my little ballerina

my girl started ballet and tap classes this week!  this has been something i have wanted to get her in for a long time.  this spring is finally the right time!

so, last friday we busied around town getting her everything she would need for her first class on monday.

little leotards, little tap shoes and little ballet shoes.  it was her dream come true.  mine too.  when we got home she wanted to try everything on, so we did.  =)

once monday came, she was about to lose it.  so excited.  so silly.  we had a lot of fun driving to her class.  she didn't stop talking the whole ride.  asking questions, telling me what she thought would happen.  i was smiling the whole time too.  i was excited that my girl was so excited.

these pictures are not good, but i want to record this moment here.  most were zoomed, with my iphone, through glass.  but she's still pretty cute.

 

she was very focused.  paid very close attention to her teachers and only spotted me through the window twice.  and even then, she just waved and smiled, then got right back to work.

 

she LOVED it.  both of us are very excited about the next few months.  i'm so proud of her and so excited to see her in the spring recital.

and if you know my girl, you know her love for ballerina's and tu-tus.  i decided to go through some old pictures and see how often she had a tu-tu on in them.  TONS.  i can't tell you how hard it was to narrow it down to these.

here's when it all started...

 

my little brother got married in may 2011.   C was one of the flower girls, and i made the tu-tus.  she hated it.  every time i tried to put it on her, she freaked.  so, i got the idea to let her look at herself in the mirror so she could see how pretty she looked.  done.  she was in love.  tu-tu's were her new obsession.  and she rocked the aisle on their wedding day.

here are some of my favorite snapshots since then...

 2nd birthday party

 christmas 2011

 just hanging around the house...

 march madness!  had to have a UK tu-tu.  national champs, duh.

bathing suit of her dreams.  she's so excited and couldn't stop moving, that it looks like she's missing a hand!

 

old ballet costume found in my best friends mom's basement.  she probably wore it the 

whole weekend we were there!

my little ballerina.  so proud of her and excited to see what all she learns.  i know zero about ballet.  but i'm excited to be a dance mom! 

a new year

i don't make new years resolutions, but i've been wanting to get back to my blog.  i feel like i've waited too long and now everyone has forgotten about me.  is that true?  is there anyone out there that still reads this?  well, if you do, i'm going to attempt to come back.  i proclaiming a new start on the blog.  i'm not going to worry about the fact that it's been over 3 months since i last blogged, and i'm going to start with life now.

so - do you want a little update on what i've been up to?  i have to admit, this is part of the reason i haven't blogged...

yeah!  C gets to be a big sister this june!  i found out i was pregnant shortly before the last time i blogged.  at that point i felt good.  then the tiredness hit.  like HARD.  for 2 months, i could barely keep my eyes open when i got home from work.  i put C down for her nap, and crawled to my bed for mine.  i'm still tired, but no where near where i was in the beginning.  

we had been trying to get pregnant for a year, and i'm in the process of writing out this little babies story.  it's pretty amazing how god has moved in our lives this past year.  it's worth a post of it's own, and i really want to get it down before i forget too much.  

so, now that i'm not crazy tired anymore, i'm ready to get back into blogging.  

we had a wonderful christmas and a lot of great family time.  i'm big on being in our house on christmas eve and christmas morning.  we had a relaxed evening and morning, and it was exactly what i wanted.

 polar express, movie bed, a fire, christmas lights and snuggling with C and the hubs.  

i couldn't ask for a better night.

i wanted a picture of her new christmas nightgown.  she wanted to show off her new 

cinderella ornament.  =)

she got a pumpkin coach and her prince charming.  the two things she has been asking for since october.  christmas success!  

we always need a good family pic in front of the tree!

and the classic picture of the cardboard box that the toys came in.  so many new toys, and these two couldn't get enough of this box!

and here's a quick shot of our new year's eve.  loved having everyone over to our house.  and the girls did a great job with their hats!

hope you all had a very merry christmas and a happy new year!  we are ready for 2013!  we find out the gender of the baby in a few weeks, and i am ready to start preparing for a little brother or little sister.  C is starting tap and ballet classes in a week, and the little babe inside of me is getting more and more active everyday.  all great things.  i have a feeling that 2013 is going to be pretty special!

hope to be back soon!  ;)

right now i am...

