Tea at The Constitution

On Friday I saw a posting on our school list serv about an American Girl Doll tea party at the USS Constitution Museum. I had never been to the ship or the museum, neither had Ally. It was Sunday after church, a local author was reading from his book about girls in history. It sounded like fun. I asked Ally if she wanted to go, the answer was a resounding YES. So I bought tickets and we figured out outfits and went.

It was an unseasonably hot late September day but we had fun.

Ally and I in front of the Commandant’s house, where the tea was held.

Not only did Ally and McKenna have matching dresses, they also sported matching French braids.

Inside the tea party, we played traditional parlor games, and took a selfie! There was lemonade to drink, thank goodness!

After the party we walked over to the ship, boarded it and walked around. It was pretty neat to see the cannons and how big the ship was.

After touring the ship we headed into the museum. We purchased the book from the reading “Sisters of Scituate Light” and the author signed it for Ally.

Posing with her new book in front of the model ship. Then relaxing in a hammock in the ship’s barracks exhibit.

A craft project is never to be missed, and Ally had fun trying to write her name with a traditional quill and ink. The quill was a goose feather!

When we got home, I took a break and Ally and Becky made pizza for dinner. Looks like Cloey even helped spread the flour.

All Day Play Date

Ally had a day of school for Rosh Hosh.ashana. I swapped with some neighborhood moms to share child care for the day. I  dropped Ally off at her friend Maya’s house at 730 am in her pajamas. At 1230 Maya, Olive and Ally came to our house for the afternoon. Still in their pajamas. Olive was picked up at 2pm for a doctor’s appointment, but Maya stayed until 5pm.

The girls got along really well all day. They did crafts, played family and school. Played soccer in our yard and hula-hooped. We went to the park (yes with them in pajamas). It was a fun day.

Here are some park pictures.

I just loved the rain boots and pajamas fashion. When we got to the park they seemed a little hesitant about their pajama look, there were other kids there. I told them if anyone asked, just to say they had a “pajama play date” that worked and then they gleefully played together.

When we got home, they ate snack on the porch.

Fun day with friends. And I was glad to get a full day of work in on a school holiday!

A new “special thing”

In July while visiting Becky’s family Aunt Polly gave Ally her Christmas gift. It was perfect – a craft kit to make your own stuffed animal out of socks.

It took us a few months to open it and create one. But now we have “Socko” as a new special thing for Ally. Its not #1, Snowi still has that spot, but Socko is pretty soundly #2.

I am happy to say that even I did some work on him – I sewed the button eyes on!

Thank you Aunt Polly & Uncle Jim.

Guat Girls G0 Apple Picking

For our September get together we went apple picking! Ally, Alice, Rosa & Gabi but no Roxie this month.

First up was the hayride to pick Honey Crisp Apples

 

Most of the apples there were up high, but the trees are not mature enough for ladders. It was clear that even at almost 8 years old these girls were not too old for rides on their moms’ shoulders.

Lots of apples were eaten – Gabi showed her no hands talent!

 

At the Cortland trees there were ladders! The girls loved them.

The climbed some trees to reach up higher.

But the ladder was the best.

At one point they were all lined up taking turns. It was so adorable! Julie even gave it a shot to get the perfect apple way up high! But then decided she liked picking from the ground better.

 

After we had filled up our bags of apples and a few pears we headed to the farm store and animals. Gabi was a bit startled by the giant scarecrow. But then she made faces at it.

It was a really fun day. Even if the line for cider donuts was so long the wait was 90 minutes! We skipped that, drank some cider, got the girls honey sticks and they conquered the hedge maze with Rosa’s mom Julie and Becky.

Outstanding Ally

Caution: This post is a full on brag about my daughter.

This year at school there is a new behavior program. There are 7 levels – every day each student starts at green “ready to learn” and thru out the day they get moved up or down the chart based on behavior. Ally has earned 6 Outstanding (the highest level) in 7 days of English class.  After 5 Outstanding a student gets a coupon to turn in for a prize. Ally was thrilled to show me the journal she picked out at as her prize.

Last night at the Open House for parents we learned that the English teacher is emphasizing listening skills, paying attention, following directions, the ability to keep out of sticky situations, all the basic behaviors that come really easily to Ally. We’ve talked about it several days, because at first she couldn’t really explain why she got “up clipped” to a higher level, and finally she realized that its because most of the things are things she does any way and it requires not a lot of effort for her. But her competitive spirit is kicking in and now she is working even harder at it.

In Spanish she is doing well too, its only been 1 week of class and she was out sick for 1 day. It will be more of challenge in Spanish class as that teacher is putting more emphasis on class participation that just behavior. But I know Ally will do her best.

The other interesting thing at the Open House is that Becky and I got to see Ally’s writing journal. She had told us about a list they made in class. I just had to photograph it. I am so thrilled she has Guatemala on her “Things I like list” and it is so Ally not to have anything to list in the “don’t’ like” column. She is such a positive person.  But I admit I am surprised she didn’t write “eating” in that column! We also looked in her book folder and she had 5 books on animals, so typically Ally.

And yes we do still need to work on spelling. But it’s a pretty neat list and we are thrilled she is enjoying second grade.

A sign of things to come?

A few weeks ago Ally asked about putting a streak of color in her hair “sometime”. I think this is an “American.G.irl” doll inspiration / influence. But I said sure. I saw some wash out color crayons for hair marketed for kids at our local drug store.

Then on Saturday she asked about it again saying to us “do you remember when you said…?” Becky answered first and said we’d have to think about it. But before Ally could even protest I explained that I already said yes she could, and asked if Ally wanted to do it soon. She said YES. So on the way home we stopped and got the special crayons.

Sunday morning she wanted me to put it in her hair – so she could wear it to church and then to Alice’s party. So I did. The blue looked really neat, the pink was really hard to see.

A streak of blue and a streak of pink in the back, and small piece of blue in the front. Ally LOVED it. She asked me to put the blue in again for school on Monday. So we did. And yes it washed out easily, she had fun looking at the colored water in the shower as it all washed out. Sometimes its simple things like this.

It is a bit curious to me that she was so excited about the color, and not at all self conscious, but doing her hair in braids or 2 pig tails makes her self conscious. But she was so excited and kept saying “its so pretty”.