Break a leg!

We celebrated Sophia's first dance "recital" Monday afternoon. And it was quite the "celebration!" After last week's tap/ballet class at Blue Valley Rec, Sophia informed me that she would get to "perform" for her family at her last dance class. She was more than excited. She was thrilled that Miss Marilyn (her teacher) was going to bring special costumes for them to wear and of course probably more ecstatic that she might even get to wear some make-up!!!

In preparation for the big performance, Sophia and I spent the morning working on her manicure!! She chose a lovely bright pink nail polish and was pretty excited that she got to watch an extra Franklin show while her manicure dried!




And of course we had to get a pose all dressed up in her fancy dancy leotard and tutu before we left!



The show started out with the girls dressed in fancy skirts and wearing top hats. Soooo cute! I'll let the pictures do the talking!








A few more in their tap shoes...




And of course we can't forget the audience, right? Here is a cute one of Pappou with Mr. Joe! Joseph was so excited to see his Big sister dancing. At the end of every song he shouted a loud YAY! (Just like he does when he plays the audience at home during one of Sophia's Hannah Montana performances!!!)



And here's another picture of the other audience members! Sophia was thrilled to strut her stuff for all of her favorite people: Daddy, Thea, Auntie E, Yiayia, Pappou and Omi. Yiayia and Omi were so busy taking pictures themselves that I didn't get a picture of them!!



After the tap routine, we also got to see what Sophia has been learning in ballet! She seemed to have a lot of fun twirling and showing off the moves she had learned at the ballet bar. She even got to do a solo routine and wasn't even nervous!!! The only disappointment.... when Miss Marilyn handed her a BLUE ribbon to twirl. Sophia's face was priceless. I could see her eyeing the two girls beside her who both got PINK ribbons. I thought she just might swipe the pink ones from their hands....but she kept her cool (until the end, of course, when she was quick to inform me that her ribbon was just TOO DARK!! :))






Here's a picture of her dance class with Miss Marilyn at the end of their performance.



A few final pictures of our proud little Sophia! Even her "little bother" (as Sophia calls him) was proud of his BIG sister!

The End is Near....

I can't believe it... but I hung the August calendar today. Does that really mean summer is really almost over... already????? I guess this is yet another sign...






Yes... we have purchased the school uniform!! So I guess school is really just around the corner! Doesn't Sophia look pretty cute in her new jumper? Still can't believe my baby will be in school in just a few short weeks!

We took a very short trip to the lake for the weekend....and I got a few pics of the kids having fun!
There wasn't a whole lot of sun for our boat ride, but at least it didn't rain this time! Joseph wasn't too sure about his life jacket...it was almost bigger than him... and he couldn't make up his mind about whether he wanted to be in the back or the front of the boat! Papa's lap seemed to be his favorite spot for the ride. Sophia, on the other hand is a pro at this boating thing...she knows just where she wants to be... in the driver's seat!!!!!







A few more on the boat....



Another favorite spot for the kids was the room down below on the boat....Thanks Auntie E for taking care of them down there...so I didn't have to get sea sick! :)

Lots of snacking and movie watching.... "Little Mermaid," of course!!!





And I'll sign off with some nice and peaceful pics of our car ride home ( the first hour only, of course!!!)

Hoedown Throwdown

Our week was pretty uneventful last week as I am still re-cooperating! We had lots of help from Yiayia and the kids did lots of playing on the driveway and in the basement while I SAT. UGGGGHHH I hate sitting!!! Anyway....the highlights of the week had to be the live entertainment I had during all of those "sitting" moments! I just may have an American Idol on my hands! Miss Sophia has decided that she and Hannah Montana/ Miley Cyrus are one in the same. Weeks ago...she fell in love with the song, "The Climb," and I'm not sure whether this was a mistake on our part or not....but last weekend her Daddy gave her the soundtrack to "Hannah Montana" the movie. In one week's time... Sophia has learned almost all the lyrics to her favorite songs. And this week's favorite appears to be the "Hoedown Throwdown." I had to snap some pictures of her when she was in the garage listening to the music and performing for me! What a kick! She really has the beat and you should see her shake those hips! Oh my.... and then the transformation to the more serious song, "The Climb" complete with singing at the top of her lungs with eyes closed the entire time! I NEED to video tape this...but until then...my pictures from my "not so great camera" (hint...hint) will have to do!





