TSO - The Planets

Oh my goodness. Going to the symphony tonight was magical. 

There's a program you can enroll in once you turn 15 called Soundcheck. I had Kate sign up last year as soon as she could and we've been to a couple of concerts. When I saw that The Planets were on deck I told Kate we should go, that she should look for tickets, and she was excited. 

When she first got a notice that there were tickets we didn't move fast enough and we missed them. She was so upset. I didn't realize how badly she wanted to go. I was a little bit not excited because it was a school night and I don't like being tired. So when a few more seats became available, we bought two and goodness am I ever glad we did. 

The first two performances were works by Thomas Ades, a British born composer. I enjoyed the first piece, more than the second, a piano concerto. It wasn't until I looked at the program a little more that I realized that the man conducting the orchestra was in fact the composer!

The second half of the program was The Planets. I've listened to the whole work before but I'm most familiar with Mars and Jupiter. When the music started I was so happy that we were there. By the time we got to Jupiter I shed a few tears. But the end of the performance did me in. 

Neptune is the end. And the end is a choir off stage that slowly fades into silence. The conductor held his arms up in the air for so long. He kept us there in the magic of the sound of the silence as the music faded into oblivion. It was transcendent. 

I am so thankful for music, for the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and for getting to go tonight with my favourite 16 year old.

Alice's 14th Birthday

ALICE! Her last Mommy selfie as a 13 year old!

The birthday table of presents! At first Alice wasn't going to have a party. So I thought I'd be generous with the sister presents... and then Alice changed her mind... and well, Alice got spoiled, in the best way possible!

Alice's actual birthday was a Friday this year, so that meant it was the perfect day to have her birthday party too. And what has been Alice's birthday party for the last few years? Hanging out in the basement with her friends and lots of snacks, pizza and ice cream!

I bought a fun birthday photobooth pack, hopefully we'll be able to use this again!

Alice and her friends! She has such a lovely friend group.

I love that she still lets me take pics with all her friends when she opens their presents!

On Saturday, Alice and Ken went out for dumplings and they went to the Pacific Mall. They had a very fun outing!

On Sunday Ken made cake and he and Andrew made a yummy steak dinner for all of us. Grandma and CJ came too.

We let Grandma eat some blue marshmallow fondant, she liked it!

We love you Alice! You are a light in our family. There is a lot to look forward to in this next year, being in a musical at school, graduating from grade 8, starting high school, going to For the Strength of Youth in the summer! Happy 14th Birthday!

The Birthday Questions - Alice - Age 14

1. What is your favourite color? Dark green    

2. What is your favourite toy? My phone

3. What is your favourite fruit? Peaches, maybe avocado

4. What is your favourite tv show? Miraculous Ladybug

5. What is your favourite thing to eat for lunch? Pot stickers, I just love the crispiness

6. What is your favourite outfit? Wide leg Reitman’s jeans, square neck Old Navy shirt, green Levi’s sweater     

7. What is your favourite game? The game of lying around and thinking about stuff     

8. What is your favourite snack? Lettuce and ranch

9. What is your favourite animal? Koalas and narwhals

10. What is your favourite song? Stranger by Olivia Rodrigo      

11. What is your favourite book? A Good Girls Guide to Murder      

12. Who is your best friend? Caden and Leila      

13. What is your favourite cereal? Lucky Charms

14. What is your favourite thing to do outside? Play volleyball

15. What is your favourite drink? Sparkling Water 

16. What is your favourite holiday? Christmas 

17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? My blanket      

18. What is your favourite thing to eat for breakfast? Avocado Toast

19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Steak and garlic mashed potatoes

20. What do you want to be when you grow up? A pharmacist

(Interview conducted on February 25, typed up on March 13, but back posted to Feb 21st because.)

 

Ken, A Birthday

We love our Ken!!! I was so excited about his birthday present this year! In the fall when Shawn went to Oregon, she and Heather did a glass blowing experience, and I thought, oh my goodness, I wonder if there's something like that in Toronto? And of course there is. It was hard to keep it a secret for so long, but I did, having purchased the experience for him a few months ago.

Ken had quite the interesting day... He wanted Crave donuts for his birthday treat and decided to take a half an hour this morning to go pick up the donuts. But it was not to be a half an hour experience... The car wouldn't start when he came back to it. He called CAA and the wait time ended up being almost two hours. Then he went to the Honda Dealership where he got a new battery. Ken did get his donuts, and extra work to do later. BOO!

We love him. He is adored by his girls, all four of us. I am so grateful that he was born and that I get to call him mine! Here's to another year of loving life with KEN!

Kate's 16th Birthday

Sixteen feels like a really big deal, like Kate is almost a grown up. This birthday has hit me hard. I know as a parent you're never done. Relationships between parents and children change and grow but Kate turning 16 has got me in my head about her growing up!

Here's the present table on Kate's birthday eve.

And here's the last picture of Kate the 15 year old.

Presents in the morning. Kate's big present will be her Dad and I paying for driving lessons. But her sisters wanted to get her some little things.

We went out to Kate's favourite, Boston Pizza for dinner and Uncle Andrew came.

We had a nice dinner, and Kate got a gf brownie and ice cream for the win!

I can't remember when Kate decided she wanted a friend party, but she did. She figured out the whole thing, invited her friends, coordinated everything herself. 

I think only one friend wasn't able to come at all. It seemed like everyone had lots of fun.

Ken made Kate a cheesecake! He he. Kate loves cheese. 

There was one naughty mouse on the backside of the cake making a mess, but the rest of the mice were quite well behaved.

Kate really did have a great night with her friends. It was lovely to see her happy and surrounded by friends. She continues to grow and learn and mature. She continues to impress us with her achievements at school. I'm excited to see what the future holds for Kate and I'm so grateful that I get to be her Mom and walk with her on her journey!