You're Okay

The other day Bethie bumped her toe rather hard. She started hopping all around, holding it, trying to kiss it, and saying "ow ow ow" - And suddenly, before she'd really begun, she stopped and every now and then you'd hear a tiny whimper that got snuffled out. Then, I heard her explaining to Jeremy:

"If you're not okay, that means that you're bleeding"

Let's not let her in on the emotional roller coasters, the broken bones, the bruises and whatever else does not require noticeable bleeding - we'd end our self quieting all too soon! :)

Beth is 5!!!!!!!!!

Five! Can you believe it!?! Time surely flies - it seems I was only typing up one of these a little bit ago for her! She's certainly grown..... as in taller! :) She's smarter and (hopefully) wiser too! She loves to home school - loves to learn new things (something she dreaded before) and loves to "boss" around others - oh, wait, that's called "being a little mother" and I should remember it's good practice for her! :) She's certainly learning, the hard way of course, what is okay and what isn't in that sort of activity.

Over the last week she's turned into a 5 year old, complete and true! My mother has always said that she's never met a 5 year old she likes (not to say she doesn't (and hasn't) loved many - for she certainly does and has). It's something about the terrible two "growing up" until they are just a big ball of mess. Well - if mess is grumpy, sulky, whiny, "the world is falling down on me", "everyone's out to get me", "it's everyone else's fault" - well, then she's hit the nail on the head here. Bethie certainly does a lot of that - though Bob has started relating being 5 to the "good and helpful" moments which seems to be working for her. She certainly loves to be 5 (even before she actually was) and wants to be sure that everyone sees her as being 5!

We had a little Ooh and Aah Jungle party for her. She enjoyed having a few of her friends come up - and, of course, opening presents. This is the first year that I can recall here she actually was interested in how many presents she had. In the past she was always excited, but the number didn't matter. This time, it seemed she didn't get enough - though when I talked with her, she told me it was because she didn't get much toys - which later translated to she didn't get one particular thing that she wanted (which we hadn't known she'd wanted) and which I can't recall what it was any more. She's apparently also forgotten about it.

She's a regular little "Fancy Nancy" - sort of was before she was introduced to the books. But with the books has come a more frequent use of the larger "fancier" words. And she just loves them!

Well, Happy Birthday, Bethie! You're sure growing up fast - and we're excited to see what adventures this next year has for you!

Phonics - Beth Style

So the other day in the midst of chaos, Juanita and I decide to move the kitchen table around creating a large space for the children to dance in. We had the Christmas music blaring - literally (Bob was just below us working in the shop)- so we thought the kids could burn off some of their energy dancing (since it was raining a beautiful icey rain - perfect for getting sick in).

Apparently, during the back and forth of kids running in to dance and running out again to do other activities, Jeremy decided this large space was perfect for riding the toddler bike. Beth, on the other hand, was still dancing. Beautiful, graceful, sweet... in her own world... until..... Jeremy tried to run her over!

The next thing we hear is "No. No. No! This is the dance a-RE-a! This is the dance a-RE-a!

It only took a minute to figure out what she was trying to say.... area, not a-RE-a! :) It was cute to see that a word she already knew was now pronounced differently because that was how she determined to sound it out!

Primary Presentation

Yesterday was the primary presentation. It is always one of my favorite days because I love to listen to the children sing. I must admit that I was a little nervous about what would happen with Beth. She's so... well... touchy about when and where and if she'll do something.

She hadn't ever been interested in doing her part... because it was too boring sitting and getting to it. So I told her that the actual presentation would go much faster than the practice. And that she'd be able to do lots of singing and so it wouldn't be too boring.

Well, I managed to convince her to go up. But then her sister and two friends had already gone up. So she started to melt down. I quickly figured out the problem, calmed her down and walked up with her (forgetting Peter, by himself, in our row... who then had his own melt down). Anyway, she ended up right in front of Gabi... that was a good thing.

She stood up with everyone when it was time, but was still frowning... then they started singing "I am a Child of God" and her eyes lit up... even though she was still slightly frowning. Then she realized Gabi was behind her and she just grinned. After that, every time they stood to sing, she'd twirl her dress from side to side while she was singing. It was really cute.

When it was her turn for her part, I saw her get up, hang her head and I almost panicked thinking we would have to race up and rescue her. But, she gave the "helper" a strange look, then turned to the rest of us and recited her whole part from memory! A friend beside me (who had been Beth's nursery teacher) commented that Beth made it through! For those of you who know Beth, you know this was a huge accomplishment for her!

