Prima Ballerina?

After 13 weeks of lessons, last night was Anastasia's ballet class "recital". As a courtesy to the parents, this recital was really just a class that parents were invited to attend. We got to watch their warm up exercises before they presented the routine they've been working on for the last few months.




After the girls were all warmed up, we were treated to several iterations of the dance they've worked so hard on.

Things to look for in the video:

Anastasia's subtle repositioning
A stumble, but like a true star, she just moves through it
Graceful skipping



So, does she have a future as a prima ballerina? I think we'll keep up the lessons and revisit the questions.

Thanksgiving Portrait

I remember Grandma Sally curling my hair with strips of fabric torn from old rags. I told Anastasia about my memories of getting curly hair using old rags, and she thought it sounded like fun. But, since our weekends are often pretty busy, I really needed a long weekend to make it a possibility. So yesterday, with no chores and hours until we left for lunch, I pulled out an old flour sack cloth and cut some rags. Anastasia did a great job sitting still (Spongebob helped) for the 30 minutes it took me to roll her hair into this lovely little ragamuffin.



Three hours later, we were ready to take the rags out. Anastasia was pretty excited to see her hair curly. It didn't look like much, but it was pretty much what I remember my hair looking like when I was little.



After some brushing and twisting, and a healthy amount of hairspray, the curls were eventually tamed into a pretty style that I captured in a sweet impromptu portrait.



When Orlando saw the picture, he said this is what she should look like for her formal portrait next year (only without the crayons in front or the Wii balance board behind her.)

Princess Ariel

Our little girl wanted to be Ariel for Halloween this year. She was very excited to get dressed up, and wasn't even bothered when the weather was chilly and I made her wear a jacket underneath her costume.



We met up with a large group from the neighborhood and all went trick or treating together. This is the largest group we've ever trick or treated with. It was a ton of fun watching the whole group of kids make their way down the street.



After about an hour and a half, Anaastasia was excited to get to eat some of her haul, so home we went to dump her bucket full of candy on the dining room table.



She ate two pieces, then asked to go to bed. I'd say that qualifies as a successful evening.

Apples Anyone?

A couple weeks ago, we made our annual trip to Homestead Farms for apples. The farm is really fun and the crisp fall weather makes the workout not seem so rigorous.



This year, Orlando had to work, so my friend Nathalie joined in the fun and served as event photographer, helping us capture the fun.



We love the Cameo apples that we found on our first trip to the farm three years ago. Since they are among the last to ripen, I always try to schedule our trip for the middle-end of October. This year, the end of the season came early and I'm glad that our schedules worked out to ensure that we were able to pick on the last weekend apples were available.



Anastasia loves the process. It's wonderfully enjoyable for her because there is no question about what to pick. If you see an apple on a tree and you can reach it, go for it.



And if you can't reach it, you can always stand in the wheel barrow and stretch.



When our cart was full (we ended up with less than last year, but still brought home 40 lbs), we headed back up to the small animals. Pushing the empty cart out to the apples was easy. Pushing it back full and with Anastasia inside was a workout.



Still, it was such a beautiful day, we just took turns and sent Annie ahead to the haybales and tractor tires to play.



Anastasia loved petting the little cow and the baby goats. No surprise that she wants to be a veterinarian when she grows up.



Before we left, Anastasia posed for one more photo.



When we got home, Anastasia and I sorted and washed the apples, then cut up the bruised ones and made ourselves a delicious apple crisp. I couldn't ask for a better fall day.

Tiny Dancer

A few weeks ago, Anastasia started taking ballet lessons at the Joy of Motion dance studio near our house. Since she quit soccer after just 3 weeks, I was a little nervous about signing her up for a 13 week class without having a chance to try it out first. Fortunately, the studio was happy to let her take the first class without the full committment, just to gauge her interest.

One of the first things her teacher, Miss Josephine, taught the class was how to point toes and walk like a ballerina.



She was instantly hooked. Then Miss Josephine brought out the barre.



The class did some pretty stretching, where they learned about all the positions for hands and practiced pointing their toes.



When the class ended with skipping, the smile on Anastasia's face said it all.



Each Thursday she is very eager to get home and put on her leotard before heading out to dance class. Can't wait to see what the recital has to offer in December.

