Talent Show

Each year, the school has an in-house (during the school day) talent show at the end of the school year.  There are no "tryouts" and as long as the lyrics to songs are approved in advance, pretty much anything goes - jump roping, hula hooping, singing, dancing, martial arts, you name it.  This year, Elizabeth and a couple of her band nerds friends decided to perform "Fireflies" by Owl City.  The drummer was able to get the sheet music for everyone, less than a week before the show. Elizabeth practiced every day and I think it showed.  I wasn't able to go but Lee was there and videotaped it for me (see below).  The girl playing the keyboard is quite good, but had the volume turned down low so you can't really hear her.

It's Magic!

Both girls recently finished their spring season with the Magic travel soccer program.  Elizabeth is on a spectacular team that improved with every game, finishing the regular season 8-2-1 (the losses were the first two games of the season).  She does not have the skill set or the talent to play with starters, but she worked incredibly hard this year and showed a great deal of improvement.  When she gets the chance to play, she proves herself to be tough, reliable and determined - and the girls on her team are so amazing that they pass her the ball, even in the toughest of situations, because they believe in her.  It's really a testament to wonderful coaching and teamwork.  As the years go on, it is clear that she will see less and less playing time, but she enjoys the team, the coach and the sport, which is all that you can really ask.

Notice the mouthguard.  I wore a mouthguard as a player, mainly because my parents spent a fortune on my teeth and didn't want to see that wasted.  At this age, given the height of the players, we see a large number of balls to the face, so we starting making both girls wear a mouth guard for protection.  Last week, Elizabeth took a stunning shot to the face - one of those blows that causes everyone on the sidelines make that "ohhhh!" noise and sends fear shooting through the parents.  After a stunned moment, she dropped to the ground and was down for about ten minutes before walking off the field under her own power.  Lots of blood, but no concussion.  In the car on the way home, she told us that her mouthguard was full of blood, but that she would never, ever play without it.  Even she knew how much it protected her.  Lee and I are certain (you know, because we are both doctors) that given the impact, the mouth guard is what protected her from a concussion.

But for that pesky defender, she would have scored here!

Emily played on a newly formed team, which also improved with every game.  Although made up of 7 and 8 year olds, they played teams of 9 and 10 year olds, which means that they lost every game, but  became better and better at holding their own.  Emily blossomed as a soccer player this spring and shows the potential to become a real play maker as she develops (or not; we've been around sports long enough to know how that goes).  Lee and I continue to struggle with the single sport mentality - we saw how far behind Elizabeth fell because she didn't play soccer year-round, yet we fell like we have an obligation to expose the girls to as many experiences as possible, ensuring that they are as multi-demensional as possible.  This spring, we've questioned ourselves many times and we continue to work to find the balance.

In this game, Emily was whistled for making an improper throw in (not this one).  The next day, we spent an hour in the backyard working on throw ins.  I thought that I would simply show her how to do it the right way, and we would be back inside in five minutes.  Again, again, again she demanded that we drill it over and over so that not only was she doing it correctly, but also doing it well.

Emily is Eight

Our baby girl is eight today.  Eight.  She has changed so much in this last year that it is finally starting to dawn on me that she is not a little baby anymore.  She is fearless and fun, smart and sassy, caring and compassionate.  Our Emily loves animals - from Baxter to the tiny "stink bugs" that she saves from certain death (at my hand) when she finds them in the house.  She has a great sense of a humor and an infectious laugh.  She loves to dance and sing and over the last several months, has become obsessed with soccer.  She is a natural athlete and watching her blossom over the winter and spring has been nothing short of amazing (her soccer tryout for the fall travel team last week was pretty close to a one woman show).  Like her sister, she loves to read - she never leaves the house without a book and will certainly challenge Elizabeth for top summer reader this year.  Although she is quite the tattletale and loves to get her sister in trouble, Emily is fiercely loyal - Elizabeth's friends are her friends, but people who are not nice rarely get a second chance.  She is an amazing eight year old with a personality all her own.  We love our baby girl so much and can't imagine even a single day without her. Happy Birthday Emily!! 

