April Showers...

I remember at the end of March looking ahead to April and thinking it would be a busy month and be gone before I knew it, but of course, I had no idea just how fast it could go!  I've already blogged about Spring Break, which you can read about here, so this will be a much shorter entry than previous monthly wrap ups.  This may not be entirely chronologically correct, because some of these things happened and I don't know when, so I'm going to do my best.

Astrid survived the prom and then we had another big event upcoming:  Leah's birthday.  She was turning 8 and after the success of the tea party we had in September for a church fundraiser, announced she also wanted a tea party with her friends to come as princesses.  My father was coming for a visit as well.  Leah was excited to have Friday off school so she could have a PopPop Day, so Astrid announced she was taking Thursday off school to have a PopPop Day.  It was settled.  PopPop Day for Astrid involved lunch at Wegman's and then a trip to Ulta, the make up store, her mecca.  Neither my sister nor I was ever into make up, so my father had been spared this indignity when we were kids, but as both Astrid and Leah are big time into it, he gamely played along for about ten minutes.  When he saw there was such a thing as beard cream and wardrobe tape, he had more than he could bear, so he handed me a $20 bill and told me to get Astrid something before slinking out to his car to hide.  She got herself a NYX tame-and-frame brow pomade.  She was so happy.  Later that evening, we went to have cheeseburgers at Cheeburger Cheeburger, and it was a very nice day indeed. 

On Friday evening, it was all hands on deck as we prepared for Leah's birthday party.  Our main goal for the evening was to watch a movie, eat pizza, and blow up literally hundreds of balloons.  I had seen some ideas on Pinterest for princess party decor with balloons, and was planning to make towers, but somehow it turned into a giant couple of arches.  We were blowing up balloons for a couple of hours, watched The Producers, and had a great time.

We were very proud of our handiwork.

The next day, at the princess tea, Astrid was pressed into service as a waitress again, and wore her St. Jude's gown.  PopPop brought a fancy outfit from his English country dancing to be the butler, and I was dressed in all black as the kitchen wench.  Leah had 5 friends come and they had a ball.  We hired a princess actress (The Bup's Aunt Mary Anne) to come as Sleeping Beauty and she did makeovers and games and party fun.  The girls had a marvelous time and what a beautiful day Leah had to celebrate her "champagne birthday". 

We also found out that our current Lieutenant Governor, Ralph Northam, was coming into town for a campaign event the following week.  I wanted to meet him, look him in the eye, talk to him about some of the concerns I had read about him online, and some of my concerns as a citizen.  I also thought it'd be really great for the girls to meet another official of the government, as they had already met the Speaker of the House of the state. Astrid and I offered Leah a quarter if she would ask Lt. Gov. Northam if he was going to win, and she happily obliged and was rewarded with money for the gumball machine. 

He was a very interesting man, well spoken, good listener, and I got a lot out of meeting him.  He was happy to pose for pictures with both girls, which was great.  I think they enjoyed it as well.

We also had the opportunity to attend a Passover Seder at the UU that week. There are a lot of Jewish people we know who attend UU and last year, they decided to have their first seder as a celebration of their faith.  Leah and I weren't able to attend, but we were excited to go this year and I thought it would be interesting and educational for all of us.  It was totally jam packed and the ceremony part of it wound up being quite long, so it was a bit hard for Leah to sit through, but it was really interesting and we all learned a lot.  We ate a lot of matzoh and we all absolutely loved the matzoh ball soup!  It was delicious.  The traditional readings and music were very moving and Leah and Astrid won a contest where something was hidden in the sanctuary and if you found it, you won $1. 

Afterwards there was a nice potluck meal and the food was just great.

Also at the UU after Spring Break, they had a celebration of Pagan and Earth-centered religions, which I know even less about than I do the Jewish traditions.  There was a woman who came and taught us dances of universal peace.  As part of this, we danced in a couple of big circles and did some chants.  It was really like nothing I've ever done before, but it was fun and interesting to learn about and create music and movement with the whole community.  If you click on the photo below, you can see an enlarged version of the photo and we are on the right hand side.