Peking Duck

We regularly visit an excellent Chinese restaurant in the suburbs, famous for its Peking Duck and Szechuan beef proper (I prefer to call it "beef candy".) At our dinner last night, Anastasia demonstrated the proper etiquette for preparing and eating Peking Duck.

First, carefully select a pancake. Gently apply some sauce to your pancake, spreading it thoroughly. (Notice the tongue out technique.)



Next, the duck ... don't forget the crispy skin.



Roll it up and eat.



Note, occasional drips of sauce may occur.

Football Season

As always, we were super excited to gear up for football season. Maryland has a new coach and new uniforms that have garnered an impressive amount of media coverage, so we were looking forward to seeing what the Terps could do in their first game against Miami.

Since the first game, against Miami, started at 8:00 pm, Orlando and I left little girl at home with Myney while we enjoyed ourselves tailgating and cheering on the Terps to their first win of the season. It was fun in spite of the rain that drenched us for most of the second half.

Game 2 started at 12:00, so the three of us loaded up the car with breakfast supplies and headed out early. Our little girl was super excited.



It didn't take us long to get the party started with egg sandwiches, mimosas, and bloody marys. We have a standard crew that we tailgate with, and Anastasia helped us to document the fun by serving as the group photographer.



In addition to photos of the people at the party, Annie took more than a few still lifes.



Soon enough, it was time to head into the game. The game started off pretty poorly, but the Terps came back to make an interesting game of it. Meanwhile, Anastasia continued to serve as photographer for us. Taking short of the game, our friends, and the balloon turtle bracelet that we got from "Terp Town".



We had a great chance to get a picture with Testudo before the game was over, which was pretty exciting. Anastasia hasn't really liked people in character costumes in the past, so getting this picture was pretty fun.



When the game is early like this one, we end the day with some continued tailgating before heading home. We had a visit by former Maryland basketball forward, Dave Neal, who posed for photo with Annie and Orlando before we headed home for the evening.



It was a great day, a fun start to football season, even though the Terps didn't win. Looking forward to 6 more between now and mid-November.

The Pick-Up Fairy

Anastasia is a very well behaved little girl who generally follows the rules. As you might expect, as she's gotten older, and more independent, our expectations of what she can do herself have increased. Around her fourth birthday, we began to expect that she would straighten her room regularly. This involves putting the stuffed animals in their corner, the kitchen stuff in its corner and generally shoving the rest of the toys in the vicinity of the toybox. We're not talking major cleaning here, just making it possible to walk in her room.

Initially this was a challenge. Orlando and I ended up doing most of it ourselves, which Anastasia was happy to take advantage of. Then I remembered reading a story in Parents Magazine describing the Pick-Up Fairy, and how she could change the nature of this process. Our Pick-Up Fairy can be nice, leaving a dollar for a particularly good job of cleaning up, or taking toys left behind for a whole week. (That hasn't actually happened yet.)

We introduced her pretty casually as a less nice contrast to the Tooth Fairy who's super nice and only gives presents. Anastasia quickly made the logical leap that not all fairies are really nice, and that some might even be a little mean. She was immediately eager to do the work necessary to ensure that the Pick-Up Fairy didn't take her toys.

Now, our little girl very readily tidies her room before bedtime, well aware that if she doesn't some of her favorite toys, the ones she plays with every day, will go away for a week (not that she has a particularly strong grasp of how long a week is.) It now just requires a gentle reminder to get the ball rolling, and the room is picked up in no time.

The Pick-Up Fairy is even interested in bath toys, so Anastasia does a pretty good job of putting her toys back into the baskets where they belong.

I don't know how long the magical wonder of the Pick-Up Fairy will last, she's growing up and gaining interest in so many different things each day. But for now, her things find their way back home at the end of each day, and I consider that a victory.

Come on Irene!

3:00 pm: Hurricane Irene is currently walking up the east coast at a very slow 14 miles per hour. We were told to expect tropical storm force winds (39-63 miles per hour). The rain started at around 11:00, and has been coming with some force for the last hour or so. We've put a measuring cup outside in a pretty protected section of the deck to see how much rain we get. Now, we've decided that it's wine-o'clock. More updates to come later.



6:30 pm: Anastasia is enjoying a pajama day and Myney and I have endulged in a little wine before dinner. We're seeing a lot of rain, but not nearly as much wind as they've called for. Our measuring cup on the deck, placed there at about 2:30 pm, was almost full.



