Look at it today. It sure is chaning colors...The swelling has gone down a lot, but it is still tender.
Poor Erik! He was running yesterday at recess and another boy ran right into his eye (with his forehead). Erik got the short end of the stick with a BLACK EYE, while the other boy only got a bump on his forehead. I hope he recovers soon..it looks so raw and tender today (even worse than the photo from yesterday). We are using Arnica gel on it (a herb that dissolves bruise blood) and of course we iced it all day yesterday. I had to pick him up from school early and then he missed the afternoon. This exact same accident happened to Krista at recess a few years ago, right before Kaitlyn's baptism.
WOW! I must say I am VERY amazed at Krista's wonderfully talented dance teacher. She put on a SPECTACULAR show for us Friday and Saturday night! This Dance School has 250 students and is absolutely fabulous. It is located in a nearby town just 5 minutes from our village. Every 2 years there is a show "spectacle" in a beautiful concert hall. The show consisted of presentations by each dance class--from children's tap to adult ballet. It was truly tops! There were 2 themes for the classical dance--the seasons (spring, fall, summer, spring) and the second part was an Asian theme. The tap classes themes varied. Krista's class was "disco" and you will see Krista sporting a bright yellow wig and polka dot mini skirt. Krista also does ballet, but not in this village. Her ballet show will be next weekend (she also has the same teacher for ballet). I was very impressed with the whole show and will have to post a clip of one of the beautiful ballet pieces as well. For now I will post the COMPLETE dance that Krista and her group performed. They did a great job! We took pictures during Friday night's show and video on Saturday. On Friday night Toomas, Kaitlyn and Erik also came, but since the show was over 4 hours long they decided not to come on Saturday (although Kaitlyn did a great job being patient and quiet). So with no further delay.... I present, KRISTA's TAP CLASS!!!
And now click the arrow below to watch the Full length video and pictures! ENJOY!
Krista is officially on her way to the pre-teen stage! Ear piercing, the famous rite-of-passage for almost every girl in the Western world....It is done! She had ear's pierced when we were on vacation in the US. She has been wanting this for SO long now and was literally just begging us weekly to do them. I must say in her defense, that most of the girls in her class DO have their ears pierced and she WAS one of the odd-girls-out (although I personally had to wait until I was almost 12!). Anyway, back at Christmas this year we promised her she could have them pierced. I bought a special kit that is 100% disposable. I did not like even the idea of the re-useable "gun" that they have at places like "Claire's" or "Piercing Pagoda" so when I found this sytem by Coren I was thrilled. The whole kit is sealed up (just like a vaccine), and the WHOLE thing is disposable. The gun is integrated and is thrown away. We found a pediatrician in the US who agreed to do this and she also used a lidocaine cream on the lobes 20 minutes before. The doctor was a bit spastic, but the nurse was wonderful and Krista's ears turned out perfectly! Krista was so excited that Grandma was able to take the day off to come with Krista for her ear piercing too--Krista really wanted Grandma to be a part of it. She is 6 weeks into the 8 week wait before she can take out the special studs. She is just THRILLED with her new look and with the lidocaine she said it didn't hurt at all! Her ears were red for about 1 hour after the proceedure and that was it---no hint of swelling, pain or oozing at all. They are beautiful! 
Well here is the suite to the photos from earlier on in the week. We ended up our fun trip with Helen, Janne, Isabel and Elise by spending the day at a nearby amusement park. The weather was fabulous and the kids had a blast. After we left the park we took the scenic route home (small villages and vineyards) and that was breathtaking! Even after having had lived here for 10 years, those sights still take my breath away! After we came home we had a gift exhange---THANKS Helen, Janne and kids for your kind gifts to us. Thanks too to Vanaema for the cute book and tights for Kaitlyn's birthday. Later in the evening we ended the trip with a dinner on the town. Kaitlyn was not on her best behavior and we had a bad experience with the table behind us, but such is life with a toddler! We were so happy that Helen, Janne, Isabel and Elise came to visit! Krista and Erik are still talking about the fun they had with their cousins! :)
