DANCIN AT DISNEY

COUNTDOWN

My other blog....

So with inspiration from Becky Graske I started a picture a day blog..I know I don't keep up with this one let alone have 2..but I finally posted a bunch of pictures from the last 3 weeks!
One Day at a Time...

Other random September 2010....

One of the last times I was able to braid Sammy's LONG HAIR!  I did 2 into 1...

Sammy started rehearsals for the newest division of Dance Dimensions Company--"KINEDANCO"..they are affectionately referred to as the MINI's.  They even participated in their first parade 9/12/2010. It was hard and fun at the same time to be back with "my" dancers..but I was the Mom too...weird concept in my mind.  I marched and danced along with the girls and handed out pencils.Sammy got to ride on the float. One of the teachers at the studio now was one of my first students back in the early nineties..
Sammy is the first 2nd generation KINEDANCO member!  I started dancing with Kim when she bought the studio in 1992 and she started the company that year with me and 1 other dancer...it has come a long way!


MINI's

I was Emily's first dance teacher when she was 3...
She was good then..but she is amazing now

I was also Cori's first teacher..another beautiful dancer..
she was an OZ munchkin in her first recital with me at age 3...



KINEDANCO
(Kinetic Dance Company)

Mason (8) and Levi's (4) Birthday Party..9/4/2010

Right after the orchard we headed over to "Auntie" Kelly's to celebrate Mason and Levi's birthday!
I still can not believe that 2 of her 4 children share a birthday 4 years apart! Crazy.

The girls even loved the awesome food and playing outside on a beautiful Indian Summer day.  Ali even figured out how to climb on the trampoline by herself.  And Andy got to drive around on the go cart too.

My Mom, baby Trinity, and Mason

Andy being a kid....

  

Ali playing on the awesome magnet board "Uncle" Brandon made.

Garrett enjoying his salad and YUM.

 

The awesome gifts they got from Auntie Shannon..he he

Sammy watching gift opening patiently.

YEAH CAKE!

I keep forgetting to upload video from my flip to the blog as well... I will have to try to go back and fix that...

Apple Orchard September 4, 2010...

We my last post I just finished was actually from August...so I wills tart with September..

We took our annual trip to Johnamac Apple Orchard.  The girls had so much fun.  We all LOVE the Tsugaru apples and I think we ate about 5 while we were picking..SHHH Don't tell.

LOVE this one!

Ali did really well picking!

Look how excited she got.

Daddy using the ladder to get those last few AWESOME Tsugarus!

They are getting so big...

We even tried the apple launcher this year..and of course Sammy was afraid of it

The best attempt out of 50 pictures of the girls on the big chair.

We got apple donuts for the first time too!  YUMMY!!!!!!

Horse Room

THIS IS A VERY OLD POST THAT I NEVER FINISHED TILL TODAY...OOPS..New year..new start?

When we decided to move last November (2009)we did everything in our power to make sure Sammy was excited about moving..no matter how hard it was going to be for all of us! We told her she could have a new room decorated however she wanted...she chose Horses! And she insisted she wanted a blue ceiling. So this became my obsession for a while. I kept trying to convince her that we would do her room in pink and brown (thinking that would be easy) and just buy some Horse pictures or accents to make it a horsey room... she was OK with that. Andy was already planning the half brown half light pink room... well I made the mistake one afternoon of searching on-line for bedding. I thought how hard could it be to find girly bedding that would match pink and brown... This was all before we even moved.. : ) Well I searched and searched all over on-line..every visit to a store I checked the bedding and I couldn't find ANYTHING I liked...so again one afternoon at work I googled horse bedding...it was killing to do it but I thought if I find something I liked that wasn't too cheesy maybe I would cave to Horse bedding...the first few sets that popped up where hideous...then I clicked on a cute picture that took me to The Company Store and I found the cutest quilt..and fell in love with it..remind you this is before we even moved and usually I am NOT a quilt person. But I loved it..it was EXPENSIVE...so then it became do I buy it and not tell Andy how much it was..do I wait...I finally asked him what he thought and he nodded..in the middle of a conversation about work...I briefly mentioned how much the set was including accent pillow covers and a valance etc..he just kept talking about work and again nodded..SO I BOUGHT IT. The bedding came in very shortly after moving. Sammy LOVED IT! Andy was still stuck on the brown and pink and I kept saying I am not sure..well things got crazy trying to get the house put together and the bedding sat in the dining room..and Sammy lived in a room that was dark grey and light grey with her toddler bed and miss matched dresser....

