A "Real" Ballerina

 

For at least six months, Lauren has had a dream.  To attend "ballet school" as she called it.  I feel I need to admit to a moment of motherhood failure here, because in the back of my mind, I kept thinking that it would pass.  Frankly, I believe I had been scarred for life by the one lone ballet recital that I attended BC (before children) for four sweet little girls that I used to babysit.  After enduring the hours long event in which all manner of uncoordinated children dressed up in frills and makeup with their hair pulled way too tight and their cheeks way too pink, I swore I would never again sit through one of those.  And if ever I was blessed with a daughter, she most certainly wouldn't be a dancer.

 

So as Lauren begged and pleaded for her turn to do something that she wanted to do, after hours upon hours of sitting through basketball games and soccer games and school events for Joshua, I kept thinking that if I stalled, it would pass.  But after the new year, when she looked at me so sweetly and said, "Mommy, can I pleeeeeeeeeeeeeease be a real ballerina now?" something inside of my iron-clad heart must have melted because I replied, "Of course you can."

 

And so began the search to find a ballet class for a sweet little four year old to try.  To say I was overwhelmed would be an extreme understatement.  I had absolutely no idea what I was looking at or looking for, for that matter.  When one path led me to purchase all of our necessary supplies (leotards, tights and a specific kind of ballet slipper), I thought I was on the right track, only to get a call that the class had been cancelled.  And so I put out a few feelers to clients I knew had little ballerinas of their own, and one just happened to lead me to a studio called Downtown Dance in Lewisburg, where there is a class called "Baby Ballet" on Tuesday afternoons from 3:30-4:15.

 

This is one of those times that I thank the good Lord for the flexibility of my job, although it sometimes feels like I am more of a mom than a State Farm Agent.  But after picking Joshua up from school, we all headed to Lauren's very first ballet class.  She was so adorable.  The picture I posted above was from Sunday when we did a dry run of making sure her leotard actually would fit.  She actually was dressed head to toe in pink, and was the most adorable thing I've seen in a long time.  She felt so grown up because she had some yoga pants and a little zip up sweatshirt to wear over her leotard.

 

She marched into her class like a champ, never giving a second thought to the big heavy door that would separate us while she tried something completely new.  I love how fearless she is, and how independent.  From where Joshua and I sat in the waiting room, we could overhear music from the Imagination Movers, the Fresh Beat Band and Bubble Guppies as part of their work for the day.  She was measured for her recital costume, which I am sure is going to be all kinds of sparkly sweetness.  (So much for "I'm never doing THAT again!"  She came out of her class all smiles, and asking when she could go back again.  Good thing for her, the teacher, Miss Christine, said she did just fine and would make a great addition to the class.

 

A real ballerina she is.

 

 

Happy Birthday, Mara Kate!

Yesterday marked Mara's 2nd birthday.  Honestly, the best piece of motherhood wisdom anyone ever gave me was the client who told me that the days are long, but the years are short when your kids are little.  How true that is--- the long days kick my tail on many occasions, and the quickness with which the years pass leaves me standing in the wake, just shaking my head. 

 

Anyone who has ever met Mara can understand that this girl is really something special.  She exhausts us all with her constant exploring, her incessant need to have things HER WAY....RIGHT NOW, her insatiable spirit that just has to find something new to conquer.  I can't wait to look back on this in another 20 years and see what kinds of things she is doing with her life.  My earnest prayer is that God will make me the kind of parent that can help her point all of that zest for life in the proper direction for her to be able to be make the kind of difference that she has the potential to make.  She has been my biggest challenge so far into this parenting journey, but I have to tell you that I not-so-secretly adore getting to watch her learn and grow.

 

She's talking up a storm these days, making me laugh about how much we were beginning to worry about her.  I swear she has learned 50+ new words in the past two weeks.  Yesterday I was rocking her for her nap, enjoying what I know is going to be a fleeting few last moments of her smallness, and I had to shhhhh her because she wouldn't stop talking long enough to fall asleep.  Sometime in the course of her sleep on Saturday night, I transformed from "Mama" into "Mommy"...a sure sign that my little baby isn't much of one anymore.  I remember when that happened with Josh and Lauren, and it marked the quick ending to any little sliver of baby-ness that remained.  But my oh my is it ever cute.

 

Mara's birthday celebration was appropriate for a few reasons.  I am learning what it's like to deal with a winter birthday, and let me tell you (for what it's worth), I'm not a fan.  I never like that all plans between the months of December and late March are tentative, left up only to whatever nature throws our way in terms of weather.  I'm not good at relinquishing control over my plans to anyone, and certainly not the weather.  But, as I was transferring Mara's newly decorated purple Dora cake to the kitchen table, my phone went off with a severe weather advisory for the hours of noon to 5 pm Sunday...the exact time that everyone would be on the road or at our house for the party we had planned on Sunday.  A quick call from Emily made me think that it might be a good idea to try to throw the party on Saturday night instead.  Mind you, it was 3:45.  But the Mowrys were game.  And where the Mowrys and Dugans are is a pretty good start to a party.  When the Lewistown crew said they could make it, and Jason's parents and sister were able to get there, we opted to add a pizza to our dips and munchies menu and do this in the next hour.  And so we did.  And it was wonderful.  I was sweating and still in my sweats up until 5 minutes before the first partiers arrived, but we managed decorations, goodie bags, party setup and food displays in one hour.  I even was sitting on the couch, with a whiskey slush in my hand (well, deserved...) as the doorbell was ringing.  I have never been accused of being spontaneous.  Not even close.  Actually, whatever the polar opposite of spontaneous is, that's what I am.  But it was fun, and I wouldn't have missed the chance to celebrate sweet Mara with our friends and family because of a silly ice storm.  I had to laugh when I thought back to the night that Mara was born.  I was sailing along, planning for a planned, scheduled c-section delivery on the 12th of January, but Mara had other plans.  Dr. Miller gave me one hour notice to go home, say goodbye to the big kids, and pack my bag for the hospital before I needed to meet him back there for surgery following my check up that afternoon.  And here we were again, scrambling in an hour to prep for another birthday celebration. 

 

Enjoy a few pictures of the chaos and confusion.  I know I sure have!

 

Our sincerest thanks to everyone who literally dropped what they were doing to make the trip to be with us.  It meant so much to us.  And although Mara might not remember her 2nd birthday party, I always will, and with the fondest memories of hustling to get things ready and the sheer joy that, quite frankly, we all needed after the tough way 2013 ended for our family.  I love how life hands us little snippets of joy (and sometimes big handfuls of it) when we're willing to receive it.  Mara certainly has provided lots of that for us, and this weekend was no exception.

Happy Birthday, sweet girl.  I can't even begin to tell you how I love you.  But I do.  So very much. 

Snowy morning...

The view from here this morning. Applesauce oatmeal muffins (thank you, Pinterest), pretty snow out the window and happy kids who don't have to go to school. Lauren in mismatched pajamas because that's just what she does lately. And Mara still fast asleep in her crib. She must know she has a birthday this weekend that she needs to rest up for. 

I am hoping to (finally) post our Christmas pictures today. I think I only took 200 so I will hope to find a few good ones.