Dance 2013

The dance year began in August. Since then, AB has loved her weekly Beginning Combo I Class – which was an hour long ballet and tap class on Mondays from 5:30-6:30.

Mondays have also meant Mamie having a weekly date with my parents while I take AB to dance. Afterward, DW comes over and we have dinner at Grammy & Pop’s and we all love that!

AB has been working on her recital number for a few months now, and this weekend was finally show time!

We started the recital gauntlet with dress rehearsal on Thursday night.

We found our dressing room first. AB & I were both loving that it had a sparkly star on the door with all of the dancers’ names below.  :)

Mamie wasn’t a big fan of dress rehearsal. I kept her busy with snacks and my cell phone until Daddy got there, too. Then he took her to dinner and they spent a lot of time outside until it was time to watch big sister practice on the stage!

There were two performances of the recital, with the first being on Friday night. It was a packed house both nights!

On Friday afternoon, Grandma stopped by our house to bring AB a good luck recital prize – which was a purple ballerina to hang jewelry on. AB loves a “neck-a-lace” and purple, so it was perfect for her.

That night we all met up at the auditorium to see our girl in her first recital!

AB, Uncle Adam, Aunt Nen & Grandma

 

Grammy, Pop, Uncle Van, Elliot, & Taylor were all there, too, to cheer her on.

Mamie got to go on Friday night and we all passed her around and took turns trying to entertain her! :)

AB got to watch the whole first half of the recital before it was time for me to take her back to get her dressed and ready. She was so excited and even said, “I’m so just READY to get on that stage!”

At intermission, I took her back to get her dressed.

When the curtain opened after the break, she was standing on stage with the biggest grin.

Her class’ dance was to “When you wish upon a star” and was so sweet!

She was precious. Her class was the sweetest little group and the whole audience just “ahhhhhed” the whole time they twirled around.

We were all so proud!

After their dance, the girls went back to the dressing room to wait through the rest of the recital. I was a “dressing room mom” that night. The girls did so good while we waited to be called back to stage for the finale. I pulled out AB’s coloring book and gave them all a page and dumped the crayons on the floor and they colored, had a snack and then watched part of a movie on one of the other mom’s laptops.

The recital was LONG to say the least, but finally it was finale time and AB’s group came out and took a bow and blew kisses.

Her Daddy & Pop took flowers to the stage for her and she was so excited that they were pink and purple! She was so cute afterward holding them outside- you could tell she was so proud of them. The purple ones were from Pop and the pink ones were from DW. My mom totally saved the day when she called to see if I’d ordered flowers yet. I had thought about it, but hadn’t yet and Grammy even remembered to to get some for Miss Cyndal, AB’s dance teacher.

Everyone else had to leave after her performance, so we didn’t get pictures of all of them with our ballerina.

Saturday night, we got to do it all again!

This time, Mamie stayed with a babysitter. We’ve never had to get a sitter for AB or Mames, but Grammy & Nie-Nie (& Kels) would both be at the recital that night and Nen was going to Tampa…and since that’s the extent of the people who’s ever kept Mamie, we had to get a sitter. We got one of Kelsey’s friends who also used to keep the nursery at our church, so it worked out great and Mamie did wonderful. (& it was so nice not to have to try to keep her quiet and entertained for the LONG recital!) :)

Saturday’s performance was just as sweet as Fridays.

My favorite may have been though, when AB was helping the youngest tiny ballerina in her class know what to do. She kept looking back and trying to help her little friend and I was SO PROUD of her. It was so sweet.

The finale was the cutest on Saturday night, because the girls had to sit on stage a little longer than the night before. AB kept waving at us and smiling so big.It was precious. Finally, it was time for Daddy to get her off stage again and give her some more flowers! :)

Pappy, Nie-Nie & Kels brought her a bouquet, too…

Grammy & Pop with our dancer on night 2…

AB with her dance teacher, Miss Cyndal

We made it home around 10:00 that night and AB was still riding the ballet recital high. She loved everything about it and she can’t wait for the next dance year to start!