Almost harder than having to sit all of the time is not being able to bake!!! Yiayia helped us bake chocolate chip cookies mid-week just so I could have my fix. And today.. I had to settle for something semi-homemade (and no, yiayia....it didn't require me to be on my feet all day!) Sophia had a great time helping me make these yummies... courtesy of www.picky-palate.com and had an even better time eating them! Yum, yum!

18 months and Camp Thea

Hard to believe but my little guy is 18 months already! He started so small and is so quickly becoming a big little boy! He still loves to give his great big hugs and kisses and gives a friendly "hi" to everyone he sees. As I've said before...he is all boy! His curiosity and fearless nature continue to amaze me. He is a climber, a runner, and even a dancer (with his BIG sister of course). Already he makes requests for his favorite song... "Boom, Boom!" (Probably not very child-appropriate....but it's hilarious to watch him dance to the beat always hopping on his one little foot!)

And even more exciting are all the new words we get to hear him say. Sophia has been his best teacher...and he LOVES to say words for her! So here are all the things we have been hearing him say lately....and of course they sound sooooo cute in his little boy voice...
ball, ba-bye mama, ba-bye dada, ba-bye yiayia, ba-boo (for pappou) EEEEE-ya (for Thea), EEEEE for Willie, bunny, ish for fish, me, bAAAYYY-bE for baby, Jo! for Joe, nigh-nigh, puppy, boo-boo, attempts to say please while he does the sign for it, Oh- for hello or phone, uck for truck, and probably many more that I am forgetting! We love to hear him have "conversations" with us!

Joseph had his 18-month doctor visit last Thursday July 16th. Unfortunately I didn't get to go as I was recovering from my knee surgery. But Daddy said Joseph was awfully brave for his two shots (hepatitis and tetanus). Here are his stats:
Weight: 22 lbs 13 oz (11th percentile)
Height: 31 1/2 inches (23rd percentile)
Head Circumference : 18.58 inches (31st percentile)

He is such a big boy! He is finally starting to eat a little bit better. I love that he loves his fruits (this was something we always struggled with when feeding Sophia...and still it is a challenge at times). He loves his fishy crackers, marshmallows, dried fruit, green beans, carrots, mac and cheese, sometimes his turkey and cheese sandwiches, and of course his milk. And I think he might have a little sweet tooth for chocolate like his mama!

Besides his trucks... he has become rather fond of stacking his blocks and then knocking them over! Here are a few pics of him playing with the blocks.





And as for Camp Thea....well thank goodness to my sister! She is my life-saver! She took Miss Sophia for the weekend and Sophia has had a ball! Thea took her swimming, to the park, to the MIXX for lunch and to visit Nouna and Nouno Dan. And of course a trip to the toy store was yet another highlight. Even though Sophia is not home yet...she has already told me about her trip to the donut store, how she found a frog in Thea's pool and the yummy meals Thea has made for her... hot dogs, spaghetti, scrambled eggs, etc. What a lucky girl she is. I'm sure Thea (A.K.A. "Miley" ) has had her fill of "The Climb" Sophia's current fav song by Hannah Montana. Sophia calls herself Hannah and calls her Thea "Miley." You should see this girl close her eyes and "perform" this song for all of us. She knows the words by heart and even gives a classy bow when finished. What a kick she is. I'm sure Thea is singing this song in her sleep. I wish I knew how to post a video so you could see Sophia's (oops, I mean "Hannah's") performance.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you Thea for taking such good care of our little princess performer. You ARE her BEST FRIEND. And Pappou just told me that Sophia says the only other prettier person in the world (besides herself, of course) is her THEA. Love you, Thea!

Here a few pics that Thea took of Sophia proudly sliding down the pole at Loose Park!