Current Status
June 28, 2002 - Malina just celebrated her 5th birthday. It's amazing how time goes by so quickly (at least for adults). There was a long gap (like 2 years, we think) of no updates to this part of the web site. We lost access to a scanner, and have only now just bought one (and no, we don't own a digital camera or digital camcorder). So we will try to make up for lost time by adding photos and commentary for the edification and enjoyment of our family and friends. Hopefully we can keep it updated more frequently now that we have ready access to the tools we need.
Pictures
The pictures that follow are very recent pictures. Probably for a little while, things will not necessarily proceed from newest to oldest until we get caught up.
Contents: Ballet (13 pictures), Violin (6), Haircut (2)
Malina and her good friend Ali posing at the dress rehearsal for the big ballet recital. Ali was not in the same class this time, and her class was actually performing in the second of the two recital performances, with Malina in the first. Luckily, they were able to see each other at the dress rehearsal and see the other one's class perform.
Malina at home getting ready for her ballet recital. The costumes on all the many dancers were "too cute"!
Malina in her tutu, at a rehearsal about a week before the big event, getting prepared for her ballet recital.
There's a French word for each of the various positions and movements in ballet. Dad and Mom have been learning the terms from Malina, but it doesn't necessarily follow that they have gained the ability to spell them. Therefore, if you know what each of these positions are, then you know. If you don't already know them, then you probably don't need to.
The ballet recital was at Kettle Moraine High School in Wales, WI (Dad's alma mater, as it turns out). This was the second recital for Malina in the series of classes she has been taking at the YWCA (see the YWCA national website since our local facility closed in bankruptcy). The "YW" had a large and growing dance program. It is astonishing the number of kids and young adults involved in the program there. This year, two complete separate recital programs were held to accommodate all of the participants and their fans.
More posing at the dress rehearsal.
Show time. As there was no videotaping or other photography allowed at the actual performance, other than by the professionals hired to do so, these pictures were taken during the dress rehearsal the night before.
A little of the backstage activity in the cafeteria at the high school. Various volunteers worked with the kids during the long time during the show that each class had to wait their turn to perform. Most "acts" were in the 1-4 minute range, and the show lasted a good hour and a half with a brief intermission.
After all was over, just after the actual afternoon performance, we went to a graduation party for Dad's cousin. Malina was still dressed up in her costume, and gave a performance for the family and friends at the party who could not go to the recital (it was a limited and ticketed affair). Grandpa Olsen is in the background.
Malina and her bow in a hallway in the Otteson Theatre building at Carroll College in Waukesha, WI waiting for a violin lesson. Malina took one "semester" of private lessons during the spring of 2002 through Project Create.
A few days after the ballet recital, Malina had a violin recital. This recital was held at the Dorothy Groff Frisch recital hall in Shattuck Auditorium at Carroll College. Approximately 10 kids or so participated. The violin program, through Project Create, consists of private lessons using the Suzuki method. It emphasizes a careful, steady, structured approach that prevents any bad habits from forming. For example, a student is not allowed to touch bow to string for quite a while until they can hold the violin properly, hold the bow properly, care for the instrument, etc.
To her chagrin, Malina was told that she would only play "tucka-tucka-stop-stop" on the open E-string, as she is doing here. She was somewhat unhappy with this limitation as she knew she could do more - and wanted to - but had resigned herself to it. Fortunately, Malina was asked/allowed to play "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" during the recital as well. She was happy about that surprise development.
This recital was planned to give the students an opportunity to see what others were doing, to give the students some experience in a recital environment, to give parents a better view of the program, etc. Malina, here at 4 years old, was not nearly the youngest of the students. At least a couple of them appeared to still be in diapers. All did very well. Only one violin was dropped by one of the students (it survived). Here Malina is playing a pizzicato rendition of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star".
In the months leading up to the ballet recital, Malina was consciously growing her hair as long as possible in order to be able to have Mom fix it up to hold the flower hairpiece part of the costume and to have a French braid. However, her hair was becoming harder to manage, would get in her eyes often, would snarl up in a breeze and over night, etc. Dad knows all about this as he grew his hair out as long as it would go and then wore it that way for 6.5 years until maybe a year after Malina was born (just because he could). Malina made the announcement well before the ballet recital that she would grow her hair out for the recital, but that she wanted her hair cut just as soon as possible afterward. Here, her hair stylist, Lindsay, is helping her out on the Wednesday after the recital.
Malina is helping sweep up her own substantial pile of hair after the haircut. Good kid! Malina preferred to have Lindsay do the haircut instead of Mom "...because I will hold much more still for Lindsay."
For additional pictures that have appeared here in the past, please see Malina Archives Page 9, Malina Archives Page 8, Malina Archives Page 7 and Malina Archives Page 6. Previous archives (namely, 5-1) have been moved off-line.
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This page is maintained by Chris Olsen. Send comments and suggestions to cco@execpc.com 
