her first recital

I woke her up early from countless naps for the 5:15 class, she practiced all year, we dumped way too much money into it... but in the end, she danced and she was beautiful!

all ready backstage

posing with Meredith

marching out on stage

Do you see that girl laying on the stage? Poor girl cried at dance all year and it was no surprise that she threw herself down and lost it up there. She's just not that into it! I had talked to Grace all week about what to do if her dance partner started crying or wouldn't dance.... YOU keep dancing! Sure, she was a little distracted, but she kept dancing!!

dressed for their ballet number

Mommy and Grace after the show. I emailed this picture to Daddy and his response was, "What is she wearing? Is that make-up?!?" Yes, it is, and she loved it!

showing off her medal at lunch

playing catch up!

ok, I've been a bit stressed this past week and I missed a few things. let's play catch-up!

Marion's gotten pretty chunky!!

Grace had a dress rehearsal for the recital next weekend.

Yes, sometimes Grace gets out of the bath, puts her undies on, and hangs out naked for a while... but that's not the point of this picture! I was busy getting myself ready and Marion was getting upset in her swing. Grace rode up on her wheely bug and started talking and singing to Marion. Marion looked at her big sister, stopped crying, and started smiling. It was the first time that had happened and it was so sweet!

Cousin Lillie made her First Communion at St.Charles in Picayune. The girls got all dressed up! They behaved surprisingly well through the service, with a little entertainment from Nana and Paw Paw.

Lillie and Uncle Tim cutting the cake at the Mexican restaurant afterward.

Grace and Cousin Lillie... Grace actually asked me to take a picture of her with Lillie. She totally thought Lillie looked like a princess in her First Communion dress!

more pictures...

Grace in her tap costume for the recital...

She thinks she looks like Minnie Mouse!

Marion is 10 and a half weeks old!

around the house

It has seemed we've been extra busy this week and I'm not sure why. Grace was sick on Monday, but we surely haven't done more than normal. Keeping the house clean, running my errands, and getting Grace to school on time has just seemed harder this week. Luckily, tomorrow is Friday, our "off day," no activities!

Grace got her tap outfit this week for her ballet recital in May. The song is "I Like to Ride the Pony on the Merry-Go-Round," and Grace was sure she would be dressing up as a pony... after the initial disappointment, she decided that she'll happily settle for pink princess! Here she is trying it on and striking a few poses...



Little Marion is just growing and growing...

boots!

I think it's genetic... my two and a half year old seems to get as excited about shoes as I do! Today we scoured the mall to find her first pair of boots. It was love at first sight for Grace... it was also our conversion for the rest of the day...

"Mommy, can I wear my boots to school?"
"Mommy, can I wear my boots to go see Santa?"
"Mommy, can I jump in puddles in my boots... or will they get dirty??"
"Nana, I got my boots at the mall!"
"Mommy, my boots are very comfy!"

Boots, boots boots! It's all I've heard all day! I suppose she can wear them to school tomorrow, but I may have a battle Wednesday morning- because they surely won't go with the outfit she's wearing for her Thanksgiving performance at school. Sorry Grace, but wearing them to see Santa is not happening either! Here she is, ready to go to dance class...


A little more from dance: Ms.Lori let us watch the girls at dance tonight! Here are some shots from the cell phone...


Our conversation on the way home...

"Grace, Mommy is very proud of you. You are a beautiful ballerina! What does Ms.Lori call it when you put one leg in the air?"
(silence from the back seat)
"Grace, is it called an Arabesque, is that what Ms.Lori says?"
"No Mommy, Ms.Lori says, 'You're the best!'"

Ms.Lori says "arabesque" and you hear "you're the best!" Grace, you crack me up!

my little ballerina

We had a first at ballet this week... we got to watch!!! I could hardly believe it! all this time, they've gone into a room with a wooden door and a small window that was sealed up so we wouldn't be distractions to our children. To make things even better, I just happened to have my camera with me!!! It was indescribably precious!

with her bag, ready to go in

ballet/tap

here she is tapping!

It seemed that her tap dance number for the recital is "Clang Clang Clang Went the Trolley." It was so cute!