Photo Update!

One of my favorite things about having a little girl is getting to do her hair for ballet class.

Alec and Emma loving on eachother in the backyard.

Tickling Sissy.

Children of the Corn, Part III

We actually made it OUT the EXIT!

King and Queen of the mulch pile!

Pumpkin Patch.

Mommy's Birthday Cake and Flowers that Daddy and the kids surpised me with!

Dixie Dude Mariachis- Can't you just hear them singing "La Cucaracha!"

Alec and Emma dancing at the wedding. Emma DID NOT want the band to stop playing or to leave the dance floor!

Remember this pose from last year?

Perfect riding weather!

Cira, Alec and Emma in their new Dallas Cowboys jerseys, compliments of PaPa!



Riding a Longhorn!

All of the family at Larry and Suzy's wedding.

One more picture of  Emma going crazy on the dance floor! She was INTENSE!

Fall Frenzy

Wow, it's been entirely too long since I've posted, but the last month has been so incredibly busy. I have so many pictures that I need to post and updates to share. Where to begin? I'll give my written update and then post pics later.

Okay, we went to Dixie Dude Ranch mid-September, instead of June when we normally go, because Aaron's Uncle Larry got married Sept 17th. We had an awesome time, as usual. The kids had a BALL! They had so much fun swimming, riding horses, playing ping pong and tether ball, being out in nature, being with family, and being with the four other cousins that are their same age! What a life! It was a really wonderful trip.

Since we've returned to TX, I'm full speed ahead into Nutcracker, the kids have school, dance, and swimming, we all have church, I really need to get going with Angel Tree, and my MOMC (mothers of multiples club) responsibilites have been crazy!

So lets start with Nutcracker. The part where I get together with the kids and adults in my cast and do the artistic stuff (the choregraphing, staging, rehearsing) is fantastic. I have a wonderful cast, and Party Scene is coming together really quickly and beautifully, and I'm already thrilled. The parts where I have to think about costuming, sets, props, deal with parents, and with one especially EGR (extra grace required) person who is involved in the production are the parts that make it stressful. By and large, however, it has been a good experience...it just happens to be taking up A LOT of my life right now. By November, I will be down to only rehearsing 2 hours a week on Saturdays, just running Party Scene, and that will be much better.

The kids are loving their new school. We moved them from a place called Fellowship Bible to Cross Church Springdale, simply because I can send them 2 days a week at the new place for the price of 1 at the old place...and its a completely comparable program and curriculum. Kind of a no brainer! Last week they had hay rides and they thought that was the coolest thing ever. They will have two costume party days, and they are super excited about that. Alec will be Spiderman...again, and Emma will be a princess, ballerina, butterfly, or Dallas Cowboys cheerleader. Still deciding.

Dance lessons and swimming are going great. I posted on facebook, but have to say it here too. At their last dance class, Miss Rachel was telling the kids that their Momma was a ballerina. Alec abruptly proclaimed "My Daddy is Spiderman. He climbs buildings!" I heard it over the monitor that is set up in the waiting area. So so funny!

In swimming last week, Alec swam on his own for the first time. It wasn't very far, but heck, it was still on his own. He is doing so well. His teacher, Miss Lori, tells me every week how well he is progressing.

At church, Aaron and I have been helping out with the Kids' Church program on Wednesday nights. Alec and Emma have gotten really into getting points on Wed night. They get a point for coming, for bringing their Bible, for saying their memory verse and for bringing a friend. I've actually been really proud of how well they are memorizing their verses for school and church. And it's good for me to help them remember them, because then I remember them too!

So, you may recall from the last two years that I am one of the coordinators for our church's Angel Tree program. We received our list of names of the children we will be serving this year at the end of Sept. I have yet to call the families to get gift preferences. Usually, I am way more ahead on this. But in light of Nutcracker madness, and the fact that we have something going on every night, except for Thursdays, with regularity...I'm just behind. Things will free up after this weekend.

Another thing that's been keeping me swamped is MOMC. I've been tagging and prepping for our Fall Consignment Sale. That usually takes me a good week, to get everything tagged and ready. AND because I'm Hospitality Chair, I arrange for a week of meals for each of our members who has given birth recently. WE HAVE HAD SIX MOTHERS GIVE BIRTH TO TWINS IN THE LAST TWO MONTHS!!! And we have two more due before Thanksgiving. Usually my job is not that difficult, but having this many to plan hospitality meals for has really been exhausting. We've just had a major baby boom in our club!