Gabi did great - as usual. She was smiling, she knew the songs, the signs, and her part. She enjoys getting up and doing the presentations. She really likes the spot light!

Puppies, Babbies, And Growing Up

Beth has wanted a puppy for as long as I can remember. She loves animals - and puppies (though she's certainly seen more toys than real) have a special place with her. So she asked Dad if we could get a puppy :

D: Absolutely.......not.

Between the girls the response was not well taken at first. Then Daddy commented about how puppies are a lot of work, almost as much work as babies. And that if we wanted to have that much work, we'd just have another baby!

B: We're going to have lots more childrens. (Yes, with the s)

I'm almost, but not quite yet laughing, eyes truly wide as I look to Bob. Then the questions of why she thinks this comes up.

B: Gabi and me, when we grow up, will have babies and then we'll have more children" (we'd corrected her plural)

D: Yes, when you grow up and get married you can have children and then we'll have more children. And when Jeremy and Peter grow up and get married, their wives can have babies too and then we'll have more children.

To this Jeremy pipes in:

J: I'm going to be something different when I grow up!

M&D: What are you going to be?

J: I'm not going to tell you. It's a secret. You have to guess.

The game proceeds with everyone jumping in with silly things like food, toys, vehicles, objects, etc. Until finally Daddy says we've guessed so much he'll just have to tell us.

J: Okay. (Huge grin, twinkling eyes) A Daddy!

I guess he's right... a daddy is different than what he is now! I'm so glad that my little boy knows how important the role of daddy really is. And that, above all else, that is what he will be when he grows up!

It'll Be Perfect

The other night Bob was on bedtime duty. All the kids were in bed, except Beth, who was still getting into PJs and also needed to put her bed back together (we'd washed her bedding earlier in the day). So Bob waited patiently downstairs for Beth to be in her PJs and to let him know she was ready for him to come up.

It was taking a rather long time, and finally Bob looked up the stairs, about to ask Beth if she was ready. There she was, with her little lip trembling as she tried to bite back her tears. Bob asked her what was wrong and she burst into tears and semi-wails!

"I can't put my sheets on my bed!"

Bob quickly mounted the stairs, cuddled her up and told her he could help her. So together they went back to her room, sheets in hand, to put the bed together. Just as it was "completed", Bob noticed that Beth was carefully smoothing out one particular corner. He mentioned that it was all together and she could get into bed and he'd tuck her in.

"No, Daddy. It's not perfect!" came the quiet, and almost panicked, reply.

Knowing that perfection was something Beth really struggles with and that when she gets stuck on the "perfection" concept it's almost impossible to pull her away until she's mastered whatever it is, Bob had some quick thinking to do.

"It'll be perfect when I tuck you in."

Daddies have a wonderful, magic touch with little ones. Even Beth, with her obsession for perfection, could not deny the magic of Daddy. So he tucked her in, and then the bed was perfect.

Sweet Sunday Angels

My other story is has more to do with the love of three little children for each other - but very cute.

Sunday the girls were in their skirts and cute shirts. The day before they had seen some rather large maple leaves. Having gotten permission to go outside, they came back with two each of these very large leaves. They then asked if Grami would tie them together and put them on their backs so they could be angels!

So Grami, being as creative as she is, obliged and she had the presence of two little maple leaf angels in her home. After a time, though, the girls decided they wanted to go outside again. Jeremy immediately told them "No", but they already had the door open. And Jeremy began to scream in hysterics!

The girls came back, and and eventually Grami was able to get Jeremy calmed down. When she asked him why he was so upset and didn't want the girls to go outside. His reply, directed at the girls (and still sniffling) was:

"If you go outside, your wings will make you fly away and I'll never see you again!"

The girls were touched, but immediately started laughing! And then Bethie said:

"No they won't. We're too heavy!"

He accepted that answer with a huge sigh of relief - and the girls headed right outside - where, indeed, they were too heavy to fly away!

Fair Experiences

To our great enjoyment, the fair just down the road decided to return - there the larger fair in anothehad been rumors that last year was it's last. Though we've always gone tor town, we decided to try this one instead. I'm not big on crowds and it's only a walk down the road instead of a drive to hunt for parking and then fear that I'll loose the kids.

Saturday, after dance, I packed the boys into the double stroller, and all the kids and I walked down to the fair. (Bob had to work) The girls were so excited, as they remembered going on rides last year. When we arrived, I divided the entry money between the girls (one price for the whole family!!) and they eagerly tried to pay the man. He looked us over, smiled, told me I was brave and that he was only going to charge for me! Saved us $8!

