Dance! Something Old is New Again!

Last month Sydney started her fifth year of dance. In our house the beginning of dance is as exciting as the new school year and new school supplies. Five years...hard to believe but it's true.  This year she is back to the more traditional...meaning tap, ballet and jazz.  Last year she only wanted to do jazz and Hip Hop...begged me to take hip hop...and she hated it.  Hip Hop is really hard because the moves are not fluid, nor are they natural! Half way through the year she was really missing tap and ballet. Let's go through what is involved in taking dance classes shall we?

tights

ballet shoes

tap shoes...the girl loves her some tap shoes
jazz shoes
hair snood (don't ask...it's one of those bun cover thingys...she wanted one with rhinestones and was thrilled on the first night when the teacher called her out and told everyone that this is how a dancer should wear their hair! She was thrilled beyond belief and the next week several girls were sporting snoods)
dance bag...I have never bought one until now
leggings...seems a little eighties to me but oh well
new teacher this year
2 and a half hours of dance straight from 6:00 to 8:30.
let's not forget the arm and leg each month for tuition

A new dance year also means 2 performances...one at Christmas (usually at the mall) and a recital (many hours long) at the end of the year! Being backstage mom...really fun and challenging helping little sweaty girls into spandex tights and costumes sometimes up to 18 girls in 15 minutes.  Then there are the costumes...some years they are darling, other years they are very ugly! So far we have had...baby pink, red and black, purple and black, hot pink and neon orange for the "Just a Little Crush" dance last year...best dance ever! For the Christmas show they usually wear jazz pants and a Christmas sweatshirt, socks, and hairbows...nice considering it's cold and nobody wants their daughter in a typical dance costume running around the mall! This year Sydney has crystal rudolph earrings to wear...if I can ever get her back into earrings:)

How much does Sydney love dance? Well, she didn't quit when Taryn did, she was offered the chance to take gymnastics with Taryn and turned it down flat! The fact that she would turn down any chance to be with Taryn tells me how much she loves her dance.

The new teacher will be focusing on technique and vocabulary so she will be learning a lot and she is totally whipped when she gets out of class. Oh and there is homework nightly!  Mrs. Mindy told them to be sure to eat dinner and bring water and a snack or they will not make it through her class!  Sydney loves her classes and her new teacher...this is wonderful because there are dance teachers who are not nurturing at all.  Luckily her new teacher is the mother of 5 and loves dance with a passion and loves the kids!

All dressed for the first night

What a ham!

My favorite dance picture of all time...2 years ago backstage at recital

Sydney's Big Catch!

During the first day or so at Fun Valley, Sydney found and bought a Barbie fishing rod and reel and headed to one of the many ponds.  She ultimately caught 7 trout total and 2 got away.  These were cleaned and cooked for the fish-fry held every Tuesday and we headed for the nearest restaurant. With a little help from her daddy, Ralph the fishing guy at Fun Valley and some salmon eggs.  She was very proud but didn't like to touch them.

This stump became her favorite fishing spot

There he is the first of many fish...thankfully she didn't name any of them

Colorado Vacation Part I

We have returned from a week in Colorado. It was amazing!  First of all, when we left home it was 107 degrees.  When we arrived in Fun Valley the next morning it was in the upper 40s.  Heaven!  There was hiking, paddle boats, miniature golf, arcades, fishing, bike riding, tubing and excursions into Creede and Pagosa Springs, family time and  new friends made.  The weather was fabulous...a couple of showers but much drier and a little warmer than last year. Please don't even get me started on the food! 

Here is a small section of the Rio Grand River behind our cabin...

Sydney fell into the freezing cold river within 30 minutes of arriving and she wasn't too happy, but by the end of the week she and her dad were tubing with the trout down the same river.  I got some awesome pics of them and our neighbors from the bridge but they apparently got deleted from the camera...

Later, Sydney and I went on a hike on the mountain behind our cabin. 

These little guys watched our every move in hopes of us dropping a crumb...they especially like graham cracker crumbs left over  from our nightly campfires and smores. 

Sydney spending some alone time on the river

Sydney and I took a day trip to Creede for shoping, food and chipmunks! We at lunch at the Old Miners Saloon where they have the best pizza on earth...it is called the Miner's Meat Pie...add a coke and a little Bad Company playing in the background and you have yourself an awesome lunch! We walked the entire lenght of Creede and went into everyshop. It was a fun mother daughter day! Sydney's favorite thing is feeding these little guys outside the mining museum. 

Tomorrow I will show you Sydney's awesome fishing adventure!

Sneak Peak!

We are having our bathroom remodeled! This is the beginning! Jason our very talented contractor who just happens to be married to my best friend started this yesterday and the best thing is we are in Colorado not dealing with it! We have picked out tile and granite and ordered all the fixtures so it's just a matter of time. I have not posted the before and afters of Rick's bathroom but I will do that soon. I think I have some befores of this bathroom. It had white tile in the bath and halfway up the wall and on the floors. About 13 years ago we removed the brown and gold bird nest wallpaper and textured the walls. The tile was the same tile that was in the house I grew up in and it was a novelty for a while but I am ready for something new! Before long you won't be able to distinguish this bath from one in a brand new house! Jason sent these from his iphone yesterday!

This is the location of the former toilet and bathtub!

From the tub to where the vanity once was

10 year old quote of the day...

3:00 a.m. this morning:

Sydney: Good morning mama.

Me: Go back to sleep it's not time to wake up

Sydney: Daddy's up because I hear the coffee pot

Me: That's not the coffee pot Sydney, that is your daddy snoring

There's no turning back now!

He's been trying for days to get the courage....

He made it down and he's very proud!

This is how I can endure the current heat wave!

Today the forecast for Fort Worth, TX is 109 degrees!  We will be heading to Fun Valley, CO later this month where the forecast high for today is 63 degrees!  I am beyond ready, in fact, we all are!

Where a kid can be a kid!

You can eat food prepared by this man! The one with the apron...the one on the left is my hubby and he can make cereal...they are distant cousins and Rick loves Randy like a brother:)

This is the view from our cabin last year...breathtaking!

Kids can make friends like this...

and this...

and this...

and do things like this...

...and wear clothes like this and pose for goofy vacay pics with your parents!

As a fellow Fort Worth, TX native I totally appreciate the obsession John Denver had with Colorado! Especially this time of year. When I was a teenager, I think I was sweltering at church camp in San Antonio, TX when Rocky Mountain High came out...always a favorite because it makes me feel cool...well temperature wise anyway.  I don't think being a fan of John Denver was ever especially cool...right?

Hot Flashes much? Bring 'em on! The nights are forecast in the low 50s, high 40s!