The fabulous 8th birthday is drawing to a close. The celebratory trip to NYC was a huge success - shopping for toys, visiting family, admiring the Art at MOMA and skating at Rockefeller Center were just a few of the highlights.
The party (that we said we weren't going to throw) was thrown and enjoyed by lots of family and a few friends. Wij the magician delighted and amazed everyone as we sat on quilts and cushions on the floor of my basement studio under Iyengar's beaming gaze.
The festivities continued today with visits to both schools. Emily's class was presenting their "Toy-seum" - a fabulous display of toys and games from the personal collections of the children in her Grade 2 class. I will return tomorrow to read "The Magic Toy Shop". It's her school's tradition to have a parent read a book to the class and then donate it to the library. We thought this book, which I have had since I was a kid, would be a perfect selection since they have been focusing on toys this year.
At Zachary's school he was able to share Clown cookies from Amazing Donuts - the nut free bakery - with his friends in honour of his birthday. His friend Jack's mom brought a gluten free treat for him so he would not be excluded from the celebrations. The times they are a changin'!
I dropped in on Zach's Music class to offer some Musical Theatre coaching for a song that they're preparing from Oliver! and then was given a tour of the Science Fair by a very excited Zachary. His project, with his good buddy Ben, was a Knex ferris wheel. They were very proud of the work they had put into it and were able to describe the potential, kinetic and momentum stages of energy that it displayed as the chairs went up and around.
After school they went to Yoga with Emily's best friend Calla, and then to dinner with their Zohar cousins for one last Birthday Hurrah! We whisked them home and threw them into bed a half hour past their bedtime after a discussion of the fact that bedtime will finally get to be moved later next year now that we're going to be sending them to school so much closer to home.
Spaking of changing schools, it has been a very sad day for me. I told the principal of Emily's school and the administrator of Zachary's school and many of our friends and family that we are moving them to our local public school next year. The decision was made particularly difficult by the wonderful learning demonstrated by both of their classes today.
Calla's Dad just called to let us know how sad his family is and to teasingly ask us to reconsider pulling the kids (or at least Emily) out of the private system next year. We believe that strong friendships will last and that this is the responsible decision for our family to make in this tough economic environment. But it doesn't mean I have to be happy about it.
1 comment:
And, it doesn't mean we have to be happy about it either :(
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