Dance recital

The girls had their dance recital this week. They were with a different dance studio this year, so it wasn't quite as elaborate as the monster shows of last year and the year before, but it wasn't far behind. Because of a seat-saving fiasco, we ended up sitting in the back, but I was still able to get some decent pictures with my zoom lens.

The girls each had two dances. They both did their classical/ballet dance first.

For her other dance, Carmen did some kind of country hoe-down dance.

While Olivia tried to do some disco.

It was a pretty good show, but I think this will be the girls' last year. They don't seem to love it all that much, and Amber is through with dealing with the dance culture.

Photo books

A few years ago I made photo books of the first two years of Olivia's and Carmen's life. I realized recently that the boys are old enough to have theirs done, so that was my project for a couple weeks. It took a while to go through all the pictures, choose the best ones, retouch them all, and get them into a nice layout, but I'm happy with the results.

You can see a preview online (and buy it, I suppose, if you really want) at blurb.com. Here are the links for Damon and Miles. You can see the other books I've made here.

Damon's birthday

After waiting through all the other birthdays, it was finally Damon's turn. He turned 5 this year.

It was no surprise that he got lots of superhero gear, like this Lego movie, some superhero books, a Batman mask from Carmen (that Miles like to borrow) and some action figures.

He got a few other things, like colored paper and envelopes (so he doesn't take ours), an Imaginext pirate ship from grandparents Roper (they make good bad-guys for the superheroes), and his own Boogie Board (with a case).

He has always been jealous of Carmen's roller skates, so his big present this year was his own roller skates and pads.

Damon is a funny kid. He has a sweet heart and good intentions, but has to touch/destroy everything. He has a hard time putting his ideas into words, but his reading level is off the charts. He's extremely smart in many ways, but can do the most bone-headed things. He's a perfectionist, often tossing out several versions of whatever he's making until he's satisfied.

While he doesn't need the education, I'm really excited for him to attend school in the fall. He needs to have an activity to focus his energy on and I think he'll love school.

Olivia's school musical

Olivia informed us several weeks ago that she had auditioned for one of the solo parts in her grade's musical. We were pleasantly surprised, since we didn't know about the auditions, and she ended up getting one of the parts for her class.

While Olivia is often afraid or hesitant to do many things, she seems to have no fear of public speaking or singing.

Maybe it's because she knows she's good at it. She sang her part perfectly and it was a great show.

Olivia's birthday and birthday party

Our oldest keeps getting older. Olivia turned 9 this year. She celebrated by waiting patiently for the air conditioning to get fixed, then opening presents. She gave us a list this year, and she got a lot of the items she asked for. She was very excited about this Lego set.

She also got some craft supplies, like snaps, and plastic lace and instruction book for making boondoggles. Amber got her a movie and a home-made hula hoop (it was on the list). Carmen got her a splat ball and a jump rope, for which she was thoroughly hugged.

I fed the girls' massive Itty Bitty habit by giving Olivia a handful more.

The following Saturday she had her party, which she wanted to be Star Wars themed. The kids started by decorating their own foam-noodle lightsabers (notice the balloon tie fighters).

They used their foam sabers for a series of games, like duelling on stools, guiding their ship (ball) through an asteroid field (obstacles in the yard), and keeping their training drone (balloon) from hitting the ground. And of course, whacking each other on the trampoline.

There was even a Death Star piñata, which, much like the original, did not last long under the assault of the Jedi.

The hungry Jedi were fed their "portions", which included BB-8 cupcakes (Itty Bitty for comparison).

Olivia got a lot more presents, of course, the most notable being several Star Wars Lego sets, which she has been excitedly assembling.

New air conditioner

Our air conditioning stopped working late last week. We knew it was on its last legs, so it didn't come as a surprise. Actually, we were glad it was now instead of in the thick of summer, but we still got some pretty hot, humid weather to enjoy. This is what the thermostat upstairs looked like on the night of Miles's birthday.

We didn't sleep very well for a few nights, to put it mildly.

Amber got an initial quote that was pretty expensive, so we got another that ended up being almost half that, with the same model air conditioner. Needless to say, we chose the latter and they were able to finish up the install on Olivia's birthday, right before she opened her presents. We are very thankful to have air conditioning again!

Carmen's tooth

After a lengthy delay, Carmen has lost her second tooth. This one has been hanging on for a long time, now, and Carmen finally just grabbed it and pulled it out tonight.

With as long as she waited, her adult tooth is halfway grown in. Probably won't be too long before she's losing a lot more.