Eight Year Old Quote of the Day!

I am very angry and irrigated with you MAMA! I'm pretty sure she meant irritated.

Recital!

It is over! There are not words to describe 16 sugar amped 6-8 year old girls. Last night was Sydney's recital and it lasted FOREVER! We arrived at Will Rogers Auditorium at 5:45. That is when I realized that I forgot her hat for her 1st number. My sweet hubby ran home and got it for me. There was the mass confusion and emotions that surround this many girls who are excited, nervous and sugar amped. There was drama, drama, drama. Costume changes...I've already mentioned the joys of putting tights on sweaty children in a previous post. Oh and taking them all to the bathroom...more of the tights fun. We left at 10:15 p.m. That is 4 hours and 30 minutes! All of the dances were perfection though. The last number for my group was tap..."Turn the Beat Around" and as we were leaving the dressing room Sydney burst into tears and said she was too afraid to go back on the stage. She was clinging to me and crying. By the time we were up the many stairs to back stage she was better and with a Skittle or 2 she was all better. She knew the dance so I think she was crashing from the sugar and all of the excitement and she is normally sleeping by 8:30 and it was 9:15.

Thankfully, we only have one recital each year and a performance at Christmas (at the mall). That one is fun because they get Christmas sweatshirts and wear jazz pants. A little makeup, Christmas socks and a Christmas bow and you are good to go. Plus it's at the mall...and each parent has to be responsible for their own child. Then there is Mayfest which is kind of a pre-dress rehearsal for the recital. This year is was cancelled because of the Swine flu...remember the Swine Flu?

Here is a progression of our day in preparation for the big event!

First you sleep in sponge rollers for the curly pony tail that Mrs. Janet requested. You wake up and watch cartoons after breakfast.

You stretch by doing a back bend...somehow it takes the edge off between reading and math.

You try on your new sneakers. She has been wanting "Hip Hop" shoes for ages because this is what the bigger girls who take hip hop dance wear. Pink of course!

Take out the sponge rollers and use a half can of Aqua Net.

Get on the computer and other activities that don't mess up the curls.

Smile for the camera. My daughter actually wants to be on Toddlers and Tiaras! She told me she could easily beat those girls. LORD! Help me.


All ready to go on stage...this is her game face!

Dancing Through the Years

Here is Sydney at her first recital in 2007 (kindergarten). This is the year she decided she needed short hair just weeks before the recital.




This is picture day at the studio in 2008 (first grade). That day was all about the makeup!




2009 (second grade) This is tap costume for this year...not my favorite but I love the song and the dance "Turn the Beat Around"

Jazz this year...sorry I was out of focus but I will scan the professional pics when they come in . This is a fun dance a medley of "I Want to be a Cowboy and You Can be my Cowgirl" and Will Smith's "Wild, Wild West". I really love it. They even have a boy in their class who all the girls swoon over...no comment.

I didn't take a picture of Ballet because she wasn't in the costume very long. Ballet is the middle of three costume changes. I am going to be one of the backstage moms responsible for changing tights on 15 wiggling squealing 6-8 year folds. I can hardly wait! If you have ever tried to put tights on a wiggling and sweaty little girl you have not lived! I'm sure there will be fun for everyone. I wish they would let everyone wear the same color tights for all costumes...I would be so happy and life would be complete.

A post about dance would not be complete if I didn't give a shout out to Mrs. Janet, Sydney's teacher. She is sweet and awesome. Not like the cigarette and hairspray wielding Joan that taught me and others in my neighborhood for years. She was five feet tall and 80 Lbs of just plain mean! Am I right Coco?

Something Old, Something New

Rick and I have a couple who we have been friends with since before we were married. They are Jerry and Carolyn.





At the time we met, they had one 8 year old daughter named Sherilyn who is now grown with three kids of her own. They were expecting David at the time and years later Kenneth joined the family. Jerry and Carolyn are the kind of people who are "salt and light" and I am so thankful for theirs and Sherilyn's friendship. I don't include the boys because I haven't been around them very much. Last night we gathered to honor the marriage of their son David at his wedding. The wedding was at the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens in the "Perennial Garden" If you know about plants then you know that is the appropriate garden to start a marriage. The reception was at one of my favorite Mexican restaurants (and if you know me you also know that I really love them all) Los Vaqueros located in the historical Fort Worth Stock Yards area.

I worked with Jerry at a company in Dallas and early in our marriage Rick and I were going through some really hard times and my introduction with Caroyn was Jerry coming into my office and telling me that "my wife is on the phone and she would like to know if she can pray with you". WOW! If all relationships started off that way there would be no enemies. Now after 25 years (over half of my life), mine and Sherilyn's little girls have become fast friends.


So here's to Sydney and Ashley and the next generation of this friendship!




Here are our girls along with the flower girl...they were so girly! I don't know the flower girl's name but I did over hear a conversation with her and Sydney at the wedding...so cute and sweet and GIRLY!


Sydney: You are so lucky to be a flower girl...I love your dress.

Flower Girl: Thanks, your skirt is soooo cute!


I could just die from the all the cuteness of it all. Sometimes there is nothing like a little girl.

Home Schooling Does Allow for Self Expression

Really? Sometimes things are a little goofy by the end of the week.

All I have to say about this one is that I sure do miss uniforms!

Eight Year Old Quote of the Day!

"Taryn and I decided that when we grow up we want to be either movie stars or dorks".

Japanese Gardens

Today our home school group took a field trip to the Japanese Gardens in Fort Worth. This is part of the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens which are beautiful especially this time of year. Every summer they host Concerts in the garden and if you have never been you should check it out this year. They have tables and lawn seating...all the shows are amazing and most end with fireworks! There is always excitement. One year Rick ran over my mother in law's foot at the valet parking stand. He thought she was in the car but she still had one foot on the pavement. She was probably 75 when that happened. It is truly amazing that she survived being his mom.

Anyway, here are some pics from the field trip.


This picture is part of the entrance of the gardens. An interesting fact...in Japan, buildings were built like this with the loose stone at the bottom to keep the building from shifting during an earthquake. The stones would give a little and the rest of the structure would stay put.



This is the ancient Ginkgo tree...where Ginkgo Biloba comes from. I'm not sure of the spelling. This is also a favorite of the T-Rex (in case you were wondering). These plants have been around for a long time.




The Japanese believe that flowers, especially brightly colored ones are too shocking to look at so they focus on plants with different shapes, heights and shades of green. Very peaceful. I think they are on to something.




The building in the background is a pagoda. They are always five levels and were used as a storehouse. Lesser value items on the lower floors and treasures in the top section. If someone was trying to rob you it would be quite obvious.




Here are Sydney and Sarah feeding the enormous fish in the pond.



This is Sydney and Angel. I'm not certain what they are looking at but it looks really cool.





Here is Sydney stepping carefully across the pond.

Flu Update

Rick got a call yesterday from the doctor...no swine flu! However, he does have influenza B...the regular flu. Sydney and I are still having to take Tamiflu for about 5 more days. Her's is liquid and tastes nasty...so I feel sorry for her.

Sorry about previous post

Please disregard my previous post regarding the swine flu...my husband has the flu and we are awaiting the test whether or not it is the swine flu. We are all on Tamiflu now as a precaution.