As we walked over to the rides (this is the most exciting part for kids - right?) we were entertained by an amazing trash can band. I did not get pictures because of the eagerness of the girls to get to the rides - and because I thought I'd have time to after they were done. (I, of course, was wrong). But Gabi, Beth and Jeremy were all able to ride on the kiddie rides. Gabi is still small (I have small kids), so she didn't get to do the big rides yet. Probably next year - if we can take someone along who likes to do that kind of stuff!

I was amazed that Peter just sat in the stroller, watching everyone else ride, never complaining, just excited to see the "train" and the "trucks" that the others were riding. The only "trouble" worth noting was when the three were on the "roller coaster" - which Jeremy was uncertain of when it first started, and by the fifth or sixth time around was ready to scream. He only started to fuss a little on the last part of the last round. Though the girls were eager to do it again, Jeremy would not go back to it!

After the fun rides, we wandered back over to the little farm area. The larger fair is much better for animals - although you have to walk through three or four barns to see them all. But this little area was perfect for my young children. Peter got out of the stroller and was so excited. It seemed his favorite were the geese! He'd pet which ever animals I'd let him, and point, grin and babble at everything that I wouldn't let him touch. Jeremy loved the roosters - walking around and crowing along with them. I loved the doves - a perfect pair of white doves!

Since we had time - we wandered along, looking at everything. We stopped and got some popcorn and settled down for a little snack. Half way through that, we noticed the magician was setting up, so we headed back over. When we got there, Professor Paddy Whack was all set to start playing and singing some silly children's songs. The kids really enjoyed that. Peter wasn't too happy with the volume, but as long as I held him, he was content to stare at the strange, loud man. Jeremy was treated to a "balloon banjo" to "play along" - the magician also makes all sorts of balloon shapes and animals. Jeremy was a little confused until I showed him how to work it. Then he wouldn't let anyone else touch it!

As soon as the music ended, we moved into the tent a little further to watch the magic show - which, as we all know, is as much a clowning act as it is tricks! The kids were delighted - though weary from time to time as different people got up to "help out". They soon figured out that it was all fun. Gabi was even chosen to go up for the last trick. She was so excited... and so was I... until I realized my battery had died!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And, of course, in my rush to get us all out the door... and wanting to take as little as possible with us.... I had left the spare battery in the camera case at home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What as I thinking?!?!?!?!?!?!

Oh well.. she had tons of fun! She got to be the one to hold the "magic wand" that, of course, wouldn't stay together! At first, when it fell apart and the magician started asking her what she did, she got all serious and a little "nervous" and started trying to "explain" what happened (she's way too much like her mom) - then she figured out it was part of the show and started laughing so hard she could barely finish helping! She got to make a "bunny" - though the first attempt brought out a green cloth with a picture of a bunny eating a carrot on it out of the black hat. Then she got to tap a box... and out pops a real live rabbit!

She was so good about not having any pictures... she simply said (after the initial look of disappointment) "That's okay, Mom. We can still blog about it!" (Isn't she sweet!?!)

Jeremy had been asking for fireworks since Thursday... so I let the kids stay up late, in the hopes that we'd actually be able to see them. I didn't want to take the kids back to the fair because I knew Peter just needed to be in bed... 8pm is past his limit! So, at 9:30pm we headed out to the deck to watch for popping lights! Sure enough, they were high enough that we could see them from our front porch! It was wonderful to just watch - not worry about loosing my kids in the dark, to how we were going to get out and get everyone home in one piece! It was a wonderful way to end the night!

The Sports Life

Soccer season began two weeks ago. It's not too bad - though all the kids are involved this year. Gabi is playing on the K-2 team again, and this time Bob is coaching! She excited about that, and most of the kids already known him from baseball. They haven't started playing games yet - there has been a lot of trouble trying to get the other rec chairs to help us out in setting up games. But when that all comes together, they will be playing on Saturday mornings. They are even doing a Round Robin Tournament late in October!

The pre-school group was one I was helping with. The original "coach" (if you could call us that) and her family are moving, so I am taking over as the head. That should be interesting since Peter is technically too small to be int he pre-school group. Never -the-less, they are all having fun. It's only one night a week, so it's not bad either.

This week marked the beginning of dance for this year! The girls are ever so excited. Gabi has moved away from Saturdays onto Thursday nights now. She even started pre-jazz (although they won't be doing a jazz dance - so just three dances for her again). She dances for an hour and 45 minutes straight!

