Filling the Days

With school and dance over our days are long, and hard to fill. We definitely find stuff to do... playing outside, running in the sprinklers, searching for bugs, Candyland, Chutes & Ladders... but when the girls get bored (and when mom is too hot and lazy to spend any more time outside) we turn to art.

The girls love to color and paint... and make any kind of mess. Ella especially loves cutting and gluing. She colored this pretty picture today for her friend Bethany.

Abbigail wanted to show off her picture, too...

As you can see that picture has no color on it, but Abby sure does.

I really don't mind all that much, as long as they are having fun, and she isn't coloring my furniture, carpet or walls. The kids are washable.

Ella's First Dance Recital

Ella had her first dance recital with the Lone Star Dance Academy on May 23rd at the Globe News Center for the Performing Arts in Amarillo. No photography was allowed during the recital... but we have plenty of photos from after. We ordered a DVD of the performance and will post some video later.

After the recital Ella was awarded a huge basket of goodies from Mom & Dad, Grandma & Grandpa, and Meme & Papa. She has worked so hard these past eight months and we are so proud!

Her first dance was a ballet to The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies. She loves this pink ballet costume, and was so excited to find out she got to bring it home!

Ella has come a long way since her first dance lesson. Even the academy instructors have noticed how hard she works. They tell us they see a great potential in her, and a natural ability. (She doesn't get that from her mom.)

Of course, I may be a bit biased, but I think Ella was the best on stage in her age group. She has great rhythm and never fell off beat.

For her second performance the class did a tap dance to A Tisket, A Tasket. Ella loves her tap shoes... and my hard wood floors at home are proof of just how much.

The dress code for the academy is very strict. All dancers had to wear their hair in a bun, with no loose strands or bangs. Ella has short hair and bangs, so it took a lot of hair pins and hairspray to keep it all in place.

But she didn't complain once during all the pulling and teasing to get her hair in place. She even sat still long enough to add some mascara, eye-liner and lipstick.

We are so proud of Ella, and look forward to many more recitals.

Potty Trained!

She did it! Abbigail is using the potty! We've sort-of been working on it off and on. Finally on Saturday, May 22nd I said "Enough is enough! This kid is done with diapers." It was a long frustrating day for me and Abby... but on Sunday, it finally clicked.

We were in Amarillo most of the day, and she didn't have a single accident. She even used the potty while we were out to eat. The best part is how proud of herself she is... every single time she uses the potty she wants everybody to see the fruits of her efforts. Yeah, gross... but it is better than changing a diaper.

I am so proud of this little girl. She already is a beautiful, wonderful kid... and she is going to make a great big sister!

Singing in the Rain

We've had some rainy weather this past week... and the girls love jumping on the trampoline when it is raining. (Thanks Jim & Mary Kae!)

Of course, most everything Abby does these days is half dressed, but you can't blame her... we've had some hot days.

One night the weather was really severe, and Borger was under a tornado warning. Ella made sure all of us knew the "tomato" plan, assigning our roles. She gets Miley (the kitten), I grab Pokey (the big, fat yellow cat), Abbigail makes sure Fudge is safe (the dog.) And dad's responsibility is to grab food and cushions and get us all safely in the basement.

On this particular night the thunder was rolling, and lightning flashing. Abbigail could sense my fear and anxiety and had some herself. She wouldn't sleep, and would hide under her blankies. She eventually fell asleep, but it was a restless night. Nightmares had her thrashing around, and crying in her sleep. The next day she told me she was scared, and then spent the entire day putting the thunder in time out. Hopefully that is enough to calm her fears.

Make Room for Baby

We've been doing some stuff around the house to get ready for the baby. Painting, moving furniture, and pulling out some baby goods from storage. Well, we pulled out the bassinet, and the first thing Abbigail did was climb right in, claiming it was her bed.

Meme (Jared's mom) also made a bunch of new blankets for the baby. Abby is a blankie baby, and is rarely seen without at least one of the three in her collection. But when she saw the new blankies, she quickly tried to make them her own. I think we may have a small jealousy problem when this baby shows up.

Schools Out for Summer!

Ella wrapped up her year of Wee School on May 20th. It was such a good year... and she loved her class and teacher so much.
For the last day they did a bug hunt outside the school. Yes, even Ella picked up a few bugs.

The class looked under stones and dug in the dirt to find rollie pollies, worms, and a few beetles.

Abbigail was there, too. (That is my big belly getting in the way of the photo.) She had no problem picking up a few bugs, too. And she fell in love with Ella's teacher, Miss Jodi. She kept saying, "Teacher, teacher! Look at me!"

Before the bug hunt the class had a picnic lunch on the school lawn.

It has been a great year, and Ella has learned so much. I know she'll miss the class, but she is so excited to start kindergarten in the fall. We've already taken a tour of her new school!

What the Cat Dragged In

We live in Texas. It gets hot. There are lots of bugs. We have to worry about snakes and tornadoes... but I wasn't expecting this.
I was cleaning up the house when I noticed Pokey (our fat, yellow cat) playing with what I thought was a toy. My nephew was here a couple of weeks ago and loves dinosaurs, but when I went to pick up the toy... it moved.
It was a horny toad.
I screamed. Jared came running to my rescue, and the toad found a new home outside.
My only fear is... what will the cat drag home next?

The Best Mom Ever

I have the best mom ever.

She is funny, pretty, smart, clever... and loving.

Just how loving? She rescued my family this past week. Our home had turned into an incubator for the stomach bug and sinus infections. After more than two weeks of dealing with it, needless to say we were all down for the count. So, mom drove six hours to nurse us all back to health. She cooked, she cleaned... and most importantly, she gave me great company.

This is all after she and my dad took our entire family on a cruise down the Mexican Riviera... and they wouldn't let us spend a dime!

She spoils us, loves us, and protects us. I only hope I can be half the woman she is and measure up to the great example of what a mom should be.

I love you, Mom.

(This is a picture from the cruise. At one of our stops we did some Salsa & Salsa. We learned to make salsa and how to salsa dance. Of course, mom is dancing with my great dad. Also in the picture... just to the right of mom is my very cool Australian brother-in-law Adam.)