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A Flip-Flop Haiku

Five days and counting

Hot Huatulco here we come

I must paint my toes

57|375

Hannah, so proud of you today. After a year of lessons now, your teacher asked if you'd be interested in participating in a piano "contest." I have to be honest and say I was a bit surprised that you wanted to do it. You often shy away from "new" and "unknown" experiences. But you did great. You had chosen one of your most familiar pieces, Waltzing Elephants, which you call the "Plink Song" because of the staccato nature of the song. You had to walk into an unfamiliar setting, introduce yourself to the judge (whom you didn't know), present your music to her and then play for her from memory. The song is short (all of 30 second or so to play) but you played it quite well. The judge took notes, gave you some feedback and then we were on our way home. When we got home there was a message from your instructor saying how well you'd done and that you had scored a "1", the best score you could get. You'll receive a medal or ribbon of some sort at your next lesson. We're so proud of you, honey. You took a risk, tried something new and did well. Go you!

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Finally....almost home. We each had our own version of "alone time" in the car(s). Andy right in front of me the entire way, Hannah listening to stories on the iPod, me searching for something worthwhile to listen to on the radio and Alex taking a 2 hour (!) nap. As we passed the exit about 3 miles from home, he woke up and said:

"Mom, is this Madison?"

No, honey. You were sleeping when we passed Madison.

"I wasn't asleep"

You weren't? You sure looked like you were....

"That's because I couldn't keep my eyes open. I was trying and they just kept closing. 'Cause it was so bright."

Love that. (But I have a feeling we're going to be paying for the nap later tonight!)

41|365

Valentine production is just beginning. Alex came home with this decorated box today that he had created with Brianna, his 8th grade buddy. Apparently, it needed something more.

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With Daddy gone skiing and a long cold day ahead of us, we decided to head out on an adventure today. I packed up the kids, a few snacks, an "I Spy" book I created, and of course my camera and took them to the Domes. Having never been there before, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I was really pleased by how our afternoon turned out. With no schedules, it was nice to just wander at their pace...following their lead. Giving them purpose (the I spy books) really added something to our trip. I'm sure they would have rushed through if it had not been for that. This shot was near the end of our time. Hannah was wandering around looking for things to photograph while Alex stood mesmerized by the train display. He stood there for the longest time, I thought, just watching. Eventually he came running up to me and announced that it took exactly 115 seconds for the logging train to make its way around just one time. Sweet. The sunshine and bright colors did us all some good today...

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Overheard:

"Hey Alex, wanna go in my secret room and just talk?"


Naturally, I had to sneak a peek at what they were up to. They had spread out blankets, added some pillows for comfort and a little light and were inside this tiny closet playing Pick-up Sticks. I love the snowflake jammies, purple snowman jammie bottoms and blue striped socks....she's so on top of fashion!

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Apparently last night's dinner choice was not appreciated. This is what I woke up to this morning!

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Catching big fat snowflakes on her tongue...taking a break from sledding today.

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He decided to take apart and rebuild his airplane today. I amazed by how quickly he got this done on his own. Love when he sits on his feet like that...just like Daddy/.

10|365

Love his look of concentration. Also love the bananas off in the background. Would love to say I planned this, but I didn't. Happy accident!

4|365

Practicing her "violin" in J's "castle"