May this be the year we soar to new heights

Dance with reckless abandon

Stretch ourselves

Take risks

Toast our friends

May this be the year…………

Photos taken at First Night Columbus 2009

Kristina Isabelle/High Jinks Dance Co

KidCo

The unplugged theme this week is BALL.  I had wanted to make these juggling balls as a gift for Jake for Christmas and we never got around to it.

I decided to change up the instructions a bit. I was afraid if we just filled the balloons with rice or flour they may break. So we used raquet balls and tennins balls, rice and ballons.

First we carefully cut slits in the raquet balls and filled them with rice.

Then we cut the tops off the balloons and stretched them to fit over the balls. The tennis balls we just covered with balloons.

This is were it got a little tough. If you follow the links directions we should have cut small holes in other ballons and wrapped them round the balloned balls. We couldn’t stretch the ballons with out breaking them. A few worked.

But then I remebered we had these tiny rolls of colored masking tape.

This worked great. Ginger preferred stickers and a crayon!

I would post a photo of Jake juggling these new juggling balls but he is in bed with the flu! I am sure he will love them but in the mean time I’ll post this old photo and you can pretend he is juggling the new fancy balls!

2008 went out with a party!!!

Stilt dancing downtown at First Night

Jake got to walk in the streets with the big boys…lucky him!!!!!!!

We made it home just in time!

2008 was good but 2009 will be even better!!!!! The pork is in the crock pot (to ensure my good luck!) And we are off for a day of skiing. Welcome 2009!

It’s almost over-this hectic busy time of year. About now I am wishing for a day to just stay home and do nothing. But soon enough we will be pushed right back into our regular old routine and these days  of visiting and celebrating will be just a memory.So I guess I will take advantage of them and visit all the exhibits that we meant to see before the beginning of the year and use up all of our coupons that expire at the end of the year-all in the next week!

Today the kids had a  stilt dancing performance at The Conservatory. They did awesome-as usual! I am so proud of them that each time they perform I have a hard time holding back the tears! They will be ringing in the new year downtown at First Night again this year too!!

I took lots of photos at Circus today!

Among the many things they learn at Circus is poi.  It looks easy…but it takes a bit of work.  It is really relaxing and it is a great exercise, especially if your looking for something that passes the mid-line; like Brain Gym exercises do.

Ginger is anxiously awaiting the day she can join Jake and Molly in the Grimaldi Circus.  Today she decided she needed her own set of poi at home.  So we found 2 socks (cool stripey ones would have been more fun!) and we stole a couple of our dog’s tennis balls.  If you don’t have tennis balls you could use-rice, beans, another pair of socks…Stuff whatever you use into the toes of the socks.

Then tie some decorative ribbon  around the socks- I tied them low down but my kids moved them up a bit so the sock was more saggy.  You can google poi and come up with several sites with shopping opportunities, poi instructions and even classes.

Ginger has been practicing all night!

We live in a really active arts community.  With a OSU and CCAD in our city, along with  The Short North down, High St.,  there are many opportunities to not only enjoy art but participate in it also.  Last night The Short North introduced a new concept, Art al Fresco.  Most galleries stayed open late, hosting performances in their windows and on their sidewalks.  Artists, including my kids Grimaldi Circus, roamed the main drag.

This is just a small sampling of the fun!  Hopefully this will become a regularly scheduled event!

And on another hopeful note-I have fingers crossed that Ginger’s puking and high fever this morning at 5 AM will be quick to pass.  She has a very important Birthday to attend later this afternoon.  And I already made the potato salad dag nab  it!

KidzArtz was a huge success! Fun was had by all!!

And this piece of Molly’s even sold. It really was a wonderful day.

More soon-now off to a baseball game.