Dancing Queens

The girls' spring dance recital was Saturday afternoon. It's been marked on the calendar all month but as the 4:00 hour approached, I was able to get a little better understanding of both girls and the inborn behaviors they possess.

Aly awoke and knew exactly what the day held, and had a game face on from that moment on. In the pool, she was practicing moves. At lunch, she wanted to eat food that would "be good for her body for dancing." She asked several times during Jack's naptime if it was time to go. By the time that we were in the car to head to the auditorium, she was down-right agitated. She was not in a talking mood on the drive. Her nerves hit a high-point when we pulled up to the auditorium and she had to wait on me as I looked for my keys to lock the car. "Can you pleeeease hurry, Mama? We're going to be late. I really need to be in there." Bless her heart, she can't tell time and me telling her that we were an hour early had no effect on her anxiety.


This is a picture of her (forced-smile and all) at the top of the auditorium steps in the midst of pacing and chewing her nails:


And then there was Caroline, blissfully void of nerves. Her only concern was that we watch her dance. She was in such a zen-like state, that this is how I found her after our short 5-minute drive to the auditorium:



Granted, she's a year younger, but these are the personality these two have had since they first began displaying their personalities.

After fixing hair and make-up, I settled in next to Chad in the auditorium (a good 30 minutes before the curtain went up!) and told him that I thought that Aly was genuinely irritated with me and explained the story of her frustration and anxiety. He calmly said, "Have you ever been late to anything? No. Have I? No. We are anxious, timely, type-A people and she is our daughter. We can't expect that she'd be any different." I think that I've spent 5 years hoping that Aly would not be as tightly-wound and anxious as I am. Yesterday I realized that she probably is that way; now it's my job to help her cope.

So after this 4:00 parenting revolution hit me between the eyes, we were able to enjoy watching our two amazing (yet very different) ballerinas do what they love to do: Stand side-by-side and dance their hearts out.

Backstage (with plenty of time to spare!)

Well done, little girls.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

Thanks to a free hotel room from Chad, the girls and I got a chance to have our first girls' night on Friday night! Dinner at the counter of Steak n' Shake, swimming in the hotel pool and jumping on hotel beds was the perfect equation for an unforgettable night. I loved getting the chance to cuddle, hold, read to, and pay special attention to these sweet things without muttering the usual, "Sorry girls, I've gotta help Jack." That's not to say that we weren't all ecstatic to see Chad and Jack show up the next morning for a family swim. But sometimes a girl's just gotta have some girl time!

Surveying the Pool

Pomp and Circumstance

I know that today was just a little thing compared to the big milestones in the lifetime that lies before Aly. But in our little world, today was a big day. Aly graduated from pre-K today. Chad teared up and I had a knot in my throat as I acknowledged that our little girl in now a Kindergartner! She is so ready, so I guess that we need to be too.
But as she took pictures under the sign that read, "Class of 2024", I was so happy that today is only 2011.

1st day of preschool (2007)...

...And the last day of preschool (2011)
"What I like most about pre-K is my teachers."

Receiving the "Great Author" award
(look at her just beaming!)

A Boy and his Ball

We have always had balls laying around the house. But they were never really noticed or played with until about a month ago. Jack's third word (followed closely behind "Mama" and "Dada") was "ball", which is repeated continuously throughout the day. From the time that he wakes up in the morning, he wants to play. He refuses to eat breakfast (by putting his arm up to cover his face) until Chad takes him out to the basketball goal to "shoot ball". Even after that, if Chad is around, it is a constant and persistent chant from Jack of "Dada, ball. Dada, ball". If we're in the playroom, he crawls right over to the Elmo book and hunts for the page where Elmo's room has balls laying around on the floor. "Ball, ball, ball." When we go for walks in the morning, Jack proudly holds the basketball while being pushed in the stroller; and we've started keeping a big bouncy ball in the car that he holds immediately after being buckled in. He fell asleep on the way to pick up his sisters the other day, and my heart just melted when I turned around to see this:


I feel like I'm looking at what Chad must have looked like 34 years ago. My sweet boy.

Just Days Away

Summer is coming; it's signs are undeniable. The downtown fountains have been turned back on and visited by us twice now. The pool is opening this weekend. There is a smell in the air of magnolia blooms and cut grass. The mornings are warm and dewy. Tickets to New York have been purchased, while a trip to the beach is less than a month away. And the calendar in the kitchen says that the last day of school is Wednesday. We can't wait. Fewer schedules and emptier calendars make it feel so good to just breathe easy.

Happy Birthday, Crosby!

This morning, the girls woke up in excited anticipation because today was to be their new cousin's Birth Day. Their baby cousin, Crosby, arrived in this world at 7:52am (Dallas time!) We are so excited that Ben is a big brother and that our family is growing and growing!

The girls were buzzing with excitement to hold Crosby "when we see him this summer in The New York". (no pressure, guys!)

Can't wait for more pictures of this sweet baby boy and family of 4! Love y'all-

Crosby Nelson Bonner
7 lbs., 4 0z.

Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from Him.
~ Psalm 127:3