Here is the room before we moved in but it shows the walls the best.

I did not take good before pictures but here the girls are playing in Sam's room back in July...

Early August we decided school was starting and Sammy was nervous so we needed something to cheer her up. We started really talking about paint...I pulled out the bedding and knew brown was not going to work..Andy didn't want green as an accent color but also didn't want an all one color pink room...so I again went on google...girls room ideas...the website where I bought her bedding popped up and I saw it--it was PERFECT dark pink and light pink--with a white stripe in the middle...

The inspiration

The look on Andy's face was priceless. He liked it but that meant covering grey and getting a perfect stripe line... I said we should hire someone to do it but NO Andy was determined. We literally went to Menards to get paint and primer at 8:30 PM one night and the guy behind the paint desk even wished Andy luck on the white stripe...

Sammy helping Daddy with the dark pink at the bottom.

I apologize for the book I am writing just about decorating my daughter's room..well a weekend of hard work and laser lines and frog tape the pink with hot pink and blue ceiling was done!!!! White blinds went up and mattress was purchased...Andy even installed a fan in the room!

SO the furniture is a whole other drama story. The only thing I found that I liked was on-line and I found a company that had good delivery quoted and worked out a price and ordered it.... then we waited and waited and waited but it finally got here a few weeks late...Here was the happy camper the first night in her new "big-girl" bed and horsey room.


I found some great plaques for the wall and we still have to put up the valance but other than that things are so cute! I love how it turned out and Andy did a GREAT job on the stripe!

Sammy now has shelves and stuffed animal bins in pink..she loves her room and especially her view of the pond!
She has grown up so much just since this picture in August....

Swimming....PROGRESS! FROM August 2010...

This summer has definitely been filled with swimming for my girls. We call Ali little brown bear cause she is SO TAN and Sammy likes to show off her "Coppertone butt" ! : )

In the last few weeks our daycare has been telling me that Sam has been MUCH more confident in the water and actually putting her face in the water..not quiet going under but actually putting her face in while she "swims" in the very shallow part of the pool! PROGRESS!

This past Saturday morning I finally got to go to watch Ali's swim lesson. And Alaina is still living up to her FISH status. Her teacher is so impressed with her and recommended her to the last "baby" level already! Sam was a bit jealous of Ali getting so much praise in the water and said she now wants to take lessons..OH BOY last time we tried that she CRIED the whole time so I am a bit leery but yet don't want to shoot down her request...

Saturday afternoon Andy and I were trying desperately to get Samantha's room at least primed so my Dad came over and took my girls to my Aunt Janet's to swim with my Mom. I didn't get to witness it but my Mom claims Sam actually doggie paddled and jumped in from the second step! Ali also decided to do cannon balls..well she would yell it and just step off the edge. She actually gets herself to the surface on her own with no floatation devices which just amazes me for a 2 year old! I tried once or twice putting a floatation device of some sort on Ali and she hates it cause she already understands the water and it slows her down so I want her to be safer but I don't want to deter her learning either...so for now we just have to be right with her 100% of the time when she is in the water.

I have video somewhere of Ali swimming from that class I watched...

And I am so excited to announce that in August we finally went to our pool in our new subdivision! It was so nice. There is a kiddie pool and the girls splashed around and even went in the big pool. Sammy has been awesome in the water now (again thanks to my Aunt Janet). Sammy even finally let go of me in Nana and Papa's pool with floaties on her arms! She did it! I just hope it continues next summer.