AB with her flowers from both nights

I put them in vases & she’s so proud of them. She has to tell me over and over who gave her which ones. :)

~amw~

Dads & Daughters…

 

I’m a firm believer that everyone needs a good Dad. Being a girl, I know the importance of girls having a good one. A girl’s relationship with her father influences her in so many ways. Self-esteem, self-image, confidence, opinions of men, and ultimately how she will see the world are all things that come to mind when I think of the influential role a Dad plays in his daughter’s life.

I was blessed with a great Dad. I grew up knowing that my Daddy would kill someone over me and I still believe it.  :)  I’ve always had the security of knowing that he was big, strong and always had my back. I’ve always believed my Dad can do anything. It doesn’t matter how big or how small, he can handle it. Seriously- if it’s broken he can fix it…from alternators, to washing machines, to balloon drops to broken hearts. Over my 30 years I can’t begin to count how many things I’ve seen him fix. Most people think he’s a bit of a “hard-tale” and in truth, he probably is- but there’s always been two girls who keep him soft…my Momma & me. My Dad hasn’t always liked my mom (and my Mom will say that feeling is so mutual…ha) but my Daddy has always loved my Momma… Every time I read something about the importance of a father loving his children’s mother I nod my head in agreeance.  My Dad is a hard worker and we never had to worry if we’d have food to eat or shoes on our feet, (or ice cream at our birthday parties) :) because he worked day in and day out to provide for us. There’s not a more noble characteristic. Work ethic and the drive to provide has been lost on so many men in today’s society. My Dad was from the era of Dad’s who didn’t change diapers (I’m pretty sure the only diaper he’s ever changed was Cooper’s – and that was because he had him all by himself one day!)—he wasn’t a hands-on Dad, but he was there. It’s sad to say how many kids can’t say that about their fathers. My Dad is a good man who’s lived his life in a way that my brother and I can be proud of. My brother would argue that my Dad loves me the most and honestly I wouldn’t deny it, but truly he’s just as crazy about my brother as he is me…it’s just different for Dads & Daughters. Plus, of the two of us, I am most like our Dad. We understand each other and it’s easy for us to see things the same way. We have a long standing “joke” that he’s my only friend- it goes way back to when I was in high-school, but to this day he always signs my birthday cards “Your Friend, Dad” – and while he’s not my only friend-  he’s certainly my truest. I love him a lot and I’ll always be thankful that of the two people who call him, “Dad,” I’m one of them. 

 

My babies’ Daddy is a little different than my own Dad. Yes, he’s hard-working, has blossomed into quite a Jr. Mister Fix it, & I’m pretty sure he'd kill someone over our kids, too… But, that whole “Dad’s don’t change diapers” era ended for my family when we brought Cooper home from the hospital. I had no idea that Dad’s were that hands-on until DW became a Daddy, too. I remember having to remind him that I was the MOMMA & I had it under control! :)  DW is the epitome of a patient Dad. It blows my mind how much time he puts into our kids. His day is thrown completely off if he doesn’t get to see them at lunch, or if they don’t get their time together in the evening. Weekends aren’t about finding a sitter so we can have some time to ourselves- it’s what we can do as a family. It’s the sweetest thing and I’ve never known ANYONE who ENJOYS their children more than him. There’s a million reasons I love him, but the biggest might just be because of the kind of Daddy he is.

DW had a great example at being a good Dad. My FIL is, as my Middle school math teacher would say, “one of the good guys.” Over the years, Mr. Pug has been a great father-in-law to me. He’ll tell anyone who asks, that I’m his third favorite daughter-in-law. (He has THREE daughter-in-laws). :) DW & I have been married the longest, so I can handle it, though. If he wasn’t picking on me, I’d worry. I know he loves me and I know he’s one more good man in my life that I can count on. He’s been a part of some of the happiest times in my life and he’s been there for the absolute worst. Those good and bad things – LIFE- is what bonds people together…and when it comes to Father-in-laws and Daughter-in-laws, we’re bonded. I will always be thankful for the part he plays in my life and what he means to me.

