A December Violin Recital

Solomon and Nova participated in a Friday Night Recital this December.  Each Suzuki teacher is a little different.  While their previous teacher did studio recitals like clockwork each November and May, their current teacher has no studio recitals at all.  Instead we do a sort of 'a la carte' version by participating in school wide recitals (which also means there is a variety of instruments, which is fun).  Typically kids will choose songs that they have played for quite awhile for these, so they will be really polished.  Solomon and Nova each chose an old favorite--Witches' Dance by Paganini for Nova, and Gavotte by Becker for Solomon.  

We made good use of happy hour at Kindee, a Thai fusion restaurant down the street.  We tried a little of everything, making a meal of many appetizers.  Charlotte was very fond of the calamari until she found one that looked like what it was.  The cranberry cream cheese puffs and tempura green beans were favorites.  Ariadne was all about the sauce.   It was fun to take the kids out to a fancy restaurant, and we had the place ourselves for most of our meal.

The kids did very well performing.  Nova whipped right through her song and was all smiles at the end.  Solomon started off beautifully, just like he had played it umpteen times already that day--and then encountered his first case of stage fright.  It had to happen sometime, I suppose.  He found a good spot to jump back into the song and finished admirably.  Though he was less than happy about the way it went, I think it was a valuable experience.  Resiliency is an important trait that you can't build up without a few mistakes. 

Little sisters like the stage too!

St Lucia Day 2014

St Lucia day has come and gone.  This time around we had three white nightgowns/lucia day dresses, three crowns, and actual, honest to goodness, wheat saffron buns (it makes a difference!).  A vast improvement on last year. 

Nova and Charlotte helped make the buns.  Aria stirred the hot chocolate.  The girls put the finishing touches on the wreaths themselves (having a purpose-made St Lucia crown is LOTS easier than using florist's wire to put electric candles into a wreath made entirely of evergreens).  Though Aria's was plush, she enjoyed helping her sisters put greenery on their crowns.  

Then it was off to wake everyone else (who played their parts beautifully by staying asleep past dawn).  We were aided by the calendar here as well, since it was the Winter Solstice.  Unfortunately, we were all sick a week ago on December 13th, so we had to push St Lucia day out a bit.  Since the Winter solstice was the original day of this holiday (before the Gregorian Calendar came in), the 21st seemed the perfect day.  Also, Charles likes being surprised by St Lucia day--like he was the first year.  

At breakfast Solomon said if he had daughters he might try to start this tradition up again as an adult--except that he thought it might be construed as a self serving way for him to get breakfast in bed.  I told him that there is a 'star boy' roll that he could fill if he wanted and that it was actually the parents, not the males of the household, that were supposed to get breakfast in bed.  His response 'So I am exactly right.'  He declined becoming a star boy.  Earlier that morning, while we were shaping the buns, Nova had told me she thought in three years she could do the whole thing herself--if I wouldn't mind.  I think that would be lovely!    

Treehouse Farewell and Bonfire Party

We have had a fabulous treehouse in our back yard for over four years now.  I dreamed it up one winter and my dad built it the next Spring.  It is 10' by 10', minus the giant tree trunk in the middle. It has a front porch and a suggestion of a roof.  The older two kids have slept in it every summer, taking up books and sleeping bags, snacks and (hopefully) bug spray.  It has been the coveted high ground in ever one of Solomon's birthday water fights (three years running).  Nova figured out the rope ladder herself just this spring (before we had a regular ladder leading up as the mechanics of the rope ladder proved a bit difficult for us adults.

Sadly the huge silver maple that it resides in is not doing well.  We suspect it is about 70 years old--the same as our house.  We knew it wouldn't last forever, we just thought we'd have several years left. Looking up into the canopy about two weeks ago we noticed a fungus on a dead branch--little white shelves all over the western face.  That alone was not too worrying, but the fact that the fungus continued down, past the floor of the treehouse on the main trunk was more than a little disturbing. Finding that it matched a fungus named 'heart rot' seem a death knell.  So--we had a party.

We set the date for just a week and a half out, since the following Friday was Halloween.  Chili, cider and a bonfire were offered as well as a farewell tour of the treehouse.  We invited widely, the kids' friends, our friends, the neighbors, grandparents and any aunts or uncles in the area.  One of Solomon's friends ended up coming early and helping with yard work and making the chili, which was nice.  We borrowed crock pots, ladles and a mixer from neighbors (my mixer died in the middle of making frosting).  A massive leaf pile for jumping and and driveway basketball court rounded out the outdoor activities.

And then 53 people came.  Even my high estimates had been no more than 40.  But, it worked out remarkably well.  The weather was perfect.  The kids (approximately 25 of our guests were under 18) ran around and generally had fun.

Some of our guests checked out the tree house.  (Above is a little tour--pretend we are taking you up  to hang out by the trunk, in the corner, and on the front porch). Others visited on the ground or in the house.  The leaf pile was a hit.  The food held out. We had a good time.

A little before dusk we got the fire started.  And then as night fell, the crowd dwindled.  We sat around the fire a while longer, and before we knew it, it was just us.  Thanks for coming everyone!  We will miss our tree and treehouse.