This past Sunday was a busy one for us. First up, Molly’s choir sang at the 9:30 service and I accompanied them.
But that wasn’t all for Molly in that church service. In the Methodist church, we have a tradition of presenting 3rd graders with their own Bibles. It’s a milestone, and Molly was very excited to experience it. Here she is getting her Bible from Pastor Matt.
Yeah, Molly!
In addition to that, Leah had choir practice, I led music at Children’s Worship (which Molly attended as well), and Jen taught Sunday School (which Leah attended as well). It was a busy morning.
In 3rd grade in Howard County schools, kids can join the orchestra. Molly, like many of her classmates, was excited to do so. She chose the viola as her instrument, and has just started lessons. They haven’t gotten the bow out yet, but she’s learning the strings. Here she is playing the “DAD” song, which is called that because it bounces back and forth between the D and A string.
For many months, Leah was requesting a space themed birthday party. So, last weekend we made it happen. It was a very creative venture that led to some fun decorations, including an inflatable solar system and some sewn stars hanging from the ceiling.
Chad did his best at arranging the solar system. Obviously not to scale as that wouldn’t work, but at least planetary distance should be in order of the planets. And yes, they included Pluto as well, which Leah banished to the corner.
As the guests arrived for the party, there was some space coloring.
Next, all the kids donned disposable art smocks (made from trash bags) in order to paint the night sky. They were given canvases that I had pre-painted with glow-in-the-dark paint. Their first step was to stick stars onto their canvas in whatever constellation design they liked.
After sticking on stars, the girls painted the entire canvas black. Once dried, they removed the star stickers, giving them a black night sky with glow-in-the-dark stars.
Next up was Pin the Rocket on Saturn.
We moved on to Outer Space Bingo, created with clip art from LemonadePixel.
Our snack included star-shaped cheese & crackers, rocket fruit kabobs, and Cheddar Rocket Crackers. (Sadly, no pictures of these. The cameraman must have had his hands full helping one of the 16 girls!) The outer space cupcakes with a lemon candy sun, Skittles planets, and sprinkle stars in the night sky were a hit!
And no party is complete without singing to the birthday girl.
Then it was on to the piñata. Leah is quick to tell you that her favorite planet is Saturn, so I made her a Saturn piñata.
Some of the girls had a big swing.
Leah put all her effort into breaking this piñata. It almost broke apart here, but managed to barely stay together for one more hit from Molly.
Then there was of course the scramble for all the toys and candy.
Last, we shot Stomp Rockets into the air. These were a big hit on a beautiful day. If you look closely, you can see both rockets in mid-air.
We were way too busy to open presents at the party, but Leah was ready to do so as soon as it was over. She received lots of very fun presents. This year’s featured gift - DigiBirds.
And if you didn't catch it in the pictures above, Leah was very excited that she was finally allowed to wear her solar system skirt (pattern by Little Lizard King), with a coordinating tank top in her favorite color! She and I collaborated on the birthday outfit (Mom was planning on a dress, but daughter insisted on separates, so we made it work!).
Thanks to all who came to celebrate with Leah! We all had a blast!
Our final sewing project for the summer was making an owl stuffed animal. The girls enjoyed customizing their owls with their fabric choices and eye shapes.
Mommy Sewing lessons were a great experience for all three of us. My hope is that it has inspired the girls and their creativity!
In this lesson, the girls created sleeping bags for their dolls. They were not satisfied with just the sleeping bag though, so requested to make pillows to match. I think all four girls were excited about this one!
We had a mostly free Saturday, and the girls wanted to go out and do something with me. We ended up deciding to go ice skating. Yes, our ice rink is open in August. So, we escaped the heat for some frozen fun.
Note that while it was cold, it wasn’t that cold. I took off my jacket and skated in jeans and a t-shirt. Leah eventually took off her jacket (though not her gloves or scarf), but Molly refused to remove her winter-wear.
The girls and I had a great time. Molly skated on her own the entire time, while Leah switched between using the walker and holding my hand. Leah may have needed some support, but that didn’t slow her down. She went around so fast I could hardly keep up.
Our time on the ice was grand, but it was not enough frozen fun for us. So, we made a quick stop at Yogi Castle for a chilly treat. Between the ice rink and the fro-yo, we certainly beat the heat.
Molly and Leah spent a week in August learning about 3-D crafts at the Howard County Arts Council. The week’s projects included creating a plaster bird, and designing and sewing a plush monster. Both girls love arts & crafts, so they had a fantastic week in camp together!
Yes, the day has come. Yesterday, Leah headed off to kindergarten. No longer a preschooler, she now joins her sister in elementary school.
Molly’s now an old pro, headed off to third grade. She’s wearing a skirt that Jen made for her this weekend.
Grams made this dress for Aunt Caroline’s first day of kindergarten. Molly wore it her first day of kindergarten as well. Now Leah is wearing it her first day of kindergarten. The smocking plate is even called Kindergarten Scissors.
Here’s Molly wearing it 3 years ago.
And Aunt Caroline wearing it 19 years ago.
I know that lots of kids dread the start of school, but these girls are definitely not like them. They’re very excited to get back in the classroom.
Two sisters, walking to school together for the first time.
As usual, the neighborhood kids gathered for a picture on the walk to school.
While many of the kindergartners were crying at drop off, Leah and her new friend were happy to start the day.
Kindergartners lined up and following their teacher to their classroom.
Both girls had an excellent first day, exiting the school with big smiles on their faces at the end of the day. We’re looking forward to a great school year.
