Tess' first basketball camp

Tess started her very first official basketball camp today at Detroit Country Day.  Turns out they didn't advertise it very well since Tess and her buddy are the only campers.  So essentially, Tess gets her own workouts with the boys varsity coach and varsity players.  The coolest!!  By the end, she even made a couple of left-handed layups.

Piano Woman

Tess had her piano recital today.  She did great!

Tess and Mrs. Downey

Tess and Eliana

The crew

Tooth Fairy Alert! Tooth Fairy Alert!

Did you think we were gone?  We've taken a brief summer hiatus, but now that major milestones are happening, we are getting back to it.  This post is a current this-is-happening-right-now-post.  We'll have to do some catching up with this-is-what-happened-over-the-summer posts, but not now -- we've got news:

Tess lost her first tooth!

Here she is in bed with her tooth fairy pillow that she's been dying to use...

And here she is dreaming of tooth fairy treasures.

 (Yes, were are also practicing with the pink foam curlers to see if they are first day of first grade worthy!)

Dance recital!

Sunday was Tess' dance recital.  Grandma Muriel and Papa Art came to town special for the event.  We were lucky enough to score front row seats to the show.  In attendance were Meena, Papa, Grandma, Papa Art, Michael, Stacey, Dad, Nora and me.

Miss. Hip Hop and her little sister (also in make-up, of course)

Perhaps one of my favorite pictures of her.  Ever.

Let's just say that it's a good thing everyone was there for the recital.  At the very end when all the dancers were on stage for the finale, the owner of the studio passed out one award to the 2013 Student of the Year.  And we all about fell out of our chairs when she announced that the winner was Tess Tillman.  Um, WHAT?  Unreal.  Tess was selected out of over 200 dancers (many of whom are in more than one class).  Needless to say, we are still completely baffled as is the 6 year old who was honored with said award. On that note, does anyone know of any good agents for 6 year old stars?

When she won, I tried to grab the camera quick.  Wasn't quite prepared.

 

Tess and Ms. Rhona

Tess and Ms. Marli, her teacher

With Michael and Stacey

With Meena and Papa

With Papa Art and Grandma

Tess & Eliana

The Hardware 

The note she put next to the hardware the second it came through the door...

The best Daddy Daughter dance team alive!

Last day of Kindergarten!

How can this be?  Our big girl is now a first grader... no more kindergarten!

First day of kindergarten

Last day!

Lining up before school for the last time 

Nora was really happy for Tess

Mrs. Bernacki

Tess and Abby

Tess, Emma & Abby

Going in a kindergartener for the last time, coming out a first grader

 

The day after school got out, there was a Kindergarten Celebration at the park

Mrs. Bernacki passed out their end of the year packets

They also put on a little performance:

Room 107 hug

With Meena & Papa

Our favorite First Grader

Catching up!

Ok, so here we go...

Not that things aren't normally busy, but lately with school starting, it has been especially busy.  I feel like I started kindergarten too.  New schedule, new routine... and new early bedtimes for everyone.

Tess has been loving kindergarten.  She got to bring home the class pet a few weeks ago... a ferocious hamster named Fluffy.  Her assignment was to document all of Fluffy's activities that evening, including Fluffy eating dinner with us.  (Fluffy had a carrot.)  Good thing he was pretty well-behaved.  Only once was I worried that he was going to lose his head after Nora got hold of him and wouldn't give him back, resulting in a sister tug-o-war.

Now we are going to jump backwards to Labor Day.  This year, we went back to Dayton to visit with Diana (Damon's cousin), Lainey and Cole.  Papa Art, Grandma Muriel and Uncle Marky-Mark met us there.  We squeezed in a little boating in between the rain clouds.

The weekend after Labor Day, we took a quick trip to Mackinac Island so all the girls could run in a race.  I ran the eight mile and the girls Tess ran the kids' race.  Nora talked a big game pre-race, and then it was all over when they shot the gun.  No, there really wasn't a gun.

 

My poor sweet and innocent Nora is turning to the dark side.

 

Lastly, both girls started dance class in September.  Tess is taking hip hop and loves it.  Nora is in ballet/tap.  Lets just say she's still "warming up" to it.  She loves getting dressed to go, will now willingly enter the room, likes to put on her tap shoes, and then proceeds to not participate.  At all.  We'll try a few more times before we decide if we hold off for a while longer until she's a bit older.

Hip hop doesn't suit her at all, does it?

And there you have it!  All caught up!  Will do better, will do better, will do better...