Cellos, Corsets, and Pastries

We had a one man cello recital at our house this afternoon. Will's teacher requires it at the end of each book, and that's a pretty good idea if you ask me. (The pressure of a performance does wonders to motivate a kid to practice.) His teacher also requires that the performer dress up, that there be a printed program, guests, and refreshments. It doesn't have to be long or fancy, but it has to be the real deal. Good idea, right? And really, all of that is easy except for the inviting people part. I'm pretty sensitive to people's time, and not everyone is into music, so who do you invite to something like this on a Friday afternoon besides Grandma and Grandpa who live hundreds and thousands of miles away? Well, I opted for my fun neighbor, Melanie, since her family is really into theater and the arts. Her daughter, Claire, was in my Sunday School class last year and we recently saw her in a professional performance of "A Christmas Carol" as The Ghost of Christmas Past, so they seemed as good a choice as any. Luckily they were game, but when Melanie texted me back and asked if the dress was formal, I didn't get that she was joking. I replied that dress was casual, but since Will would be dressed up not to come too casual. Here's how her daughter's showed up:

Is that awesome or what? 

Will did a fantastic job playing all 16 songs in his book by memory. We've been at this blasted book long enough. He's been playing off and on (mostly off) for the last 3 years, but now that he's studying with the man, Kayson Brown, he's really progressing quickly. (We were on his waiting list for two years.) And while I may have nudged Will toward cello in the beginning, he really does love it now, which makes me so happy. 

So you've already seen the cello and the corset (technically you can't see it, but Claire is wearing one under that dress), now for the pretty pastries courtesy of our favorite local cafe/bakery, Kneaders:

Do you think these kids were excited to taste these?

  Will also invited one of his best buddies, Jacob, to come:

I spent the next 20 minutes cutting these cuties up into fourths and doling them out to begging children:

Does this not totally remind you of Mother Ginger and the Polichinelles in the Nutcracker?

This girl cracks me up! I definitely picked the right family to invite:  

Check out this awesome YouTube video with over 9 million hits featuring Kayson's orchestra made up of the most amazing teenagers you've ever heard! They performed the same song for a special concert with The Piano Guys that aired on PBS in December, so they are no small deal. I feel very grateful to have squeezed Will into his studio:

 Here's to Day 5 of continuous blogging and my little cellist!