Ouch!

For the past several weeks, I've been having a toothache, especially when I ate or drank something cold. So, I went to the dentist on Tuesday afternoon and found out that I needed to have a root canal. After attempting to get in with an endodontist, I ended up having to schedule with my own dentist for the next morning! So, yesterday I had my first root canal. I went to school first to get things ready for the final exam I was giving, and my 7th graders gave me great pep talks (as well as horror stories) for going to the dentist. The whole process took a good two hours and has left me quite sore. I have to go back next week to get a crown.
Another ouch has come and gone. I have completed grading all 110 essay exams - - in 24 hours at that! I try to grade quickly so that it's over and done with, much like ripping off a band-aid. There's only four days left of school. There is so much to do to get my classroom ready and to finish up a project or two that needs completing before summer break.
Tomorrow is Hannah's last day at Montessori until August. She is excited to give her teachers a gift, but I know that she will miss her friends. The boys are jealous that she's done before them.

First Dance Recital

Hannah has been taking tap lessons this year at Montessori. It's a fabulous deal; the instructors come to her school each week, so I don't have to take her anywhere, and it's only $5/lesson! She has practiced on the tile floor at home numerous times. She loves the sound her tap shoes make on the hard floor. (John and I aren't quite as crazy about the sound as she is.) I wasn't really planning on having her participate in this year's recital because it was when I would be out of town with Explorers Club. However, when I saw her costume and how excited she was about dancing on stage, I knew I'd have to figure out a way to make it work. Thanks to a friend from church (whose child is also at Montessori) who could take Hannah to dress rehearsal and to John and my mom for going to the recital, Hannah was able to debut her dancing abilities. I'm not sure she's ready for Dancing With the Stars, but she's pretty darn cute!

Louisville

Jacob and I left last night at midnight on a charter bus bound for Louisville, Kentucky. We drove through the night getting little snippits of sleep here and there. We got to Louisville about 11:00 a.m. central time. Our first stop was the Louisville Science Center. It's a science museum geared to elementary and middle school students (but the adults had fun too!). It was a pretty neat place. We saw an IMAX about how the brain works, but the focus was on bike riders in the Tour de France. It had some amazing scenery.
After the museum, we went to Joe's Crab Shack for dinner. It actually took about an hour to go just a few blocks away because our bus driver got really turned around and drove across the river into Indiana and had to turn around and cross back over. Dinner took a really long time; groups of 25 make things harder for restaurants. But, it was really nice just to sit for a while. My crab cake sandwich was awesome!
Tomorrow we go to Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom for the day.

International Dinner

Every spring, Montessori hosts an "International Dinner." The children from each class choose a country to learn about. They learn to count in the language of their country and to sing a song or do a dance from that country. They also wear a costume that is somewhat reflective of the country. This was Hannah's first time to participate. Her class represented Germany. She had cute little suspenders and a feathered hat to wear. Thanks to Grandmama for making the black skirt; we couldn't find one to buy. Hannah has been learning some German (thanks to her teacher, Mr. Kevin, who is a German major). She can count to twenty, and she's learned to sing a song titled, "Baka Baka Kuken." (I'm sure I didn't spell that correctly.) We had so much fun watching her perform! Unlike either of her brothers who never did much more than stand on the stage and look scared, Hannah actually sang, danced, smiled, waved, and acted like she was having a grand time. Here are some pictures from the event. I hope to post some video just as soon as I can get another S video cable for my video camera.