~ Best Face Photo from May ~

Okay, this summer my goal is to get back into taking pictures so I am starting with a challenge. You would think with a new little one I would be taking pictures left and right but unfortunately, that hasn't happened. I am worried that Jessa will have long lasting issues when she realizes down the road that I have so few pictures of her as an infant... I did get a few this week and planned on entering one but decided that I just really LOVE this one of Brynn before her dance recital because it is so her ~ sassy and fun!

Check out the other entries here!

Sequins, Sparkles, and Curls...

Okay, this is getting ridiculous with my goals to update the blog and my failure over and over to actually do it. I have actually wanted to write about a few things lately but have not because I feel like the old stuff should be done first but really, I need to get over that. So 2011 will likely be out of order until I catch up but at least it will done! :o)

The girls had their dance recital on Sunday. I have to admit I am always a bit nervous about recital time for the girls. They are both so unpredictable but in different ways. 

Brynn LOVES to be on stage. LOVES needs to be bold and in size 30 font. 

If she doesn't know a dance move, she makes one up and keeps going. Her hip-hop class did a dance to "Can't Touch This" and she loved practicing... with one hand on her hip and the other shaking a, "No, no, no" all sassy. On stage she forget a part, said a loud, "Oh" and giggled and just kept going. Her hip shaking was a hoot! She definitely works the stage and knows how to charm the audience.

Brynn decided she wanted curly hair for the recital. Oh my. This naturally curly haired mom had her first experience with rollers and with a curling iron on stick straight thin hair. It ended up more teased than curly but she loved it. 

At the end of the performance the dance teacher calls each girl up to get a certificate and for the parents to bring flowers. Brynn was called and proceeded to whisper in the dance instructor's ear for what seemed 5 minutes but was probably not quite that long. It was as if there was no one else in the auditorium. I found out later that she was asking questions about a performance some of the moms did that Brynn didn't understand, lol.

Finally Brynn sat back down but forgot to meet me for flowers and when she was reminded bounced across the stage not-so-subtly, grabbed the roses, and yelled, "Oh thorns!" (the flowers were from my mom's house and my mom had taken them all off, fyi). I am sure I was as red as a tomato by the time I got back to my seat. She continued to stand up and yell while the other names were called, sometimes cheering for her friends and sister but sometimes just trying to be cute, while I prayed it would all just end.

Nyah is hit or miss so far with recital events. This time she managed to get through 2 of the 3 and thankfully, LOVED her costume. Just like back in December, she had issues on picture night. This time I got her all ready for pictures only to have her throw a fit when we got there so no pictures were taken... I had to wake her up from a nap to get to the studio 30 minutes later and she just does not wake up well unless she wakes up on her own. Rehearsal went great and on the night of the rehearsal she was as beautiful as a princess and did a great job showing everyone her "moves." 

Her group did two numbers; one was a ballet/gymnastics combo. and one was tap dancing. They did a great job with both of them. Girls that age are cute on stage really no matter what moves they do but this group worked well together.

Nyah doesn't have any problems being on stage. She loves to wave to the audience but other than that, she is a bit more disciplined than Brynn is when up there. At the end of the recital she said she wanted to dance again but we will see what she says closer to fall... she changes her mind daily. She did love her roses from Grandma and loves to look at them and talk about how "Ms. Heather called my name and you brought me flowers." 

Catching up with Caleb...

I am obviously soooo far behind with the blog thing! As I am sure you all can imagine, 6 kids including a nursing infant, 2 part-time jobs, spring activities, and a very busy husband have left me little time to type. But I want to write about what the kids and Doug and I have been up to so far in 2011 so hopefully I will be writing a post a day until I cover everyone! And then I still need to add Jessa to the header and side.

Gotta start back in January. Caleb played Upwards basketball again this year. What a difference a year made... his basketball skills definitely improved and though I am no expert in basketball, and maybe Doug will chime in in the comments, I thought Caleb was most impressive on defense. Caleb could almost always be counted on to be the first person to make it to the other end of the court when the opposition got the ball.

The beginning of the season was a bit rough for the team and for a while it looked like Caleb would finish his Upwards career without a win but the team eventually won 2 games and that first win came at the perfect time because Caleb was starting to struggle with all the losses.

I rarely get emotional as the kids reach new milestones, such as the start of school. Instead, it appears I am going to be emotional at the end of things. As I watched Caleb play in his last game, it dawned on me that he will be too old next year to play in this league. He has loved it and it is hard for me to see it come to an end.

Caleb's OM team finished 2nd again this year. Caleb was an enthusiastic tourist. They worked so hard and I thought their finish was wonderful but the team was disappointed. What a great group of kids... they have been together doing this since 1st grade I think.

Caleb also swam with the high school swim team one day a week during the winter months. There is no middle school team so the younger kids just practice. Next year he will practice 3 days a week if he choses to continue. This picture is from our Spring Break trip to Myrtle Beach, not swim practice, lol. He wasn't cooperating with me and was enjoying being difficult.

Caleb is now back playing baseball. Price has joined him on the Mets and it is fun to see the two of them together... Evan and Price have always been more of a twosome so this changes things up a bit. Caleb's confidence was much improved after playing All Stars last year and it shows when he plays... mostly centerfield. He also is making contact with the ball more when up at the plate and is a fast base runner.

Academically, this has been Caleb's best year yet. We could not be more proud of how he has done in his first year of middle school. While his organizational skills are still questionable, he has shown a new maturity regarding getting his homework done and his teachers have been super at pulling out the best in him. For the first time ever he has made his reading goals and has done so every grading period. Last night he attended the school's All A banquet, where he was one of about 30 6-8th graders honored for having all A's on report cards this year. Caleb seems happy at the middle school and that is wonderful to see. The above was his science fair project. I am not sure saving eggs from a fall and figuring out whether a parachute or bubble wrap works best are important to any other scientist but Caleb loved it and worked hard on his project.

More baseball pictures to come in the next few weeks. And Gators swimming starts in two weeks!