School Holiday Happenings

 

The kids are all into the final stretch of school before Christmas break and they can't wait!  Despite doing well in school, I don't think any of them really like it.  Still, you've got to love the elementary school lead into Christmas.  Of course, now you can't actually say "Christmas", nor can you officially have a Christmas tree or Christmas activities (although there was one in the front entrance to the school), but bless those good natured teachers who somehow figure out a way to get around the official "no religion" decree from the District.  (Including playing Christmas music on Pandora, watching Christmas movies and giving Christmas presents.)

 

So this week was Emmy and London's school holiday concert - a production including all 6 grades (Kindergarten through 5th) and I would render a guess ALL their parents, grandparents and concerned neighbors were in the audience.  How heart warming to know that so many parents take the time and effort to see their little ones perform (in spite of, or maybe because of, last week's horrifying news in Connecticut.)

 

London is in the back row, 6th from the right.

There's Emmy second row from the top, 6th from the left (she's waving at me).

Besides the concert, Friday Emmy had pajama day and a showing of Polar Express.   Then she brought home her Hands on Art masterpiece for a present.  (The Washington schools don't have art in the schools so a nonprofit organization raises funds to bring art education into the schools.  This project was based on Gustav Klimpt's art work.  I was fortunate enough to get to help teach the class to Emmy and London's classes).

Birch trees (with a fox and hedgehog added by Emmy!)

London's class did a holiday craft: here's one to keep for posterity.  I actually got to help with this craft and was amazed at how many of the third graders thought this was the best project ever.

London's snow man

Middle school got into the celebratory mood too as Cannon had two parties on Thursday.  A "Feliz Navidad" themed party for Spanish and a celebration of the "winter solstice" in his Language Arts class.  Cannon's Language Arts teacher, Mrs. Portteus, is a real dynamo who is very high energy and spirited.  But she really develops camaraderie and friendship in her class which, I think, is a tough thing to do with a bunch of moody eighth graders.  On Wednesday she had the kids sit in a circle, put their name on a blank piece of paper and then pass the paper to the right.  That person had to write something nice about the person whose name was on the paper and then pass it on and on until all the papers went all the way around the circle.  I think this was the neatest idea and what an ego booster for these kids.  I love all the sweet things said about my kid.

Seeing Santa

Although it's almost Christmas, we haven't yet gone to see Santa but Wednesday we had our chance.  Emmy had swim lessons at the YMCA and we discovered Santa was there just waiting to talk with the little kids.  So after her lessons, London and Emmy had a chance to convey their wishes directly to Santa.

London went first and asked for an MP3 player and a Toothless stuffed animal (from "How to Train Your Dragon").

Then went Emmy who requested a Toothless stuffed animal and a collie stuffed animal (yes, she's still crazy about her stuffed animals!)  Ok, I'm going to admit that Emmy is (1) in her pajamas and (2) those pajamas are hand-me-downs from her brothers.  But as a disclaimer, I didn't know we'd be seeing Santa!!!

They both agreed that Santa was really nice and talkative and that he definitely had a "real" beard!

Snow in Washington

Monday we woke up to what I would call a dusting of snow.  But for Emmy and London who haven't seen a flake of snow in three years, you would have thought we'd had a blizzard.  They woke up and immediately discovered the changed landscape and just had to go outside.  London, wisely, got dressed, put on a coat and boots and headed outside to touch the snow.

Emmy, not-so-wisely, got dressed, put on boots and headed outside.  The next thing I knew, she was running around outside throwing snow at her brother with no coat on!

Yes, it's that dark at 8:00 in the morning!

Happy in the "snow", but cold?

After she put her coat on, they tried their hands at snow angels.  They tried these on the deck because they didn't want to risk laying on the grass where there are lots of piles of...deer poop!  Yes, I clean the yard of dog poops, but the nearly domesticated deer that live around here are not discriminating as to where they do their business!

And the best way to end a morning in the snow before heading to school?  Fresh baked gingerbread muffins and hot chocolate!

Christmas shopping with Kelly

I spent a really great day today with my good friend Kelly.  Kelly was our former neighbor in Okinawa and now lives in Anacortes, WA (about 2 1/2 hours north of us).  We decided to meet almost half way in Seattle on Monday for a little Christmas shopping at Pike's market.  What a great time and it was so nice to hang out with a friend for the day!

Gingerbread lattes from the original Starbucks.

How to Train Your Dragon

Two years ago Emmy and London saw a movie that has since haunted their imaginations.  The movie, How to Train Your Dragon, is a sweet story about a Viking boy and, you guessed it, dragons.  In short, the boy, Hiccup, although son of the great Viking leader, is a bit of a misfit who does more harm than good during the regular raids of the dragons.  Turns out he shoots down one of the "worst" kinds of dragons, a Night Fury, but instead of killing it, he finds out that dragons can be nice.  So he befriends the Night Fury, named Toothless, and in the end teaches the whole village, including his dad, that it's ok to be different and to look at things in a different way.

Anyways, why am I giving you a review of a 2 year old movie?  Because they have now made this favorites of favorites (London has been Hiccup for the last 2 Halloweens if that tells you anything) into a live show and this week it came to Tacoma!  I had to buy tickets for the family to experience this or I was never going to live it down.

The producers took the technology developed to do the show "Walking with Dinosaurs" and developed the dragons.  These are amazing, enormous robots that move, walk and fly with emotion and life-like dexterity.  I have to say, it was really amazing!

All of us were excited to see this production and it didn't disappoint.  It was loud, active and full of action.  I'd recommend it if it comes to your town.

(Sorry the pictures are bad - there was no flash photography!)

Looking forward to the show.

Meeting Toothless

The Gronkel

Riding Toothless

Friends in the end

Bell Ringer

Cannon had the opportunity through his youth group this year to be an official bell ringer for the Salvation Army - so proud of my little guy for standing outside Albertsons for 2 hours in the cold ringing the bell.

By the way, they are all drinking Starbucks because some kind stranger ordered them all hot chocolates from Starbucks (inside the store).  I guess the Salvation Army wasn't the only one "Doing the Most Good" that night...

Gig Harbor Tree Lighting

Gig Harbor had their annual tree lighting on Saturday and yes, I dragged the whole family there.  It was a large crowd on a cold, damp night and I think the kids (and maybe Steve too) might have been happy to miss it, but it's all about building traditions, isn't it???  (I did let them off the hook from going to the live nativity in the pouring rain the next day.)

London's favorite part was the live reindeer.

Emmy, obviously, was not as taken by the reindeer as London...

A rare photo of me!

And there is Santa dashing by...

A happy (?) family!  (I think Emmy is going through one of those phases where she lost her smile.)