peddled away, full speed ahead, her daddy and I called out to her..."How are you feeling right now??" and her response caused me to tear up, "Really, really proud!!!!"

You should be, my sweet girl. I know we are!

Show and Tell - Fulfilling a Promise

Many months ago, I wrote of a girl with streaming tears, heartbroken because "Emma lost all her leaves" (and if blogger was working tonight...I'd have the link - perhaps tomorrow)

Yesterday, she appeared in the doorway beaming a smile that could literally have reached ear to perfect little ear.

"Wow! You look happy!" I said.

"Ye-ya-yah" she said in that adorable I-add-a-third-syllable-to-every-word kind of four year old way. "Emma's leaves are back!!! They're baaaack!!!* You said when Emma's leaves comed back we could take a picture!! Get your camera!! Get it!! Now!!"

So I did.

And it felt so good to be fulfilling that promise made on a chilly fall day when tears fell in unison with her leaves.

Today - all sun - all smiles...and*for clarification, they did not come back overnight like a sister-angel miracle, but I waited for Ms. Comedian to notice for herself -and it was well worth it!

Perfect Moment Monday - Cameras and Connectedness

Perfect moments happen everyday, Lori totally gets that… and this week I got a double dose. I found myself in a blissfully perfect emotive moment within another, more commercially perfect moment.

I captured our perfect images with this

- a borrowed camera still in my possession after the memory walk. And – Oh.My.Good.God I fell madly in love with it.

Yes, that’s right, I have very strong feelings for this picture-clicker what with its easy adjustable zooming lens, clear quality, and (my heart actually skipped a beat) its lightning fast sequence capture ability.

It is hard to believe a die-hard scrapbooker like me has NOT ever touched such a magical item. *sigh* It will exist in my dreams for a spell more, as financially the perfectness that is that camera is not doable – yet.

And here, are the perfect moments it captured.

After the walk, we went to Emma’s grave. Comedian insisted on it and I, the doting mother, was more than happy to oblige seeing as I was planning on it anyway. The fact that it was her idea touched me more than I can say.

I brought Emma a protected copy of the walk program with an awareness pin we gave out at the one mile mark.

Bear, who is still refusing to be pictured (please – just a short phase I pray) brought her one of the Share Southern Vermont balloons.

It flew to heaven before we could get it secured. “I guess Emma really wanted to hold the balloon” was her response.

And Comedian?

She brought her sister a schmorgasborg of items that “Emma did want to have for long and longer times because 'you know mom' they DO projects in heaven!”

Then – being the flexible little bundle that she is, picked them all back up so they wouldn’t get “rained and thundered on”.

*Big Contented Sigh* - My three girls, all together, without tears or questions. We were just there. It was perfect.

Show and Tell - Bike Baskets

Did you have one? I remember my first bike mainly for the totally girly and fabulous bike basket attached to the handlebars.

Well, now-a-days - it seems that they look the same, but are really make with plastic mesh type stuff and that was not a-happening for my girls!

EXHIBIT A - Plastic meshy one from e.bay!

SO - Faithful Nana and Papa went a hunting for the real deal! You know the kind that is acutally woven, hopefully with someone's hands!

EXHIBIT B - The REAL DEAL! Can you see the difference??

Oh Yeah - we are rocking the transport stones, sticks and ball scene now with our totally awesome and authentic bike baskets! Even if we are riding our bikes with flip flops on... *ahem*

Thanks Nana and Papa! You Rock!

The Napping Limbo

Comedian still naps - most days. She really needs it. If not, I'm sorely tempted to call her a grouchy, roaring Bear after 4:30pm.

But, there are days - like today- when that isn't possible. On such days she is passed out cold by 6pm, wherever she happens to be - seriously. People don't believe me.

Just like they don't believe that Bear, an active six year old Kindergartener still naps either. She does - when she's home anyway.

I'm not quite sure which part of the 'sleeping' gene these ladies inherited or where it came from but they have always loved their sleep.This is not to say, at least in the younger's case, that they were great sleepers. There is a difference.

Ok, fair is fair and if she reads this someday I want it to be written in stone (read: blog history) that Bear is, was, and most probably always will be a GREAT sleeper! One of my dearest friends told me when she was an infant and on her fourth hour of a second nap that day, "The more they sleep - the more they sleep." For Bear - yes, the theory applies.

But my dear Comedian has a twisted sense of slumber stipulations. Her's sounds more like, "I will get all the sleep I want - but on my terms, when and where I deem necessary even it it doesn't fit your idea of a schedule"

She didn't sleep through the night until she was three. Yup - 3 years old. Yet, there was no keeping that child awake at 1pm - she wanted a nap - she took a nap. Then, she started sleeping through the night (WILD CHEERING) only to get up at 4:30am - everyday! Ugly phase.

Now, she sleeps though the night with a consistant rising time of 5:30 am. She's just an early bird who LOVES her sleep, on HER schedule. Maybe she will be the teenager I don't have to drag out of bed?? I said maybe.

Today was a napless day. This is what she looked like at 6:01 pm.

Couldn't have stopped her if I tried. It's going to be an early morning. Nite -nite.