Twas the night before the night before Christmas

My kids are currently watching the Battle of the Nutcrackers on Ovation TV.

I've never even heard of Ovation TV until tonight.

When I saw the Bolshoi Ballet Nutcracker was on, I turned it on just to show the kids how beautiful the ballet is. Now they're hooked. They're on their third version, currently with the Royal Ballet's version. It is a beautiful, if a little creepy, story, regardless of which ballet is performing it.

I'm just glad I can rest easy tonight knowing my kids have had some sort of culture, other than listening to dad order from Taco Bell in Spanish.

Two

Today I let my kids go off into the big blue (or gray, as the weather would be here in the Midwest) yonder. Decked out in all pink, my Maggie climbed the stairs of that big yellow bus, and suddenly grew up.

I'm gonna be completely honest here. I wasn't sad to see her go. I'm sad to see her grow up and not be my baby anymore, but she is more than ready to be at school. Since she is almost 6, she is the oldest for her grade, and it shows.

Emma started 5th grade, and that completely blows my mind. I distinctly remember being in 5th grade. It feels like I was there just yesterday. I think Sugar Daddy and I even had the same teacher. To think that Emma may possibly be in the same class as her future spouse makes me a little sick to my stomach.

Here's the Chicas getting their model on. You can't really tell from the picture, but it was pouring rain. Just the kind of day to go home and snuggle back under the covers for an hour or two.




And here goes Mags. That bus has never seemed so big. She could barely get up the first step! At least she has morning Kindergarten, so she and Emma can sit together on the bus on the way to school, and then she'll come home on the Kindergarten bus when it's not so crowded and loud with the big kids letting off after-school steam.

Normally, I do a little table dance for back to school. Don't get me wrong, there was a lot of dancing going on , but due to an ongoing hip issue, I can't climb up on the table anymore! I guess I'm out of a job now, too. I don't think Workmans Comp covers that sort of injury.

Shake Your Booty

Maggie had her dance recital on Thursday night. She was so excited to wear her costume, and to wear make-up. She did an awesome job, so without further ado, I give you the review.

They each got trophies with their names on them. So adorable.

Striking a pose in her "Perfect Day" routine.

The group shot.

And the picture before she sweated off her make up and her piggies fell out.

On another note, we had been growing her hair out for months for this big night. She really wanted to do two pig tails for her recital. So we grew it and grew it, much to the dismay of her overly sensitive head. She hates washing, conditioning, or combing her hair ever, so with her thick mane, and the long locks, it was a total nightmare. I told her we'd cut her hair as soon as her recital was over. The very next day, we were getting the trailer ready to go, and she got a big wad of gum stuck in her hair. Perfect excuse to cut it! So it all came off into a cute A-line bob. She looks adorable, and now she doesn't cry nearly as much when we have to do it, which makes me a happy mom.

Dancing Queen

Maggie has been taking dance lessons for the last month. And let me tell you, if there could be one girl that loves to dance more than any other girl on the Earth, it's Maggie. This girl, she amazes me. Just when I think she couldn't get more girly, she goes and does something that just makes my jaw drop. Like galloping. She gallops everywhere, because that is what she learned to do in dancing class. Here is a picture of her galloping around her gym. She's wearing a tail, and they were dancing to Jungle Book music. It was adorable.



And here she is looking possessed while trying to hop on one foot. She is really quite good at hopping, but it's hopping and looking graceful at the same time that trips her up.

Mostly I just love that she loves it. It's like soccer or any other sport kids choose to do. Seeing the joy of accomplishment in their eyes, and the thrill of the new and undiscovered that makes spending all that time each week freezing my butt off in a musty old gym worth it.

Music Days

I have the bestest friends ever. I really do. They take care of me.

Thanks to Dubya and her sweet leadership skills, Gretta is getting Kindermusik lessons. I had no idea how fun this class could be. She loves it. And after just one class, she remembers the "Hammer hammer hammer and See Saw See" actions. I'm sure it's because she's a genius, and not because the class is so much fine. Right.

So we're off to music class today.

And tomorrow brings dance lessons for Maggie. I worry because dance is so girly and she's, just, well, probably more girly than even dance lessons could be, if that's possible. She is so excited, she already has her outfit picked out for tomorrow. That kid, honestly.