Galadriel, ballerina

It's important for me to let you know that we really haven't "done" ballet.  My girls took 2 or 3 years when they were young from a home schooling mom, who was actually a really good teacher.  But we quit, as I quit many many things, when I would feel overwhelmed after the addition of a new child to our family.

We started up again several years back at a Protestant church venue, which again, was good in many ways, but turned out to be too much of a church "ministry" for me to feel comfortable with, as a Catholic.  Once again, I was relieved to have an easier schedule.  Another year went by.  But I always remembered the joy my girls would return home from ballet with.  Really, they'd come home late and dance and laugh in their room as I tried to hush them and get them to bed.

Last year Galadriel played basketball at the local Catholic school, and had fun, but also ran into some situations that were typical "school stuff", and good lessons, but not awesome.

I ran into a couple of friends who told me about a new (to me) dance school, and one friend really encouraged me to sign up.  I signed up my three youngest girls.

At Christmas, I was ready to say the first semester was all we were going to do this year.  But Galadriel opened her heart to me.  She said it was a dream of hers to be in a performance.

I told her we simply could not do both basketball and ballet.  She thought about it very seriously, and she determined that she really wanted to dance!

She said it was a life goal of hers to get en pointe.  She begged and pleaded and agreed that it would be the only thing she would do.

Galadriel was pre-pointe and was very challenged to keep up after being out of ballet for so long.  She practiced and worked hard, and loved every minute.

The week before the performance we got a letter in the mail saying that Galadriel had graduated to the next class.  She needed to buy her pointe shoes before next season, and they recommended a class this summer.

As I watched Galadriel on the evening of her performance, I wept.  It's true, I'm an incurable cryer.  But still.  I was so proud of her.

 Galadriel is a girl who works with determination to reach her goals.  They don't always come easily for her.  As a mother, it is my joy to help her develop her talents.  She makes it so worth it.

So now you have it: my three ballerinas!

Congratulations Galadriel!

Rosie's dance

I told you about Eowyn's rehearsal in the post before this one.  As I said, each girl of mine is so very unique.  Eowyn is just a 4-year-old little sparkle.  She's kindof air-headed in the way that little girls are, and with all due respect for the charm that is a dingy sprite that's just past toddlerhood.

But Rosie was never dingy.  She has always had a lot of depth and poise.  She can run and play and giggle with the best of them, but she has a different temperament than a lot of my children.

During rehearsal, Rosie was very serious and performed her dance without a mistake.  We did, however, have to tell her to remember to SMILE for the performance.

Rosie's song was Disney's "Happy Little Working Song" and they performed with cheerful little feather dusters.  The thing is, Rosie totally has a bubbly and cheerful side to her.  Somehow this song seemed perfect for her!

Sweet Rosie is used to having to fight for her place in this big family, being #6 of 9.  She's choleric in temperament. Dancing brings out the whimsical, light-hearted side of her personality, and being able to shine on stage without any siblings in sight was, for her, just good.

I was thankful for the chance to cherish her in a unique light.  For Eowyn, ballet is all about the tutu.  For Rosie, I think ballet is a place where she is not one of the "little kids".   And on the day of the performance, she was big smiles the whole time through and she really led the class in the dance.

I watched from behind the curtain, and as she leapt off the stage she jumped and laughed with delight.  I was hoping to quit dance because I really hate the running and the schedules especially through the winter when the big kids play basketball.  But I really think this just might be very worth it.

Dress Rehearsal

Dead center, hands clasped.  

Eyes on teacher.  Pretty uncertain as to what to do.

Intently moving to the special circle on the floor where she knows she starts.

 Suddenly the music starts, and we get a smile!

"Baby ballerina so petite, baby ballerina dancing feet"

I have four girls, my oldest is 16, and we've never done a ballet performance before this spring.

Watching my youngest daughter in her little pink tutu fulfilled in me all kinds of dreams.  I've read too many Angelina Ballerina books over the years.  I'm pretty sure Eowyn felt exactly how a little girl performing in a pink tutu for the first time should feel.

I'm pretty sure I'll never be a "dance mom", but I stood at the foot of the stage and recorded and photographed with the best of them!

dancing to the beat of her own drum here...

Rosie and Galadriel also performed, each girl's own personality came out so much, I'm going to have to give them each their own post.  Eowyn was all exuberance and cuteness.  My perfect little pink ballerina! 

April

And then, mid April, we got a half foot of snow.  So, what the heck, let's just go ahead and do that 1000 piece Christmas puzzle.  Because, if December and January didn't bring us to this point, snow in April did.  We have resorted to Christmas puzzles.  And we aren't even a puzzle family.

Well, we weren't.  

But, when the weather happened to raise closer to the 50 degree mark, Bilbo, who turned 10 (and I owe a Birthday post to), took his kayak out on the local pond.

Which was awesome.

