Toast 2 Mom

It all came down to this...

Four months ago Sydney entered her first dance class. And today was the big recital. Four months of learning new skills, paying attention, remembering a routine and displaying that star quality :). I was able to attend her class last week. Usually we have to sit out in the lobby. Below are some pictures from the class. There is a picture of her costume from the recital. The last couple pictures are the best I could pull off my camera in a "no flash photography" auditorium.

The class performed a routine to the Pink Panther; or as Sydney liked to call it, "the sneaky kitty song". Of course it was adorable. However they probably could have used a couple more classes to sync up. :)

 
 
 
 

Will she be a runner or a climber?

Daddio is the most eager to know which one it'll be... Sydney is a very fast runner, we believe, for her age. She's not really into the climbing thing. (That may be more Natty's gig?) If you asked Syd her preference sport, she'd say dance. Though she's kind of making a close second out of swimming these days. We'll see... Or the girls will be like Mommy, in no sport, in the band and work on the yearbook committee! :)

 

Poor Baby

Being the baby sister can be a raw deal sometimes. Sure you get carried around. Mommy answers your cries right away. When there is a fight with big sister, it's usually big sister that gets into trouble.

But being the baby also means not being able to go outside and run freely around the backyard whenever you choose. Poor baby, your day will soon come...

Let's fight it out

Every so often, when Sydney and I are disagreeing about something, we'll go into "kitty mode" and start meowing and fighting with each other. It's play fight. We windmill our arms and meow and hiss. Then after our kitty fight, we make up and pretty much always forget about what we were fighting about anyway. Well when I began this little kitty fight thing with Sydney, I really had no idea she'd store it in that brain...but why shouldn't I assume that. She stores everything.

So today we were in the kitchen, and I was trying to get her motivated to go get her shoes on so we could run errands. She was not listening and not cooperating. I had to go into Mommy phrase mode, "Sydney, I am in charge and I am telling you, not asking you, to go get your shoes right now." She looked at me, turned her head and said, "Mommy, let's fight it out." Then she charged me like a fierce, rascally kitten.

So we went our round, rolled into a ball, hissed....and then got up. "OK, Mommy, let's hug it out now." So we hugged. Then she went and got her shoes.

It's a given...

It's now approaching my bedtime. I go to sleep later than I used to. My day with the kids and most house chores (as many as I care to do anyway) roughly ends around 9:30 p.m. I tend to do a bit of work on the computer, like a blog for instance, or emails. Then I resign to the couch. 

When I was working outside of the home, I went to bed around 10:30 at the latest. Now I end up staying up getting sucked into whatever is on television to "clear my mind". This results in me staying up until probably 11:30, sometimes midnight or after. This is all fine and dandy until my morning wake-up call.

Every morning. come 7:12 a.m., I hear the door open, then thump, thump, thump down the hall and into our room. First Sydney goes to Daddio's side of the bed. Some mornings she crawls in for about five minutes. Most mornings she crawls in for two minutes. Then I hear, "I'm going to go talk to Mommy now."

Around to my side, a lift of the pillow that is placed nicely over my head to block out the light and the same question every single morning, "Mommy I'm thirsty and hungry. Can you go downstairs and get me some juice and some Cheerios and then can you put on a little show for me....please...."

Every day, the same time, the same order, the same question... it's a given.

Sweet Pick

We had a family day today at the Sweet Berry Farm. It's a farm north of Austin in a town called Marble Falls. The drive was very hilly and scenic, really pretty.

We planned the timing just right. Prior to the heavy rains we got today, we were able to pick strawberries, blackberries, pet kitties, run around open fields, feed some goats and horses and have a little ice cream break. This is a beautiful space for the kids to run wild and thoroughly enjoy the sweet smelling outdoors.

Here are a few pictures from our day.

 
 
 

Occasionally there is love...

Most of the day I spend my time as a referee, protecting each of my girls from the other. When I ask the two of them to pose together, I get resistance, or a split-second to take a shot of a fake pose. Then every once in awhile one girl is being sweet while the other is not in the mood. Then their roles will reverse.

And some days I get them both to be on the same page and actually appreciate each other and be willing to show affection for the other. Today was one of those days...