Dance clip

Molly's class is trying jazz for the first time. How can you not love 6 year olds rockin' it to a song from Hairspray! I just keep telling myself that somehow it all comes together by the time the curtain opens on the recital in June! (This won't be their dance though. They don't start those until January. I'm hoping the teacher decides to use it though because they love the music!)

And this was about the only one I got in Brenna's class. The older they get, the faster they move. Everything came out blurry, backwards, etc.! She has a nice class and the girls really get along well. This is her 4th year with them and I think she likes having friends outside of her school class.

School Pictures

Not bad this year. Given our track record with the "deer in the headlights look", this may be the best we'll ever get!

Altar Server

Brenna finished her training and has started serving Masses at our church. I love seeing her on the altar! She's quite proud of herself but is still a bit timid. Luckily there are always several older kids serving with her that are very helpful to the new servers. Here she is with her friend Mary just before Mass tonight.

We are very blessed that our parish has 91 altar servers. My home parish in Boston probably has 9 if they're lucky. We have a great priest in residence at our parish who spends a great deal of time really preparing these kids and keeping on top of things. The only problem is that they are usually only assigned to serve twice a month (on a team of 6) because there are so many of them! Brenna also sings with the Children Choir once a month so she's quite involved and that does make it much more personal to her.

Brenna will also serve the St. Nicholas Mass in December which is a special celebration for the children of our parish as well as an inner city parish we sponsor. Last year the children's choirs of both parishes sang together and it was absolutely beautiful. Then we all go to the parish hall and Saint Nicholas comes to visit and tell his story. Even more special is that this year my principal requested that this Mass be offered for my aunt who passed away in September. Who loved Christmas any more than Auntie Dottie? I'm sure she'll be with us in a special way that day . . .

Fall Flashback

I was looking through one of Brenna's scrapbooks and came across this photo. One of my favorites! I loved this sweater set and used it so much on both girls. And those first little white walking shoes . . .

This was in Oct. 2000. She had just turned 1 and wasn't technically even walking then.

Because all of Brenna's first 2 years were before I got a digital camera, I don't have these early pictures on my computer unless I scan them. I need to do that more to refresh my memory.

Silly Scouts

Today was the first day both girls had Girl Scouts on the same day so I finally got a picture of them together. (Granted they were chanting "lo mein!" because I told them I would take them out for Chinese food as soon as I took some pictures!)

The troops usually meet at their school on alternate Fridays. A scheduling problem had all 5 troops meeting this week. Logistically that would be a nightmare - more than 70 girls in one big room! The kindergarteners were dispatched to to a nature hike and Brenna's troop came to our house They had planned to do a special session with a teenage scout who often helps us and the extra space was needed. So I had a dozen 9 year old girls with pocketknives on my front lawn cutting twigs and rope!

Luckily no one was injured and my stash of BandAids is still good.

Feis

Brenna's Irish dance school hosted a feis today in Emmitsburg, MD. She was excited to dance again and even though a medal wasn't in her cards this time, she had fun and it was a great experience.

(If you clcik the photo and make it larger, you can see Brenna in the line of dancers 7th from the left. She wears the beginner costume. The girl 4th from the left wears the school's dress which is black with a white cape. I'm not sure why her school wears black tights instead of the white socks . . .)