restarting

I always find January 1st such an arbitrary date for beginning the "new year" and even more so this year.  With semester "finals" coming up for the kids next week, semester endings for dance this week (including lots of observation days- stand by for lots of photos), and me finally being back on my thyroid medication and hopefully getting back to a state of normality, it neither feels like the end of an old year, nor the second week of a new.  It just is.

So in the spirit of that, here's some ballet photos of Kit and Ella's Monday class (for family).  But first, this is how my boy goes to class: A big thick tartan hoodie, stripy long shorts, midcalf socks and thongs.  Seriously.  I have learned not to make a fuss- the more of a fuss I make, the worse it gets.

( Ella is in the purple skirt.)

I wish I could have videoed Kit doing turns across the room.  As one grandparent said on the way out; "you know what you are doing, young man".

en pointe

Yesterday Ella got her first pair of pointe shoes.  A few months ago, her dance teacher asked her if she wanted to start pointe classes, saying that she was ready for them.  Unfortunately, we weren't able to afford the shoes straight away, so Ella patiently waited.  I've made a few Etsy sales this week, so I told her that she could have them for a birthday present.  She was so excited. Can you tell? She won't start lessons until after Christmas, so we will be working on strengthening her ankles and feet over the next few weeks.  I only finished sewing on the ribbon and elastic after she went to bed, so she hasn't even been able to try them on properly yet.  I'm sure I'll be able to get a photo when she gets home this afternoon though.  She had asked if she could sleep with them last night....

10

This red head, this number 3 child, this little Singapore National day boy made it;

All the way to 10!

A decade of mischievousness, of keeping us all on our toes, of creative genius and pushing all the boundaries.

That's our cheeky Worm. And we love him.

We had planned to go on a picnic for his birthday, but the weather was yuck and his bee sting still bothering him, so we went and had yum cha instead-perfectly fitting for someone born in Singapore on Singapore national day. Then home for a movie (Get Smart) and icecream cake. What more could a boy want?

Ballet photos

This is what I look out on every morning when I'm checking emails and reading blogs...my darling training for his 100 mile bike race in July.  It's a fund raiser for Cancer and he gets up every morning and rides for an hour.  Isn't he great!
Yesterday the kids had their photos for the ballet concert.  The concert itself is at the end of the month, but they like to have the photographer come in and do all the photos early.  It's a good excuse for the kids to dress up in their costumes.  For Kit, it's one of the few times a year when he has neat hair.
He takes it all very seriously.
Ella's costume is really sweet this year.  And the colour really suits her.
She said to me that she feels like a real dancer when her back is exposed like that.
Sweet.
So starting tomorrow night we have tech rehearsals and dress rehearsals for the next 2 weeks...but luckily for us this weekend is a long weekend for Memorial day (2 years ago I was in Norway).  And the weather the last 2 days has been glorious again...lets hope it holds up for the weekend.

Mary and mumps

I don't have any photos yet-I have to wait for them to get sent to me.  So we didn't make our private audience with the prince and princess, as the "limo" (bus) was 20 minutes late and it took us 2 hours (Not the 1 hour they had estimated) to get into the city.  That included a loo stop somewhere in the Bronx.  

But we did arrive 8 minutes before the formal arrival time.  As we walked into the dining room there were maybe 20/25 photographers lined up taking photos of people going in...the cameras stopped flashing when we walked past.  It was all very posh and loads of speeches with Liv Ullman  officiating as MC.  

Once Mary and Frederick (on crutches) came in (and sat at separate tables) poor Matt was being hassled mercilessly to go up and say Hi to Mary.  I think he was feeling a little pressured.  As I had walked past to go to the loo at one stage, we made eye contact and I smiled at her, so late, feeling pity for Matt, I just walked up to her and said, "Hi, I'm from Tasmania".  We talked a little and I told her that Matt really wanted to say hello but was feeling embarressed.  I reminded her that he had found her wallet on the bus and she remembered that but thought that she'd never actually met him.  But she said she'd come over and say hi when she got the chance.  She shook my hand (we had a sweepstake in the van on the way into the city how many people would shake hands with the royals) and asked me my name.

