Dance Recital

Lila Grace loves to dance.  She has been in a Creative Dance class this year and they had their recital this weekend.  She was so excited to finally get to perform on a stage.  This girl dreams of a future when she is singing and dancing in front of large audiences.  It's so not me but, it's pretty cute.

While I wasn't the biggest fan of the costume, I knew I had to sign her up for the recital component of the class.  I am glad I did.  Lila and her friends looked pretty cute in their fluorescent fishnet gloves on stage.  Here is a clip from the rehearsal.  She is the second from the right.  Her class consists of four girls and had to join a much larger class for the performance.  This run through is pretty rough because it was the first time the classes were put together.  I am proud to say that my girl, who has a host of motor planning and clumsiness issues, nailed the dance!

The girls pulled it together at the recital and looked like a cohesive group (videos aren't allowed).  It was fun to watch my music lover dance and skip her hear out.





Here is Lila at her in-class rehearsal, belting out their last "We Had Fun at Dance Today," song.  They were four happy little girls. 

Mother's Day

I didn't get to give a shout out to all the mommies out there!  Happy Mother's Day - a little late!!

I was lucky to have my mom here the three weeks leading up to Mother's Day.  She left a day before.  Here are all the girls Alex had to put up with as the solo male in the house.

Mother's Day is such a sweet day.  All of my girls brought home their handmade crafts from school.  The little girls couldn't wait for Sunday and were bursting with pride as they removed their gifts from their backpacks.  It is all so sweet.  I really am so darn lucky.  I could go on and on but I figure I feel the same way that most mother's feel about their children.  Although, I like to think that I have something special and unique :)

What was absolutely special and unique was a simple gift from my big girl.  This gift wasn't prompted by a school project but cultivated in the depths of her loving, heart.  Savannah is wise beyond her years and has a special way of understanding life from other people's perspectives.  She just gets it.  She gets me. 

This is what she gave me wrapped up in a homemade duck tape key holder. . . does anyone else have a little girl that has bought into this duck taping fad??

This is what made me cry.  This is what hit the nail on the head.  This is what every mother needs to hear.

After reading my note, Savannah further clarified her thoughts.

"Mommy, the reason I gave you such a tiny and fragile sand dollar is because there isn't another one out there just like it in the whole world.  Just like you.  It is also really tiny compared to the rest of the world.  If you feel tiny sometimes because the Earth is such a large place with so many things in it, remember YOU ARE SPECIAL AND MATTER TO ME!  No matter what, you are special to your family.  No matter what, we will always love you."

Mommies, don't we all want to hear something like this?  Don't we all feel unnoticed and undervalued sometimes?

It is so easy for me to question the role I play in my life.  I gave up my job and, therefore, don't contribute financially to my family.  I spend more than half my day playing taxi driver.  I make working out a priority which has an "I'm not spending time with my kids" guilty component.  I can easily be overwhelmed by trying to get dinner to the table while managing homework or afternoon beastliness.  I mean, really!?  Doesn't my day seem so simple, so easy, so neutral and uncomplicated?

Where is that making an impact or difference role that we all need to believe we are playing in our children's lives?  Most days, I know it is there.  I know it because my kids cry when I leave them to go to the grocery store (I should note that Savannah has graduated from opening the floodgates when I leave. She lets me know that she isn't happy about it though).  They want me around THAT much.  They NEED me.  They come yelling my name through the house when I open the door. . . even if I was only gone for a 30 minute run.  But, there are the days when I feel  small, lonely, and without a great deal of purpose.  On those days, I can reach in my pocket and give my little sand dollar a rub.  Because, in this big and crazy world, I matter. . . I am special.  I am loved.  I am needed.

I have proof!  I have a note!

I also have the sweetest eight year old on the planet!   My five year olds are pretty amazing too!