Banquet

Recently we got dressed up for a homecoming banquet at our school. The adults escaped being caught in photos, but the children were not so lucky.

We bought Ben a tie - the last one in the store - and it turned out to be much too small for him, but it was cute anyway.

Izzie was excited to wear a new hair clip with ribbons, and a pair of fancy socks.

We (Ben, Izzie, and Nat) arrived late so as to avoid having to keep Ben and Izzie quiet during the ceremony.  We therefore missed the firing of a big cannon containing colorful streamers, but the streamers are much more fun when out of the cannon anyway.

After dinner, the students ran different games and events.  There was a singing room, cotton candy,a coffee house, water balloons, a Mission Impossible challenge, hair to be braided, handkerchiefs to be made...  and the obligatory but ever so popular face painting.  Ben discovered that he likes a kind of dried and pressed fish snack. (He is doing really well at trying new foods. Colin and I don't even eat that one.)  We left tired and happy at the end of the evening... that is until the kids realized they would have to wash off the paint before going to bed.  Ben kept pressing me for details about having my face painted:  how many times have I ever had it done, why, what was the picture etc., and - after a tiring evening and more sugar than a night of trick-or-treating - was highly disturbed that I could not remember every minute thing that has ever happened to me or any person I care about.  I'm sure I have had my face painted numerous times, but I could not at this point in my life tell you specifically about any of them.  I didn't want to make something up just to pacify him.  So, in the slim chance the tables should be turned years from now and Ben should find himself with children of his own crying themselves to sleep in distress because he can't remember what was painted on his face when he was 5, going on 6...   it was a skull., Ben.  A black one.  And I have no idea why you picked that particular design.  Sweet dreams, my love.
 

Face Painting

One day last week when we picked up Ben and Izzie from preschool, we were surprised to see these works of art!