Beginning in May, George's K4 teacher began celebrating summer birthdays, a gesture that is both inclusive and generous, given how busy the end of the year can be.
When George's turn arrived, he did not want to celebrate at all. George has been consistent about not wanting any attention drawn to him or to be made the center of attention in any way. After much cajoling by the whole family, he relented and requested his favorite doughnuts and Capri Sun. Skip and I surprised him at school.
As you may can gather from the end of the video, Skip was very enthusiastic and wrestled with all of George's classmates after they ate their doughnuts. We filled them with sugar, and then Skip got them riled up. William George had a great time, and our work was done.
Sometimes Pixie will ride with George and I to pick up the girls at school. At first, this was challenging because she would bark, but we stuck with it in an effort to socialize her. I used to hold her, and she would flail around wildly, but then I found the seatbelt leash that she seemed to like. The leash gave her some security, calmed her and kept her from jumping around the car/bolting out the doors while the girls were entering the car. Since she improved so much, she started coming along on the afternoon car pool a few times per week.
This morning Pixie got inside the car, and we decided to let her go with us, not really registering that she has never done the car pool drop off before. Backing up a little, let me remind that Pixie adores Lauren and Grace, relates to them and considers herself one of them. Pixie is a nine year old girl, or at least she thinks so. Again, she behaved perfectly during the drop off. However, when the door closed behind the girls, Pixie went a little nuts. She started crying and trying to get to the girls. She cried all the way home and pleaded with me with her "sad doggy eyes" (as Lauren calls them) to turn back. Even George commented on how pitiful she was and was trying to console her.
"Wait! They're outside!" "No!!!! You can't leeeeave them!" "Sissssiiiiiieeeees!!!!!" "Nooooooooo!" "Go back!!!!! You've gotta go back!!!!!"
She cried all the way home, and then she sniffed around the vehicle crazily trying to locate them. We spent about thirty minutes trying to calm her down and distract her.
Mental note: don't take Pixie on the morning school run.
Well, friends, after a long couple of weeks of celebrating all the fun things, the party came to a crashing stop at approximately midnight Friday night when William George succumbed to a stomach virus. Everyone is forbidden from mentioning that he was probably infected at his graduation because I know him very well, and he would flat-out refuse to attend another graduation for the rest of his life.
We spent Friday and Saturday trying to make George feel better in between bouts of illness. We watched movies, took naps and the whole family catered to all things George. Grace and I reminisced about her stint with a stomach bug and how I held her and rubbed her head for two days straight. Fortunately, these things tend to happen on the weekend so we had plenty of time to just... stop.
By Sunday George was feeling better so the trio had a visit with Gran and Poppa while Skip and I (yes, ok, mostly Skip) finished the deck-staining project. The second coat is complete! It looks so much better, and we are glad to put this project to rest. There were moments yesterday when I was badgering myself over the choice of wood versus Trex decking. We do not want to stain anything ever again... until it is needed again in a few years.
Before
After
One thing that caught our eye over the weekend was a Tom Petty documentary that has found new life on Netflix. We missed the original release in 2007, probably because we had one year old twins and did not have the four hours necessary to view the film in its entirety. I have had Petty: the Biography on my reading list for a few months now, but the documentary captures something that the book cannot: home video footage. The band has so much home footage, capturing their early days, first concerts and the travels to secure a record deal. Their footage is like the earliest precursor to a reality show.
If you missed it, too, check it out. Here's the trailer:
We only watched a portion of the film because George said the music made him sick. If you know George and his love for music, you know how sick he must have been. Currently, George is feeling much better today. He clarified that he was 67% better on Saturday, 81% better on Sunday and 100% today. (I'm not sure where he learned about percentages.) He is relishing his first day of summer break by asking me to "set him up" on the sofa with his favorite blanket, a drink and some goldfish. After the weekend he had, I obliged and joined him in his Scooby Doo mini marathon.
William George donned his pirate attire and gave us his best pirate's brogue last night for his preschool program and K4 graduation.
The 4K classes and kindergarten classes have been working on learning their songs; the pledges to the American flag, Christian flag and Bible, the Lord's Prayer and the 23rd Psalm.
We loved the pirate scarf. George's teacher shared a YouTube tutorial, and I practiced it on myself before realizing I had completely messed up my hair. In the end it was worth it because George's pirate scarf held up throughout the program. Tuck and tie, friends... tuck and tie.
After the program and a video montage, the graduates lined up for their turn on stage.
This moment... priceless.
Grammie came to watch the ceremony...
...As did Gran. Poppa wisely avoided the crowd (it was huge!) until he is more sure on his feet, post new hip.
Afterward, this little guy celebrated with cake, juice and lots of friends...
...and his sisters, who were so proud of him. Lauren wanted to be in charge of videoing the program, until I told her we could just order a copy of the video taken by the school.
Congratulations, William George! We are so proud of you!
We have had a busy week, what with wrapping up William George's school year. I will try to update on that soon, but in the meantime, here are some things I wanted to share:
Did you read her blog? She loves Target and Meg Ryan... what could be more perfect?
