Today Mari had her first violin lesson. I didn’t get to go to the lesson and it was great to hear the sound of the violin in the house!
Mari Playing the Violin
Mari gets a Violin and Lucia is a Pickle
in 3rd grade we like the kids to start learning an instrument. Andrew has been taking piano lessons for almost 2 years now and Mari has decided to start the violin. We went to the music store today to get her violin and now it is off to the races. Not really. We can’t even figure out how to make a sound. Mari has her first lesson tomorrow.
In other news, Susan and I had dinner with some friends tonight and Erin watched the kids for us, including Lucia. When Erin asked the kids, “Who made this mess?” Lucia answered “Pickle.” She thinks her name is pickle, which is what Susan calls her sometimes. if you ask her what her name is, she says “Pickle.” Hilarious.
Mahoney State Park
Monday and Tuesday of this past week we made a quick trip to Mahoney State Park. Monday evening we celebrated Joe’s graduation then on Tuesday we hit the pool and watched some soccer.
Mari’s 9th Birthday
Today we celebrated Mari’s 9th birthday! It was a fun day, with swimming in the afternoon and then the Reagens and Liesses over for some Skyline for dinner.
I was looking back at Mari’s bio from her 8th birthday and not much has changed. She continues to be on a very consistent schedule, waking around 7:30 or 8 and going to bed at 9. Of course, as she gets older there is more variability here. Her favorite food is “I don’t know.” Her favorite color is blue. Her favorite song is Royals.
Mari is going into 3rd grade next year and she likes language arts, which for us means reading stories and then drawing a picture from the story and writing a short summary.
Mari Get Her Ears Pierced!
Today we are back in Des Moines after a busy weekend and it is a big day for Mari! For a few months she has been asking to get her ears pierced for her 9th birthday and this afternoon we went for it! She was definitely a little scared, but she kept telling us that she wanted to do it. In the end she followed through and her ears look great!
We got her ears pierced a the Pink Elephant, which is a tattoo parlor in Ankeny. They do a great job with kids and know what they are doing. It was an interesting experience for the kids as there was a lot to learn about.
Mari’s Haircut
Mari has been wanting short hair for a while, but we all agreed to wait until after her First Communion. Two days later, she went for it.
Mari’s First Communion
Today we celebrated Mari’s First Communion! My parents were in town along with her Godparents, Mike and Laura Roman, and their three kids. It was a fun day and we are very proud of Mari!
Mari’s 8th Birthday
Today we celebrated Mari’s 8th birthday. After spending the day at the zoo we met at Skyline for dinner and then headed back to Mar-Mar & B-Bob’s for some cake and ice cream.
Mari continues to blossom into a wonderful young lady. She is a great help around the house and is very helpful with Lucia. She usually wakes up for the day at around 7:30 or 8 and heads to bed around 9. She is usually a little more tired than the others. She is headed into 2nd grade next year and participates well in school. She is always up for any activity. her favorite color is pink. Her favorite food is Skyline. She does not have a favorite song, but she does like the song Firework by Katy Perry.
Colorado Vacation – Day 11
Today we headed in different directions – Mari went to a garden in Denver with Mar-Mar and B-Bob, Susan, Elliot, and Andrew hung out in Boulder with Jill, Holly, Elsie, and Henry, and I, Rob, went for a day-hike with Will and Alex.
Valentine’s Day Wrap-Up
We looked through our Valentine’s things. We got two hearts and I got a cat thing from school. I got some little things that make animals that swim in water, candy, and some books.
For dinner, we went to a restaurant, and I ate noodles.