{Dance!}

The girls had their on-stage dance debut this weekend and it was so much fun to watch!  It's funny how when your own kids are up on stage you tend to see only them and don't necessarily see the full picture of their dance.  Also, it's much more entertaining to watch small children fumble through a dance than to watch the older ones actually perform a *good* dance, though again, I'm sure this is directly related to which category your own child falls into :).  That being said, we really did enjoy the whole show and appreciated not only the simplicity of the show that let the girls showcase the skills they had learned the past year, but also all of the hard work and dedication the teachers had put into the year.  

The recital also gave Millie a teachable life moment in making a difficult choice between two fun activities and sticking by that choice.  Her school picnic was the same night as the rehearsal for the recital and the rule was that if they didn't go to the rehearsal, they couldn't dance in the recital (that was the dance studio's rule, not ours).  That is a really tough choice for a little girl.  We were prepared to let each of the girls make their own choice, but were also careful to make sure that Millie really understood the consequences if she chose the picnic over the rehearsal -- no new leotard, not getting to go on stage, no post-performance flowers; all the things she has been dreaming about since she started dance.  We also talked about how she would be letting down her classmates and how it was important to let her teacher know with enough advance notice if she didn't want to dance.  We gave Merrill the same choice.  The decision was much easier for Merrill -- she was ready to dance!  Millie was a bit tortured and talked her dilemma through with several people and went back and forth before finally coming to the conclusion that she would dance.  She had a blast the night of the rehearsal, though she also asked what her friends were doing at the picnic several times throughout the night.  In the end though, she said she did not regret her decision.  Whew.  I hope that next year we aren't faced with this same choice, but if we are, I think that we will all be leaning towards the picnic as it will be Millie's last year at her school.  But I'd really rather not have to make the choice at all :).  

Rehearsal Night

Millie was a little nervous as she got on stage for her rehearsal -- as you can see by the constant nail-biting.  I was very happy that the fingers came out of her mouth once they started their dance and that they did not make an appearance during the recital. 

post rehearsal -- ready to dance!

Merrill's Performance

making a "high" shape

bootleg video courtesy of my dad :).  We were so proud of Merrill -- she really focused on her teacher (who was standing in front of the stage giving visual and verbal cues to help the girls remember what to do) and managed to perform all parts of her dance. I think she won over some hearts up there too -- and I also think she really enjoyed the applause, given the smile on her face and her lingering on stage :)

Millie's Performance

Millie was the shortest in her class and so got to be at the end of the dance line -- made it easy to spot her and follow her :).  Millie's class was much bigger than Merrill's, as you can see.  Many weeks this made it a little tough for her to stay focused during class, but after seeing her at the rehearsal last night, the recital tonight, and even in some of the "play" she and Merrill do, it has become clear that she really is paying attention in her own way and picking up on the skills. 

doing a "layback" with her partner

her final pose

The video.  We were equally proud of Millie.  She also stayed focused, watched her teacher and did the entire dance to the very best of her ability.

excited to get their flowers after the dance

The girls *might* have enjoyed the post-recital ice-cream trip even more than dancing on stage.  Eating ice cream cones for the first time was certainly a (messy) treat!

I don't know what the girls' futures hold in terms of their dance careers, how long they will enjoy it and stick with it, but regardless of where it goes from here I'm glad we gave it a shot and that they've had the opportunity to dance on stage under the big lights.  It will always be a special memory for all of us.

Anticipation

We are all anxiously awaiting my dad's return home tonight.  The girls have missed him a lot (okay, we all have) and we can't wait to hear stories from his big adventure.  My guess is we'll have to wait a couple of days to see him while he recovers from all of his travel, but it will be nice to know he's just a few miles away and not half-way around the world :). 

Mother's Day

I could not have asked for a better Mother's Day.  I may say that every year...every year it is true.  I am so blessed with both my immediate family of Scott and the girls as well as my extended family.  And while I get to see them all, well, all the time, it's still nice to have days dedicated to celebrating family.  We enjoyed a beautiful spring day that started bright and early.  Even though it was Mother's Day, I took the early morning shift with the girls today and let Scott sleep in a bit (because he does the opposite for me almost every other day...and it is VERY appreciated).  I was rewarded with two happy girls and a lovely "Happy Mother's Day" from Millie as we were walking downstairs.  We had a great morning at home and then headed to my sister's for brunch with her family and my mom.  Lauren did a great job putting together a "springy" brunch and the girls loved playing in Peyton's room and outside (and managed to stay clean too!) 

                                                             

the girls practicing their diving skills :)

guess who was done with pictures...

After brunch we headed downtown to the Peabody Opera House to see Mary Poppins.  The girls and I have been anticipating this show for weeks!  It is the girls FAVORITE movie right now (okay, one of the few they've seen...but still, a favorite) and they play Janes and Michael all the time (yes, Janes, because they are both girls so Michael usually doesn't make an appearance, or he is imaginary -- Little Peep is going to have to learn his lines young!).  The show was magnificent and the girls seemed to really enjoy it -- though they did get a bit fidgety from time to time.  Luckily we were in the front row of the Mezzanine, so while we were high up, there was no one in front of us and the girls could stand up at the railing and not bother anyone.  Small blessings :). 

My gifts -- besides Mary Poppins of course...

this card plus a lavender sachet from Millie -- gifts she made at school.  A beautiful reminder that it's the time and love we give our children that they cherish the most, not the toys, or the clothes, or anything else -- just simply love. 

These hand print bouquets, which, I cannot lie, I helped the girls do.  I figure the process of making them together was as much a part of the gift as the final product and why shouldn't I do it with them?

And these beautiful flowers from my wonderful husband ...

... the man himself, who gave me the gift of motherhood in the first place.  Without him I wouldn't have all that I do and I couldn't be more grateful or love him more.  Thank you for helping me be the mother that I am!

Strawberry Picking

The girls and I had a great time going strawberry picking at Eckert's Farm with Millie's school yesterday.  It was a beautiful day and the strawberries were ripe and ready for picking.  We were actually pretty lucky that there were any berries left given the early season we've had here and the hail storm a couple of weeks ago that almost destroyed the crop.  It was really nice that the school let Merrill come along on the trip with us, she had a great time and got a little taste of school -- she's SO ready to be a "big girl" and go to school with Millie everyday!

 

Somehow we were the first ones on the bus and got to sit in the very last row -- not nearly as "cool" for me as it was when I was a kid :).

Grabbing a quick snack before heading out in to the strawberry fields

the strawberries were a little scarred from the hail storm, but we were assured they still tasted great

 Yep, they were yummy!!