Hoedown Throwdown

Syd's first dance recital was a big hit. She was in Combo 2 this year which was tap/ballet. Unfortunately, there was a much bigger focus on tap and she really prefers ballet. Her group danced to "Hoedown Throwdown" by Miley Cirus. Syd was the star of the group. It really didn't take much, she was just the only one who remembered the whole thing without looking at the teacher on the side of the stage. During dress rehearsals, the owner of the studio invited Sydney to try out for her "Little Jewels" competitive team. We were flattered but that group mostly taps so Sydney decided not to try out. She wants to try soccer and Hip Hop dancing next year.

At the end of the recital, they handed out 4 awards for the whole group. Sydney won the "Best Little Shaker" award. So true! She also got a perfect participation award (which is really for me because I am the one who made sure she was on time and never missed a class.)

A successful performance that I believe will be the first of many!

Preschool Graduation

Sydney is a Sunshine Preschool graduate. Overall, I was very pleased with her preschool. I mentioned before my hesitations that it was run in someones home but I was very impressed at the "school" setup. Normally, I am a believer in "you get what you pay for." However, at less than half the cost of the preschool Carter attended, I think I got WAY more than I paid for this time. My only complaint? Snack Time! She "encouraged" parents to bring a snack that went along with the letter or the theme for the month. I was cursing her as I was making Heart-shaped Honey sammies for 10 kids just so I fulfilled my letter H duties. (I really should have just sent a package of Ham lunch meat). Sydney got so many cookies and cupcakes for a mid-morning snack because you can make them fit so many letters. Oh well.

Congratulations graduate! On to bigger and better things at Nine Mile Falls Elementary!

Ahhhh. . .

. . . an early Saturday morning on the boat.

Mr. C

On May 19th my high school gymnastics coach, Bill Christianson passed away from lung cancer. I hadn't seen him in a couple of years and had no idea he was sick. My mom and I attended the funeral and it was so neat to be reminded of what a truly wonderful person he was. There are a few things I learned during my 3 years with Mr. C.


1. ON TIME means early. If we were leaving for a meet at 5:00 he'd be sitting there waiting for us at 20 til. I can remember sitting at the airport two hours early for a flight to Seattle because "you never know" and this was way before 9/11 when you didn't have to come terribly early for a flight.

2. You will never get what you want unless you ask. The Ferris gymnastics program was in dire straits before he came. We had no vault runway (we ran on the gym floor) our beam was ripped, we tumbled on hand-me-down wrestling mats, and we still had the old oval bars that didn't extend wide enough. Slowly, he wore down the administration until we had all new equipment.



3. It's okay to admit that you can't do something. Although he was a good coach, he was not the best around. He knew that and he brought in specialists to help us, choreographers, spotters etc.

4. Have fun and don't stress out. When things were getting intense or stressful around the gym, we'd have a fun day like when he brought his friend who was a karate expert to teach us self-defense. Or the time he brought in a body builder, SO FUN!
5. You are always happiest when you are helping others. He was not a man who cared about "stuff" only about people. He paid the previously mentioned helpers out of his own paycheck, twice he got a limo for us to drive to a competition that fell on my birthday, he was always volunteering his time and talents to people around him without expecting anything in return.

I know the schools in Spokane are mourning the loss of a great educator and mentor. I will truly miss Mr. C he was a great coach and an even better friend.

Budding Artist

Sydney LOVES to draw, paint, color, write etc. I really enjoy seeing her artwork and it is fun to discover one of your kids' talents. She is creative, imaginative and quite accurate. The problem is that I get stacks and stacks of pictures like these on a daily basis.
Spring in Spokane. Rapunzel in her tower.

Getting excited for a field trip to Cat Tales (I love the lips on the tiger, and is she wearing earrings?).

These works of art sit around cluttering my counters and computer desk until one of us (usually Garth) tosses them. She makes so many, she never misses them but I do feel a little bad. I need a good guilt-free idea of what to do with them.

Freezing FHE

A few weeks ago (May 10th), for family home evening, we launched the boat and went for a little cruise. Garth and I were both in sweatshirts. . .the kids wore swimsuits and even jumped in! That Friday and Saturday Garth and I skied but wore full wetsuits, the kids jumped in again. Since then, the weather has been dreary and rainy. The poor boat has been sitting in the canal getting soaked. Hopefully we will get a bit of sunshine (or at least a respite from the rain) the long weekend and we can go out again. I am not holding my breath, it is Spokane in May afterall.

Tutu Trial and Error

About a year ago, Sydney was dying for a tutu. She was in her first ballet class and they had all kinds of adorable yet overpriced tutu's in the dance studio. So I got on You Tube and watched some tutorials and made this puffy pink tutu. It was a no-sew tutu. All I did was cut 3 inch strips of tulle and tie them around an elastic waistband. It cost about $4 and took me a couple of hours. Although it turned out cute, it was a big bunchy mess after only a couple of wears and it continues to get worse. So a few months later, for her cousin's birthday, we made this tutu. For this one I (with some help from my friend Julie) cut long, wide strips of tulle, sewed a pocket for the elastic then gathered it up and sewed it shut. Not too bad. It solved the bunching problem but was not nearly fancy or puffy enough for me. It looked a little more like a see through skirt.

So several months went by and I decided to go for the no-sew version again but just cut wider strips and layer them before tying them.

This one was the winner! It was just the right amount of "fluff" and has barely bunched after repeated wear.

Next time, I might just leave the crafty things for the crafty people.