After some dancing, true to her word, she came over and talked with us (all the scandis were really excited and crowded around her to the point where one of her body guards came and stood in the background).  But she was lovely.  The most amazing skin I've ever seen.  Very sweet, very personal with us.  She did remember Matt after she talked with him a bit-they talked about a law class they had together.  She told us Frederick had injured himself sledding with their daughter.  Then off she went and suddenly Matt had hero status among the scandis (I forgot to ask her about VVD , Dad).  Later Matt asked here if she would have a photo with our table (they were desperate for one) and we had one with just Matt and I with her and one with the table)...I'll post them when I get sent them.  

We were among the last to leave (taking the table centrepieces-along with everyone else) and as I walked past her she said "goodbye Georgia, lovely to meet you".

So there you have it.  I was so proud of myself for going up to her (not something I'd usually do, and I was SOOOO nervous).  But we had a really fun night.  

This morning we've woken up to really sick kids-Remi, after being home all week with a croupy cough, sore throat and lost voice has MUMPS!!!!  I took him to the doctor yesterday and she couldn't really tell me what was wrong with him.  Today the whole left side of his face is swollen.  When I mentioned it to my friend when I picked Oscar up from babysitting she said she knows someone else in town who's had it.  And Ella has fifth disease/slap cheek.  Called so because it looks like someone's been slapping her face or that she has really bad sunburn.  I couldn't get a doctor's appointment this morning (hardly anything is open on Sat around here) and looking at them online there is nothing they can do to treat either except painkillers and bed rest...looks like Remi at least will have another week off school. HO HUM.

Spring-ish

We did get the snow storm on Monday, with a snow day- but only about 7 or so inches of snow. I didn't take any photos out in the snow because it was really cold and windy and not so pleasant. Then kids got out there and had fun though. And I'm glad they did as we've had such mild weather since then. These photos were taken on Friday...first signs of spring; bulbs starting to grow... Melting snow...And by Saturday, this is how much was left...
A gorgeous weekend. Sun and temps nearing 20C. The kids were out on their bikes, Matt and Oscar got sunburned playing rugby. I had thought we'd have a big weekend tidying and cleaning, but how can you be inside with weather like that. Especially when the next few days are supposed to be rainy and cold.Ella's not cold in this photo-she's scared of getting down.And this was the last pile of snow to melt (it's all gone now), with the shovel from where Ella was trying to make an igloo on Monday.

And while I was down loading these photos I came across this cracker-my brown eyed children eating apple skins...Oh and I have to do an update on the parlour games....each night I've taught the kids a new game-wink murder, smiles, I Love my love with an A...each and everyone a hit. Now they ask what game we're going to play tonight. Who'da thunk?

And I'll leave you with some of my pottery that I picked up on Friday. A gravy boat which I think looks like a bull-I kind of eccentuated this once I realised that it did...didn't go so far as putting horns on it, but I was tempted. So I give you the "El torro gravy boat".

And my casserole dish. Everyone made fun of me when I made this because it was "so huge", but with clay shrinkage, Matt (who's just made dinner in it) said "I don't think it's big enough".
Right, being called to dinner...

Winter scenes

The kids made the most of the snow. Here's Remi, Oscar and Honey in the "igloo" before it collapsed.
And lovely snow photos of drifts of snow....

Glad we made the most of it as today there was sleet then rain then more snow then freezing winds. Everything is now hard and icy.

But we got to watch Kit and Ella's performance in the Nutcracker. It was the last one after and exhausting weekend. We dragged (and I really mean DRAGGED) along the older boys and our friends came too.Kit's in the white shirt sitting down and Ella standing with the doll....just to give you an idea of the set.
The party dance.

Nutcracker Kit battling the mice.
The nutcracker showing Clara his kingdom.
Nutcracker and Clara sitting on their thrones watching the other dancers.And the finale.
They both loved doing it, even though it has been a lot of hard work. Kit's already saying that he wants to do it again next year. I said to him that he'd have to do ballet again next year (he had said that this was going to be his last year) but he's adamant that he wants to do it again. Think he's the kind of child who loves to perform. He didn't want to leave at the end...just wanted to hang out with the cast.

