Carley's Dance Recital

Last week Carley had her last dance class of the season and it was awards night. I got to sit on the sidelines and watch her practice with her class. Then when class was over her teachers handed out certificates and ribbons along with candy roses to the girls. Carley couldn't have been more thrilled.

Then the day before her recital she received the most precious boquet of flowers with a purple stuffed ballet bunny.... thank you Nana and Papa, she loved it!

These are a few snapshots from the photo shoot I did with Carley in her "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" costume to put on her recital invitations.

 And this is the one we used.

When the day of the recital arrived we got up early and had a good breakfast before heading to the theater. We had a very long day beginning with dress rehearsal starting at 10:00am. Each group went through their number at least two times (and there were about 12... we were #7). We took a break and snuck away while other groups were practicing and ran to our favorite new taco place for lunch (Fuzzy's)... yummy. Carley and Zoe were a tiny bit stir crazy with such a long day, filled with a LOT of waiting.... since her recital didn't start till 6:15pm but it was all worth the wait!

Here she is getting ready. They had even set up some coloring books and crayons backstage to keep the girls entertained while they waited to line up and go out on stage.

And now, pictures from the performance of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, part of Dance Time's "Once Upon a Fairytale" dance recital.

Role Reversal

Yesterday we had a role reversal at our house. Jeremy stayed home and took care of the girls and I was the one out on a school night!

It started with a text message, "feel like a spontaneous outing to get a pedicure and go for frozen yogurt?"

"Absolutely!"

So within a few minutes I was headed out with my friend Ashley (who is due to have her baby boy any day now). We got pedicures that included these incredible hot stone massages, wow! And then it was time to hit "Berry Luscious" for yummy yogurt with all kinds of sinful toppings. We ended the evening by grabbing some delicious tacos from "Fuzzys"..... got some for the guys too. How awesome is that.... dessert first, then dinner.

It was a relaxing, wonderful girls night out..... and thankfully it didn't include having to rush to the hospital (despite all efforts on Ashley's part to speed up the process) <ha, ha, smile>

Ashley, I had such a great time! Can't wait to meet baby Pierce in a few days!

Fun with Recycling

My friend Lisa posted the most adorable pictures today of her little boy playing and having a blast in an empty diaper box, too cute! Seeing her post made me remember how my two girls were doing the same thing just last week. Carley was pushing Zoe around the living room in her empty "Luv's" box like she was in a little car. They were both giggling. Kinda makes you wonder sometimes about all the money spent on fancy toys when your kids are always going through the recycle box and picking things to play with instead.

Hmm..... I could probably use this to the advantage of my bank account in some way couldn't I?

Oh girls we  dont' have to go to the store, let's just go in the pantry and check out the recycle bin and see what we can make out of stuff in the Art studio...... yes, the ideas are already flowing.

So thanks Lisa for unknowingly giving me an idea for saving money and simultaneously giving me new ways to encourage my daughters' imaginations. :)

Did I mention......

My beautiful little sister (who just celebrated her birthday this past weekend by the way) and her hubby announced that Katelyn is going to be a big sister! Yay! Congratulations! We love you guys so much and are very excited about your growing family!

Thinking of you Nana & Papa

Nana and Papa recently stopped in for a quick visit. :)

Right now they're out working hard, helping people, and facing some tough challenges on the road away from home. Nana & Papa the girls send big hugs and lovies. We love you guys and pray things will get better each day. You guys are touching people's lives and making a difference, and even though you don't hear it often enough, you are appreciated..... you are a blessing.



Mother's Day Family Dinner

We celebrated Mother's Day this year with a special dinner. Mom, Jodi, Chris, Katelyn, Tim, Monika, Todd, Michelle, Shayna, Jeremy and the girls and I all met up at Cheddar's for dinner. We had a fantastic time together, visiting and sharing a great meal. And then we stood outside the restaurant for quite a while enjoying the beautiful weather and just spending time together. The little ones had such fun running around and playing.

Check out these precious moments:

To all the amazing moms I know I hope your Mother's Day was as incredible as you are. Love you.

Chasing the Ice Cream Truck

It was a gorgeous sunny weekend, the pool just recently opened in our neighborhood. Carley, Zoe and I were playing in the back yard while daddy was working in the garage and all of a sudden we heard the familiar sing-song tunes of the ice cream truck. Ahh, the sounds of summer are tickling our ears. Carley hurridly raided her piggy bank and ran out front to keep watch. Unfortunately the truck passed right by our house without stopping so daddy had to come to the rescue by putting carley on his shoulders and chasing him down. Yay, daddy's our hero! Carley came away with a yummy yucky Scooby Doo ice cream pop that only cost a whopping $2.50! Wow! No more are the days of a .50cent ice cream, huh.

 Oh, well. She was happy and enjoyed every bite of it.

And P.S. check out this little darlin'. Runnin ragged in her Luv's and winter boots (which she picked out and insisted on wearing). This little cutie has already started potty training at only 13 months and has gone potty twice this week on the big girl toilet!Yay Zoe!