The One Where We Have Online Recitals

Another Quarantine, another wild week!

Hard to believe it, but this week Bri and Kiff had their recital online. It was amazing!  We really were not too sure what it would look like, but it was amazing!

They all participated during different days this week, but had some great dances. Bri and Kiff each had their own special dances as well, Bri was part of lyrical ballet and Kiff was part of hip hop.

It was awesome! The best part was family members could watch...and they did.

The One With The Last Race and the First Dance

Last night was a funny juxtaposition in our house. It represented the end of one era and the beginning of another.

It marked the last time Kiff would take part in a Cub Scout race. He is about a month away from cross over into Boy Scouts and last night he took his best - and most memorable car - and rode it to third place (for Webelos 2). What a fun way to go out.

Meanwhile, Bri attended her first middle school dance. It sounded like a lot of fun. It went from 7 to 9 in the middle school gym. It looked pretty cool from what I could see while I waited to pick her and a friend up. They even had blue lights on in the gym. Neat!

Hard to believe how fast time passes. ZOINKS!

The One With The Recital

It came upon us again. That wild time of year. When dance converges on the city of Lawrence in our annual recital!

And once again, it did not disappoint. Bri and Kiff did a great job with their dances. And it truly marked a milestone in many ways.

First, they both smiled throughout their dances....something that they have been working hard to do.

Second, Kiff took a risk and added something to his own dance to give it character at the end of Girls Like You. This was not easy for him to do at first, but he realized it was a chance to try add be an actor as well as a dancer.

Finally, it was clear that Bri has become a more competent and older dancer. Her group was fabulous - particularly during the country dance they did. You can tell she had a blast. But along with that, you can tell she is moving her way up the ranks. Her group was in the first five to take stage to bow....which is almost always done based on age and experience.

What a fabulous way to end a memorable dance year. Here's looking forward to many more.

The One With the Last Full Week of School

Ah, Saturday. The sweet reward of a week well done!

This past week was the last full week of school....and alas, my last full week of 8th grade for now.

As I look back, I realize that it was a bittersweet week. Filled with finals and an 8th grade dance, I realized that 8th grade truly is one of those monumental years in the lives of students.

Ones they will never forget.

And ones I will never forget, too.

I will miss this group of 8th graders and 8th grade overall....it is such an amazing time of year.

It is with a bit of sadness that I bid a fond farewell to my school home for the past three years....of course, I am returning home to 5th grade next year.

The One Where We Have The Recital

This weekend was a busy weekend - Recital Weekend in Lawrence. And both Bri and Kiff rocked it big time.

This year, the recital was at 4:30, so we learned a lesson from last year to be there about an hour early. However, next year, we will go for 1:30 early. There was still quite a line.

Once we got settled, the recital was - simply put - awesome. Bri was in two performances at the beginning of the recital. Then, Kiff had three dances and Bri one in the second half, which went so quickly.

The dances themselves were great. We had the whole family come out to watch as well, which was a blast for all of us.



Bri showed her typical determination to get every step right...and Kiff showed that he loved being the star of the show.

It was quite an exhausting day because we had a baseball game and softball pictures early in the day!

Zoinks.

But overall, a great recital.

The One With The Eclipse

Last Friday  (February 10), was a wild night. Bri had Dance. Kiff had a Cub Scout Blue and Gold. But perhaps just as interesting was what happened in nature.

That night, there was an astronomical triple fecta - a full Snow Moon, a penubral lunar eclipse, and a comet in the sky. Well, we were lucky to see two out of the three (clouds from an approaching snow event made it so we could not attempt to see the comet).

While the moon was beautiful, it was fascinating to see the eclipse. It was not your typical eclipse. In fact, you could see it approaching (there was a reddish cloud around the back of the moon). Now, the moon did not change too much, but in the top left corner, you could see a shadowy spot.

Not amazing....but very cool.

If you look at the picture below, you can see in the fuzzyness a small shadow in the top left corner. Definitely worth spending two minutes to look at as a family.