We were still a little tired from Spring Break, but I'm glad we went.

We've also resumed our spring cook outs with my sister and her family and Astrid came along to Locust Shade Park to a couple of these.  We've been trying to get fancy with the food and do some experimental cooking beyond hot dogs and hamburgers, which has been fun.  A few flops, of course, but ultimately we've learned and tried some interesting things.  We especially enjoyed our foil dinners, and a stir fry I was able to make.  When we get our usual grill site, the kids have woods to play in and the playground to run around on, which is good fun for them, and the grown ups can keep an eye on them and still cook and hang out.  We've been talking about a little camping trip since the kids like being outdoors and Leah is asking about it, but for now we will stick with the park. 

We also had a wonderful opportunity to all go up to Washington DC on April 27th to attend WAMU's 10 Year Volunteers Awards Gala at NPR headquarters.Both my sister and I have been volunteers at WAMU for 10+ years and were among the honorees.  I had asked the woman in charge if I could bring both girls and happily she said yes!  It was an absolutely wonderful night, and I was so glad the girls could see me being rewarded for some of my hard work over the years.  They got to meet other people we have become friendly with through our work, they got to meet the volunteer coordinator, and one of the show hosts.  It was awesome.  And it was nice that we all got dressed up fancy and went out together.  It really was a super special night for me.

The girls and I with my sister and BIL with Joshua Johnson, host of 1A

Astrid was also cleared to return to soccer at the end of the month and has gotten some playing time in.  We have enjoyed going to her games and were thrilled she got to play for two weeks before the championships started.  The team has had a rough season, but they've persevered and worked hard together. 

FA Women's Soccer Team

No matter when I take her picture, she has her back to me!  Go #25!

The last game we got to see, the girls won 5-2, which was a BIG lift to their spirits, and Astrid even got an assist, which she was crazy proud of!  (As were we!) 

Leah and Astrid at the mall

We've had some fun nights as a family too, just quiet times at the mall, going to dinner, attending the FA band concert, church services, that kind of thing.  Leah attended Camp Rainbow, a camp for kids who have lost a loved one, and Astrid went with me to the final ceremonies and supported Leah there.  We went back to the We Are For America protest after the disastrous US healthcare vote.  Astrid is certainly getting an education in politics this year--as am I, because I have never in my life been so inclined to be politically active.  The latest protest was a bit smaller than the last one, but we had some supporters drop off Sugar Shack donuts and donations to Planned Parenthood while we were there, so that was pretty exciting!  Everyone generally considers this area a  pretty red stronghold, so it's nice to see progressive support!

"My feet hurt, Astrid"

Sisters

Letting the community know we are here!

Finally this past weekend was a busy one!  Astrid had her pre-return orientation with AFS this weekend.  She went up to Alexandria on Saturday and spent the day with the other AFS kids, and they had a great time doing a scavenger hunt and learning about how to prepare themselves to return home in fewer than 50 days (say it ain't so!).  Astrid's team won the Scavenger Hunt!  Way to go, team!  My sister Judy brought Astrid home Saturday evening, as I was hosting a dinner for the UU at our house, and there were a bunch of young kids running around.  Astrid immediately started playing with them, chasing them around the yard, toasting marshmallows, finding lost shoes and toys.  She just loves kids! :)

Astrid and Leah both ran in the 2017 Great Train Race.  Leah runs every year with her school, which hosts a running club and she loves it!  We went to packet pick up on Thursday to get her bib and running swag and I could sort of kind of tell that Astrid was keen to run it as well, so I asked the lady in charge if Astrid could also run, and she said they had plenty of room for teens!!  So we signed her up and Sunday morning, off we went.  Astrid's friend and Leah's favorite victim Chris was also running, so we got to see him and his family, plus two families from the UU and even a family from Camp Rainbow/Leah's toddler days!  It was pretty awesome.  The run is 1 mile long, and Astrid's goal was to complete it in under 9 minutes.  She did it in under 8!!!  Leah did it in under 9, down from her run of 11 minutes last year.  I was so proud of them both!  Chris also did very well and earned a trophy, which he proudly flashed around in Astrid's face. Hahaha  He was sweet enough to come with us to cheer for Leah through to the bitter end and pose for Leah's carefully arranged pictures and even hold her hand for the walk back to the car.  What a nice kid!