Last weekend, we took the kids to our annual corn maze trip. I will post pics of that, and Dixie Dude, and all the other stuff I've neglected in the next post.

This weekend is Consignment Sale, Nut rehearsals, Church, and our annual Fall Family Photo Shoot. We're taking our pictures Sunday afternoon at the new Crystal Bridges walking trail amongst all of the beautiful Fall foliage. Hopefully, we'll take some nice pics worthy of this year's Christmas card.

Pictures I've Needed to Post

First day of school

Alec got the Super Star Award!

Day trip to Silver Dollar City last weekend!

 Here's a video of us in Grandfather's Mansion. The floor is slanted, and the kids had a little trouble walking. I thought we had more footage, but you get the idea. It really is hard to walk in there!

Oh NUTS!

I swear, everytime I think I'm sort of caught up on blogging, weeks and weeks go by, and I realize all of the things I've been thinking about writing about haven't been written. But, that is life!

This fall is going to be BUSY! I know, you're really surprised right? Because usually I just lay low and constantly chillax. :-) To our schedule from last year, we've added the following: a dance class for the kids, a swim class for Alec, another day that the kids go to MDO, Jen (and eventually Aaron-he gives guitar lessons Wed night) will now be co-teaching Kids' Church on Wednesday nights, and oh yeah, here's the clencher...I'm setting Party Scene in the IPAC Nutcracker.

Now, I used to be ALL ABOUT the magic of Nutcracker. I've been in about 5 different companies' productions of Nut. I didn't truly tire of it until I danced in the Tulsa Ballet Nut, and we did 28 shows. That wouldn't have been a problem, except that I was living away from and missing my husband...and I was really tired of that. With WAB, I had an opportunity to set almost every part of the production on company and non-company dancers, and to dance several roles. Although some of the magic came back working with so many kids who got so excited by it, it also wore me out completely because we would rehearse Nut from Sept -show, and I would have to commute 6, but often 7, days a week to Ft. Smith. So, honestly, when I was first approached about helping out with the IPAC Nut, my mind immediately focused on all of the weekends I would lose with my family to be setting and rehearsing Nut.

It's really an odd situation, because Catherine, the woman I used to work for when it was CBA, had already secured the Arend Arts Center for Dec 3-4 for Nut...but then when the studio changed hands and she took a job that would not allow her to be gainfully employed elsewhere, she offered the opportunity to IPAC to take it over. Because none of the "ballet" people at IPAC really have the time to completely take over Nut, there are 6 of us who will be collaborating. I went ahead and agreed, because they agreed that I could set my rehearsal schedule. I will set Party Scene only. That is another reason I feel that it's doable...since I'm not responsible for the entire thing.

Anyways, auditions are the 10th. I will probably spend the entire day at the studio. Nut auditions are always a marathon. Not sure yet when rehearsals will begin. It's either going to be really great because all of us who are collaborating are sharing the work load...OR it's going to be a pain in the butt because there are so many of us collaborating...and that will require A LOT of GOOD communication. We'll see how it goes. I'll keep you updated as we get into the swing of things.

22 Month Video Meltdown

Last night, Aaron was looking for an old video of the kids watching Jimmy Kimmel and screaming "Jimmy!" with glee...because you know, we believe in getting our kids hooked on late night talk shows from a really early age. :-) But we always DVR Jimmy, and watch it early in the evening. The kids have always really loved the house band, and Jimmy, and the other musical guests. Anyways, he finally found the video.

Then, I started looking through all the other "22 months" videos that were on the laptop. And I literally was overcome with joy and pain all at the same time. They were (and still are) so darn cute! Look at how short their hair was. It was just barely starting to curl. Look at how baby like their features still were. Look at their little diaper laden behinds. And I started crying. Because my babies are, and will be on a continual course to "growing up." And I felt guilty.

Guilty because a lot of the first few years with the twins just felt like survival. They were wonderful and filled with joy, but I would be lying if I said that there weren't times when I would consciously think, "oh, it's just going to be so much easier when we're out of this phase, or they're older, or they can do blank, or blah blah blah."

I have tried to be careful to savor the baby years with Alec and Emma, but I still feel like I could have cherished them more. And I don't know if there will be another baby in our future or not.

But I'm glad that I watched the videos, because every now and then, God gently reminds me that every day and every season, with its unique challenges and joys, is truly a gift. Time goes by way too quickly.

