5.18.2007

Signing Off

Signing Off

Today we signed the papers that officially offered to surrender the home I swore I'd never leave. *Sigh*

Mali demonstrated excellent form today when she figured out how to jump off the top off the couch and land on the cushions in a perfect straddle. Five hundred times in a row. Five hundred tiny heart attacks for her mom. Like her brother, she prefers to be shirtless and shoeless. She can sing/recite most of The Mysterious Ticking Noise.

TLF and Floyd and their baby Talia are visiting from Boston! Leelo hadn't seen either of them for over a year, but when Floyd arrived Leelo gave him a big spontaneous, "Hi, Floyd! Where's TLF?" Floyd was visibly tickled. And the next time TLF showed up, Leelo grabbed her by the hand as she was exiting her car, and yelled, "Play on the play structure?" All very nice. However he had a rough time today re: needing to bang his head all day long. Squeezing his body between beanbags, and his head between my knees helped somewhat. Maybe the claritin has stopped working.

Iz has a piano concert tomorrow morning, along with her friends Merlin and Violet. As recently as five days ago Iz was moaning and complaining that she would never learn to properly play her piece, Haydn's Symphony No. 94 In G Major. We assured her that if she put some time into actually practicing the piece, that she would indeed learn it. So she grudgingly consented to practice. And she gradually realized that she was improving. And, lo, she can now play it perfectly, including all the changes in volume. In every keyboard setting: vibraphone, pipe organ, harpsichord, etc. More importantly, she has finally realized that hard work and practice can be of value. This is huge.

Also Iz tried out for and won a solo singing part in her school's talent show. I thought everyone in the school got a solo, but no. Yay Iz! They are doing a song from High School Musical. Which I suppose I'd better actually watch, beforehand.

Also she tried out for a part in next year's production of The Tempest. She gets to be a fairy, like all the other kids in her grade. Both Seymour and I loved being in school plays, so I hope she enjoys it, too.

I went to a meeting today about Spanish for her and her former Esperanza (Spanish Immersion) cohorts at Big Noggin. Armada, another parent, proposed bringing in their tough but beloved first grade teacher to teach an after school class once each week. Next year the kids will get Spanish classes as part of their curriculum, so it was agreed that the Esperanza crew will have their own separate "literature circle" during that time. Seems like a good balance to me.

Seymour and Floyd are off in SF being boys. Tired as I am, it just isn't right or fair to deny them their infrequent nights of paradise. Plus now I get to publicly flout my amused martyrdom.

Anyhow. Tired. Huge weekend of responsibilities ahead, then Seymour goes to Vega$ for a couple of days, then we have special snack-requiring school events almost every single day until school ends. We start moving the day before school gets out. Not the best time of year to try to pack one's house up. I haven't hung out with Jo or Badger or Ep for weeks, it seems.

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