Astrid preparing on the Start Line

Leah on the Start Line

Astrid and Chris and The Trophy

Three Champion Finishers!

So that brings us to today.  Today is, as I say, 49 days till she leaves us, as she determined this morning.  I have a full array of activities planned and our weekends are jam packed between now and D Day.  She has of course the soccer post-season to finish up, sports awards to go to, we have a painting party for the UU planned, she has a birthday party to attend, we've got trips to Kings Dominion and Natural Bridge upcoming, as well as celebrating Memorial Day at Wolf Trap and the F'burg Illumination.  SO I know that May will be gone before we know it.  It is a bittersweet time of year, knowing we have a lot of fun left, but knowing it is closing in on the end.  As the Buddha may or may not have said, in one of the great controversies of the Internet:

We'll keep being grateful for every day and saying our "I love you"s every night :)  See ya in a few weeks!

Time MARCHes On (But Not on Astrid's Bum Toe)

Ok, so we got back from our vacation and immediately were back in the swing of things!  We slept in a little bit on Saturday, but then I was helping out at an event at our church, having organized the first ever Sing-along Sound of Music at UUFF.  I sit on the RE committee at church and we were asked to come up with a family-friendly service item to raise funds for the church, and this was my idea.  Neither Leah nor Astrid had ever seen the movie before, so that was kind of cool that this was their first experience with it.  The idea was that everyone who was coming would show up, bring food for a potluck (on the plus side, I didn't have to cook after our vacation!), we'd enjoy food and then watch the movie and sing along with the songs in the film.  This is a beloved film and apparently they show a singalong version somewhere in the world every single day of the year, so it was cool this was Fredericksburg's offering.  The movie is great, one of my favorites, and the event was well attended.  Both girls enjoyed it very much and were very helpful in the set up and clean up of the event!

On Tuesday were the Winter Sports Awards, and Astrid and two other girls were specially recognized by their coach for helping save the basketball season.  When the season started, there were only 5 or 6 girls playing basketball, and the coach was concerned because they needed a minimum of 5, and then no one could get hurt or foul out.  He had told his daughter to find whoever she could to join the team, and three girls, Astrid included, stepped up to play, even though they knew very little about the game.  It was a proud moment for this mom!!! 

The following Monday, Astrid started up with soccer practice and play practice both.  It was a crazy time, as the play was getting closer and closer, so they were rehearsing longer and later, plus schoolwork, plus soccer.  She managed to juggle it all, though it meant late nights and a lot of fatigue.  I was very proud of her for trying to do it all!  The week of the play, she had two soccer games, and Leah and I decided to drive up to Fairfax to watch her play in one of them, as Leah had a half day off from school and I thought Astrid would like to see us support her team.  It was a rough first half, and the girls were down 2-0 after it.  Leah and I had been sitting in the stands with the families from the other team and feeling out of place, so at the half, Leah asked if we could go surprise Astrid and see her.  I wish I had gotten a picture of her face when she saw us!  She was so surprised and delighted we were there.  She got in some good playing time and she even chose to come home with us afterwards, so we got a little bit of extra time with her before dropping her off for practice at school.

The next day, she wasn't feeling well and was very tired, so she asked if she could stay home from school.  I told her that was fine, and we wound up having some kind of issue with our pipes.  I get VERY stressed out about issues pertaining to my house and car, so it was good having Astrid there to keep me calm while the county came out, the plumbers were in and out.  In the midst of all this, Astrid stubbed her toe, or so we thought.  When the pain didn't go away by the next morning, I took her to the ER, and sure enough, she had broken her toe!  :-(  This put a damper on her soccer season.  We had to go see an orthopedist, so we called up Ross, who was a host father this year for another AFS'er and he got us in to see her.  She was sidelined until April 24, and we thought that was the end of the soccer season for her.  Devastated.  Soccer is her sport and she'd been so looking forward to playing, so to hear that she wouldn't be able to, that was a very bitter pill to swallow.  Happily, we have since found out that the soccer season runs into May and she'll be back on the field after Spring Break!!! YAY! 

