It must be December

 Leila's school shoes are totally worn out.

 The cherry orchard near our primary school has opened it's doors for local buyers.

 Hannah is enjoying the fruits of the season.

It must be the end of the year.

I blame uncle Stephen

This was at a skate park where cousin Lewis recently had his family birthday get together.
Stephen was thrilled to discover a bit of wet concrete just waiting for his artistic contribution.  My girls asked if they could do the same.  It was a skate park after all, so how could I refuse?
We made sure the name didn't stay though.  I'm not really sure whether to feel guilty or not?  Am I a bad mother do you think?

Things to do at bedtime and the Fun Run

Hannah is currently keeping this little plastic recorder under her pillow.  She can change the notes with her fingers.  It was fun, but not exactly what I wanted her to be doing at bedtime.
She is a little sun burnt in this picture.  So was I.  We watched the bigger girls in the school fun run, and then hung washing without hats.  Silly us.  Bethany and Leila each ran 5Km in an hour.  Pretty impressive!

?New Kitchen

I have had 2 guys visit recently to give suggestions and quotes for a new kitchen.  I always said I couldn't have a new kitchen unless I could keep the one that I have currently CLEAN.
I'm doing better, except for my bench of doom, but even that gets properly clean far more frequently now.
Damien and I have to visit a few showrooms together and make a decision.  We are never very quick at these things, but I'll keep you updated.

After the dance concert

I had planned to walk them all to the car park, but it was very clear that Leila was too tired to walk, behavior was falling apart (it was after 10pm) and little Hannah made it VERY clear that she was NOT going to share the pram with Leila.  Damien was off helping Mum get to her car (which Stephen had) and so I just left the older kids and the basket of costumes in the theater and took off with Hannah in my arms to collect our car.  In the middle of all that the Hospital wanted me to do an echo in ICU, Damien didn't answer his phone (it was still on silent) and it all got a bit stressful, but then the call-in was canceled.  Phew!

 Bethany made it home awake, and got to enjoy her drive-through McDonald's chicken wrap.  She was very tired when I took this photo in our driveway as we reached our home.

This is what Leila looked like.  She was more than half asleep when we got to the drive-through.  Too awake for me to avoid buying her something, but too asleep to actually eat it.

Hannah had no hope.  Her eyes rolled the moment I put her little bottom in the car seat.  She was totally out by the time I drove the two blocks from the car-park back to the theater to collect the older girls and all the stuff.  We knew she was tired.  She really didn't cope all that well with being in the audience for the second half of the night.

Concert Commentary

 It has been a busy week.  I spent half my evenings sewing up an elephant bird costume.  This was for a hilarious dance/skit sequence that is being prepared for the eisteddfod next year.  It is based on part of the broadway production "Seussicle"  which adapts the Dr Seuss book "Horton Hatches the Egg".
I purchased new drafting software which had a more extensive range of leotard templates, but got the stretch factor wrong, so I ended up making a teeny weeny incy wincy leotard, and had to start over.  Hannah is enjoying the prototype though!
A similar thing happened with the feathery arms.  Here is the prototype.  It took me 2 hours to make a new set, because my sewing machine and I were not getting along very well.  Too many late nights, but a good final result.

This was Hannah's first concert.  Boy did she look cute in her little sequined jungle girl costume.

Yes, that is a real bone in her hair.  And I should have remembered that mascara doesn't last two minutes on anyone under 5 years of age.  She was fascinated with the whole makeup process.  I love how the older girls all flock around her.  At the stage rehearsals I sat her in the pram when she felt a bit tired, and then found her surrounded by a little flock of white ballerinas.  She loves all the attention, and they think she is very cute.

Hannah's dance was very simple, and she didn't really have to show many steps.  It has been fun seeing her skipping and side stepping when we are out and about.  After her little performance she got to sit in the front row and watch.  This worked well for a while, then she sat with Damien and I.

There was some difficulty with one of Leila's outfits.  They ran out of fabric at Spotlight, so a rush order was made to the USA for monkey costumes.  What we got were gorilla outfits, and they were HUGE.  Leila's gorilla legs were turned half inside out to shorten the legs, but the rubber belly sat at knee level (with her nipples somewhere near her belly button).  I was able to use pins to shorten the shoulders and make everything sit higher.  The feet and hands were massive too, I do not know how she managed to avoid tripping over.  The faces were the next problem.  It is very hard to see out of them, and in rehearsal nobody could tell who was who, so all the choreography fell apart until they put big name labels on everyone's back.
Worse still, the costumes smelled of awful rubber, and were incredibly HOT.  They were each stuffed with a pillow too.  Torture.  Leila is interested in flitting about in gossamer sparkles looking as feminine as possible so it was all a bit hard to take.  She did NOT want her photo taken.  Can you tell?

