Golden Children

Last week was quite some week. Monday night, piano concert for Jossie and Tobes, Tuesday night, presentation night at school, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday night, rehearsals for Bethany's ballet concert, Saturday, an afternoon and evening performance and Sunday, daycare concert. This schedule could be considered inconvenient at the least but there have been compensations. All three children have made us so very proud this week.

Jossie and Toby played well at their piano concert and Toby received a special award. He really loves the piano - it seems he not only looks exactly like Andrew but will be an excellent musician as well.

Jossie and Toby both brought home reports to be proud of. The comments from Jossie's teacher brought tears to our eyes. This was her last year in the junior school and she is very excited about being a middle school girl.

I was tempted to be a bit frustrated with Bethany's ballet concert (OK, I gave in to temptation). The time commitment was extraordinary not to mention the cost...... Thankfully, I was saved from resentment by the fact that Bethany loved every minute.

The show was called Don't Touch That Remote Control and was a celebration of television shows from different eras.

Bethany was in the 70s section and her costume is Josie and the Pussycats. All the photos were taken in the basement dressing room, sorry about the quality, there was no natural light. I also apologise for the slightly Jon Benet look in the photo above, Bethany does love to pose.

This excitement knew no bounds - these photos were taken at the final performance when I was exhausted though I did no dancing. Andrew, Jossie, Toby and I watched the Saturday afternoon performance and it was a very entertaining show. As is my habit with all performances involving children, I cried through the whole thing. They were happy, silent tears, unlike those I shed on Sunday night after watching the last episode of Spooks, season 3. Danny, noooooooo! Spooks is brilliant, the characters, plot and setting are all fabulous and I love spotting all the actors from other shows. I particularly like to count how many actors from a Jane Austen production they can fit in one episode. It really is too much fun, except when it is frighteningly tense or unbearably sad....

One of Bethany's friends from daycare was also in the concert. She does jazz and was a smurf in the 90s section. Weren't the smurfs from the 80s? Let it go Amy, not everyone is a purist......

After a whole week of late nights I was planning on taking Bethany home before the end of the final performance. Her section was in the first half so I knew they wouldn't miss her and 9.30 is very late for a girl who goes to bed at 7.30. Thankfully, we stayed 'till the end because Santa came and gave everyone a bag full of Kit Kats and a trophy. As we walked back down to the basement Bethany told me that the trophy was what she "most ever wanted" and that she would be happy forever, even when I get angry with her. She couldn't wait to show Andrew and showed no signs of being tired. Now the makeup and hairspray have been washed away and we have to think about doing it all again next year.