Recital Week

We're doing the Countdown to Christmas again this year.  I'm counting everything.  Neighborhood Party/Food Drive and making recital cookies was our Monday activity.  Emil and Colin were super helpful, as always.

A few things to note in this photo.  They've dragged a chair out of the front room and up to the counter where they can stand on it together and sometimes lean against the back.  You know, for drama.  One of the last sanctuaries in the house (besides my locked bedroom, where the Christmas tree is) is the middle of the dining room table.  The boys can't reach it, so that's where we put Bridget's homework box.  We have very few decorations up other than in the master bedroom, but I did put my Danforth ornaments on the chandelier with a berry garland.  Christmas!

I had my piano recital on Tuesday, so that totally counted on the chain activities.  December 4, 2012 is the day I became my mother.  I had one thousand things to do, including getting dressed and changing diapers and putting kids in the car and getting cookies and programs and ETC.  What was I doing fifteen minutes before I had to leave?  Decorating cookies, of course!  So, yeah.  That happened.  Brian was in charge of getting photos, so this is what we get:

I give him a bad time, but I don't blame him for trying to enjoy this moment of watching our daughter play the piano.  We played one duet, then she was off doing her solo of "Good King Wenceslas."  She did it perfectly, legs swinging and biting her lip.  It was adorable.  If anyone would like to hear it, call my house at any time of day that Bridget is home and it will most likely be playing in the background.

Saturday was Bridget's very first dance recital!  We got several flyers and even an email that we were supposed to pick up our tickets beforehand and if we didn't have tickets, we wouldn't be getting into the recital.  The first time I thought about the fact that I needed tickets was five minutes before we were supposed to leave.  WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!!!  I didn't want the grandparents to drive all that way to not be able to see the dance, so I called and uninvited them. :(  We got there and of course they gave us Bridget's envelope with her four tickets in it.  I understand they have to be hard-nosed, but those flyers were in all caps.  I totally thought they were serious.

 

The flyer also had colors for her class to wear, but no specific costume.  I laid out black leggings to go with the black leotard and red tutu.  Bridget wore it for dress rehearsal on Friday, but she was wearing blue leggings for the performance.  I took this picture and yet didn't notice the leggings were blue until we were running (in the snow storm) into the auditorium.  My favorite was that the flyer said to have "rock and roll" hair.  What does that mean?  Messy?  Big?

Bridget was also supposed to wear make-up.  Some of the girls in her class have moms who have been waiting around for someone to ask them to put a lot of make-up on their sweet little girls.  Yikes!  Today a boy at church told Bridget she had a lot more freckles than he has. :)

It's always a let-down after the show.  At least they gave her a package of Smarties to ease the pain. She was very cute performing.  I don't know how you'd get 5 and 6 year-old girls to do the same dance at the same time, so my hat is off to her teacher, Miss Kirsta.  The dance studio put on a good, organized show, too.  I brought the kids home and we had macaroni and cheese for dinner.  From a box.  Again, what is wrong with me?