2nd Annual Dance Recital (and graduation)

Our summer adventures began in the good month of May. When my grandmother made a special visit out here to see Miss B's dance recital. But first we celebrated Mother's day with my mom and grandmother with afternoon tea at the ritzy hotel downtown.

 My grandmother had sent the tiaras out for the girls a few months ago and B couldn't wait to wear it to afternoon tea with her Nanny.

The recital. With her wonderful and patient teacher. This dance studio do recitals a little different. It's actually a production. Each class has a part and the older girls are the soloists. This year it was Tinker Bell's Version of Peter Pan. B's class was the fairy dust and they danced to "Sail me to the Moon". 

Grandparent photos. 

Her special visitor, Nanny.

Since it was the month between birthdays we celebrated the girls birthdays with everyone here.

And someone graduated from preschool. I had no idea the program was as involved as it was or grandparents would have received an invitation.. oops. She sang a solo (and had I known it was a solo I would have practiced a little more diligently - but she did great) She had lines to recite and then she read a book.

Her preschool teacher was fabulous. B thrived so well under her direction. Thankfully, we kept her influence in our life and she is now her music teacher.

Scratch That Bucket List of the List

(As the norm I am behind on my blog I've admitted I may actually never catch up so I better just start with the most current - on a side note I am pretty sad blogs are dying, I miss reading the stories behind the Instagram pics). 

So at the beginning of summer (actually when it was still spring) I had seen on Instagram and Pinterest summer bucket lists. Now, let me say I am NOT a  list person. Yes, I will do the typical store list (usually on an old receipt written in eye liner) and the packing list, but other than that I don't do lists, and I don't do lists because I get side tracked very easily and the list never gets done. 

But I loved the idea of a bucket list, make a list then make a little scrapbook of our bucket list. 

It was a grand idea. 

That fell flat on it's face, or whatever the face of an idea is. 

Now I am being a bit dramatic here, but I feel like I became prisoner to the summer bucket list, and I started getting frustrated, particularly when I saw people crossing off theirs with what seemed like ease with flawless execution. So then I would get annoyed and feel this panic that I MUST cross off the the bucket list or I would RUIN summer, RUIN IT!  It's the ol' expectation vs reality that gets me.

Well, we are now at the end of summer and MOST of things are not crossed off, but guess what? We still did a ton of amazing things this summer.  This was one of the best summers yet, and I think it was because we just took the adventures as they came or as we felt (therefore, no time for expectations which equals success).

So our latest summer camping trip:

Powell Point/Capitol Reef: Primitive Camping and the most BEAUTIFUL camping spots we've ever seen.

 

 Powell Point

 

We hiked to Powell Point

 

Then we headed to the most beautiful place we've ever camped.

It was in the Dixie National Forest.

 

The Pine Trees were brilliant, about 60 feet high. 

 

The pictures jut don't do it justice. There is a little stream behind us. I think we will come back here every year. Don't you think a cute air stream trailer would look so good right there? 

Sigh, a girl can dream.

  

Then we headed to Capitol Reef where B and I hiked to the natural bridge in 95 degree heat (but it was beautiful) 

 And I am amazed how that girl can make friends.

 This is a family visiting from Italy. We chatted all the way back, and afterwards I asked if I could get a picture, and I explained how B has a habit of making friends with people everywhere we go and they just happen to be from all around the world, so I need to make a book with everyone she meets.

I think my next post will be called the anti bucket list ;)

*FIVE*

Five years ago I became a mother, and a whole new life was born.




















 Oh, young first time mother, Julie the things I wish I could tell you, that you would just have ignored.

I always wanted to be a mother so I thought it would come naturally and easily, and frankly, it didn't. The transition was rough. I felt like I had to figure out my identity all over again. I made it more difficult than it had to be. I have an habitual problem of making mountains out of ant hills. Motherhood has been no exception.
But motherhood has made me grow more as a human being than anything else.
I am more proud of who I am today than ever before and I have my daughters to thank for that.
I didn't lose my identity; the focus changed.
Raising human beings has forced me to evaluate the quality of human being I am. It has pushed me and motivated me to be better. Perhaps I would have done this just by maturing? But I think motherhood was a catalyst for it.

And I do believe, this is our first family photo.

And here is our girl.
-->  I often feel the urgent desire to write her apology letters all.the.time. The poor first born child a.k.a the guinea pig. The mothering failures for this child are the successes for the next one.

She made a place right in our hearts with her sparkly eyes and sweet soul.

She continues to delight us with her bright smile and thirst for adventure.

She loves arts and crafts. Her drawing skills are quite impressive, but not as impressive as this girl's social life. Just the other day, she went to FOUR different friend's houses, FOUR, and that's not counting when her friends came to our house.

She loves dance class and loves to tell jokes, jokes which usually involves "poop'.

For example, "Why did the chicken cross the road? Because it had to... go poop." She even pauses for dramatic effect and laughs her little head off after she says it.


And these were her school/dance pictures.

We Have A Teenager

Some doggie turned 13 in February and some little person insisted we MUST have a birthday party for her. So we made dog friendly cupcakes and homemade dog treats. We made party hats and we put up our birthday banner and pictures of the honorary person... or dog.

It was actually quite fun. I am glad B was so insisted. We had a fun time getting it all together.

Happy 13th Syd! You will never read this one day, but I hope we convey how much we love you around here. You are my children's greatest protector, my constant companion, and the greatest monster/ghost/whatever-B-comes-up-with EATER alive.

Easter

 Here is our little Califlower, donning my 3 year old Easter dress.

 I just couldn't get a good one of big sis, she kept dancing :)

I was a little late on signing up the girls for an Easter Egg hunt (mostly because I am indecisive - to do or not to do?) However, at a local farm they do an Easter doggie egg hunt, and that wasn't sold out and I knew they would have just as much fun (if not more) helping Syd find some eggs. And they did, they loved it. Califlower however, did NOT love the Easter bunny.

 And we all got a wagon ride.
And you maybe thinking "but what about Dixie?" Well, the dog has to be leashed the entire time, and well Dixie, is an entirely different dog on a leash. She is a bit of a feral dog I suppose, and leashes bring out a naughty behavior in her.
 

 Then we invited family over for a night of Easter Egg fun.
We did learn that the best and brightest colors are not from the egg dyeing kit but from just the normal food coloring with vinegar, we added food coloring to the egg kit colors just to make the colors brighter, bolder, and well, better.

 

B had Brad draw a cat on one of her eggs, but the egg cracked and I let C eat the egg. End.Of.The.World. 

So my niece was so kind and drew a cat on paper for B to keep forever. 

She cherishes it. It's on her nightstand.  

Then it was Easter.

 Easter baskets found.

 Later in the afternoon we finally found the Easter Eggs the Easter Bunny hid.