Friday, January 22, 2010

8 is Great & other news

8 is Great really did go great. Unfortunately, I forgot to take my camera (and didn't have time for taking pictures anyhow). Here's a picture of the cookies on the tray...

and the last cookie in the vase...just pretend there were more & in all different shades of blue/lavender/blue-green.

And here's a picture of Chick with her haircut, drinking the last little bit of punch that was left after the program.

The kids were really cute & excited, and the parents & other presenters really got into it & did their parts well. I assigned the prayers, musical performance, & musical conducting to the kids...they got to do all of that. Then most of the parents were assigned a question to answer. A friend with a cricut cut "It's great to be..." and then lots of 8's for me, and I put that up on the wall in the front of the room. Each 8 had a question, and the kids each got a turn taking an 8 down from the wall & reading it. Then the appropriate parent or leader would answer the question. One of the questions was "What is your child's greatest quality?" and all of the parents got to take a turn answering that one.

The question and answer activity took up the bulk of the program, and I think it was a fast enough pace (plus really engaging parent answers helped) so the kids stayed focused through the whole meeting.

Afterwards, there was a cookie bouquet with 8-shaped cookies for the kids turning 8, and round cookies on a cake stand for anyone else that was there. And punch, which was the biggest problem of the night--it was slush punch, but I didn't have time to get it slushy ahead of time, so the first people in line got flavored soda, and the last people in line got thick slush without the punchy part : ( But no one complained--I can only imagine that it all still tasted good, even if the consistency wasn't right.

The table had a white tablecloth, with die cut 8's in different shades of blues & in different sizes (3-5"), and information packets and then the food in white dishes.

Anyhow, I'm glad that it's over, but I'm also glad that it went well & that I put some effort into it so that it was a good night for the kids.

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You've seen one picture of Chick's hair, here's another of the back. Sometimes it's ok, but in general it's too boyish for me. Too short. She has gotten compliments from random people, but I still don't like it. I haven't told her that, though, and she doesn't care about it--she thought it was fun to get it cut.

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Speaking of Chick, yesterday she was playing in the living room and started saying, "And to the republic, for which it stands" ...evidently they say the pledge of allegiance at preschool. I sometimes wonder about the knowledge rolling around in that head of hers. I can't quiz her--it goes something like this:
"Why did you hit Monkey?"
"Because I hit Monkey."
She hasn't learned to really answer questions, so we have to just wait for information to come out on it's own.
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Here's a random picture of Monkey, so that she's not cast by the wayside in this posting. She and Chick both got bad face injuries last Saturday...jumping around on the beds & doll cradle. Evidently we need to read "No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed" a bit more.

By the way, for a while Monkey was having a bit of a slow spot with her signing, but in the last week or two she's really picked up. Last night she did a sign that we haven't taught her (I guess she learned it from Signing Time, even though she doesn't sit to watch it). Chick was always doing that--signs that we didn't teach her--I love it.

6 comments:

Katie said...

Wow, looks like you put a lot of work into that night! I'm glad it turned out well. Chick's hair looks cute, but it will grow out soon! (On the other hand there is Maya who says that she never wants to cut her hair again. It's already past her mid-back).

S.Ann said...

I think I gained a pound just looking at those cookies...well it could have been the spaghetti casserole that I made for the potluck and brought half home. I thought that I'd be nice and double my recipe in case they were short of food, which they weren't. What I couldn't remember when we talked was that the Edmonds Museum has a display celebrating 100 years of paper dolls.

Heather, Rex, etc. said...

Monkey looks SO adorable, and cute 8 cookies!

Unknown said...

Wow. Your great to be 8 was awesome. . . a lot of hard work for you. And I actually think chick's haircut is darling. :)

Chiara said...

ciao paige!!!
soo nice to read your blog...it's a daily appointment for me :-)
....why 8 party? ....sorry but i cannot understand? what is this 8 for?

lots of hugs to you and your fabulous girls...

Chiara from Zelarino! :-)

Paige said...

Chiara, I'm so excited that you read my blog!
When the kids turn 8 they are able to get baptized. The boys also get to join Boy Scouts & girls get to start getting together for activities a couple times a month.
Ciao. Saluti alla Mamma e la tua sorella...ed i beastie boys, of course!