Dear Ballet World,

My daughter has arrived. She is armed with good training, tough teachers, enthusiasm, and her first pair of perfectly fitted point shoes. She is ready for you, are you ready for her?

This is the moment she went from being a dancer, to being a ballerina.

Her sisters were there looking on in admiration. I dressed Sof in her dance T-shirt and ballet shoe bow, and Lexi chose her tutu on her own. We dressed for the occasion.

I welled but did not let any tears escape my eyes. That would have been too much, really. There's a fine line between proud mama and OMG you're so embarrassing.

She's spent 10 years working toward this moment. You go girl! I'm so proud of you.

Friends So Near Yet So Far

This past week we reconnected with two different sets of friends that don't live near us. Our friends Rick and Traci and their kids came to our cottage. I haven't seen Traci in about a year, and so missed her company. She's the kind of friend I don't see often, but instantly feel comfortable with. We enjoyed laketime, food, campfire, and even snuck out to Starbucks.

I had to add this picture because it's the only one I took. Who gets out their camera and then only takes this picture? Me I guess! I don't even know why I took this one, doesn't show much! Oh well, I guess it just means we'll have to get together again soon.

Later in the week my old teaching partner Dana and her family came for a visit from Connecticut. Oh how I miss her. As soon as she walked in it felt like she's never been gone. It was a wierd day for me with lots going on, but seeing them was like nothing else mattered. So easy, low maintenance(think Chinese take-out!), and great fun.

My kids were so excited all day to see them! Our kids are not anywhere near in age either, except Sof! It's funny to think a couple years ago we went to Disney with them when their little boy Brady was just a year old.

Sof was not even a picture in our wallet then. This fall Sof and Brady will both turn 3 within a few weeks of each other! The even crazier thing is that Sof looks like their little girl Ava! Never in a million years did I think Dana and I would have kids the same age. What a difference a year makes:)

The Blink of an Eye

Where does time go? It's so cliche, but really? A week is but an instant these days. It was last Saturday we arrived home and decided we weren't ready to stop that summer vacation feeling. So, a few calls, a quick trip to the grocery store, and we had ourselves a get together. The kind of get together that only happens in the winter usually. That's because we're never home on a weekend in the summer. It's good to be home though and reconnect with friends. The kids were happy too. They miss their neighborhood buddies as much as we miss their parents! It was a night of relaxing and hanging out and kids running wild.

Love these two...frick and frack...Lexi and Jack!

The big girls like to pretend they are too cool for this kinda play, but the lure is too much. They put themselves in the line of fire, and then yell at Jack as if he instigated them getting wet!

Sof does not pretend, she is too cool for this. She looks at the others as if to say, "Why would I mess up this bow and dress for that nonsense?".

Uncle Rick got an unsolicited close encounter. Made the man's week.

Scratches got some much needed love and attention(and food).

It's good to be home, but even better to be off to the cottage again. It's inevitable when August hits feel the summer winding down. My partner called about getting to school to set up our room, we went to Target and bought school supplies, and I hit the Old Navy jean sale. Sigh. I bought a size 10 for my sweet Lexi Lou. When did that happen? I couldn't even buy jeans for Adrienne because she has to go in the adult section and try them on herself. Even the ones I bought for Sof were not sized by months, but just a straight 2T. Like I said here, I knew it would come to soon...

End of Vacation

The last few days of our vacation were jam packed, but relaxing and fun. We had a rainy day mid week which was okay. Just so happened 2 of Adrienne's girlfriends from home were in town for the day. We met up with them to shop(in some seriously pouring rain)and warmed up at the coffee shop for awhile. Great for Adrienne to connect with her school friends, and I enjoyed the grown up company!

All over town there were big fish that each store decorated to represent themselves. One was painted in chalkboard paint and you could draw on it. Of course it always busy with kids trying to leave their mark. On this day the rain scared away the people and washed the fish clean. What a treat to be the first to leave a mark!

Lexi got in on it later in the day!

Sof just had fun playing peek a boo!

We took advatage of Mark's dad's hotel pool for the rainy evening.

Grandma bought Sof a new toy.

We had some playtime with just the 5 of us.

We had a night out...just grown ups!

We had dinner out with the whole family.

We had a trolley ride.

We ate more ice cream.

Ran a 5K...

...and saw a parade.

Grand Haven 2011, that's a wrap!

Beachin' It in Grand Haven

I'm lovin' the beach this year. I mean the part where you're actually there and enjoying the sun and sand. Going to beach is an enormous amount of work. It is easier to get up, get ready, drop kids at prospective schools and daycares, and go to my job.

It takes every single hand to get down to the water. Beach bags, chairs, coolers, sand toys, and slippery sunscreened babies produce sweat before you even sit down. Each one of those items taking home enough sand to create your own beach in the bathtub. Everything must be washed, car must be vacuumed,and still you find tiny grains of sand hiding for days to come. But oh the reward is worth it. Quality time with friends spent watching kids make cookies out of sand and dig holes for no reason. Digging a hole in the sand can bring 12 and 2 and everything inbetween together. The idea of digging to China is like a magnet bringing them all together. We were lucky enough to have 3 such beach days this week, all with perfect sun, sand, and wind, with waves to jump.