i have a blogger block.  i want to blog, but haven't had much to blog about.  then i remembered when i did a "right now i am...." blog back in may.  so today, i'm going to try to break by block and blog about my random happenings right now.

right now i am.....

watching: well, nothing at the moment.  but, i caught up on Parenthood last night.  man, i love and hate that show at the same time!  do you watch it?  you should.  real life stuff.  i'm always crying at the end...

drinking: water.  always trying to drink more water.

wearing: my red jeans!  i love them.  they are kind of a big step for me, but i'm rocking them as much as i can.  it funny how much goes with red jeans.  who would have thought?

 this pic is from my birthday.  but red pants make any day seem extra special. 

eating:  nothing at the moment.  but i was looking on pinterest yesterday, specifically at food (?), and i pinned a few recipes i can't wait to make!  i love to bake, but especially in the fall.  these, and this, and this are all things i want to make really really soon.

listening:  right now, i'm listening to my space heater.  i'm freezing!  felt like 29 degrees here this morning!  

avoiding: really cleaning my house.  i do little things here and there, but i'm totally avoiding a big clean.

wishing: it would warm up just a little.  and maybe just tomorrow.  we have our family pictures, and i'm not super excited about 50 degrees at 11am.

feeling: thankful.  blessed.

missing:  my healthy girl.  i know there are a lot of sick kiddo's out there, so i really shouldn't complain about C just having a cold.  but my poor girl has not been herself.  the first few days she was snuggly and tired.  then the coughing hit and she couldn't sleep.  and neither could i.  so we all got cranky.  last night was better.  i'm ready for my girl for feel better.

thankful: for the amazing women i have in my life.  i can't tell you how blessed i am.  with new friends and old friends.  my life is so full right now.  and i'm really, really thankful.

craving: good food.  like i don't have to cook it, yummy amazing food that you don't get very often.  i texted this to the hubs yesterday (after looking at food on pinterest yesterday)  everything sounded so good to me.  Cheesy Green Chile and Potato Chowder?  yes.  Four-cheese rigatoni?  mmmm...  Stuffed tomatoes with mushrooms, parmesan and spinach?  my stomach is groooowling... 

wondering:  what do i do with my ferns and gardenia?  it's gotten so cold so fast.  do i let them die?  i think i have a place to store my gardenia, but not my ferns.  any tips?  can i just keep them inside?

praying: for my family.  immediate family.  extended family.  my little family.  there's always a lot going on, but it seems like more than usual right now.  i always pray for them, but right now a little extra can't hurt.

 

needing:  a date with my hubs.  i think that's what i needed last time.  =)  soon.  i asked for one last night and he always comes through.

thinking:  about what we are going to do for thanksgiving this year.  our house again? will my brother and sis-in-law be joining us?  my mother-in-law?  i LOVED thanksgiving at our house last year.  i'm ready to plan another one!

dreaming:  about november.

 

loving:  that it's getting cold outside, that we have tons of fire wood and 2 wood burning fire places!  i can't believe i talked shaun into a fire last weekend.  but i did!!!!  and i loved every minute of it.

so - what are you doing right now??

have a good weekend friends!

a weekend in the country

we got away for a bit this past weekend.  i've blogged about our family farm before.  small, like super small, town in southern indiana where we have about 500 acres.  a place that i have been more times than i can come close to counting.  a place that i went through a phase of dreading to visit, but now, i cherish it.  i know it won't be in the family much longer and i am so thankful that C will have memories here too.

the cows and C are both very interested in each other.  they're so big and she's so loud...

on sunday, my little bro and his wife came up as well.  and they brought their newest addition...

sweet little hadley.  she's a precious little 8 week old puggle.  and you  just want to squeeze and snuggle and play with her non-stop.  C didn't know what to think of her at first.  she's a little crazier than our k-dog.  but, she warmed up to her pretty quick.

so did auntie jade...

 

we took a hay ride back to the woods too.  daddyboy helped uncle tom get everything ready.

 

 

aunt darcy and C got brave and decided to feed and pet a soon-to-be mama

it was a great slow-paced weekend with family.

and the clouds were amazing.  i couldn't stop taking pictures.

hope you had a relaxing weekend as well!

here's what i'm up to now...

the refuge for women 5K is this weekend!  not as relaxing as last weekend, but just as awesome! 

have a good one!!