Adventures of Ariel

Last weekend was "The Adventures of Ariel" show for my studio! Both students and teachers worked very hard during tech week and the show was a wild success! Sampson was a real trooper as he was strapped to my back for the first two hours of rehearsal and then went home with Dad or stayed with Auntie Colleen (thanks Auntie Colleen!). He was ready to swing in if any of the cast members were injured. I ran around back stage, fixing hair and getting my students ready to perform. Here I am with my clipboard of organization and my favorite pen.


They made me a delightful teeshirt, with a beautiful collaged Ariel icon (Melissa does art) and a personalized title on the back. I heard that the girls were up until all hours of the night working on these and their work certainly paid off. Not only am I impressed that they spelled "Captain" correctly, I found it very touching that they gave me something to remember the show by. Thanks girls! Love it!

I am so very proud of my students! It was so rewarding to see my little ones doing their routine in their pretty costumes. They really enjoyed themselves up there! Thanks to my assistants, Miss Jessica and Miss Lindsey who went up there and danced with them. Here is my Kinder A class who danced to "The Octopus's Garden" (original Beatles version of course).


Jessica and Sherrie played Flotsam and Jetsam and I made their costumes to complete their looks as Fosse eels. Way to go with the awkward walks and hip circles girls!


We had a fantastic cast of parent dancers during "Under the Sea." They were sharks, complete with sharp teeth and maracas. At the end, they busted out the Old Bay and Tabasco sauce and attacked Sebastian! (He escaped, completely unscathed.)


Mr. Jon was a marvelous Prince Eric (all the ladies agreed!) and the this is Friday night's cast of characters with Sarah as Ariel, Ellen as Ursula, Melissa as Mother Ocean (King Triton's wife... which makes her Ariel's mother...), and Nicole as Flounder. This photo is fondly referred to as the "Albert Einstein and Amelia Erhart" picture because of the costumes. The burlap sack is for when Ariel first turns into a human, before she goes shopping.
All of the students have grown so much since I first met them. I can't wait to get started on next year!

Molly's Birthday

Our good friends the Kellers came over for dinner so Don and I could celebrate our birthdays which are a day apart... in December. So we're a little late, but we've been saying we'd get together for, oh, about six months now. We finally got it together and had a wonderful meal. This week also happened to be Molly's first birthday so we visited their house this morning for a little party. Happy birthday Molly!

Molly had a couple of her closest friends over to help her celebrate. Sampson enjoyed meeting some new friends and playing with another baby close to his age. These are our new friends Riley and Mady.



There was lots to do at Sampson's first birthday party. We played with play-dough with cookie cutters and textured rollers. He really liked the squishiness of the dough in his fingers and toes.



It was also delicious! (Don't worry, it was home-made and eatable!)


The older kids enjoyed a kiddie pool, complete with a slide. The little ones stood at a little water table and played together. Besides the bathtub, this was Sampson's first experience with a body of water. He seemed to like it, even though it was chilly! Molly taught him a skill she apparently picked up from her big brother, Joshua... how to make big splashes by slapping the water. He also really liked playing with the little sailboats (probably because he knows how much Papa likes them), but he did not figure out that they would float in the water. Buoyancy will be another lesson...



He play so long in that little pool that his fingers got pruny for the first time. This is, in fact, one of his Oma's biggest pet peeves, but Sampson did not seem to mind.


Instead of a cake, we had beautiful butterfly cupcakes with sparkly sprinkles. Joshua was there to help her blow out her first birthday candles. Sampson looked very interested in the bright little cakes, but settled for a piece of his first cookie. She opened her presents and played with her new musical instruments and push-cart. I think the little birthday princess had a great day.


It won't be long before our Sampson turns a year old! In Korean culture, the first birthday is a huge celebration with lots of food and a beautiful outfit. His birthday is on a Monday this year, so we're planning to have a big picnic the Sunday before at Lums Pond. Keep your calendars open!