Astrid gets instructions from "The Hot Doctor"

The time for the play arrived, and I invited several people to come and see it.  She had the role of Sue Draper, I think was the name, the nosy neighbor of the family in the show.  Many of her friends and teammates were in the show with her, and the kids all did a great job.  In addition to Astrid being in a boot for her toe, another girl from the soccer team had broken her arm and was in a cast!  The play was very well done and very well received by all who attended.  The first night, my friends Jason and Nancy came to see it, and the second night, my sister and her family came.  The kids were fidgety and had a hard time concentrating, so I took them out to the playground for most of the show, but we came back in when it started to get dark and they managed to finish it out.  I'm very grateful to everyone who supports Astrid in her endeavors!

In the midst of the play, Chris FINALLY asked Astrid to the prom.  We had been discussing if Astrid should ask HIM to the prom, as it was taking a while, and I had been busily Googling prom-posals that we could do for him if he didn't ask her.  But after the opening night of the play, her friend came up to her and asked her if he could see her backstage for a minute.  She went with him, and there was Chris, holding up a sign asking her to prom.  She was just about crying she was so happy. It was so sweet!

Of course she said yes, and the date was set! <3  Leah loves Chris, and finds it hilarious to yell at him, so he's understandably a little anxious around her, but he bravely stood with her for a post-promposal picture.  One of my favorites of the year!

Leah loved big sister snuggle time most of all!

Along the way, we also had my friend Andy down for a movie day.  I have a list of movies I think Astrid needs to see before she goes home, movies that really talk about all aspects of American culture and it was clear that without serious action taken, we weren't going to get to them all.  We saw 5 movies on March 11--As Good As It Gets, Wayne's World, The Breakfast Club, The Sandlot, The Burbs, and we watched an episode of Bosom Buddies so Astrid could see Tom Hanks in his breakout role.  It was a blast to watch all these films.  We had lots of snacks, I made a nice dinner, it was a really great time and so relaxing in the midst of the whirlwind of everything going on.  Leah got nervous during The Burbs, which is a Tom Hanks comedy horror movie, so she snuggled up with Astrid for protection.  They've had a rough patch--Leah had some trouble having a sibling for a while, so it was nice that it was Astrid she turned to for protection from her fears!

So the play was over, Astrid kept going to soccer practice to stay a part of the team, which is important to her, and things settled down a bit. We were able to get back to being a family a little more regularly with meals together and seeing each other a bit more, which had been a little bit hard on me having her out of the house so much.  I was glad for a return to some normalcy.  And glad she has kept up with soccer.  I know it will make a big difference to her when she gets back on the field in another week and Leah and I will be able to attend her games again!

Family hilarity at the Jefferson Memorial

We spent the first Monday after the play up in DC.  It was Cherry Blossom time and I wanted to take the girls to see the flowers.  Most everyone I knew had gone up during the weekend, so I picked the girls up right after school and we drove up Monday.  It was crowded, but not nearly as crazy as it was on the weekend, and in fact, we had no trouble getting a parking spot.  I had stopped off at Wegmans to buy us all a picnic dinner, and we started walking from the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial and made our way over to the Jefferson Memorial.  I was worried about Astrid's toe, so we went by way of the FDR Memorial, instead of making the full loop around the Tidal Basin, although she did fairly well.  The flowers were absolutely gorgeous and it rained the next day, so it was good we went when we did, as a lot were washed away the next day.  The weather was great, we enjoyed a nice meal, went up in the Jefferson Memorial and paid our respects to Tom, and just had a nice time reconnecting! 

On the way home, we stopped off at Ikea to get supplies for Astrid's speech (see below).  I snapped a sweet picture of the girls in front of a sign I thought was hilarious.

