Slip-And-Slide 101, the Remedial Course

I don't know how this happened, but my kids had never been on a slip and slide. Ethan went to a birthday party where they had one and he said he loved it. I decided we needed to get one since they are so cheap and to rectify this atrocity that was killing their childhood.
We finally had a day where it was warm enough to open the package and set up the slide. I put it on a slight slope, nothing to steep, and waited for them to break into the gorgeous grins that adorned the kids on the box while they slid on their cute tummies and squealed with laughter.
Well.....I should have known better:

It's kind of sad when you have to pay your kids to try something that defined your generation.

Last Day of School... (A Month Ago)

So my kids are totally spoiled and got out of school the 3rd week of May. I went to go spend time with them on their last days since I was one of the room moms for Ella and THE room mom for Ethan. The school was great and had lots for them to do, and of course Livi thought she should be able to participate as well. Luckily she is the same size as some of the Kindergartners so no one even looked twice.(Ella and Livi playing the bean bag toss. They both made some, of course. It's that Stott blood.)

(Livi with bubbles on her nose. This was her favorite activity and came home with about a cup full of bubbles on her head.)

We stayed outside at the carnival area for both kids and it was COLD!!! We've had an unseasonably cold spring, but that didn't stop my cold blooded Ethan from not only not wearing a jacket to go outside but out right refusing to even bring a jacket to school that day. Oh well, the kids all seemed to have fun even if I was so cold I was shivering.(Caleb and Ethan couldn't seem to keep the hula-hoops going on their non-existent hips so they found a way to make it work)

Ella's class walked over to the art center for part of the fun, and everyone agreed this portrait looked like Ella. They also found one they said looked like me (which incidentally was of an overweight, unattractive woman) but I "forgot" to get a photo of me next to it.

Ella seems to be the kiss of death for teachers. She had an amazing preschool teacher, whom I really wanted for Livi, but she retired right after her class. Mrs. Cauble has been amazing Kindergarten teacher and I was looking forward to Livi having her as well, but I found out this is her last year as well. Watch out first grade teachers, someone is going to retire next year!(The last group hug for the last class)

Ethan's class had chocolate milk and played that game, which name escapes me, where you "dance" and then freeze when the music stopped. You have to admire Ethan's "strategy" (and the fact he looks exactly like you would imagine Sheldon dancing!).

I Feel Like I Was Hit By A Mac Truck

We've had some eventful days. Ella's end of the year dance program was yesterday and we spent ALL week preparing for it. We had rehearsal on Tuesday and Wednesday and then a full dress rehearsal on Thursday. Just carting kids to and from and helping with hair and costumes made me exhausted. I should have known it would only get worse.

Friday night Eric and I got to go watch the program, which was actually really good. Ella and I had to be there at 5:45, the program started at 6:30 and we left the high school at 10:26. Yep, the program was 4 HOURS LONG. The tour on Gilligan's Island was suppose to be shorter than that program. There were 58 dances. 58. 5-8. We were all very tired on Saturday, but looking forward to that night's performance. We should have known better.

On Saturday I signed up to be a "Chaperone Mom" which means I was a backstage helper for Ella's class. I was in charge of 11, 5&6 year olds (two of which are ADD) for 5 hours. I feel like I did after my car accidents. I think I was running on pure adrenaline last night and now I feel sooooooooooo worn out and achy. On the bright side, I did my turn and the other moms can do it next year.

Even as hard as it all was, and as blurry thinking as I am now, I am really glad that Ella has been able to participate with this dance company and I am extremely glad that she had such a good time that she is talking about "next year."

(This is why I love watching her dance. She exudes pure joy.)

Ella's first dance was a tap dance to "Sugar Time." She was a little disappointed her costume wasn't pink (I'm okay not having another pink costume in the house) but she loved how sparkly and girly it was.

Her second dance was a ballet number to the nursery rhyme "Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary." The other class in her age group did a "jazz" number (mostly pantomime to the words) to "Candy Man," but Ella's class did so well they actually got to perform a real ballet dance. Ella also got to be the middle (since she was the only one who could consistently find center stage). She liked these costumes a little more since they had flowers on them and that ups the fancy factor.