Lighten Up!

Tonight was the third and fourth grade music program. The theme this year was "Lighten Up!" and the show was full of silly, light-hearted songs with plenty of goofy jokes and a few crazy skits too. Laura looked like she had a blast.

The fourth graders dressed as cowboys and cowgirls. Laura wore the sequined pink hat that she got in San Antonio a few years ago, and even though you can't see them, her back pockets were studded with rhinestones.


Grandma and Grandpa joined us for the ice cream social that preceded the program. We decided to get there early in order to beat the crowds. We certainly succeeded—we were the first ones to get any ice cream, and we had almost an hour to kill before the big show.


But it was worth the wait! Laura had a few moments to shine: she was in the small group that opened the concert, she was one of three kids that played the xylophone on one song, and she recited a tongue-twister in a "Peter Piper" song. Here are a few highlights…


Laura and Mrs. Holmstrom, her music teacher. I think Laura has grown a little bit since last year's program.


Excellent job Laura, you were great!

Mall of America Play-A-Thon 2011

Yesterday we headed down to the Mall of America so Laura could play the piano at the Minnesota Music Teachers Association's "Play-a-Thon," which is a fundraiser to collect money for music scholarships. Laura jumps at the chance to go to the Mall of America, so having to play on stage in the middle of a huge, busy, noisy shopping mall was absolutely no problem.


With the performance out of the way, it was time to shop. We discovered the Hello Kitty store. Being in it makes you want to cover your eyes and run away screaming, "Ahhh, no more girly pink trinkets! I can't take any more expressionless Japanese cuteness!"

Laura likes Hello Kitty, but not so much that she was in awe of the vast, endless selection. She was happy to get a Hello Kitty charm for her charm bracelet. Whew.

We also made the obligatory visit to the Lego Store, which makes you want to close your eyes and scream for a different reason: all the crying little boys clutching $100 Lego sets that their parents won't buy for them. Karl and Laura were happy filling a small plastic tub with assorted loose Legos. Whew again!

Blow it Up!

Yesterday we spent the day in St. Paul because Karl had a class at the Science Museum. It was called "Blow it Up!" and was exactly what it sounds like: a group of 1st and 2nd grade boys (and one brave girl) who spent three hours learning about the physics of explosion. Karl came bouncing out of that class with a huge smile on his face!


The grand finale was making a dry ice bomb. You'll have to ask Karl about the chemistry of how that works, because I don't remember. I do know that it's illegal in many jurisdictions.


Meanwhile, Matt, Laura, and I went back to Matt's office to hang out. First we stopped at the St. Paul Public Library, which always sucks us inside when we try to pass by.

Once in Matt's office building, Matt went to work (geek) and Laura and I found an empty conference room. We brought the new iPad, so Laura got to watch movies and play the new "Plants vs. Zombies" game. Yes, we are parenting gurus.

I sat and read in front of this lovely view of St. Paul.

After Karl's class it was LeeAnn Chin time! Karl takes time-tests in his math class, and had been struggling with one for a long time without passing. His spirits were lagging, so I had mentioned that when he passed, he could choose whatever he wanted for dinner. I was thinking I'd be making pancakes or something, but Karl had grander plans. He rocked that test and then announced he wanted dinner at LeeAnn Chin! I had no idea he had such a thing for Americanized Chinese food, but luckily he was willing to wait until this weekend to cash in his dream dinner. It was pretty tasty...

I'll leave you with this awesome picture Karl made of Humpty Dumpty. It's too cool not to share.

The Elm Creek Tubing Tradition

Since we still have tons of snow around, we figured we might as well enjoy it, so we went snow tubing today. Of course the Elliotts were there, and this year we recruited a new member in our snow tubing club--Bryan. We knew Uncle Bryan is an enthusiastic snow lover, and since he lives right by the park reserve, he joined us and found out how fun it is to fly down the hills in an innertube. This year there were even bigger and badder runs, to which the boys were drawn right away. Laura was a little hesitant to go down the bigger hills (ok, she flat out refused), but when I went down them I knew she would love it if she just tried it. Nope, still wouldn't do it. When I told her I wouldn't take her to any water parks if she couldn't do this (I can be really tough when I have to be), she reluctantly agreed, and quickly decided the faster, higher hills were the best! So, we had fabulous sunny weather, there weren't many people there, and everyone had a blast, so it was another great day at Elm Creek!

Being 36 is Pretty Cool So Far...

Matt is always so envious that my birthday is 23 days before his, because every year I get the first taste of our new age. I try to be nice and not rub it in...I have to say, being thirty-something is quite nice.

Yesterday, we had dinner at Pam and Fred's, and Laura and Karl presented me with the needlepoint projects they had secretly been working on. Love love love them! (the gifts and the kids:)


This morning Matt went to the bakery and got cake doughnuts with sprinkles. We love birthday breakfasts around here! I also got more gifts--earrings from the kids (sparkly dangly ones, thank you very much), and a stack of books from Matt. Perfect!

Matt and I spent the day in St. Paul. I took advantage of it being my birthday and our first stop was a yarn store on Grand Avenue--watch for upcoming pictures of a pink-confetti-colored hat for Laura. Then we did some shopping at Rosedale. Usually on our birthdays the four of us go out for dinner, but apparently all Laura and Karl really care about are getting cupcakes, so we had dinner at home. We did come through with cupcakes though. Those were for everyone else (I live among white cake eaters. I will never understand them). My favorite treat around my birthday is really Cadbury Eggs. Happy Birthday to me!