 

Having two girls scares the life out of me most of the time. But when I think about where a girl’s self-image, self-confidence and so many of the things that shape her come from – I’m not really that worried. Because such a large portion of those things come from the men in their lives. My girls have the best Daddy, and the sweetest Pop & Pappy who are going to make sure they grow up knowing how special, beautiful, loved and treasured they are. (Not to mention some pretty amazing uncles who are wild about them, too!)

 

I know what it’s like to grow up feeling like somebody’s “favorite” – my Dad & my Papa sealed that deal- just like I know these guys will do for AB & Mamie---

 

Thank you, Lord, for our Dads.

Happy Father’s Day.

~amw~

Summer

Besides the fact that when I walk outside it takes less than a minute for me to break out in a full sweat, I’m washing beach towels at least once a week, and those are tell-tell signs that summer has officially arrived.

This weekend we went over to the beach to spend the day with “Grandma.” DW’s Mom invited us to join her for some fun during her week at her timeshare.

Taylor, AB & Grandma

I boiled some peanuts to take, because it’s summer and everyone knows you should boil peanuts as often as you can this time of year. I’m pretty sure if my cooking dinner all three of the nights that we were home last week, didn’t make DW glad he married me, my boiling a big pot of peanuts for the weekend DID! :)

Our niece, Taylor, rode with us to the beach. AB & Mamie love Tay, so they were excited she was with us.

We were a little worried about the weather, but the clouds rolled away and it ended up being a beautiful day.

AB & I caught a crab – this may not sound like a big deal, but for us, it was monumental. The only thing I’ll hold that crawls are babies, so this was huge.

We had a great time playing in the sand, jumping waves, and swimming in the pool!

Besides, the sweating thing, we’re really glad summer is here!

~amw~

Friday Five… on Monday.

 

1. I’ve mentioned it before, but my sweetheart has an intense hatred for what I call “gophers” (the yard variety, not to be confused with the turtle kind) and he calls them “salamanders” – He stalks them in our yard like a predator and any time he sees a new mound of dirt they've dug up, he sets a trap and waits. Unless, of course they’re digging then, and in that case, he gets his gun out and goes all sniper waiting them out. I’m not sure he gets more excited when he kills a buck or a turkey as he does when he gets a “salamander/gopher” --- So imagine his delight, when he and our big girl caught one on the trap they set a day or so earlier… So excited that he took a picture of their trophy…

(To clear up any confusion on her outfit of the day…she dressed herself) :)

I thought I was going to have to draw the line at him teaching her about the Avengers – she even knows Iron Man’s “real” name is “Tony Stark” – But I’m SERIOUSLY going to have to draw the line at her holding up dead rodents to have her picture made. I’m just waiting on her to add “BB Gun” to her Christmas list this year. :)

2. This girl loves to play peek-a-book (which we call “pee-pie”) and to be “got”… if you tickle her and then stop, she’ll throw her leg back up and say “get-get-get” so you can “get her-get her-get her” again. She’s SO.STINKING.SWEET & SUCH.A.HAND.FULL all at the same time.

Mames checking on “her” cows…

 

3. My SIL, Lauren and I went to see Chonda Pierce’s “Laughing Through It” show last Thursday. By night’s end we’d both eaten a bacon cheeseburger, laughed, and even cried a little. If that’s not the perfect combo for Girl’s Night then I don’t know what is. Chonda had special guest Geoff Moore (a Christian singer who was pretty big in the 90’s). He was so good and I think he may have sang “He Knows my Name” better than Chris Tomlin. His testimony was so good, too. Have you ever been listening to a speaker or singer and felt like you could totally relate to what they’re saying/singing? That’s a pretty neat feeling – but even better is when you’re with a person who knows you so well that without saying a word, they squeeze your arm and you know that they know exactly what it means. Our lives weren’t meant to be lived alone.  “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” – Galatians 6:2    I am so thankful for those closest to me – that they have shared (and continue to) my joys as well as my burdens. I consider it a great honor to get to do the same. 

