Dance Recital 2014

 

We’ve finished another year of wonderful dance: Jane Anne took two pre-pointe ballet classes and a lyrical class, and Molly took ballet and jazz..  They absolutely love dance, and as I always feel at this time of year, I’m amazed at the way they’ve improved and developed as dancers.  We are also thankful for the fabulous Ms. Mary.  She’s a wonderful dance teacher, but, most of all, we love the way she loves the dancers so well — regardless of shape, size, class, or ability — truly an incredible woman.

Wrapping up Elementary School

As a 5th grader, this was Jane Anne’s last year at Thomas Elementary!  Hard to believe how quickly the past 6 years have flown, but we’re all excited about new adventures to come!

First day of Kindergarten

There are lots of really cool things that happen for fifth graders at the end of the year to celebrate.

She competed in the 5th grade track meet, running the 100, 200, and sprint relay.

Her class took a field trip to the Perot science museum in Dallas.  She and Katie had fun being mad scientists and examining their cheek cells under a microscope.

She was celebrated at the awards ceremony for good grades, good citizenship, reading 9 million words, and receiving a Presidential award.

As she moved from Children’s ministry to the youth group at church, Bill and I had the opportunity to speak a blessing over her.  We encouraged her to build on her strengths: to choose kindness, cultivate wisdom, act bravely, and stay curious.

As part of that transition, she attended her first middle school retreat this past weekend. It was an exhausting weekend, especially since it coincided with recital, but she loved thinking about how she can choose to be second and learning to intentionally bless others.

As with most transitions, it’s a bittersweet time for her mama.  When I look at the little kindergartener at the top of the page, I realize how quickly she’s growing up, and we’ll definitely miss many of the sweet times and people at Thomas.  Yet, I love the person she’s becoming — she’s so fun to spend time with — and I know there are many delightful adventures ahead!

 

Molly’s 8th Birthday

Molly asked several months ago for  British-themed birthday, so we decided a tea party and croquet seemed in order.  My dear friend, Camille, agreed to host in her very fabulous house, Cedar Cottage, and Molly invited a couple of her friends.

It was a very fun party!

Since Bill and I have been trying to make presents more about experiences than stuff, we gave Molly 3 horse riding lessons for her big day.  She was thrilled!  She’s already had her first lesson and loved it!  She helped groom the horse and started learning about balance while riding.  She’s looking forward to her next lesson.

 

Jane Anne’s trip to Monterey Bay

Jane Anne has had a deep love and interest in squid since she was about six: she sleeps with Maroon, her stuffed squid every night, has written an ode to them, painted pictures of them, and read every book in Abilene on them.  It’s a unique and delightful part of who she is.

You may not be aware, though, that squid are really hard to keep in aquariums.  They have very short life spans and tend to live in deep waters.  And, since JA hasn’t been diving off the coast of Japan, she had never seen a live one.  When the Monterey Bay Aquarium (an amazing place in itself) announced its upcoming exhibit “Tentacles: the Astounding Lives of Octopuses, Squid and Cuttlefishes,” I knew I had to take Jane Anne.  We surprised her with the news as her 11th birthday (and going to 6th grade) present, and we headed to California in April.

It was an incredible trip.  I loved spending those days with my girl doing exactly what she loves best: biking, picnicking, exploring tide pools, hanging out in the aquarium, learning, laughing.  Here are just a few glimpses at the fun Jane Anne, Maroon, and I had.

Our first day there, we picked up a picnic lunch, rented bikes, and headed up the coast.  We stopped at whatever places JA thought looked good and explored, biking all the way up the peninsula.  We saw crabs, anemone, coral, and harbor seals, and marveled at the beauty around us.

The second day, we headed to the aquarium as soon as it opened.  She loved seeing all the exhibits, but the squid were amazing (in fact, she teared up at seeing them), and the behind the scenes tour was fascinating.

We also got to have some ice cream and visit with our  friend, Peggy Langford, who used to be the librarian at the girls’ school and was a huge encouragement to Jane Anne.  She graciously shared her aquarium guest passes with us.

Our last day there, we headed back to the aquarium to say goodbye to the squid and headed up the coast toward San Jose.  We had another picnic and explored some more tide pools before getting ready to come back home.  I can’t imagine a better trip with my squid girl.

 

 

Mad for Museums

As a family of four pretty nerdy folks, we love museums — art museums, history museums, science museums — so anytime we get a chance, we head to one.

When Molly accompanied me to Lubbock for a conference, we spent an afternoon at the Science Spectrum.  (A definite hit! Molly has asked to go back multiple times.)

Over Spring Break, we managed to hit two Fort Worth art museums: the Kimbell (where they made Japanese screens, wrote haiku, and saw the Samurai exhibit ) and the Amon Carter (where we enjoyed the Art and Appetite exhibit and they decorated cups).

When author/illustrator Allen Say came to our local National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature, Molly got to chat with him.

And Jane Anne got a special trip to California to see the Tentacles exhibit at the Monterey Bay Aquarium (which will get a post all to itself).

Easter Fun

Even though Bill was traveling on Easter, we still had a fun day.  We went to church and then to my parents’ house for lunch and egg hunting.  Since I don’t love having lots of candy around the house (and the millions of times my children will ask to eat it), I opted for confetti eggs.  So much more fun!  Even when you have to break them in the garage because it’s raining, and especially when the grandparents get involved!