Fun times.

The One With Dancing Week

Wow...dancing week started this week.

And it was busy. There were four nights this week that either Kiff or Bri has a dance class.

Of course, they enjoy it and have fun with their teachers. But, wow!

What a schedule. Making Kiff's more fun is he has football right after dance. Zoinks.

The One With the Father Daughter Dance

This past Thursday, the annual Father - Daughter Dance was held at the Yacht Club. It was a fabulous time.

We actually spent the earlier part of the day finding a dress. Bri settled on a salmon-colored dress with gold flowers...which she really liked. 

When we got there, we were able to first get a drink of punch for the punch fountain. Bri enjoyed this last year and visited several times this year.

Then, we got something to eat. There were lots of items to choose from. We had some crackers and cheese for snack then visited the dance floor. After that, we had some egg rolls, pizza, chicken nuggets, and meatballs....quite a smorgasbord. We ate outside and enjoyed the warm weather and setting sun along the waterfront. 

We returned to the dance floor, and danced. There were several fathers on the dance floor as well, which is always great to see.

After, we went back outside to walk along the grass and took a picture at the bandstand.

We came back in and found what Bri was really waiting for - the chocolate fountain. She dipped strawberries, marshmallows, and rice krispie treats in the fountain for a perfect dessert. Then, they played "Hit The Road Jack" and it was time to go.

Another wonderful, father, daughter dance...and another one that I will never forget.

Bri's recital is great

Bri had her fifth recital this weekend. And it went great. Bri performed in three specific dances in the show.

The first was a ballet to Jonny Fedora with the classic Disney cartoon playing in the background. She did well in that.

The second was a jazz dance to Dance With Me Tonight. Bri actually started off the dance by dancing with a young boy in the class. It was clever and fun.

The final dance was a tap to Jonny B. Goode. She did well and even did a little bit of air guitar. It was awesome.

What a great memory of her fifth recital....it is hard to believe there were five of them.

And it was great to know Dad was shining down during the performance....the rainbow shined during Somewhere Over The Rainbow.

The One With the Father Daughter Dance

Last Friday - February 13 - was a father daughter dance in town. Bri and I went to it.

What a blast. It is the second year we have attended this event and we had a ton of fun. We both got dressed up and had some fun.

When we arrived, we registered and had a picture taken in front of an imaginary sky line. Then, we walked in, and joined in the dancing. Fathers and daughters were doing some fun, side to side dance. After that, there was another jazzy dance to Let It Go from FROZEN, then it was time for a Hoola Hoop contest.

We followed that up by playing a few games and then watching Cotton Eyed Joe, which was being taught to all of the kids - and dads - who were there. Fun times!

Bri encountered plenty of kids from school and some from dance who recognized her.

Then, we did the YMCA - always a blast, and went downstairs to get some water and do a few crafts. We made a key chain, frame, and colored some pictures.

We wrapped up with one last jazzy dance and took off into the cold night...which was like 10°F outside.

It was a fun time and one I will never forget! The type I know I will remember decades from now.

The One With the Father Daughter Dance

Last night was our first Father-Daughter Dance. What a wonderful time it was.

It began by getting ready before we left. We dressed in our best. Bri was dressed in a purple dress, while I was dressed in my suit coat.

We left around 6:35 to get to the dance held at the high school. At first, it was a little overwhelming. There were already a ton of kids there...and trying to scope out what to do took some time. But, we settled in and started by making masks at a table. What fun. It took forever - after all it was a masquerade dance and the masks should look good. That help set the tone. We checked out a balloon game, then moved on to taking a picture together.

Then, we made a guess about how many candies were in a jar. We were way off...by about 700 pieces. Then, we moved onto doing some dances....including disco, "Hey Mickey", and a version of the Chicken Dance. We got a snack, a patch (it was for scouts) made a craft and another mask, and did one final dance...than it was time to go.

It was a great evening...and a fun first father-daughter dance.