The Ballerina and the Gymnast's

The fall has arrived and so has our busy schedules....

The dancing shoes

Once upon a time there was a little girl who absolutely loved to watch Irish Dancers...
This little girl loved to put on sparkly dresses and sequenced shoes.

Daily she would put on performances for friends, neighbors or family...at the end, she would take a bow and say "Thank you, I am gorgeous"...

Whenever her parents were made aware of an event that had Irish Dancers they would dress her up and take her to see the performance....

One day this little girl was given "dancing shoes"..Not just any dancing shoes, but black "tap shoes" just like the dancers she adores...That night she could not sleep unless she had in her hands the most fabulous gift of all, her black tap shoes like the Irish Dancers...

Soundly and at ease, an inspiring dancer slept with her dancing shoes...

We will always remember

Sept. 11th, 2001

Farewell Summer.....

The last days of summer...Where did the time go? To celebrate Labor Day we went to Jim's Aunt and Uncles lake house. What a fabulous time! For the first time in close to a year everyone from Jim's side of the family were together.
Olvyia and Emma had a chance to play backgammon, play with their cousin "Baby Aubrey", bounce in a hammock and enjoy time on the lake...
I had the opportunity to sit back and watch my girls and wonder.."look how much they have grown this summer"...
Olyvia has begun to lose her baby features, this is killing me..Where is that baby I held in my arms just a few months ago? She is a toddler now Jen..I have to remind myself this..she IS going to be THREE in just a few short weeks...Again, where did the time go? This summer she is also experimenting new foods and has given up the baby toys for Princess and ballerina dress up play, playing Mommy to her babies, and enjoying hop-Scotch with her older friends on the block...She must have consumed 20-30 ears of corn and indulged in a least a dozen smores...She is also much more independent, not only is she potty trained, but she will tell you what she wants to wear every day which usually consists of a princess dress! Above all, she has taken on a new hat..She is a daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece, cousin, friend, and now student...THREE...my baby is THREE.
And then there is my Emma...oh how her smile lightens up my day..Her signature smile, her big brown eyes...Emma just this summer has done something that Olyvia has yet to accomplish..she dresses herself. My little Independent baby can even put her own shoes on..Which leads me to Emmas growth..She is one half size smaller in shoes then Olyvia and she is in the same size clothing...They are only a few inches from being the same height, however their personalities cannot be any different! Emma is saying a few more words, but really relies on Olyvia to do all of the talking..(This I need to stop)...Emma is my chocolate eater..anything chocolate Emma eats! She is a nurturer..if you could just watch her for a small amount of time as she plays with her babies you would be amazed. She feeds them, gives them their bottle, changes their diaper, and sings to them...She is going to be my "motherly" girl....
In just the brief summer months of summer big steps were taken by each of my girls, and I feel like the infancy I had left in either of them is leaving as quickly as this summer has come and gone...
So I ask one more time, "Where has the time gone"...

An afternoon of dance!

After our St. Louis Reunion in July, Olyvia and Emma have become very fond of Irish Dancing...This weekend in Long Grove the annual Irish Festival was taking place so off we went...Of course, the preparation was the most fun..Daddy, Livy, Emma and Mommy went shopping at the local second hand store to find the perfect "Sparkly, shiny, dress"...Although we found mixed match pieces, the girls adored their costume and had a blast at the fest!
P.S...Olyvia has not taken off the tutu in three days!