2) Summer Reading: Bill Gates, an avid reader, recently shared his list of recommended summer reading. Although these are hardly "beach reads," they are on my reading list.
4) On a serious note: The problem with oversimplifying other people's problems.
Also, related, this has application when analyzing candidates as well. When a candidate offers a simple solution to a complex issue, voters need to take note.
5) Celebrations: We are totally loving all of the images our friends are sharing of their high school and college graduates (and for parents like us who got a late start, kindergarten graduations! HA!), and I'm going to be a little sad to see the party stop.
Maybe we should be celebrating more? This article explores the link between overall happiness and celebration.
Yes to this.
Have a wonderful weekend... let's meet back here on Monday.
Remember the photo from this post? After looking at the poor quality of the photo, Skip suggested I get a LuMee, the front-lit smartphone case utilized by Kim Kardashian. If you are squeamish about following the advice of a Kardashian (normally I wouldn't, but what better resource for selfie mastery?) LuMee also made Oprah's 2015 list of favorite things.
While I am not really big on taking selfies, if/when one is taken, I would prefer that it be a good photo, and I'm trying to get better about selfie's because it is a quick and easy way to be photographed with the children. (I still prefer to be behind the camera.) My photography skills are in the moderate, amateur range, but there are two rules I live by: 1) chase the light and 2) get a good, sharp focus on the eyes, and most everything else falls into place. Obviously, there are myriad additional rules, some of which I follow, and most of which I have not yet learned.
Light should be simple to capture, but the inferior flashes on phones and the complete lack of flash/lighting with the front camera makes it challenging. Smartphone makers are improving their cameras constantly, but there is still a long way to go. Apple, although lagging in the past, is finally catching up with the improvements with the 6 and 6s, but a boost is still often needed, especially indoors. I was interested in the LuMee, specifically, to try to squeeze better photos out of my iPhone 5, with its f-stop of 2.4. (By comparison, good portrait lenses usually are in the 1.4/f range. The lower the f-stop, the less light is required for good portraits. A low f-stop + good lighting? You'll have an amazing photo.)
When researching the LuMee, I did balk at the price point ($49.95 - $59.95) and decided not to order. A fun fact about Skip is that if he is purchasing something, he wants you to get something as well. It's endearing and generous, but I usually say no, because I pick up things all the time whereas he rarely does. Any rate, I had dismissed the LuMee, but Skip ordered it when he was purchasing a couple of new accessories for his phone (the uhh, Blackberry Passport. #ahem). Long story short, the LuMee arrived on Saturday, just in time to try it out within the dark and cavernous atmosphere of the Alabama Theatre.
The duo were fascinated by the lights, and they immediately wanted to try it out. Lauren's selfie is at the top of this post. Here is another research shot:
When Lauren told Gracie about the new case, Gracie wanted a turn, too, and they wanted an explanation of what the case actually does. To demonstrate, we did a before/after comparison. Again, the photos are taken with an iPhone 5 in poor lighting. The below photos are taken in the basement, and Gracie is sitting a car that is dark except for the poor interior light.
Without LuMee
With LuMee
We really put it to the test at the theatre. The LuMee gave a much needed boost to dressing room lighting.
In near pitch black situations, the LuMee provided ample light for photography. Added bonus, the lights will keep four-year-old boys amused for long spans of time.
And although I look a little taken aback in the below photo, doesn't Skip look handsome? Look at those pretty blue eyes!
One quibble, I don't love the front-lit case for FaceTime calls, although the creator cite's FaceTiming with his daughter as the impetus for creating this product. If you are using the LuMee during a FaceTime call, it is difficult to see the other party on your screen through the bright light. There is a dimming feature that helps, but for now I tend to think of the LuMee as a photography tool.
Overall, it's worth the investment.
All photos are unedited and unfiltered.
Also, this is not an advertisement for LuMee, as they have no idea who I am.
Saturday was the much anticipated dance recital, and the duo were super excited. They had ballet, tap and jazz performances, and their class did so well under the excellent guidance of their talented instructor (and co-owner).
Gran went with us to the rehearsal that morning, and Grammie joined us for the performance that night. William George also had his last game that ended approximately one hour before the start of the show, and therefore, he attended in uniform and was a little dusty from the game. He couldn't have been more cute.
The ballet number was beautiful, and the tap number was Mary Poppins' themed and was adorable. The girls had fun with it, for sure.
SUPERCALAFRAGALISTICEXPIALADOSHUS!
Jazz was fast-paced and is always a favorite.
When we returned for the show later in the afternoon, the duo were up for a couple of photos, and I am always ready to capture their experiences.
Lauren and Grace, we love watching you dance!
To say that we enjoy recital weekend is a tremendous understatement, and we are always a little sad to see it end. The duo attend their last dance class today to say goodbye to their friends and teacher. While we are looking forward to summer activities, they will miss dance and will be eager to resume in August.
