Our family tradition of Festibond seems to get better each year as we continually improve it, building on the things that make it so great. It is centered around creating bonds and strengthening our relationships with each other.

This year we celebrated Festibond on December 27. One or two days before Festibond we bake treats that we can enjoy on Festibond day. Each of the girls picks something they want to make, and I cook with each of them separately. I purchased the ingredients on Christmas Eve, and we baked our treats on Christmas day because all businesses are inconveniently closed then.

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On December 29, 2010, I went on a date with my mom, which is part of our Festibond tradition.

First we went to the Palace Diner and I got a blueberry pancake. When I told Mom that chefs were better than cooks and said that Kyle was definitely a chef, she thought it was funny and put it on the blog she wrote about our date.

My blueberry pancakes at the Palace Diner

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Part of our Festibond tradition includes each of us girls going on a date with Mom and Dad separately. At first I suggested to Mom that we go play pool for our date. After finding out I was too young to play pool at the billiard rooms, I decided I would like to go see a movie and go to dinner.

Dad, Hayley, and I drove up to the mall to meet Mom and Jenna after their date together. We met them at Claire’s because that was where Jenna and I were going to get our ears pierced. Jenna and I picked out the exact same earrings to get our piercings. Jenna looked very calm for a girl going to get her ears pierced for the first time. I felt like I was in Hawaii on a hot day because boy, was I nervous. I was aching to get the piercing over with. I had gotten them pierced before, but the holes had closed up. As much as I wanted to seem tough I couldn’t help remembering the painful pinch that made me wince while getting my ears pierced the first time.

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I love that Brent and I have included dates with each of the girls in our Festibond tradition. Skye first suggested we play pool for our date together. She loved going to Hooters and Side Pockets in Wichita where they had pool tables, but unfortunately the few places with billiards here in the Portland area have age limits. Skye’s second choice was to see the movie “Little Fockers.” She really likes Ben Stiller and has seen many of his movies.

Kirsten and Skye

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Brent and I take each of the girls out on dates as part of our Festibond tradition. The idea for my date with Jenna came to me easily. Recently she has been asking to go to a spa. She has her own unique style whether she’s coordinating her outfits or trying different hairstyles, and she loves painting her fingernails. Getting a manicure together was the perfect Festibond date for us. Jenna was very excited when I suggested it. I wasn’t familiar with the day spas in the area, so I asked for recommendations on Twitter. Our friend Adam suggested Fabu Salon and Day Spa. His girlfriend Kristin highly recommended it. I set up an appointment for Sunday afternoon.

Showing off our French manicures

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As part of our Festibond tradition, Brent and I separately take each of the girls out on a date. Yesterday Hayley and I had our date together. She has been roller skating before, as her friends have had roller-skating birthday parties. She decided she wanted to try ice skating. I thought it seemed like a perfect winter activity, especially living in Maine.

Hayley and me at the Family Ice Center in Falmouth

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The following is a list of some things I want to learn about or master in 2011:

1. Biotechnology
2. Molecular Genetics/Genomics
3. Decomposition Process in Animals and Plants
4. Mental Disorders
5. Physiological Aging Process in Humans
6. Bread and Pie Crust Making
7. Playing Guitar
8. Speaking French
9. Skiing
10. Sea Kayaking

We had a pretty laid back summer. We didn’t go camping or do much hiking, we didn’t travel, and we didn’t have any visitors. But it was a good summer nonetheless.

Despite the abundance of rain we had this summer we enjoyed some trips to the beach and to several lighthouses. Recently we discovered how much fun it is to play catch, whiffleball and baseball. The girls caught on pretty quickly, especially Jenna. She loves it!

We went to Boston a few times and purchased an annual pass for the Museum of Science. We all love it, and we have a great time every time we go. There is always something new to learn. We’ve gone to the Children’s Museum in Portland several times. The annual pass is worthwhile. One of the girls’ favorite things to do there is to dress up and perform on the stage in the theater.

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The Dyer Library here in Saco hosted a Harry Potter Extravaganza: a film premier party for the upcoming “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.” Jenna was especially excited about it because she has been reading and enjoying the Harry Potter series. She just started the seventh and final book, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.”

The Harry Potter Extravaganza was well done, and the girls had a good time. They had their fortunes told by Professor Trelawney, played games, colored Harry Potter pictures, and made wands. Hayley dressed as Hermione Granger, Jenna dressed up as Cho Chang, and Skye as Ron Weasley. The girls even convinced me to dress up as Professor McGonagall.

Cho, Ron, and Hermione

I had an awesome year in school from September 2008 to June 2009. I enjoyed the time I was able to spend with my friends. I’m going to miss my fourth grade year but I have some great memories.

I was in the fourth-grade gifted and talented (G.T.) math and reading program every Monday this past year. The purpose of G.T. is to challenge the students who aren’t learning that much in math and reading. Mr. Reinhartsen (Mr. R) is my gifted and talented teacher. I enjoyed learning how to calculate the area of a circle and a triangle. To find the area of a triangle, you multiply the height times the width and then divide by two. To find the area of a circle, you first multiply the radius by itself. Then multiply that answer by pi. It’s very simple. Mr. Reinhartsen began putting me in fifth-grade math G.T. on Wednesdays in addition to my Monday G.T. because I’m especially good at math. It was fun to see my older friends from my previous 3rd/4th-grade multi-age class. I LOVE G.T.!

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