Ballet Recital 2012

Well, my girls are done with ballet for the season.  :D  They did well!  I was a little worried they would be nervous in a big theater with lots of people but they just smiled really big and did great!  They did more tap than ballet so I decided that they are done for now until we can find a place that is strictly ballet.

 

We had to drop the girls off backstage and then wait an hour before it even started. Since it was just Charles and I, we considered it to be a little date!  We checked out the lake....

 

 

The art museum...

 

 

Saw some interesting art...

 

 

One of my favorites below.  Death of a Popsicle.

 

 

After a bit we headed back into the theater to watch the girls...

 

 

(Below) Looking up at the balconies from my seat....

 

 

Ashley came out first and she was so brave!  A lot of the girls were following her because she remembered her moves well.  :)

 

Ashley far left

Then Ivy went next.  She was more nervous and a bit embarrassed but she was super proud of herself when it was all finished....

 

Ivy far right

After they finished they walked hand in hand....

 

We checked out the new beautiful bridge nearby...

 

 

Got a picture with daddy....

 

 

Then mommy.....

 

 

Then with brothers....

 

 

It was a good night!

 

 

 

 

Large Families Need a Party Bus

We must really love our big van because every time we turn around there is something else we have to do for it.  Yesterday we spent most of the day just trying to get new tires on it.  Turns out, the ones we had on it weren't even designed for the weight of our van and so it explains why we constantly had to replace them.  This time we paid a lot more money to get really good tires.  While Charles was looking at the van my parents came over and visited for a bit.  My kids love their Nana and Papa.  Do I wish we had a bigger van? Yes, we desperately need one.  However, we are learning that in life you sometimes have to wait rather than rush into debt to get what you want.  We did that in the past and paid dearly for it.  Now, we are trying to do things the right way because we learned the hard way.  

Well, the girls' costumes were ordered for their dance recital coming up in November.  I'm super excited but nervous at the same time.  Before signing the girls up I asked the teacher if there would be any modern dancing in it.  I am only doing this for tap and ballet but I only wanted classical ballet.  We shall see.  The parents can't see what their kids are doing in class.  They are still learning the basics and how to be flexible.  Ivy has been working really hard and can do the splits in the air now. They are so cute.  My living room has turned into a gym room as they are always practicing.  Ivy asked me for about 3 years now if she could do ballet.  I wondered if she would actually like it once she started but so far she absolutely loves it and counts down the days to the next practice.  Ashley was easy to figure out because she was always fluttering around the house.

So much happened in the month of August!  It is a very, very busy month for us!  Cars breaking down, I become a mom to a preteen (Chaz), My kids are asked to be featured in photos for the science center, kids start school,  Ivy gets taken by ambulance to the burn ward, girls start ballet lessons, the kids learn how to make their own rockets, Ryan has a birthday at a fun trampoline place, I make a major change to switch the babies to cloth diapers. While boys are away camping the girls went bowling, the boys join band in school, and Kyle turns 9.  Wow!  That's a lot to happen in just one month but we that's why I love our family!  We have so many adventures together and don't like to be apart for very long.  I feel like we need our own party bus.  Ha ha.  I'm thinking about getting a bumper sticker that says something like "This is our party bus."

My Little Ballerinas and Pushing Past the Pain

Ivy is getting better every day with her burn and she has a check up this week at the burn unit.  I really have no idea what it's going to look like after the bandages are off. I do know it's gonna be tough for a bit.  She tends to favor the leg for a bit but once she gets playing, it doesn't hurt as bad.  The good news?  Ivy and Ashley started ballet and the doctor said that's a really good thing for Ivy!  She needs to stretch.  I was wondering if he would tell her she needs to sit out.  Much to Ivy's relief, she was able to not only participate, but it was good for her leg.  If she doesn't stretch her leg, the skin could heal like hard leather.

I wondered just how much they would learn in their first class and I was really surprised.  They do 15 minutes of ballet, 15 minutes tap, and 15 minutes gymnastics.  Ivy loooooved her teacher and they are both already counting down the days till the next class.  Kyle is really showing an interest in gymnastics but I don't really want to turn it into a competition thing.  I just want him to do a hobby that he loves and not make it about winning or losing.  Not that there is anything wrong with it of course, it's just not my focus right now.  

This year I am really pushing my kids to step it up in their academics.  Pray for me that I don't have to have my patience stretched beyond what I can handle.  :)  Although, being stretched, is a good thing.  Just like Ivy's wound.  You can cater to it or you can push past the pain so in the long run you'll be more flexible.  Gosh, that applies to so many areas in my life.  Some people think that a mom of seven or a mom of 10 only have that many kids because they were always patient.  Not true!  When I had my first kid I thought that was the hardest thing on the planet. I went from wanting four kids to wondering if I could even handle one.  Then I wondered what I would do when I found I was pregnant with my second child only three months later.  That was really, really stretching me and it was so hard for me.  I could either give up or I could just take one day at a time.  Each little trial might of seemed little to others but for me it was a stretch.  Stretching past my comfort zone and learning how to make it work for me each day.

Ivy's Burn Update and Restrictions

Yesterday I took Ivy back to the hospital to have her burn checked.  Chaz really wanted to come and Ivy's friend also.  I waited till evening so she could see the same doctors.  They unwrapped the outer parts so they can see the dressings.  Some of it had slipped off of her burn so they had to add more.  It was painful for Ivy to have it all messed with and she was crying.

Ivy has some restrictions now that she has the burn on her leg.  She can't go swimming till it's healed and the bandage falls off on it's own.  The inner bandage is like an artificial scab that falls off when the burn is better.  It'll take about a month to heal.  However, she can't get a sunburn on it or it'll be a permanent scar.  For the next year and a half she'll have to wear pants or long shorts.  When she swims it has to be covered.  We don't want to take any chances so we are going to buy her a surfers type suit for kids and we'll let her pick it out so she likes it. It just goes to her knees.  

They gave me extra bandages for changing. She absolutely cannot touch her burn or she could get an infection.  The staff kept talking about Ivy's eyes and how beautiful they were.  Then telling her how much they loved her hair.  They were the sweetest people.  I'm so lucky she was at this burn ward because it's the second best in the United States.  Wow!  It's so sad to see my little girl in such pain and have all these restrictions.  On a good note, I asked if ballet was still okay and they said it was actually perfect.  She needs to keep flexible so the wound heals well. If she doesn't stretch it, it can heal like hard leather.  I'm so happy she can still do ballet because she's been waiting so long to start.  We are gonna buy an extended baby gate for my kitchen area because we don't want to take anymore chances of something like this happening.  It was really, really scary.