ZimWex Family Blog

This Moment.

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week.  A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

AZ

Now we are Six.

I am borrowing the format I used for Ruby 2 1/2 Years ago...seemed time to use it again!

When I was one, I had just begun.

When I was two, I was nearly new.

 When I was three, I was hardly me.

 When I was four, I was not much more.

 

When I was five, I was just alive.

 But now I am six, I'm as clever as clever; so I think I'll be six now forever and ever!

Happy Birthday, my sweet Violet!  You make us happy every day.

AZ

 

Double Digits.

Ten years old today.

Right now she is....

drawing ALL the time.

completely humiliated if we sing in public.

still singing a lot at home.

reading constantly.

a LITTLE bored with all this talk of English History.

making us listen to Legally Blonde a lot.

always checking herself out in the mirror.

wishing she saw more of Tanya.

prefers to brush her hair herself, thank you very much.

saying the word "jeggings" a surprising amount.

really INTO being a tourist.

loving

loved.

Happy Birthday,  sweet girl. I can't believe I have had the pleasure of your company for a decade now. 

AZ

My boy at 11.

is....

very very patient with his sisters.

 

when not patient with his sisters (particularly the eldest), taken to using the term "your face".

highly thrilled that he got an iPod touch for his birthday.

 

downloading lots of Weird Al Yankovic songs onto said iPod.

reading any and everything in sight.

enjoying this joke:  "What do you have when you are holding two little green balls in your hand?  Kermit the Frog's undivided attention"*

Still willing and loving to cuddle his Moms.  How lucky is that?

choosing hot dogs as his breakfast of choice.

Buying spontaneous presents for his little sisters ("because they don't have as much money as him")**

for a very short period, seems willing to wear some pants beside sweat pants.***

always willing to talk about Science.

wishing he was allowed to play on the computer more, but strangely accepting of his VERY limited time.

suddenly so very mature.  

In short, about as good of a role model as I could hope for the three younger girls who alternately look up to him, are annoyed by him, are competitive about him, and run screaming from him.

Love you, Jerry.

 

AZ

*not from a school mate, but from Tanya.

** and, he admitted, perhaps he would give him nicer birthday presents if they thought he was extra-nice.

*** I think thats just because he does not have many sweat pants packed here for London, but it is oh so much better than the usual look.

Birthday Happiness

is High Tea at Brown's with the whole family.  Scones and clotted cream and cakes from the cake trolley for everyone.

 

 
 Thanks for a great birthday, guys.

AZ

Happy Birthday, Ruby.

Right now, at age 7, Ruby is:

Loving to cook, especially in her chef's hat

Wanting to play "War"(the card game) each and every night.

Listening to a chapter of a Ramona book before bed

Eating anything chocolate at all

Often requesting both lasagna and pasta bolognese

Very interested in astronomy

Thinks she wants to be a writer

Still cuddling up with "blankie" each and every night; our own little Linus

Laughing a really really good laugh

And feeling oh-so-proud of her yoga.

Happy Birthday, sweet girl.

AZ

Oh. My. God.

I am kvelling.  I have died and gone to Musical Theater Heaven.

Why? I will tell you why.  Tonight was the NY Philharmonic Concert celebrating Steven Sondheim's 80th Birthday. Wow. Wow. Wow.  

What follows is for the die-hard musical theater fan only.

And here goes....the setlist*:

Something's Coming (West Side Story):  sung in one of the best interpretations I have ever heard by the glorious Alexander Gemignani.

We're Gonna Be Alright (Do I Hear a Waltz?): Marin Mazzie and Jason Danieley (who are married in real life).  Cute song...I had never heard before.

Laugh(Hot Spot): Victoria Clark was divinely funny in a song I wish I had had when I was auditioning. Very funny.

Johanna (Sweeney Todd):  For this one they brought in an opera singer..Nathan Gunn.  Means nothing to me, but apparently he is a big one.  And sang beautifully.

You're Gonna Love Tomorrow/Love Will See us Through (Follies):  Perky quartet from the youngsters...Bobby Steggart, Laura Osnes (surprisingly good given her reality TV start), Matt Cavenaugh, and Jenn Colella.

Too Many Mornings (Follies):  Audra McDonald and Nathan Gunn.  Gorgeous.

The Road you Didn't Take (Follies):  John McMartin reprised his original role.  

It Takes Two(Into The Woods):  Chip Zien and Joanna Gleason!!! Wowzer.  Okay, this is where I cried.  Not because it is such a tear jerker song...but for some reason these two were so accessible, and adorable and funny.  And because it was one of the first shows I saw on Broadway in 1988.  And that seems like a very long time (and a lifetime) ago.

?From Merrily We Roll Along: Okay, so I don't know the name of this song.  But Jim Walton, who I also don't know, and who was in the original Broadway cast, sang very well at the piano.

Finishing the Hat(Sunday in the Park with George): Now they started bringing out the big guns. Mandy Patinkin on Finishing the Hat. Sounded just as good as he did 26 years ago.

