Lestina Family

Jenya and Ben amuse themselves at mini-golf.

A great day snow tubing at wildwood. 

Schenley show time again, and this year we had decent weather for a change.  The girls' Theater on Ice group did their performance, and Jenya and Ana also both did solos.

Jenya premiered her new minecraft program, which she created and choreographed herself.  It was quite funny – all the adults seemed confused as to what she was supposed to be, but all the kids were saying "wow – minecraft!!".  She did a great job – it looks really impressive.

 

Ana skated her new free skate program for the first time.  She downgraded a few elements because it was a show program, but I thought it looked really nice.

 

Ana took her Pre-Preliminary Freeskate test today, because she finally, after about a year of working on it, got her axel to a competitive level.  This is a very big achievement (the axel), so it's funny that she marks that achievement by taking a test that consists solely of skills she could do in her sleep two years ago. 

Anyway, here is her test, which of course she passed:

 

 

A very snowy drive to Columbus yesterday for Dealia's first rhythmic competition of the season.  Upwards of 5 hours for what is normally a 3 hour drive. 

The competition itself went quite well – De placed 3rd all around, with 3rd in floor, 4th in rope, and 3rd in hoop. 

There were about 20 girls at her level.  She got some nice swag, too – they gave all the kids nice rhythmic notebooks, and they had snowflakes with each competitor's name on them that they got to keep.

After the competition we all went to Culver's, of course – that's everyone's favorite part of heading west. 

Here's a video of De's floor routine:

 

And her hoop routine:

 

Jenya's FLL robotics team, BrickBusters, won the FLL Robotics Regional Major at Sewickley Academy today!  They took first place overall out of the 19 teams competing, plus they took 2nd in the robot challenge and got honorable mentions for programming and the research presentation.

This means that they advance to the Regional Championship which will be in January. Really cool!

Ana had her winter concert with the Children's Festival Chorus today.  Lovely singinging in a really big, pretty cathedral.  Unfortunately Lunn never zoomed out on the recording, so you can't really get a sense of how big the chorus is (about 60 kids), how big the audience was (huge!), or how big and nice the cathedral was.  I'll have to remember to ask him to do a beginning or ending zoom-out next time.

 

RMU Holiday show today.  The kids each did several numbers — Ana & Ben did a pairs solo, Jenya & Ana did Elena’s “Soldiers and Aliens” number, and all three girls did Crystal’s “Lion King” number.  And of course their Theater on Ice troupe had a performance.  Lots of quick costume changes, but that went better this year and I actually got to watch most of the show!

Here’s their Theater on Ice — Ana is in the red and black vampire dress, she and Ben are both vampires and do a few pairs moves.  Jenya is the big pink bunny – I love how her bunny ears look on her scratch spin.  And De is the little girl, in the blue pajamas.

 

And here is Ana & Ben’s pairs solo:

 

 

Yesterday Edison Hill passed away in Asheville, North Carolina. 

The Hills lived next door to me when I was a child, and for as long as I can remember they were my second family.  Melissa babysat for me and taught me to tie my shoes.  Michael was the big brother I never had – I remember him pushing me in a cart when I was three or four, and teaching me to jump over the gap in the stone wall that ran along the back of the yard when I was a little older.  Marcus was so much older that I didn't know him as well, but I remember my mom going out to pick him up in the middle of the night, and being so worried about him. 

I remember Helen tying the sash on my dress, and her Mississippi Mud Cake, and the wonderful holiday parties every year.  And I remember Edison swinging me upside-down and laughing. When I was older, I remember sitting with him and just talking, about everything – politics, science, books, law, the present and the future.  He was always kind, always caring, but also funny and entertaining and just plain good company. 

I grow okra now in my garden here in Pittsburgh, a southern oddity in this northern place, and I remember that I learned to eat it, and cook it, and grow it, from the Hills.  I watch my children climbing the trees in our yard, and I remember climbing the big tree above the little playhouse, and Edison helping me down when I got stuck.  The tree is gone, many years ago, and now Edison Hill is gone too, but in my memory they are both big and strong and welcoming.

The world is a better place because Edison Hill was a part of it.  He will be missed.

 

Jenya participated in the "Teen Vet" camp at the National Aviary today.  Highlights from her point of view included dissecting a bird, and talking with the vets who work with the birds.  One of her friends from PALS was there as well.  While she was in camp, Ana and I explored the Aviary. Ana loved the bald eagles and the little peacock.