Friday, April 23, 2010

First Drama Performance

Tonight was Holly's first school play. Because of the size of the school, the plays were split into 2 evenings. This was the JK to Grade 3 night. Holly's class were frogs and they jumped around and said "ribbit" - very cute! They are wearing goggles to show off their buggy frog eyes and at the end they recite a translation of a famous Japanese haiku, by Matsuo Basho. The kids wore greens, browns and Holly is seen in blue because I couldn't find anything in plain green in her wardrobe (and no green pants) - she was calling herself a poisonous blue dart frog!















This is the performance on video. In the background you might be able to see a man on percussion. He accompanied all the groups in their performances and many years from now this might mean something to them - he is Ray Garraway, drummer for k-os. If you Google his name, you will find his MySpace site - very cool. Ray was smiling the whole night and when I talked to him after the play, he said it was his first performance with kids this young and he had had a blast. I had hoped to get a photo of him with Holly, but she refused!

"An old pond
The frog jumps in
Splash, the sound of water"


All the kids at the end of the play . . .














This is the school's drama specialist, Kate Newman, with Holly & Mehr posing in their frog positions. I can't wait to see what the kids do next year!

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Cinemazoo

Today a group called Cinemazoo visited Holly's school and made a presentation to the Junior Kindergarten, Kindergarten and Grade 1 classes.

They brought tarantulas (brave Ms. Penner!). . .



















. . . snakes . . .



















. . . and a giant snake skin, along with stick bugs, toads, rabbits, hissing cockroaches, and scorpions (which I didn't know glow in the dark - you learn something new every day!). The kids all loved it and Holly didn't even run away even though she was sitting in the front row watching the tarantulas!




Sunday, April 18, 2010

Cassie's Birthday

Today we went to Cassie's 5th birthday party, which was a cute tea party held at her house.




























Before tea, the kids got their faces painted. Cassie, the birthday girl . . .




















Mackenzie, birthday girl's sister . . .















Holly, the beautiful butterfly . . .



















Anna & Cassie . . .















Katie, Holly, & Sienna . . .















Sienna, Holly, Isabelle, and Mehr . . .















"Little Orphan Annie" cake!
































Candle time!





























Time for presents . . .




























Try to get everyone to sit still for even 10 seconds - nearly impossible!











































The kids also got to paint rocks before tea - Holly was on the pink team, and decorated hers with. . . what else - Princesses!

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

A Tea Party

Holly spent the afternoon with my mom and my aunt. They had a fancy tea party - and even managed to save me a few snacks for when I came to pick her up!

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Garage pad

Holly standing on our newly poured garage pad. . .

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Sienna's Birthday

Today we went to Sienna's 5th birthday party - she is one of Holly's friends from school . . .

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Easter Celebration

Today was Easter in Queen's Park - we went early to go on an egg hunt, but they didn't do it this year! Instead, there were game stations and then you got a goodie bag when you were done. Holly waited patiently in the lines and tried most of the games . . .

This was a race to pull your wagon to the table and take out rubber ducks to throw at the bunnies on the table and knock them over - not very nice to the Easter Bunny!















Pitch & putt . . .















At the same station as the golfing was a quick puzzle race.














Holly even wanted to wait in line (the longest one at the Park) to get her face painted. She decided what she wanted before she got to the front of the line . . .



















. . . an Easter egg!!!



















We bumped into some of her friends from school and they decided to get a joint picture with Mr and Mrs Easter Bunny . . . Sienna, Katie, & Holly.















After the photo op, we had to quickly head over to meet Josie (our hula teacher) - Holly was performing in her first public exhibition of hula! Ever see an Easter egg do the hula?! I decided I wasn't ready to perform (Holly has been dancing since September and she is a bit younger, hence a quicker learner!). Maybe I'll give it a try in June - at least I'll have been dancing for 6 months then!

Sienna came to watch Cassie and Holly dance.















Practising with the poi balls - good shot, eh? I got them just on the upswing!



















I did wonder if she might get stage fright, but no worries there - she's performing with some of her little friends before the show even starts!














Waiting patiently for their turn to dance . . .














Finally, it's their turn!




























Here is a clip of the poi dance:


"I pick a red hibiscus, hibiscus, hibiscus. It seems to say aloha, aloha, aloha. There are so many others in all the rainbow hues, they help to make Hawaii more beautiful for you . . . "