Travelingjenny
Navigating the hilly terrain of motherhood
about
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Sweet Tess has finally had her very own moment in the spotlight. Last Friday night was the Winter Concert at FSP, and all classes (K-8) performed. The Kindergartners performed a short play that had a little bit of singing, and our Tess had the starring role. She was simply adorable as the old lady and remembered her part perfectly, smiling throughout. What impressed me the most, though, was how she marched right up onto that stage and performed in front of all 80+ students — and their parents! Again, I am astonished and how she has grown and flourished this year. Earlier in the day she had said to me, "Mom, I don't really like to be up on stage — I only like it at Friends School of Portland." That's reason #582 that we love this school — it's home.
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Yes, the secret is out. Grace knows that her Gee-Gee has a doppelganger. And Tess knows that hers does as well, along with a long-lost Gee-Gee cousin (a pink lamb). All five of these Gee-Gees came together on Sunday night for a never-before-seen performance. First, Tess's three did a show about helping each other when one is hurt (and apparently this is important because Gee-Gee's fall down a lot). And then Grace's two did an elaborate play about driving to the grocery store and buying strawberries and flowers and then one Gee-Gee invited the other Gee-Gee home for dinner (as pictured above – see the starry night in the background?). Then, for the grand finale, a wintry village was crafted (see the creative use of tissues, and tissue boxes?), and all of the Gee-Gees shared a meal, had a sleepover, and lived happily ever after.
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Today I had the pleasure of helping out in Grace's classroom as they made cornhusk dolls. This was part of their unit on the Wabanaki Indians. I helped kids braid thin strips of cornhusks for the arms and legs, and helped them twist pipecleaners around the bodies. Of course, Grace didn't need any help, but I loved watching her interact with her friends. It's no surprise that she finished hers early, so she and a friend also made a teepee. Awesome.
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I was battling a cold over the weekend and didn't feel great, so my sweet little monkeys made me a get well banner. This was their own idea, and they executed almost completely by themselves (thankfully, they asked Adam for some help hanging it up!). I love those two.
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Yep, that's my kid. The boat captain, the leader, the one that everyone else lifts up to get the imaginary coconut. The one with a song in her heart and a smile on her face. The one who isn't afraid to perform in front of a crowd, and whose joy in doing so is evident. The one who does cartwheels, and remembers every dance move, and encourages the others. The one who makes my heart sing, every day.
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Last year, Tess was lukewarm about sledding. She didn't much care for the snow spraying up in her face, and she definitely didn't like the occasional tumble at the bottom of the hill. She would generally only sled with me or Adam, and sometimes with Grace, but never by herself.
Oh boy, are things different this year. We finally have enough snow for winter sports, and have gone sledding three times over the past two weekends. The first time we hit the sledding hill, Tess took a couple of runs in a sled with Adam. Then she made up her mind to go by herself, and has never looked back. Once she decided she was ready, she became a confident, full-on little sledder, running and jumping onto her sled at the top of the hill, and sliding down with a huge, enthusiastic grin on her face. When she decided to try out the jump, she took one run with Adam, and then made several runs by herself. We practically had to drag her off the hill that day.
I love watching her change, right in front of my eyes. In the course of one afternoon.
Travelingjenny 