Dance Recital

Here we are doing Ella's curlers for her BIG SHOW! Needless to say I had no idea what I was doing so I had to get some help. We did everything we could to make this a very special occasion. She did not complain at all and even slept the whole night with these crazy things in her hair. I was a bit surprised when I took them out the next morning and her hair was only about an inch long - it looked like she still had invisible curlers in, so I decided to pull it up into a ponytail - which ended up looking so cute!

Of course you know mommy could not let this day pass without a photo shoot!! Isn't she SO cute!

And then of course it was time for her "BIG SHOW". We had been talking this up for a long time now. Like I said she spent a lot of time watching Collin play hockey this winter and we really wanted to make this a very special day for her. She was so excited!! At her dress rehearsal for her recital she was SO cute. She did awesome at the rehearsal. She was pretty much front and center and she knew most of the dance without even looking to the teacher for help. She was so cute, and so proud. I think she really had fun! I just hoped she would do as good at the recital - I was so afraid the curtain would go up and she would look out and see all those people and freak out. She did not. She did absolutely awesome. She did both her dances right through - start to finish, without hesitation. You could tell without a doubt she was having the time of her life. When she does her dances she is very intentional with each movement and makes sure to do it just right! We are so proud of what a good job she did and how brave she was to get in front of all those people. She had quite a crowd just watching her. Mom, dad, Collin, one grandpa, two grandmas, and two of mommy's friends (Michelle and Melissa) were all there to cheer her on. I won't lie, I have spent the last 9 months thinking, "If she never wants to do this again, that would be okay with me....but in just 3 minutes my heart melted and I was sold."

MOMMY AND DADDY WITH OUR LITTLE PRINCESS BEFORE THE SHOW.

THIS IS ELLA'S TAP DANCE "YES I CAN". WHEN I DROPPED HER OFF BACKSTAGE SHE WAS WEARING HER LEOTARD, TUTU, AND SHOES....WHEN I NEXT SAW HER OUT ON STAGE THEY HAD ADDED A SKIRT ON TOP OF HER TUTU AND THE MOST RIDICULOUS BOW IN HER HAIR!! THIS IS WITHOUT A DOUBT ELLA'S FAVORITE DANCE - SHE COULD FOR SURE DO IT IN HER SLEEP. I CAN'T DECIDE IF SHE LOOKS SO LITTLE OUT THERE, OR SO BIG AND GROWN UP....

HER BALLET DANCE WAS "BABY BALLERINAS". IT WAS ADORABLE! AGAIN SHE IS VERY INTENTIONAL WITH ALL HER MOVES AND DOES SUCH A GREAT JOB OF GOING SLOW AND AT LEAST TRYING TO BE GRACEFUL.

ELLA AND HER FRIEND KATE DEMENY.

HERE IS SOME VIDEO FROM ELLA'S DRESS REHEARSAL. WE WERE NOT SUPPOSE TO BE VIDEO TAPING, SO I HAD TO PRETEND AND USE MY CAMERA - WHICH CLEARLY DOES NOT TAKE THE BEST VIDEO QUALITY, BUT YOU CAN AT LEAST GET THE IDEA...HOPEFULLY THE PROFESSIONAL ONE WILL TURN OUT GOOD.

Video of Ella leading Dance Class

Here is some video of Ella being the leader at her dance class. She is really proud of herself. We are really proud of her too!

Matt's Birthday

In case you can't tell the kids made the cake!

Last Days of Dance

Ella first year of dance has just about come to an end. She absolutely loved it at the beginning. Then she went through a stretch where she wasn't too excited about it. She always went and seemed to enjoy it while she was there, but didn't really want to go. I think she kind of got bored with doing the same thing EVERY week for nine months. I won't lie, I think I would have been bored too. However about a month ago I brought the video camera with me and video taped her 2 recital dances so she could watch them on TV and "practice". Since then we live and breath "YES I CAN" (her tap song). She is constantly singing or dancing around the house. I'm pretty sure that for the majority of the time at least somebody in our house has this song stuck in their head! Needless to say this totally changed the game. Now she LOVES dance again. She has memorized the entire dance and is SO excited for her "big show". After all the months that we lived and breathed hockey all winter, it is definitely Ella's turn to be in the spotlight and she is eating it up!

The ultimate however was last week when the teachers asked Ella if she could stand in the front of the class and be the leader. At first she was very nervous. She started chewing on her skirt, her hands, just about anything she could get in her mouth. "Oh Oh I thought, this is not going to go well". But she did great and she was so proud that she was the leader. This is a big step for Ella who is very shy in front of people. Hopefully she will do just as well at her recital! She has really excelled at dance. Even the teacher once committed that it was unusual for a child Ella's age to be able to balance so long on one leg! It's hard to see, but this is a picture of Ella being the leader.

Ella & Madelyn practicing dance

A few months ago I video taped Ella at dance class doing her 2 recital dances. Ever since then we live and breath "Yes I Can" (Ella's tap dance song). Ella practices SO much that even Madelyn can almost do the whole dance through. Today the girls decided to put on their dance clothes and practice "Yes I Can"!

SOME VIDEO OF ELLA TEACHING MADELYN HER DANCES.

YOU CAN ONLY IMAGINE HOW EXCITED MADELYN WAS WHEN THE TEACHERS LET HER JOIN IN ELLA'S CLASS FOR JUST A MINUTE. SHE MAY AS WELL HAVE DIED AND GONE TO HEAVEN. MADELYN IS THE ONE WAY TO THE LEFT WITH THE PURPLE SHIRT AND PIGTAILS.

Mother's Day

Mother's Day 2010. We went to church Saturday evening. Sunday morning mommy got crepes for breakfast, then we biked out to grandma and grandpa Bina's (about 5 miles) - the kids did great, we made it in about 35 - 40 minutes. We spent a couple hours there and then headed over to grandma Mary's. The boys put the dock in and we went for a little boat ride.

I have spent a lot of time reflecting on being a mom in the last few months - basically to decide if I like being a mom enough to have any more kids. :) What I have discovered is that I do love being a mom, but in a lot of ways I wasn't living for each day, but rather living for what was going to happen tomorrow. Worrying about our busy schedule tomorrow, thinking about what we will have for dinner tonight or even wondering how Collin will respond the first time someone asks him to "break a rule" (which we all know is at least ten years away!!). What I was missing was just living in the moment of right now, pushing Madelyn on the swing in the backyard for 100th hour of the day, reading another book for the millionth time, or snuggling just a little longer at "snuggle time" before bed - because really where else would I rather be than right there, doing just that! I have three of the best kids on Earth and I love them all so much, what a lucky mom!!

Publish Post

Allenah's Birthday Party

Ella's first friend birthday party was Allenah's (our neighbor). Aerial from "The Little Mermaid" came to the house and did the girls hair and balloons. Ella thought it was so cool that she got to go to a birthday party and Collin didn't. I guess it was her turn. When the princess first got there the girls were all crowded around the front window watching. They were a little cautious at first, but warmed up pretty quick. Ella thought it was so cool having her hair pink and green. She had a great time!

Ella's Pre-School Graduation

Ella's 3 year old Pre-school graduation. Their program was so cute. Ella and Cole of course sat right next to each other. Ella did great, she knew all the songs and all the movements. You could tell that she was very proud, but a little nervous. She has loved having teacher Kari, just like her big brother. It has been really fun this year to watch Ella grow. She has learned how to write and recognize all her letters, sing a million new songs, and even graduated from her speech program. What has really been great though is to watch her come out of her shell a little bit more, with the help of her bestest friend by her side of course. She has really excelled this year at school and we are so proud of her.