 

All things Emily.

Rock Cats

Last week, the JPII Band had the opportunity to play America the Beautiful at the New Britain Rock Cats game.  The Rock Cats are a popular local minor league baseball team and Elizabeth was so excited to play before the crowd and experience a few innings of the game.  I don' think that it even occurred to her that she should be nervous.

Some of the kids, hanging with Rocky before the game.

The melodious sounds of (some of) the JPII Band.

Memorial Day

Emily just loved holding the banner - the Brownies were given this special task, as the Daisies marched behind them. 

All blinged out, just as you would expect!

Elizabeth was one of just a few girls that decided to march with the huge lacrosse group this year. 

They've been hanging with these kids at the Memorial Day parade for five years - blows my mind how much they've all grown.

We found this photo in the local paper on Monday night.  (Photo Credit: Middletown Press).

Little Stars Showcase

Emily had her first recital with her Irish dance school last weekend and it was spectacular.  It wasn't a recital - it was a like a Broadway show!  The beginner dancers have their own recital and going into it, I was really disappointed that we weren't going to see the more advance dancers, which was always something I looked forward to when the girls took traditional dance.  Boy, was I in for a surprise.  The recital begin with singing and dancing, as close to 100 dancers took the stage to sing and dance to the opening number.  Then, amazing advanced and showcase performances were sprinkled in with all of the beginner dances.  Even though Emily was only in two numbers, we were not disappointed with the performance, as every minute of it was spectacular.

The dress rehearsal.  They don't actually wear their costumes for the dress rehearsal, which was something I had major difficulty grasping.  As did other moms, based on the fact that at least 20% of the new dancers showed up in costume. 

Finale rehearsal. 

Singing and dancing. 

Video of Emily's dance, taken at the dress rehearsal.  It was so much better at the show, they were much more focused, but this will have to do.

Beautifully detailed costumes.

A little practice before the recital....

Spring Concert

The Spring Concert was last week and it was really a great show.  The Cadet and Advanced Bands both performed, as well as the sixth grade chorus, the seventh and eighth grade chorus and the Praise Team.  Elizabeth is in the Cadet Band, which is made up of only fourth graders, all in their first year playing an instrument.  Truth be told, their performance is a bit painful - although such a huge improvement over their concert in December.  And then, once the Advanced Band plays, you realize how amazing things will be in just a year, as they are so good.  Elizabeth and her classmate are the only flutes in the band (Cadet and Advanced) and so will continue with their semi-private lessons next year. They both play really well and it's been fun to watch Elizabeth really advance in her playing.

Double trouble flute players.

Elizabeth and Laila have two "solos" in this song.  

Ode to Joy

   

Olympic Theme

Power Rock, like you've never heard it before.

20 Years

Lee's 20 year high school reunion was last Saturday and we spent the day at the Groton School.  The weather was gorgeous and we were able to reconnect with some of his closest friends from high school, which was wonderful.  They are such wonderful people and have married the most amazing women - it was just such a great way to spend a Saturday.  My conversations with two other spouses over dinner will stay in my heart for a long, long time.  Lee really enjoyed seeing so many old friends (some who he hasn't seen in 20 years!), as well as showing the girls his old stomping grounds.

The School House was definitely one of the favorites. 

The girls enjoyed finding Lee's name (and Uncle Mike's) on the wall. 

Elizabeth has become obsessed with Groton School over the last month or so, and peppered Lee with endless questions. She has her heart set on going there for high school already. 

Groton School boasts many distinguished alumni (including Lee, of course) and Elizabeth was determined to find President Roosevelt's name - and she did!

Lee's name is also engraved on a trophy in the Athletic Center, as he won an award for sportsmanship and character his last year.  This discovery led to a wonderful conversation about how important character is - even more important that being the best athlete. 

St. John's Chapel 

On the steps of the chapel.

Class of 1994 photo 

The 2nd generation, trying to break into one of their dads' old dorms.  We were eventually successful. 

In the library. 

Hanging out at the boat house. 

A little soccer before dinner.