But then, we got sick.  A super nasty sickness.  I can handle a lot when it comes to sickness.  I really am not phased by the stomach flu, and that's saying a lot.  I mean, I don't want to get it, but if my job as a mom is just mopping up, I can handle that.

I don't like high fevers because they scare me.  My kids can get night terrors with fevers, and those are something that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy.  I also don't like earaches because they are so outrageously painful and there's not that much you can do to help.

With the "April sickness" that followed the snow storm, ahem, SNOW STORM

(just to give you an idea), the kids got earaches.  So, while we dosed them with ibuprofen as needed, there were long days with very miserable children and one which ended with Eowyn (4) screaming that "it was making her crazy" (her ear) as she waited for the medicine to kick in.  I frantically got hot and cold packs, whipped out my essential oils, all to little or no avail, until the medicine did work and she fell asleep for the night.  

Mercifully (and I did pray), they did wake up better the next day.

But of course, that was the first few, and there are several more rounds of "a few kids" before we get through the family.  In other words, the little kids are better today, the big boys felt worse.  The three girls (besides Eowyn) probably got this first.  So, it's been a real stretch here this April.  A stretch.  

But, hope dawns eternal.  May is just around the corner!

Have a good weekend!

Confirmation

Arwen was confirmed on Thursday evening.  She is my first to receive Confirmation, which is the completion of the Sacraments of Initiation into the Catholic Church.  Receiving the Gifts of the Holy Spirit by the anointing with Chrism oil, the same oil used at Baptism.  

For those who have had babies Baptized in the Catholic Church, you know there is that glorious smell  of Chrism oil.  It's clove.  And you really only smell that smell at Baptisms.  I don't wash my babies for days, just to keep that smell lasting longer.  

I had been thinking of Arwen's baptism, and how much that day meant to me, ten days after she was born.  I was remembering her grandparents flying out to Virginia, and the Church where she was baptized.  As I walked up to Communion during the Confirmation Mass, I had to pass all of the confirmants, newly anointed, (there were probably 50), and they all smelled like little babies who had just been baptized!  I suppose the fact that I've had 9 babies of my own baptized might have highlighted this sense memory in me.

I almost felt that I was passing a sea of innocent little babies, now transformed into teens, my own Sixteen-year-old beautiful daughter included.  Like my life just flashed from her baptism to her confirmation.  I was so struck by the power and beauty of the connection between that day and this, that sacrament and this completion of it.

My Mom was able to stand as her proxy, since my sister, Arwen's Godmother, couldn't make it to be her sponsor in person.  My Dad sat with me in the pew. I was so grateful for their presence.

Are you surprised to hear that Arwen chose Kateri as her confirmation name?  I think it sounds beautiful with her full, given, Christian name.  (People have actually asked if these are blog names or if I'm just a huge Tolkien fan!  Just blog names. :) )

My sister and a close friend just had babies this Easer.  My friend named her baby Kateri.  Her Kateri will be baptized soon, and anointed with Chrism oil.  I sometimes feel sad thinking that I may not have any more babies of my own.  God knows, but someday there will be a last.  It struck me as an incredible joy that I actually have a newly anointed "Kateri" of my own this Easter!  16 years after her baptism, we get to present her anew: "Bishop", my Mom said, right arm on Arwen's right shoulder, "I present to you Kateri"!

And the sweetest friend in the world was there to show her support!

Kateri, congratulations! I am so proud of you!

I love you!

Easter Season

*** Blogging isn't really happening in my life right now...I've been working on this post for some time, so just ignore any time references, or adjust accordingly  :)

Easter did happen.  I just don't have any photo-documentation of it.  A man put in charge of photographing our parish egg hunt snapped the one and only almost-family photo we got.  Seven of the nine kids and one of two parents. I'll take it!

Missing myself, Galadriel, and Bilbo

 So, since Easter is all about the Resurrection and New Life, I figure pictures of my new niece and the little chicks that arrived at "Aunt Buffy's" farm will do:

First, my sweet niece was born during Holy Week and was baptized on Divine Mercy Sunday.

Then the fuzzy chicks that arrived the Thursday before Easter?, or was it after? :

Back at home, the Easter Bunny delivered us some pretty new friends.  We have had such great luck with keeping Beta fish.  It is absolutely crazy how much we love fish, but my kids love watching them and feeding them.  They really last years if you don't do something to kill them, like overfeed them.  Our last fish was about 3 years old when my toddler dumped a ton of food in.  I didn't catch it early enough, so it died, and we were all bummed.  So, this Easter seemed like a good time to get another.

Typical of me, I saw this super cool waterfall effect aquarium for Beta, with three separate tanks.  So, I justified buying three Betas.  My kids divided them up as their personal fish and named them.  I'll get more pictures soon--there are rocks and plants in the tanks now.  All still alive and happy.  Cheerful little friends.  I guess you'd have to be a fish person to understand.

In my next post I'm going to write about Arwen's Confirmation this week!  But I'm totally out of time.  Odd post, perhaps, but: I posted!