Saturday, May 10, 2014

Dance Recital

 This weekend Ivy and Tula had their Spring Tap Recitals and loved getting all dressed up in their outfits, putting on makeup, and curling their hair.  I know I am partial but they look beautiful!!

This was the first tap class for both Tula and Hattie Jayne!  They did a great job and grew so much from the first time we got to see their dance at practice.  The mommies were definitely proud.  Layni and Ivy did a great job and smiled so pretty!! Dancing with friends is always fun!
 It is always so special that Nana and Pops were there to watch and as usual brought a beautiful bouquet of flowers for both of their little dancers.  The girls loved the flowers but I think the fruit snacks that Nana had stashed in her purse were a bigger hit with Tula! :) 

Dance Recital Videos on You Tube


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We are certain that next Fall we will be taking a little break from dance.  We have loved our time at Mindy's and will miss learning dances but both girls are going to try some new activities.  Ivy wants to take gymnastics.  She was determined to teach herself to cartwheel and by golly she did!  She improved drastically but not without practice.... I would say she did approximately 5,783 cartwheels a day and now she has cut down to maybe 491!! She cartwheels all over the place and I always laugh to myself when that is a new rule as we enter a public place, "Ivy, no cartwheeling at Kroger!", or may favorite, "Ivy, my bathroom is entirely too small for cartwheels!!" 

 Tula is playing soccer this spring!! She is just being introduced to the sport and loves it! It is quite comical to see a bunch of very distracted 3 year olds run around with soccer balls but the energy it burns is right up Tula's alley.  She looks like a cross country runner because she often leaves her ball in the dust and just motors across the field!! In the fall, she will actually get to play in her first game!!! I bet you can guess which one of our family members is most excited about this!!

Easter Time

 Easter is one of my favorite times of the year.  It is filled with so much hope and that is an awesome thing.  It is a time that I can sit back and really think about how much God loves us that He sent his son to die.... for me, for everyone.  Since becoming a mother I really grasp just how much love that our heavenly Father has for mankind.  The grace and promise of heaven that we can hold so close to our hearts is everywhere I look at Easter time.  

 The Saturday of Easter weekend our church hosted it's egg hunt at Happy Hill Farm, a precious Jessamine County farm owned by our friends Jon and Mandy and their 4 girls!  It was so wonderful to egg hunt at this new location and have wide open space to run and play.  The girls loved being with their friends and getting to love on the farm animals, clearly the chicks were a fave! The girls racked up with lots of candy while Joss took a little snooze in Mommy's arms.  A win win for everyone!

 On Easter morning we woke up and the girls participated in their first annual scavenger hunt all over the house looking for their Easter baskets.  It was so fun to hear Ivy read the clue and for Tula to be certain that they were never going to find their baskets!  Once they opened the laundry room door to find their loot Tula couldn't wait to start eating her candy,  Joss was ready to play with some new toys, and Ivy..... was not herself and I could tell in her eyes she was sick but I didn't want to believe it!!
My 3 little ladies all dressed up in their Easter outfits!
 We took Ivy's temperature and sure enough she had a fever.  Immediately I wanted to cry since I knew this cancelled all of our plans- going to church as a family (Tula, Joss, and I still made it!!) and going to Cincinnati to spend the day with the rest of our family.  Everyone was sad our biggest girl was sick, but thankful for special hours at our pediatrician's office.  Even though she was sick Ivy couldn't wait to put on her outfit and high heels as long as someone got to see her all dressed up.  
 
 Sure enough Ivy had strep throat but thankfully Motrin and her antibiotic were kicking in a bit by the afternoon and we were able to enjoy some time playing in the backyard!

All in all, we had a wonderful Easter but are hoping for a healthy one next year!