This last week in March was also a whirlwind of activity!  Prom was on Saturday, and it was foreign language week at school.  Astrid had been asked to give a presentation about Denmark to the school and asked me and Leah to come hear her.  She hadn't practiced beforehand and hadn't shown me her slideshow, so I had no idea what to expect.  She did an amazing job!  Leah decided she would stand up in front with Astrid, which I attempted to dissuade, but Astrid said she was fine and actually wanted her up there.  The kids learned a lot about Denmark and Astrid's slide and interactive quiz were big hits!  Afterwards, she had brought her favorite salty licorice candies for everyone to try and many of the kids bravely tried a piece.  We had a trash can handy as Astrid said "Every American I've given this to has spit it out, so don't worry if you can't finish it".  Many kids did spit it out, but a few bravely finished it.  One kid hilariously remarked "Congratulations, Denmark, you've taken something awful and made it even worse."  I was cracking up.

What Astrid thought America would be like before coming here

Mr. Durso, the head of the upper school, tries salty licorice

Friday was the foreign language potluck.  I spent the morning making traditional open faced sandwiches with salmon, shrimp, and cheese toppings.  The salmon in particular were a big hit!  I volunteered to help at the luncheon and there was so much food, we got to bring some home and I again didn't have to cook much for the weekend.  It was a lot of fun and I enjoyed seeing Astrid with her peeps.  I sat at a table with some of the other moms, and it turned out to be the charging table the senior class of 2015 donated to the school--Ine's name was on there.  It made me happy to see it and made me miss her and feel close to her all over again!  So sweet! :)

On Saturday was prom, and Astrid had borrowed a dress from a friend.  She did her own hair and make up and went over to her friend Hannah's house around 5:30 or so.  Everyone was gathering at 6:30 at Kenmore, a local historic site, for pictures, so Leah and I went over there to take pictures.  The kids looked absolutely amazing.  Seeing Astrid and Chris together was very sweet, and Chris's parents and I were angling for pictures like everyone else! :)  It was a great night and you just felt looking at the kids that anything was possible for their bright, beautiful futures. 

They just looked amazing, all of them.

Astrid and Chris looked like fashion models, in my opinion!!

Astrid of course also had plenty of time with young kids this month...

I got a desperate plea from a friend to help with babysitting in the nursery at her moms group.  I asked Astrid if she'd be interested in doing it, and she was, so she spent two hours one morning in the two year olds room at the Methodist Church.  She is wonderful with young children and even though we were hopelessly outnumbered 7-3, she did a good job entertaining the kids and keeping things moving smoothly with another babysitter. 

We also attended a dance at Leah's school somewhere around St. Patrick's Day, and our friend Toni was there with her baby, little 3 month old Addie.  Astrid hadn't had a chance to see her and hold her yet, but as soon as we arrived, Astrid scooped Addie up and that was the end of that! 

My nephew William also spent the night with us one weekend, and followed Astrid around like a lost puppy.  Getting them all ready for bed was hilarious.

William wasn't getting ready unless Astrid was getting ready, and Astrid and I usually watch our favorite TV program, Forensics Files, together after Leah goes to bed, so she had to pretend to get ready so we could get William to bed.

And finally, since Astrid was now home on Wednesday nights, the first thing she asked was "Is Bup coming over!?"  Bup far prefers Leah's company, but Leah would far rather that Bup was Astrid's problem, so it makes for an interesting dynamic.  This past week, I told Astrid to adopt Leah's tactics of totally ignoring Bup and sure enough, he was far more interested in Astrid when she pretended not to be interested in him.  New plan! :D

So that pretty much brings us up to date.  April has been quiet--we've had a few things going on that I will blog about, but mainly it's been soccer practice and getting ready for Spring Break. Our plans changed when Leah got a stomach flu, so we have modified our travel plans, as we were supposed to leave for New England today and then New York on Wednesday, but now we are leaving for New York Monday and will head to New England in June.    So stay tuned for that, as well as a report on Astrid being the "serving wench" at Leah's birthday party, etc!  Bye for now!