So here is another photo instead:  Her tap outfit (to Toy Story's "You've got a friend in me)".  It was a great number, but I have to confess that my favourite was definitely the gorilla item.  She was in the front row, looking incredibly short, and wow, did that girl dance!  It was unbelievably entertaining.  I couldn't stop laughing.  I laughed till I cried.  It was the funniest thing I've ever seen in my life.  There is a fair streak of clown in Leila, so I could see her hamming it up in there.  I just cannot describe how funny it was.

I don't have any costumed pictures of Bethany I am afraid.  For her Bibbety Bobbety Boo jazz number she wore a yellow leotard with a white skirt,  braces frilly socks and white jazz shoes.  Bethany and Leila both demonstrated their ballet moves in white leotards with chiffon skirts and sequined Santa hats.  Beth wore all black with a waistcoat, hat and old fashioned driving goggles for a chitty-chitty tribute number, and then a very 80's black and purple outfit with leg warmers for a jazz finale.  The choreography was amazing, and we all loved it.
I like how Mrs J ties acts together: there was a whole sequence of jungle numbers, and then chitty-chitty bang bang numbers (toot sweets, the child catcher and the old bamboo included).  There were a couple from Toy Story, and then the Dr Seuss group too.  I think I might sneak her a copy of Cathy Rigby's Peter Pan sometime and see if she gets inspired...

Ribbons

Before the annual dance concert there is always a ribbon presentation ceremony.  This is one of the concert night traditions that the parents and kids most anticipate.  The classes take turns on the stage, and individual kids are called up and positive comments are made.  It is nice to see Mrs J (the dance school principal) encouraging and rewarding the kids.  She is one of those strict fussy teachers who often points out the things they do wrong, but as she gives out the ribbons you can really see that she has another side altogether.

Bethany's Ribbons

I was really very very proud of Bethany - particularly when she received the "Most Improved" award for Ballet.  Mrs J teaches Bethany in jazz on a Tuesday night when Beth is really quite tired.  Mrs J doesn't normally attend the ballet classes and commented on being "blown away" when she saw Bethany's feet on Saturday Morning.

Leila's Ribbons

 It was just a given that both Leila and Bethany would get ribbons for timing.  We might not be naturally flexible, but we are all naturally musical.  Leila's other ribbons were very well earned too: especially the personality ribbon.  I just love how expressive she is.

Hannah's Ribbons

Little Hannah even got ribbons, and she has only been dancing for one term.  I was especially proud of the personality ribbon.

Teeth and eyes

 Just some pictures of Leila trying to cross her eyes.
 I like the hot chocolate half-mustache, and that gorgeous smile. 

We had another orthodontist visit on Wednesday, and can proudly announce that Leila has one 6 year old molar, and several slightly wiggly teeth.  Once again there was no charge and free toothbrushes for all the girls.  I just love our orthodontist.  She also had a fantastic Christmas tree on display in her impossibly child-friendly waiting room. 
This was on the day of our all-day dress-rehearsals at the Theater Royal.
It was fun, apart from the stress of having 3 girls and all their dancing costumes ready for the 7:50 am appointment.

MY bed

And Damien would add, MY Miriam.  On the morning that this was taken, Damien and I actually snuck out and slept on the couch.  This was not plan A.
Tough parents lock their bedroom door.  I am not quite ready to do that, so I generally lie there and expect Damien to carry them back to bed: they don't kick up much of a fuss if he does it, but they do for me.  I am a pushover and they know it.
Damien doesn't seem to wake up enough to shift them most nights, but complains about it interrupting his sleep.
The best bit is that sometimes they manage to sneak in without waking me, but the worst bit is they they sometimes fight about who is going to be next to Mummy.

They are often sideways.  Sometimes Leila just goes in lower down so that she can be beside me, but below Hannah.  If I roll closer to Damien, they wedge in, so that I can't roll back.  Often I'll wake to find that there is 2 feet of free bed space, but some kid is pushing Damien and I off the other side of the bed.