All of the kids in Beth's combined 3-4 year old class last year have moved up. Obviously those who are now 5 years old moved to the Kindergarten class, but those who are now 4 are trying it out! So, we decided to do the same. The motivation was not wanting to upset Beth when she realized all her friends were in the other class, as well as having class in the morning instead of through lunch! As far as the dance skills go, she's definately ready. She practices all the time and can even do much of what Gabi does because Gabi teaches her. So I wasn't concerned about that part at all.

Anyway, this morning was the first class for Beth and she did great! Not a single break down (mild or full blown), smiles the whole time. She even readily made new friends with some kids who switched over to her dance studio this year! She's so happy to be dancing again - and especially excited that she'll be doing 3 dances this year instead of 2! She's also dancing for an hour and a half instead of just one hour!

So, the "sports life" begins again! It's crazy (I know, it will get crazier as they get older and the sports take up more time!) but we're enjoying it! It's great to have the kids out and involved!

Some Cute Sayings

We had a church picnic today. Yesterday, while visiting with our friend Terri, Bethie says:

"We're having a picnic tomorrow. Do you want to come to our picnic?"

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Jeremy: "The rocky road, that we call the bumpy road, is a dirt road."

What Do You Do Before You Go To Bed?

Getting ready for bed, and waiting for me to finish picking over and packing the blackberries Daddy brought home, I over heard the girls and Jeremy talking about what they wanted to do.

Bethie's response was: "I'm doing my bedtime extra-cises."

As a side note, back when Amber was visiting with us Beth had an interesting question for us:
"How do you lick your tongue?"

I don't know. How do you?

Dancing In The Rain

Wednesday night the girls had the wonderful opportunity to dance on the street along with the rest of their dance school. It's something the dance school has been doing for the past several years and Gabi had a blast with last year. Both girls had been looking forward to this all summer.

So the day arrived... and, as you may know from the earlier post, it was raining.... pouring. We went into town to get new glasses fitted for Amber and then called to make sure the drive would be worth it (as in, it wasn't raining so badly that they couldn't dance). And, sure enough, where we were going things we're looking more hopeful. So off we went.

It was still raining when we arrived. But not as badly as it was back home. The girls were chilly (especially Beth) so they had on their jackets. I was amazed that you couldn't tell that Beth was cold at all while she was dancing. She really does love it!

Anyway... thought you'd like to see a couple pictures of the girls "Dancing in the rain".... a fun time and neat experience.

Jeremy's Parties

So, Jeremy turned three.. but we were gone... so I haven't put up his special blog yet... that will come along with everything else today! But since we knew we'd be gone, we decided to have a little celebration a few days earlier.

Jeremy insisted on a 3-D Thomas cake... which is what I did. It was my first attempt at such a recreation... and I think it turned out okay. I'm sure, if I needed to do it again, that there are a few things I'd do a little differently (like make sure I had red food coloring when I first started... instead of discovering it later and needed Bob to bring some home....and using toothpicks to keep the smoke stack from tipping to the side). Jeremy loved it, and that's what mattered!

He wanted more "train stuff" meaning things to go with his wooden trains and tracks. That's something everyone loves to play with, so expanding it was fine for us. He also wanted Thomas the Tank Engine for his wooden tracks (he already has him for the electric tracks), so that's what we got him... actually, Thomas, Annie, Clarabell, Percy, The Sodor Caboose, and the Sodor Gas car. We also go him a few more pieces.

Then from the kids (we had both our kids and Emma and Lucy pick something out) Jeremy got a sand and water wheel, a very large Sesame Street Kite, and a large thing of bubbles.

On his birthday (Saturday) we were at Grami Cretia's because Tia was graduating. But after she left for project grad (which was a cruise and trip to fun town), we had a Cookies n' Cream Ice Cream Cake... the girls made stories, a Thomas necklace (which Bethie calls a neckle-less), and a birthday hat. Grami and Grampi got Jeremy more track pieces... so we have quite the set up here at home right now. (We're starting a list of what types of pieces we need to make the track more functional....and more fun for all the kids to play at the same time. Over the next many years, we'll probably add pieces here and there.) He also go a Thomas kite (and much better size from him).



Anyway... he had a wonderful time and loves that he is three... although we had him confused... he thought he was three at the first party, and then, since he was having a second party, he thought he was four and didn't want to be yet... he hadn't had the fun of being three yet. So I explained things, and he was happy to just be three.... and now he's a "big boy" whose hair grows fast because he's a "big boy".... I just think it's funny that he thinks of himself as being a big boy now and not back when we first started telling him that he was! :)

Okay... the Special Tribute to Jeremy will come next!