 

4. Nie-Nie’s birthday is today. Pappy had a dinner last night to celebrate her. The “I’m SO excited” picture was when she opened her present from Kels… plane tickets to see her “brother/boy” Sam  & Gracie! It’s blurry, but when I had her reenact it so I could send it to Sam, it wasn’t the same. :) Proof you can’t fake excitement like that! Pappy asked me to do the cake, so I put a few of her favorite things together… white cake, butter cream icing, rice-Krispy treats and topped it with oreo truffles. If only I’d had a Kripsy Kreme donut to throw on top of that. I’m totally not bragging, but it was over-the-top good, but so is Nie-Nie, so it was a perfect fit. :)

5. This week I’m on a mission… A cleaning & organizing mission. I’m only writing this out, hoping it will make me more accountable to follow through. I lost my engagement ring for two days last week. I was sick over it. Thankfully, after searching for hours yesterday afternoon, I found it. It had gotten scooped up with a bunch of stuff of our countertop and thrown in the diaper bag. While searching high and low, though, I was ashamed at the current cleanliness of our home. We’ve got drawers that need purged, beds that need vacuumed under and baseboards that need washing! It’s probably going to take longer than this week, but I’ve got to get it done (especially while I’m feeling motivated to tackle it!) Ha… :) We’ve got to get that out of the way, so we can proceed with all of our summer fun!

And just because it’s pure sweetness…

~annie~

Memorial Day Weekend…

We had a great Memorial Day weekend. We are so blessed and thankful to live in a free country protected by so many brave service men and women, especially those who paid the ultimate sacrifice.

Memorial Day is always a great kick-off for the summer, and this year was no exception.

We tagged along to the beach with my in-laws and had a great time. We’ve had so much going on this year, that this was the first weekend we’ve even been yet and I don’t know who was more excited DW or Annabelle.

We were packed and ready to go as soon as Devin got off work Friday afternoon. AB packed her new “Ariel Mermaid” playset, and I laughed so hard at her and Mames playing with it on the way. AB was “Ursula” and she would say (in a really creepy voice) “I’m Urrrrrsssssuuuuullllaaaaa…. Give me your voice!!!”  Then Mames would take Ariel and hit Ursula with it. It was so funny to watch them. I can’t wait to see how they play together over the next few years.  

We stopped for dinner on the way and of course made a quick stop by the Super Target when we made it to Port Orange. It’s impossible for me to go straight to the condo without stopping by there first. :)

We made it to the beach in time to see the full moon over the water and it was gorgeous.

AB woke up at 6:45 on Saturday morning – that NEVER happens. (It’s EARLY for her, if she’s up at 8:30)—She was so excited to be at the beach. DW & Pappy worked on a few little projects before we headed down to the water though, because that’s just what they do. They’re always working on or fixing something. None of us complain though, because who likes broken things? :) 

We slathered the girls down in sunscreen, loaded down like pack mules and picked a spot on the beach.

Mamie wasn’t a fan of the sand at first. (I remember AB & Cooper being the same way for a little while… they all went through the “eat the beach sand” phase, followed the next summer by “hate the beach sand” phase and then finally turned into beach babies… Mamie warmed up to it after a while, so I am sure by the end of the summer she’ll be beach bum, too).

We played in the sand, in the waves

and then AB was ready to jump in the pool.

She made a friend in the pool, named Cain. He was such a cutie and he was highly impressed that she was four years old, just like him, and could swim on her own. He had the best time throwing his pool toys as far as he could and getting her to swim out to get them. I don’t know if we should be concerned that all the little friends she’s been making lately are little boys! :)

I was highly impressed with her swimming, too, and its official, at 4 years old, she already swims better than her momma. She swam ALL DAY LONG… either in the pool or in the ocean.

