Annika's Irish Dance Performance

Since September, Annika has been attending weekly Irish dance classes as part of her school's after-school learning program. She has really enjoyed it ... to the point that she rarely walks anymore... instead, she Irish dances everywhere. And I mean EVERYWHERE! Annika? Go get the forks for dinner, please. (Insert Irish dance moves here.) Annika? Please go get your homework out of your backpack. (Insert Irish dancing here.) Annika? Please go brush your teeth. (Insert Irish dancing and tooth brushing here.)

It has been a real treat to watch her skills develop ... both in terms of the actual steps, but also her sense of rhythm and timing.

Yesterday was the last class session. To mark the occasion, the girls in her class did a little performance for their parents/siblings. We watched the girls practice some of their dance steps and then watched them perform a basic dance routine. It was fun to watch them hop around while pointing their toes and keeping their arms straight at their sides. Well done, one and all!!

Annika's last day of kindergarten

Today, I dropped off the kids at school. I do that most mornings, so what's the big deal and why does this merit a blog post? Well, the big deal is today is Annika's last day in kindergarten.

About 9 months ago, we set her off on a new academic adventure called kindergarten. Over the school year, she got 2 adult teeth, lost 3 more of her baby teeth, developed a love of math, started learning how to read and write, started to learn how to speak and understand Spanish, took a jump roping class, went on fun field trips to places like a pumpkin patch and Greenlake (to test out the sea worthiness of the wooden boats they made), and so, so, so much more!

We feel so blessed to have had Mrs. Galvan and Mrs. Silva teach Annika this year. They are incredibly gifted (read: intelligent, patient, humorous, creative, etc) women and true assets to our school.

This has been a wonderful year. We are sad to know it has come to an end, but are consoled to know that so many more adventures are on the horizon.

Next stop: 1st grade!