All or All

You know that saying all or nothing?  There was a time in my life when that was true.  When recital time was really busy and then it would be followed by a big let down of nothing to do.  The beginning of school would consume two full weeks, but then we had quiet until the holidays.  It doesn’t work that way anymore.  It’s ALWAYS busy!  I will admit though, I tend to make it that way.  I fill each crevice of  space with something.  Like tar closing the gap between two slabs.  We had lots of logistical issues to overcome this weekend in order to make everything smooth, but we made it work.  Our dance studio does a golf outing every year.  Adrienne was required to be there to dance and Mark golfed in the morning.  When Mark finished he headed down to Ohio for a combined graduation/birthday bash for an old friend.  Adrienne was tied up for the day(until 9:00) so that left Lexi, Sof and I to ourselves.  It begged for a day trip.  We had a dance recital on the west side of the state to go to, so I decided to make a day of it.  Friday night I threw beach toys, towels, extra clothes, and kites in the car.  We were going to the beach! 

The kids were super excited and never once complained about the driving or early morning.  When I got Sof up she said, “No school before beach dance show!”  She was thrilled when I said she was indeed not going to school!  She is so used to hearing me say, ”After school we’re going to…”.  In the car Lexi said, “this is really fun”.  I agreed, it felt so “summer”; full car, loose itinerary.  First stop was the dance recital(well, after McDonald’s, Starbucks, and the gas station)!  My niece by heart was doing her last recital as she is going to be a senior next year and wants to focus on other things.  I don’t know how she got that big…

              Although I’ve seen her dance many times, it was my first time seeing her sister Emme dance.  So cute!  I don’t get to see them as often as I’d like.  Seems I’m not the only one with a relentless schedule:) 

     

Sof loves her Aunt Nette!

  

We said our good byes, and got back in the car.  We drove another 45min to Grand Haven to stretch our legs on the beach.  It was windy and cool, just perfect for what we wanted to do. 

      

       

      

A couple hours after we got there some storm clouds started rolling in.  It was the perfect time to pack up and head downtown.  We visited all our favorite places, Great Harvest, The Kite Store, and of course Fortino’s!  How can a girl choose from all this candy?

 

  

We fit in a taste of all our favorite things, just enough to satisfy our hunger until we can get back.  Alas, we had to pick big girl up so we started out on the 2 1/2 hour drive home.  As I drove I couldn’t stop the urge to keep that summer feeling flowing.  I made a few calls and set up a cook out at our house for the next day.  The girls were in such a good mood(and Adrienne ended up getting a ride home), that I pushed it and stopped at the grocery store.  We collected burgers, chips, and fruit salad.  When we finally got home, Adrienne was there, and we were all giddy.  I told her I felt she may be under represented in this blog post so she obliged me with a picture…

 

It pretty much sums up the mood of the house:)

Although I loved my day with the girls, I will admit I was excited for some adult conversation the next day!  I made two decisions that I quickly reverted on.  First, I decided I was not going to take any pictures.  I certainly had enough for this post, and I thought for once I’d just sit back let the pictures be in my mind.  That was before this girl showed up…

 

She’s edible right now.  A brand new walker.  How can you not snap a few shots of that cuteness?

     

The bigger girls were inspired by the kite laying in the garage.  They tried really hard, but it just wasn’t kite flying weather!

The second decision I made was not to serve dessert.  I decided it wasn’t necessary to always have dessert after the meal.  Plus, it was Sunday, which doesn’t feel like an indulgent kinda day.  That lasted until Mark was checking out his FB and randomly commented that Rick’s birthday was in a few days.  Well, in that case…we HAVE to have dessert.  Adrienne was happy to whip up some brownies, and you know Sof, girfriend loves a celebration.  We did candles and sang and it was good for all!

 

Happy Birthday Uncle Rick!

We have six short, busy days until school is officially over.  We are more than ready for our life to look like this on a regular basis!  In other(really good) news, we were finally given our placements for next year at work.  It’s been a source of anxiety for all, and a great relief to know.  My partner and I will be staying together teaching Kindergarten share time at the school she came from.  Yay!  We are VERY happy.  At the same time, it was one more very real reminder that our school is closing and we will be parting ways.  Boxes showed up today for packing, and our time together-teachers, students, parents-is winding down.  It will be sad.  Good bye’s always are.  

It’s a Celebration

Every year there is a theme to our dance recitals.  This year was “It’s a Celebration”.  We took it to heart and have been celebrating all week.  After a bit of a lull in our usual gather and enjoy life get togethers, we found no shortage of things to celebrate and people to celebrate with us this week.  Sof danced on the big stage.  At her age in our studio it’s optional.  Of course, any chance to wear a cute tutu, curl your hair, and wear make-up is never optional here.  She loved it, like really loved it.  I did too.

 

Sof loves to dance, she just doesn’t want to separate from mom.  Lucky for her she has a big cousin(who not too long ago was our baby) that always looks out for her.  She stayed right with her back stage and held her tight when they came on stage for the final bow.  I know this because the dance mom’s working backstage that night told me.  I’m not surprised one bit, but they were impressed with the attentiveness our Kaitlyn showed.  Thanks Peanut:)

 

    

Girlfriend was not feeling so generous with the paparazzi after the show.  She was promised ice cream, and she wanted it. 

Saturday was the last show and all of Adrienne’s dances were in it.  It was amazing I tell ya!  Our shows are meant to entertain, and that’s what they do.  No boring 4 hour recitals at our studio.  Their shows leave you wanting more.  We had 20 people go and then come back to the house for dinner.  Just making it through our two weeks of recital is reason enough to celebrate!

   

  

 

 

   

This started with Alison doing cartwheels and ended with me forgetting my age.  For the record, I still kinda got it.  Kinda I said.

  

The morning allowed for a one quiet hour of coffee with Grandma Jackie.

 

Priceless.

Then we were off and running again.  Adrienne and I went to a graduation party for the 6 seniors at her dance studio.  We have some really great dancers graduating this year.  Iain is amazing.  I will miss seeing him dance and our partnering will suffer:(  I am certain the next time we see him dance will be on Broadway.

 

  

This morning was the Memorial Day Parade.  I’ll be honest, I HATE the parade.  It brings out every weirdo, freak, loser, non productive member of our city(and there are a lot of them).  I do love our country though and the men and women that serve it. 

The only thing cuter than an internationally adopted kid, is an internationally adopted kid with an American flag. 

I’m kind of a dance snob.  I think we’re the best.  When we come down the street people take notice!

   

By the end of the parade Kaitlyn and Livy were able to join us as they were done with their part. 

         

Once again, Kaitlyn took care of Sof, making sure to cover her ears during the sirens.

 

Did I mention it was 90 degrees?  Yeah, it was.  Luckily we had a pool party with the dance crew to go to afterwards. 

This was Sof’s first opportunity to really swim.  Last year she was pretty afraid of the water, and we didn’t push it.  This year, girlfriend has to swim, it’s too much a part of our lives. 

 

I gave her a minute to get used to the water, and then I put her floaties on and put her in.  She fussed for a minute, realized she wasn’t sinking, and was a total wild woman the rest of the day!  She had all the big girls catching her and playing with her.  She knows how to work the crowd.

  

 

      

A big thank you to Leslie and Mark for being brave enough to open your home to all these kids and their families!

Let’s just say it’s been an exhausting week…