We went to the pier for dinner that night at Joe’s Crab Shack. AB slept the whole way there, and the whole time before our food came out. She was exhausted from all that sun and and swimming.

Nobody enjoys food more than Mamie.

After dinner, we walked down the boardwalk and AB got a balloon animal – she picked a parrot, but named him “seahorse.” ???

The night was still early, so we decided to go to the dog track. AB loved it when we went last summer with my mom and aunts – she was so excited to go back. I seriously LOVE it, too. It’s hard for me to even believe that I like it as much as I do. But all three times I’ve been have been such a hoot.

When we got there, we noticed all kinds of Batman decorations and soon found out that a dog named “Batman” was having his birthday and was also retiring that night. They went all out and Batman even had his own birthday table set up with balloons, posters, pictures and you could even get a button to wear. (Which AB did). :)

She also got to pet a (retired) racing dog… (I am so not a pet person, but our girls love them…I’m sure when they get older we’re going to have to bite the bullet and get them a (outside) dog or something…or maybe just a fish… :)

We had a few minutes before the races started, which was good for reading up on the dogs in the program and making our picks. We all have different theories when it comes to picking, but apparently Pappy’s was the best, since he won the most that night. He did make one VERY WRONG pick though, when he changed the dog Nie-Nie had picked for the very first race. She made her choice, but he didn’t think it looked good, and so he changed her number when he went to make the bets. Turns out, the dog she had picked WON!!! He’ll never live it down. We tested my brother, Beau’s, theory on picking the dog that shoo-shoos. It worked a couple times, too.

After one of the races, we saw where you could go in and actually view the dogs before the race. That was fun to see… The handlers bring them in and put their jerseys on them in this room…

After the second race, “Batman” came out for his retirement recognition and then they served cake. Note the lady serving cake was wearing a Batman t-shirt. I’ve decided that my calling in life might be working at the dog track and planning the dogs’ retirement and birthday parties. :)

I got a piece for the girls to share – it was the only way we could get Mamie back in her stroller. :)

We stayed for the first five races and then called it a night.

Sunday we woke up to another beautiful day. We had breakfast on the pier and even saw a school of stingrays swimming below.

We followed our normal routine of the beach first and then the pool…

Mames loved the little ledge on the pool and wanted to spend most of her pool time hanging out there…

A picture with the camera timer is always funny to try to get… But we managed to finally get one (even if it is a little blurry) :)

I took Mamie up around lunch time and got her fed and laid down for a nap and then had some lunch myself… My FIL had gotten me my recent favorite find, so I figured that would be the PERFECT lunch. I was right, too. It was the BEST served in a styro-foam cup and eaten on the balcony! :) The rest of the crew stayed on the beach through lunch and got some food from the snack trailer. I enjoyed a magazine on the balcony while listening to the waves crash back and forth. Perfection.

Mames woke up long enough to get about another 45 minutes of playing on the beach in before it was time to pack up and head home.

Monday morning we swam at Pappy & Nie-Nie’s house…(its always a plus to have neighbors with a pool) :)

Mames is totally warming up to the swimming thing- I think she’s going to be just fine this summer! :)

 

Afternoon naps at home were the next item on the agenda.

For dinner, we headed to Grammy & Pop’s for steaks. We spent the evening watching the girls play on the back porch.

Mames would play outside all day long if she could.

She was living it up getting to have her own juice box. She proved, though, she’s definitely not ready to have one inside. :) The girls always think they have to take a bath at Grammy & Pop’s before we come home. I will admit it’s pretty sweet watching them splash and play in the same tub that I did when I was a kid. Plus Grammy’s way more fun at bath time than I am… she blows bubbles for them to pop and lets them drag out EVERY tub-toy they have. Mean-Momma is all business most nights at bath time. :)

We headed home after their bath, and both the girls enjoyed their animal crackers on the drive back. Pop had gotten them both a box. These were my favorite when I was a kid and I’m happy to say my girls love them, too. :)

We’re all looking forward to a great summer!!

~amw~