We've replaced the 1 cup measuring cup (1/2 liter for my Swedish followers) with an 8 cup model (2 liters). Our backyard has a few puddles in it and the garage is starting to take on a little water. Still, the city drainage seems to be functioning well, so for now, we're sitting pretty.

9:30 pm: Anastasia is sleeping to the sound of the rain on her roof, and Myney and I are watching the rain as it continues to pour from the sky. It looks like the wind's energy is focused on the coast and leaving us with just the rain. No flooding to report, though I did unplug the freezer and work light in the garage just in case.

12:00 am: it's time to go to bed. The wind is stronger than it's been all day, but still, it doesn't feel like it's something we should be very worried about. For a tropical storm, the temperature is quite chilly, and the water seems to be being absorbed by the drainage system.

Kindergarten

All summer long, Anastasia has been asking when she would go back to her school so she could be in Kindergarten. On Monday, the day finally arrived. She was very excited to pick out her outfit (from the limited choices available in the uniform options.) She posed for the annual picture on the front porch before we set out.



Once we arrived at school, we stopped for one more picture outside before heading up to her classroom.



Because Anastasia and her classmates have done so well in preschool, a significant group of them have been assigned a class that is half kindergarteners and half first graders. Her teacher also has a wonderful reputation for getting the most out of her students. We're very excited to see how she progresses this year.



Anastasia's second day of school was highlighted by an earthquake, which caused schools to be closed on Wednesday so that structural engineers could inspect all the school buildings before students returned. We learned late yesterday evening that only one DC Public School was damaged, School Without Walls (how's that for irony?). So, it was back to school for little girl.

Earthquake!

Yesterday our city was rocked by an earthquake that measured 5.9 on the Richter scale. Orlando was home at the time, Anastasia was enjoying her second day of Kindergarten, and Myney and I were at work. Since I work on the 10th floor, once it was safe to evacuate, we were none too keen to head back upstairs. I also wasn't really interested in taking the subway, so it was a 2+ mile walk for me to get home.

Since cellphone service was spotty at best, I relied on text messages mostly, but even they weren't getting through to the family here. Folks in Texas knew more about my status that my own husband.

When I arrived home, I found Orlando enjoying a peaceful afternoon waiting for school to let out. He was unaware that students had been evacuated from their classrooms and were just waiting in the school cafeteria for parents to arrive. So, we walked together to get our little girl, who was very excited to tell us all about the "big bump" that hit the school.

Home safe, we talked about our very different experiences during the 45 second event. My office shook pretty violently, Myney was in a meeting, and her work was largely uninterupted. Orlando was unperterbed by the rumbles, and the dogs were oblivious to it.

In the house, we saw no damage, though a couple of books did fall off of Anastasia's bookshelf, and the wooden letters that spell "Annie" above her door also fell.

No pictures of the damage, suffice it to say that we're all fine and have felt no aftershocks since the initial event. Thanks to all who checked in on us in the aftermath.

A Birthday Party Fit for a Princess

We celebrated our little princess this weekend. She asked for a "Flower Party" so we spent a few evenings making paper flowers to decorate the house. We ended up with two huge bouquets, and augmented them with the real thing around the house, too.



My friend Nathalie volunteered to make theme appropriate cupcake toppers for the party, too. Anastasia was very surprised when she saw her face on all the cupcakes!



When the party was well and truly underway, and the grown ups were enjoying themselves, the kids headed to the front yard for a little Slip'n'Slide fun. It took them a little while to get the hang of it, but eventually they were sliding with real gusto.



Meanwhile, another group of kids took to the backyard to entertain the big dogs on the deck.



And several of the grownups took turns holding two-week old baby Zolie, the littlest guest at the party.



Soon it was time for cupcakes (thanks Myney for baking the delicious bites.)



Fresh from their heavy dose of sugar, the kids made their way up to Anastasia's bedroom, where they proceeded to make a bigger mess than I've ever seen in her bedroom. Then they migrated back downstairs to form a band in the living room.



They had a blast. Meanwhile we enjoyed a few moments to relax on the deck.



And on the front porch:



Anastasia crashed hard at 7:45 or so, after reassurances from Orlando and me that the Pick-Up Fairy (that story will come soon) gives a special exemption for birthday girls. The adult portion of the party continued for another couple hours and Sunday was a pajama day for Anastasia and me. A very happy birthday for our little girl.