Yeah for Dad!

I just have to take a moment to relish in the joy that Aaron is done with school for the summer! It has been a rough couple of years and I think that yesterday was the first day in 2 years that Aaron has come home with not one ounce of stress in him! It was great. He has worked so hard and I am so proud of him. We are excited to share the next two months as a family and just hang out(and have a new baby)! Anyway, I just had to say how happy I am and how proud I am of Aaron. He is such an amazing guy!

Dalmation Party

We decided to have Hallie's birthday a couple of weeks early since Grandma was here visiting and today was the big day! We had a dalmation party and it was so much fun! We had the kids all wear black, white or red and we made little doggie ears for them. They decorated collars when they got there and got to choose a puppy name for the party. We played a few "doggie" games, like fetch and roll the ball with your nose. We tried "Doggie Doggie, where's your bone?", but it was a little slow moving for a group of four year olds, so we scratched that. We got doggie dishes for the kids to eat their snacks out of and had a special visit from Cruella Deville! She came in and stole the basket of puppies and the kids had to go on a scavenger hunt to find them. It was so much fun! Daddy and Grandma, with a little help from Mom, made a really cool Dalmation cake and then Hallie opened her presents! She got lots of fun things and has been playing with her new toys all day! Thank you to everyone who came and for those who stayed and helped. It would have been hard to do on our own! I will do a real birthday post for Hallie on her real birthday! Although I have to mention that last night she was crying, having a complete breakdown, missing all of our family and just crying hysterically for about 30 minutes. This morning when I got her up, I asked her if she remembered that it was her party day. She jumped out of bed and said, "Yes, and do you know why I am not crying anymore?" "Why", I asked. "Because I'm 4!" I don't think she quite understood the early birthday idea! Oh well. "That's right Hallie-- that's exactly why!"

Dance Recital

Hallie had her first dance recital on Saturday, May 17, and I couldn't have been any prouder. She was adorable and did her dance really well! I was backstage, as a helping mom, and just before the girls went onstage, three of the kids started crying and refused to go out and dance. Hallie said, "why is everyone crying"? I told her that they were a little scared and they kind of wanted their moms. She said, " well, I don't really need you here, because I am not scared and so you can go now". I told her that I would just wait until they were ready to dance and then I would go out and watch her, but she insisted, and said, "seriously mom, I can handle this!" She has always been very independant! Anyway, the three criers refused to dance and so Hallie was left without a partner. But it didn't phase her a bit! She just did the partner part all by herself and never missed a beat. (well she missed a few beats, but she is only three!) Anyway, it was really fun to be there and watch her and have her have such a good time! I loved it!

Sharing the spotlight with her sis!

The backwards elephant walk!

These two could not stop bouncing before the dance! They were so excited!

What is a dance recital without flowers?

We were so lucky and happy to have Grandma here for the big day!

My Little Dancer

It is amazing to me how quickly we pass from one phase to another in life. Most of the people who know me now don't really know that I was a dancer all of my life. I wouldn't call myself a ballerina, but definately a dancer. I was a dance major in college and got a Master's in Dance from BYU. I used to teach at BYU and I teach an Irish dance class in Waukee now. (Try to imagine my big prego self dancing!Crazy, but true!). I bring this up because, like I said, most of my friends probably don't know this, but it was all I did for a long time in my life! I met Aaron after I graduated from BYU, so he has never really seen me dance either. It is kind of weird that such a huge part of my life is just really my past now! I guess I was feeling a little nostalgic when I got Hallie's first dance pictures the other day. I was flooded with memories of my dancing days and I am excited to see if she will love it like I did! I love my role as wife and mom now and I would not trade it, but sometimes I miss touring and doing shows and the music and really dancing! Thanks for letting me indulge! And- Hallie is an elephant in this picture, just in case you couldn't tell!