Move On(Sunday in the Park with George):  Bernadette Peters and Mandy Patinkin.  Nuff said.

Pretty Women(Sweeney Todd): Here things got cute and Michael Cerveris (the most recent Sweeney) did this as a duet with George Hearn (the previous one). 

Have a Little Priest (Sweeney Todd):  As a trio with Patti Lupone, Michael Cerveris, and George Hearn.  Very funny.

INTERMISSION!  In which I scrambled to the bathroom and then thought to myself...oh no, this is going to be over soon...Let it last a little longer!

Ballet?(Reds):  Yes, they did a ballet.  I could have done without this, but it was pretty.

So Many People (Saturday Night):  My old audition song! I love, love, love this song and loved hearing it sung by the great Laura Benanti.

Beautiful Girls (Follies): David Hyde Pierce used this song to introduce the following women to the stage- they appeared dressed in red Diane von Furstenberg dresses and sat down on stage to stay a while:  Bernadette Peters, Audra McDonald, Patti LuPone, Marin Mazzie, Donna Murphy, Elaine Stritch. In the next part of the song, they sang one great song after another while watching each other, which was fascinating all around.**

The Ladies Who Lunch (Company):  by Patti! Oh for crying out loud, this was great. She sang this song with her usual crazy enunciation and timing.  She was fabulously brilliant.  The audience went crazy at the end, and Elaine Stritch went right to her feet to applaud.  

Losing My Mind(Follies): Marin Mazzie sang a very emotional version of this great song.

The Glamorous Life (A Little Night Music):  Okay, only when Audra McDonald sings it could this relatively boring song become a tour-de-force.  I practically wanted to cry.  She is unreal.

Leave You?(Follies): Donna Murphy was so dry and so withering in this song.  Perfect.

Not a Day Goes By (Merrily We Roll Along):  Bernadette Peters had tears in her eyes from the moment she stood up to sing this.  It was restrained, moving, great.  And, wow, she still has amazing arms!

I'm Still Here (Follies):  Who else but Elaine Stritch? At age 85, she can deliver a song like no one else.  The whole theater jumped to their feet at the end of the song.

Sunday (Sunday in the Park with George):  About 300 members of various Broadway companies*** came up on stage and also surrounded the audience.  Amazing harmonies.  

At long last, they brought Sondheim up on stage, sang Happy Birthday to him, and he gave a little speech.

And then. 

It was over.  And we all had to go back to our real lives.  

If you have made it to the end of this insane post, god bless you.

AZ

*yes, because I got a pen out and wrote it down on my program.  Cool, right?

**By the way, backstage had to be some kind of crazy diva-off, right?

***Even Mixed Company's Amy Justman, who walked right by me!

If you feel like Violet's birthday has gone on in this blog for long enough...

..than you feel like Violet does.  Her birthday was one day, she got taken out for a date by her fabulous godmother another day, her cupcakes at school were another day, her party for all her friends at the ballet studio was another day, she opened her presents from her grandparents on yet another day.  At each of these occasions, she has wondered if now she is turning five.  She has no idea why we keep giving her presents/singing to her.  It is pretty cute, actually.

And so, yes, each of these occasions presents an opportunity to photograph.  And so how could I resist, at the end of the day, posting this picture?* Hmmm? 

 

And with that, my friends, the birthday footage is complete.

*Taken, as a matter of fact, by aforementioned fabulous godmother...

Just in case you were wondering how old a certain someone turned this week.*

AZ 

*Terribly confusing, though, having the party on a different day (tomorrow).  Violet has been wondering all week if at that party, she will be turning 5?  Why is there a party if she is not getting any older?

Four.

Violet is (gasp) four today.

How this is possible, I hardly know.  She is decidedly a big girl now.*  And while, yes,  I do miss a little squishy baby, I do love this big (squishy) girl who says that when she is four she can do everything. When pressed for more specifics, she comes up with: play, dress up, and turn into Cinderella.  I will be back next year with an update as to which of these has occurred.

In the meantime, right now, Violet is:

Making Endless Trips out of her bedroom to ask just one more question.

Singing neverending made-up songs as she is pushed around the city in her stroller.

Asking for the following combination of music on the CD Player:  Princess tunes, West Side Story, and Single Ladies.

Continuing to reject most sweet things (especially chocolate), but coming around on oatmeal cookies (But please, hold the raisins.)

Searching the world diligently for "the last number" despite being told in age-appropriate and less age-appropriate ways that numbers are infinite.

Saying all "l"s and "r"s as "y"s, therefore rendering many words thoroughly incomprehensible to anyone not living in this house.

Joyously reading the words "Park" and "Exit" wherever she can find them.

Enjoying way too much the "job chart" that we use to organize family jobs**.  Doing as many "extra jobs" as possible.***

Smiling her big Violet smile at least 70% of her waking hours.

Happy Birthday, Violet.

AZ

*Ella, ever baby obsessed, is already lamenting that Violet is now officially "too old for her".

**And crying if for some reason someone does her job for her.

***Oh, that this would last.