T-Ball

If they hold T-Ball outside again... and I happen to take the camera, you may well find more pictures on here. no guarantees since there are so many black flies... and the little ones seem to focus better inside. For now, here's a little of what it looks like for Beth and Jeremy.






They practice hitting the ball (and the other kids get to try to "catch" or rather "get" the ball). The practice "getting the ball" from an adult. They even got to "throw the ball against the wall and get it" to give them a chance to practice throwing as well. This seemed to be a favorite making most of the kids squeal, laugh, and go crazy. There are a couple of kids in the group who really have a good handle (considering age) on it all. It's fun to watch them.



So, enjoy some pictures. There are no games with this group; it's all about having fun and learning some skills.

Able - Available - Same Thing (Right?)

In seems the pool is foremost in the minds of my little girls. Gabi is forever telling me she needs to "get wet" because she's "too hot." (I'm gonna hate to see her in the summer time!) And Beth has a new word which works into every conversation she has....sometimes the right way, and sometimes, like today, in ways which make me laugh.

Beth: "In deep pools I think I need arm floaties or a ring to keep me above water. Maybe I'll be available to go under water when I'm 8....to get baptized."

A World Of Dance

That was the theme for dance this year! It was really neat to see all the different costumes and then to see the different styles of dance put to ballet, pointe, tap, hip-hop, acrobates, and jazz. I was really impressed with with I was able to see of it all!

Friday night was dress rehearsal! Talk about crazy for me!

The girls were very excited (we were able to leave the boys at home thanks to our home teaching couple), but from the week's activities, they were also very tired. I was not sure how things would go with Beth (she's hard in new situations even with sleep. Without sleep is just trouble). But, I'd talked with Gabi before hand letting her know that she would probably be doing a lot of it herself (the changing and lining up). Thank goodness she's so independent and had friends there whose mothers were very willing to help out!




There wasn't much gap between the girls' routines (one dance in between the first time, and two the last time with Gabi somewhere in the middle of that also). So that made it fun in the "line them up, walk them down the hall, wait until they are ready to be left alone, and run in to see them dance, then run back out to meet up with them"!













Beth was nervous about me leaving her in the hallway to go see Gabi dance, but she just scowled a little and set her jaw. Once she got through the first dance, she was fine! But another little girl was not. Her mother had left her in the hall (like most mom's do) thinking she'd do better that way. I was the only familiar adult face and she was crying and wouldn't let go of my hand. I almost didn't get to see any of Gabi's first dance that night, but I convinced her to let me run in and see if I could find her mother. The place was too big and dark, so I snapped only a couple of pictures (not even knowing if any came out okay) and raced back to be with her. I had promised I would come back and stay with her myself if I couldn't find her mother right away. It was hard to not see Gabi and take all those pictures, but I knew what I would have wanted someone else to do if it had been Beth. And fortunately, Gabi was very understanding when I told her what happened. (And during the actual performance, I was able to watch all of my girls' dances)



All the kids had so much fun in the "dressing room" while they were waiting for their next dances. All of Beth's class were dressed up as little lions and they started chasing Gabi and her friends around. This, of course, started with Beth and Gabi playing themselves and the others joining in. There was a bunch of roaring and laughter! And the little lions all climbed up on one of the tables to get their picture taken together.



It seemed that the moms in the preschool class were much more interested in "posing" and "cute" pictures. Gabi's class (and the moms there) were much more laid back and just visiting quietly.

Beth and Amber had several pictures taken together, and we made sure to get pictures of Amber for her mother (since her mom's camera was broken). Amber and Beth were friends all year, but Rosie (Amber's mom) and I really only got to know each other back in the end of March. She's deaf and had tried to ask me a question about recital, so I was able to try to pull up some of my sign language. She was very excited that I knew little, and we signing through the preschool class whenever we were both there. I wish I'd had been bold enough to approach her at the beginning of the year because I had seen indications that she might be deaf. But honestly, I was terrified because I hadn't used signing for conversation since college! (Just a few words here and there with the kids). It was fun to see how quickly I was able to brush up on my skills, and learn new signs. It was neat the first Saturday that I came home and realized that I had not had to write anything down on paper to get the full meaning across! It's been great. And she a wonderful person.

Unfortunately she'll be moving at the end of the summer. But, until then, we're going to try to get the girls together some and I'm going to do my best to keep up with the signing! I love it and it was great to have a reason to "dig it out of the closet".