So, today...when Alec pooped on the potty, and I didn't hear him calling for me because Emma was trying to do the same in the other bathroom...and he was running around bare bottomed in the living room before getting cleaned up...I just laughed it off. Because that was a silly, childlike thing to do. And I was actually happy that my baby boy still acts like a baby sometimes. (Luckily, I didn't have to clean up anything but him. The carpet and the furniture were fine. Otherwise, this would probably be an altogether different story. ;-)) Hey, I'm still human!

Here's the link to the video Aaron edited:
Young Jimmy Kimmel Fans

Whirlwind Weekend

This last weekend, we were supposed to have several different things going on. We had a get-together to attend, I was supposed to teach a workshop, then I was supposed to teach another class...well, everything ended up being postponed.

Then, we got all that awesome rain last week, and cooler temperatures moved in. Now, I've been wanting to take the kids to Silver Dollar City all summer, but we've been waiting for the right weekend to do it...right meaning nothing else going on and not 110 degrees outside. Well, all of a sudden it looked like last weekend was our chance. So, it was a bit spur of the moment (if you know Aaron very well, you know that with most things, he needs to have a while to wrap his brain around the plan and prepare mentally,) but I ran it by the boss man, and he said that it was cool.

So, Friday I ordered season passes for Aaron and I (they're cheaper than two day passes, and the kids get in free till they're 4), and booked us a ridiculously cheap hotel on the strip in Branson. Like so ridiculously cheap that the last time I paid so little for a hotel room, he slept "on top" of the bed, and we didn't use the bathroom. hahaha. Saturday I was supposed to teach a modern class, but it got cancelled and we took off.

We got to SDC about 12:30 and played till 6 when they closed. Alec and Emma basically thought they were in heaven. They thought the teacups, the elephants, the racing regatta...everything at the Grand Exposition, was like the best thing EVER. They got to check out the new Half Dollar Hollar tree house play area for little kids that just opened this season, and we rode the train. Saturday was awesome. They did really well for walking all over (we decided not to do the strollers.)

When we left to go check into the hotel, the Garmin sent us on a wild goose chase because I couldn't get it to register W Hwy 76, and we ended up stuck in Branson strip traffic for like an hour because of a stupid car show. Blah! We stopped to eat at Shoney's and finally made it to the Melody Lane Inn. I was pleased to find that our room was totally adequate and clean. For what I paid, that's all I cared about. Plus breakfast was included. We played in the pool a little while before heading off to bed.

The next morning, the dang Garmin messed up again on the way to SDC, but we finally got on the right track (I think it's time for a new nav system). Got into the park, and it became clear pretty quick that the kids were a little more moody that day. They didn't want to walk, and they were tired and cranky. We managed to make it to all of their favorite rides again. We timed the lines really well Sunday. We also got to visit the Gyser Gulch, where they got to shoot little foam balls out of air guns. They would have stayed there for hours. We stayed till 3pm, and then headed home because Daddy needed some down time before work on Monday.

It was exhausting, but a really fun weekend. I'm so glad we finally got to take the kids there. They're already asking to go back. :-)

Second Flower Girl/ First Day of Dance Class

This weekend, Emma was in her second wedding. The first was at 22months, in Titi V's and Dr. Dan's wedding. This wedding was for some friends at our church. Let me just say...it is MUCH EASIER for a child to be in a wedding at nearly 3 1/2 yrs old than at 22 months. (Just sayin, V.)
However, Veronica says that our children screaming bloody murder in the church foyer is one of her favorite memories of her wedding.

Emma did really well this time, even though the timing of the wedding was such that we had to completely skip naptime. We were really proud of her. She loved looking like a princess, and she took her job of placing the flower petals REALLY seriously. We should have taken a picture of the aisle, because it looked like there was one petal every 18 inches exactly!

Not really digging picture time.

Paying very close attention to her flowers.

Mommy hanging on to Emma and Jase until just the right moment.

And then, today, Alec and Emma attended their first dance (creative movement) class. They are able to take lessons for free at either of the studios where I teach. The studio where they took class today is called Adonai Ballet Academy in Springdale. It is owned/directed by a good friend and former student of mine, Rachel Staff. She is Royal Academy trained and teaches RAD syllabus. Her studio is a Christian based studio...meaning that her main focus is to equip students with excellent classical technique, in a modest and appropriate environment, where dancers can use their art to the glory of God. I think its awesome.

They had a great time in class. I know they are really looking forward to going again. Here's our first class picture.

Alec and Emma with Ms. Rachel