Our Little Ballerina

Last weekend was *A*'s ballet recital. She was so excited and they rehersed on the big stage all week long.

I know this picture is blurry but it shows her signature move, the "skip, hop". she has loved this move since she learned it and frequently moves around the house this way. In my not-so-humble opinion, she did it the best out of everyone in her class. :)

Here she is on the big day (she was so happy that they had to wear make-up)

and after with her flowers.

She was so proud, we were so proud, all the family & friends that came to see her were so proud.

Poor (H) slept in Gram's lap through the whole thing, but he had to sit through all those rehersals so he was forgiven!

She's ready to start ballet again but I told her we have to wait until next Fall. I think swimming will take the place of ballet for the summer as her favorite "extra-curricular activity". We just found out that she can join pre-swim/conditioning for swim team and practice her swimming skills 4 days a week. Everynight for the past few months, she has asked me if we can go to the pool tomorrow and now I can finally say "yes"!

Easter

What a glorious day! The weather was warmer than I ever remember an Easter being, church was beautiful (although we spent much of it outside in the sun since it was standing room only!), the kids were wonderful, and we had fun with friends all day long.

The junior Easter bunnies waited patiently as Mommy Bunny hid the baskets.

Then they found baskets full of fun toys (thanks $1 Target bin!) and not so much candy.

But the candy we did get was much enjoyed!

Then we headed to friend's house for a yummy Easter lunch. And family photos of course!

Then it was time to change into play clothes and line up with our friends for the egg hunt at the park.

(H) worked hard to get his eggs and decided after about 8 that he had found enough. *A* was considered one of the big kids this year (!), so when she came to me with a full basket and I gently reminded her to save some for the little kids, she took a handful from her basket and re-hid them for the little kids to find. 

After a chocloate fix, it was time to relax, play games, and cookout. A time to celebrate and feast! Just what Easter is all about!

Pre-Easter Events

As always, there is lots to do up here on the mountain during Holy Week. It's busy but it's good busy. Everything is focused on Holy Week which allows you to really get in the right frame of mind to celebrate these events. On Maundy Thursday, the seminary stops classes and offers a Quiet Day for students and spouses.

This was my third Quiet Day and it is something I've really come to look forward to. It was 80 degrees this day so along with lots of quiet on the beautiful campus of St. Mary's convent, I also got a sunburn.

Good Friday was quite busy and I was very appreciative for the previous day of quiet. ^J^ preached at 7am at All Saint's on campus, then we had the seminary service at 9am, then we grabbed a quick bite to eat and walked to the Stations of the Cross service which occurs down University Ave.

Here we are on our way and here's ^J^ taking a turn helping carry the cross.

That night we had a relaxing dinner at a friend's house and we played our new favorite game, BananaGrams!

Saturday was a bit more laid back and we went to the 2nd Annual Crawfish Boil hosted by one of ^J^'s classmates from Mississippi.

*A* really liked them and so did Gracie who decided to eat 3 shell and all!

Saturday night we got a babysitter so we could attend the Easter Vigil service. ^J^ was a reader and it was as always a powerful service follwed by a yummy reception.

I'll save Easter for tomorrow seeing as I've already made this quite a long post.

Zoo Trip

Friday was beautiful so we decided to take a trip to the Nashville Zoo. We got a pass for the zoo last year and we love it so much. The best part is that we can get friends in for free with our pass so we ended up having 4 Moms and 8 kids under the age of 5. While crazy at times, we had a great time seeing animals, riding the carousel, playing on the gigantic playground, and soaking up the sun. I'm glad we got it when we did because it's snowing today. Go figure.

Yellow Happiness

We've had a wonderful Spring Break so far and the weather actually felt like Spring today so we headed down the mountain with some friends to see if the daffodil field was blooming. We got lucky and it looks like we caught it early as some buds were not open yet, so we can hopefully go back with Daddy this weekend. *A* loved picking them and seriously couldn't get enough, luckily they are only 2 cents a flower!

Hello Sun!

We spent a lot of time outside this weekend and explored a new trail. It ran along the bluffs which called for hiking while holding hands at times,

but there were some great spots to stop and enjoy the view and have a bite of lunch.

The trail mix was a hit and apparently even after you have just had lunch, you *need* trail mix to keep you going.

This swirly tree stump was very intriguing to me and (H) thought it might have a creature living in it.

We're planning on spending as much time as we can outside today because it looks like rain for the next week or so. On the bright side, it'll be Spring Break soon so even if we are cooped up inside, we'll be on break!

Space Boy, Snow Mommy, and Dancer Girl

(H) has discovered Star Wars, can I just tell you how happy that makes his daddy? Anyway, he's not quite outfitted yet so he uses what he has. He had some birthday money leftover and the other day decided to purchase his first Star Wars action figure. I see the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

Yesterday we woke up to 3 more inches of snow. It was beautiful and while I'm ready for Spring, I was excited this was finally a wet snow so we could make a proper snowman. It was the fastest snow person in history because the snow was so perfect for rolling and stacking. The kids ran inside to get all the proper implements (carrot, bottlecap eyes, scarf, hat), and once it was dressed and ready they announced, "It's you Mommy!". Here they are with their Snow Mommy:


Today was our 2nd "Watch Day" at ballet, they have been practicing for the recital this semester and while there have been many snow days and sick days, we were SO impressed with *A*'s dancing.


Of course we're totally biased, but there seems to be some real natural talent there. I see this being something she will excel at her whole life if she chooses to continue. At the end of class, they got surprised with their recital costumes. She was thrilled and said "Do we get to dance on a real stage Mommy? I've never been on a real stage!". She just had to try the costume on as soon as we got home. Here she is showing me first position. Once I finally convinced her to take it off, I quickly hid it in the closet so we can keep it nice for the next month.