Formal Day at Caronport Elementary School

Brooklyn was so excited to get dressed up for the day at school. She chose her new fancy dress which we bought for Christmas this year and went to school feeling very pretty.

There is something to be said for getting all dressed up and feeling pretty. I could really use a "pretty day". Thankfully Rosie and Brookie are here to remind me that everyday can be a "pretty day" with the right dress and the right attitude.

~Mandy

Highland Dancing Recital

Highland dancing came to an end in November and to celebrate all the progress the girls had made, they put on a little recital. All the girls got to dress up in kilts for the first time and show their stuff to a living room full of proud parents.

Brooklyn and Roslyn before the recital

Some of the wee lasses posing before the show started

A little group warm up

Showing off some tricky arm movements

We watched the girls try their best to follow along with the bagpipe music, turning, kicking, jumping incessantly and sidestepping. All we can say is that we are so proud of them and that highland dancing is really difficult. Let's just say that for most, it is a work in progress - something to keep working on through the cold Saskatchewan winter.

When the show was finished, each girl received a special present from their teacher and we all enjoyed cupcakes and punch. Just another little community moment here on the prairies that makes me almost glad to be here :-)

~Mandy

Caronport Ballet Class

This fall Brookie and Rosie have been taking ballet lessons with Miss Lacey. They absolutely love it. And really, what is there not to love? They get to dress in their ballet skirts, twirl, and giggle together with their ballet classmates. It is a joy to watch them turn out their toes for first position and attempt plies, ballet skips and their reverence.

This is the class

Here they are warming up

Rosie from the back - I just love this picture. She looks so grown up!

These are the days of ballet and pink, spinny skirts and dancing whenever there is music playing. These are good days.

~Mandy

Princess Rosie

A princess's work is never done. For Rosie this work involves practicing printing her name

"We are not amused."

~Mandy

Brooklyn's "Show and Tell" Premiere

Today was Brooklyn's turn for "Show and Tell" in her kindergarten/grade 1 class. In front of 22 classmates whose combined attention span is not much more than that of a small insect, Brooklyn introduced her sister and talked about life with Rosie. That's right, Brook chose to bring Rosie for "Show and Tell".

Brooklyn sat in the teacher's special chair (an honour reserved for the "show and tell" student of the day) with Rosie all "pinkified" beside her

Brooklyn's class asking questions like "Do you like Rosie?" and "How many times do you play with Rosie?"

Brooklyn has everyone's attention except Rosie and that one girl in the front

Sean and I watched from the back of the class while Brooklyn told of Rosie's love for all things pink and how she twirls in her pink dress (which Rosie happily demonstrated). We listened with fingers crossed as Brooklyn shared Rosie's birthday (which we had practised numerous times). And we smiled proudly as Brookie recounted the struggles and joys of sisterhood: "We laugh together and sometimes we cry together but we always love each other."

The class clapped. I gave the girls a standing ovation (perhaps a bit over the top) and as we left with Rosie in tow, 22 little voices yelled, "Goodbye Rosie!"

Brooklyn was very glad it was over and she did amazingly well for her first time. But beyond any of that, I was so proud that instead of Piggy, her Groovy Girls, or various other special treasures, Brook chose her most special treasure to share with her class: her sister.

~Mandy

Much Better than Doing Dishes

After dinner last night, Brooklyn brought our painting basket up from downstairs. My initial response was an internal list of all the ways that would be so messy at the end of a very long day of messes. But out loud I said, "Sure. Let's all paint together."

Well, we sure did. I set up all our painting supplies while the girls changed into their paint clothes. I turned on a CD of "Oliver!" that I just picked up from the library and we got down to the business of creating.

The girls and I

Wee Rosie with her creation (one of many)

Sean and the girls

Brooklyn with her creation

And these are the final products drying on our kitchen counter

Once again, setting the dishes aside and just having fun with our kids was the best decision. We had a ball. Sean and I may actually have enjoyed it more than the girls. For some mysterious reason, the act of mixing colours, slathering paint, rinsing brushes, watching as a blank page becomes a work of art that you created is just so good for your soul.

Brookie and Rosie encouraged us, commenting on things they liked in our pictures and we did the same for them. I think this post-dinner art time may become a new weekly event. It was messy, sure. But even the mess was a thing of beauty.

~Mandy

Hallowe'en Night in Caronport

This Hallowe'en, we decided that for purposes of warmth, Brookie would do another year as a ladybug and Rosie could be Winnie the Pooh. At first, Rosie was fine with that arrangement but when she saw the costume and realised that there was nothing pink or frilly about Winnie the Pooh, she refused. I mean there were tears and she fell prostrate on the floor, repeating over and over, "No! Not Winnie the Pooh!"

After trying out a number of other ideas with similar results, I finally decided to leave the costume entirely up to her. We opened the dress-up chest and I told her to decide what she wanted to wear. She came up with a "girl Zebra" which consisted of the zebra costume from last year paired with a very pink skirt. So we hit the streets of Caronport with a ladybug and a girl zebra. I went as a cat and Sean was a tired college professor.

Before we left, our little girl zebra had a quick nap in preparation for the main event

Here are the girls "post make-up" and already into the candy

Sean and his two girls

The trick or treaters in the car, filled with anticipation

It turned out that Brookie only made it to two houses before she asked to go home. She was feeling sick. So I took her bag and continued to collect candy for her by using the line, "I have a sick ladybug at home. Can I get some candy for her?" Thankfully everyone understood and the girls got lots of treats to last them well into the new year.
~Mandy