But home we went with our friends to celebrate Ella's birthday AGAIN. She actually does quite well out of having her birthday so close to Christmas...she has a rolling birthday for most of December!

Think she got into the whole performance thing after the nutcracker too!

Only one and a half more days of school....I can't believe how close it is until Christmas.

Wow. A busy week was last week. On Monday night we had Remi's winter concert for band. Well actually I had it. Oscar stayed home with Kit and Ella who really didn't need a late night and Matt couldn't make it. Remi has really come along as a clarinet player and I love to see them all dressed up in their shirts and ties.

By Friday it was Kit's turn for his winter concert in chorus (choir). He'll have a spring concert for the drums, but they don't let them play publically yet. He'd come home on Thursday saying how all the teachers had told him what a great job he'd done and how he was a natural after they'd done the school performance for the younger grades. I thought this was a little odd as who can really tell who is a good singer in a choir and to be honest Kit needs a little work.

But towards the end of their performance I understood why. They did a song called "hot chocolate" from the movie the polar express and they had hand actions to go with it. That's when Kit just took center stage. He was so expressive-he looked like a dancer on Broadway or something. So Funny. The new boy from Oz.If you can't tell which one he is (Matt didn't recognise him because he didn't have his signature bedhead redhead) he's in the front row, 6th from the left.

Friday night Ella celebrated her birthday (which is next week) with a sleepover party with 3 of her friends. They watched movies ( Wall E and Kit Kittredge - both fantastic movies) and did makeovers on each other. It was nice actually. They slept on the loungeroom floor, so the boys were a little put out, but they were pretty good about it. Saturday we really needed to take it easy...tired kids and Kit's twisted his ankle a little. So we hunkered down for a rewatch of Kit Kittredge and a rest...only to realise that we'd missed the last ballet rehersal before the concert next week (besides the dress rehersal). OOOPS! Kit is the nutcracker in the nutcracker so kind of important role...I'll have to explain it somehow to his dance teacher.
Saturday night we had a Christmas party at friends in NY, then Sunday afternoon we had a Christmas block party. All pretty exhausting. I'm socialised out. Remi and Oscar also went out to the movies with friends. Looking forward to having a relaxed week before we get crazy into the ballet this weekend. 4 performances over 3 days...oh yeah and we have to celebrate Ella's birthday in there somewhere too. WHEW! Don't be surprised if you don't see me again for a while.

And I'll leave you with a photo I found on my camera of the full moon. Taken by Remi on Friday night. It was supposed to be the biggest moon for a while or something (we certainly had major flooding on our land)...It's a pretty photo when it's big, although the moon still looks small to me.Have a great week!

BOO!

Last night was , of course, Halloween. It was kind of fun having it on a Friday night, but very strange that it was so light (daylight savings was supposed to have ended 2 weeks ago!)

Ella dressed up as a red devil again. We couldn't find her horns so they were drawn on.She'd been wearing her hair in little plaits most of the week to get it all crinkly and frizzy!
Kit was back and forth on what he wanted to wear, but at the very last minute he decided to go with the costume he had planned last week-a celtic warrior. Of course he left it so late that I had a split second to do his tattoos and hair.To him it's all about waving the sword around anyway.Remi also rehashed his costume from last year and went as a dwarf again.It is an unbelievably hideous mask-especially when he'd poke his tongue out the eye hole!

This year we were invited to the neighbourhood pumpkin carving competition, but didn't get organised enough to bring up a pumpkin. It was fun anyway and all the kids got prizes for pumpkins or costumes.

Ella's friend from school was there with her family. I love little neighbourhood get togethers like that.

Kids of all ages running around together (it was a dead end street). Kids they know from school, and the really cute little ones. After that we went out trick or treating...we had to wait for it to get a little dark. Kit got tired very quickly and so we went back quite early really. Remi had gone off to his friends and they'd gone out together and Oscar (who was bah humbugging at home) finally got his act together and went out with some friends (dressed more or less as himself). The older 2 didn't get home until nearly 9. They had enormous bags of stash. And then the mad "candy trading event" began, with Matt imposing candy taxes on everyone's stash. Fun!

Hope you had a fun Halloween where ever you are.
(oh and daylight savings ends tonight, and I am so looking forward to that extra hour sleep!)