So, recital! The girls were, to say the least, very tired! Grami Cretia, Tia, and Baby Braeden came up late Friday night so they would be there to watch on Saturday. That really meant a lot to the girls. And we recorded their dances for family and friends who were not able to make the trip!

Everything went well for the girls, until Bethie's Lion King dance (her ballet). It had already been over an hour and a half since she'd been on stage with her tap, so she was really run down, tired, and BORED. Since the costume was full feathers, many feathers were shedding from the costumes. Bethie found a couple and was holding them, blowing on them to keep herself entertained. I walked to the backstage door and then ran around to be able see her. The acrobates on stage were just finishing up. The lights went out so they could put away the mats and just before the lights went back on, I heard a cry. It sounded like Beth. "Oh, No!" I thought. And I was no where close enough to find out the problem and get her calmed down.

But, then I didn't hear anything for a minute. The music started. Bethie, being the last in the row, shuffled out (although she might have had a little help, I'm not sure). She was crying. Stood sideways, rubbing her eyes, crying and crying and getting louder and louder. Suddenly someone steps over and picks her up and carries her off. I run out the door and down the hallway to meet them as they come out the door.

As I get her calmed down, I find out that someone (not certain who, though it sounds like one of the adults) took the two feathers out of her hand. So although I'm dumbfounded as to why anyone would take away feathers from the hand of a 4 year old when the whole costume is feathers, I refocus on her, explained quickly to the helper what happened. She didn't comment, but went backstage again. I told Beth if she could calm down she could go out and finish the dance with her friends. She started in all over again because she needed it to start all over again. I had to explain that they couldn't do that. And when she was finally calm enough to go back on, the kids were coming out the door. So, that set her off again. She was screaming as I started to race her off to the changing room. But, because she wanted to watch Gabi's last dance, she calmed down and I was able to send her in to sit with the family. We also told her that we'd let her dress up and do the dance at home and we'd record it for her Gramis. That made her a little happier.



She's still sad about not being able to dance. And I've managed to calm myself down from the (as a friend once put it) "mother bear reaction". It was hard. My daughter was sad, crying, upset. She's 4, but dancing in her life right now. She's a perfectionist, and she's got certain sensitivities that she's been working hard to over come but which make it really hard to transition quickly, or let go of sudden emotion. I do realize that no one there knew this about her. And most likely, being a dark space, they simply saw she had something in her hand and wanted to make sure she would be safe and took it out, not knowing it was only feathers. Or, they might have been knocked out when they were bringing the kids forward to start out onto the stage. In any case, I'm certain that no one was trying to be mean or trying to upset her. But the result was crushing for Bethie. (I'm sure she'll move past it, and I'm sure dance will still be her passion).

Before all that happened, Bethie had her cowgirl/boy dance ("You've Got-A Friend In Me") of which someone had told her class that they were going to "steal the show". So, of course, Bethie needed to know what that meant. And sure enough, Saturday night, they got hoots and cheers in excess as they went on and went off. They were very cute.

Gabi was charming! She had worked so hard on each routine at home; practicing over and over and over again. She practiced "Run, Run, Rudolph" so many times that I think Beth and Jeremy knew the routine too! It was not uncommon to hear any of them, and Jeremy in particular, running around the house with hands on hips singing "Run, Run, Rudolph, Santa's gotta make it to town. Yeah, Yeah." By far Gabi's favorite was her acrobats.

Bob and I thought her Mulan one (the ballet) was the most beautiful. I suppose part of that would have been because the colors were really very good on her. Regardless, she loves to dance and it showed. Her tap was a little "congo" and I caught Gabi singing "the rhythm is gonna get you" throughout the day Saturday and again Sunday. She was a shining star!













Anyway, you'll see five videos in addition to the pictures. The pictures are from Friday night, the videos are from Saturday night. With the one exception of Bethie's one that we had her do here so that Gramis could see it. You can see how hard it was for her because she's a perfectionist and doesn't believe it is okay to forget or mess up. We had to do the dance a couple of times and I had to explain that it was okay if she forgot a part and to just wait until she heard something that reminded her of what to do next. (When they are on stage, they have someone in the wings dancing with them so they can remember it all. That made all the difference for Beth to feel comfortable about dancing in front of people).



Most of the videos start out-of-focus. That had to do with the black background starting and the camera not knowing where or on what to focus. Just keep watching and they will clear up. Sorry that they weren't clear all the way through.

Enjoy. The girls certainly had a wonderful time!