Animal Crackers... In my soup!

It's time to dance!

Today is the big day!

We got all dolled up again, 

curled her hair and added some makeup, 

and Waverly is ready to take the stage!

For the performance, the pre-dance girls 

are going to do their best moves to the tune 

of Shirley Temple's Animal Crackers in my soup!

Waverly and her friend Carly

give each other a pre-show hug!

It's been great watching these two girls become friends in dance class!

Since flash photography and video aren't permitted, 

you'll have to trust me that she did an excellent job on stage!

She wasn't a bit nervous.  She stood with her friends as the crowd ooo'd and awww'd,

and when the music began, she danced her heart out!

I am one proud momma!

I had a special trophy made for Wavy, since she had wanted

one so badly.  Her daddy brought her flowers and we showered her with love. 

Grandparents and aunts and cousins, and of course, Harlan, came to see Wavy's first recital. 

My heart was swollen at the love for this child!

Dress Rehearsal

It's nearly time for Waverly's first dance recital!

Tonight we have dress rehearsal and pictures.  

We are both so excited to see the big stage!

We did her hair and makeup and she's all dolled up in her dance outfit.

Harlan thought his sissy looked very pretty! 

He gets to come to the recital and watch her dance!

He does adore her so.

She was very excited for her last practice!

Dress rehearsal went very well!

Waverly did every move just as she was supposed to!

She stood on her X (a mark on the floor) and 

she twirled and did all of her ballet steps.  

We are so excited for tomorrow's performance and

to see all of the dancers!

How do you take your tea?

In a little, bitty teacup, please!

In the middle of some rambunctious playing, 

the kids spontaneously decided to sit and have a tea party!

So funny to hear them practice their English accents

as they ask each other for more tea or to pass the sugar! 

We all smile for ice cream!

Nothing like practicing some silly faces!

I can't resist but say the age-old line,

"I hope your face doesn't get stuck like that!"

If I say please, I can usually get a real smile.

He wanted to show off his new hair cut anyway! 

How about a nice ice cream treat for dessert? 

Yes, please!

Aunt Philly found these awesome ice cream holders, 

so we had to try them out.  

We even ordered the large cones, 

instead of the kid-size amount of ice cream! 

Heehee! 

Whatever snow does....IN SUMMER!

Well, it sure does feel like we're melting!
This summer is HOT!

We love being outside though, 

well, at least the kids do! 

We went to Georgetown for a change of scenery

and to explore a new park!

This park is set up just perfect for kids of all ages!
There are different stages of equipment and my kids tackled each area!

We tried out some small slides, some a little bigger, and

then giant slides!

No fear!!!

Harlan loved the twisty slide!

They helped each other climb up high!

And of course we had to try out the swings! 

My Mingya

Mingya is still being an excellent pet rabbit!

She is so cute playing with the kids, 

and with little Crissy dog!

Wavy loves her so much!

Harlan likes Mingya too, 

though he's more interested in playing monster trucks than

playing with sweet bunnies!  

Wavy will occasionally call Mingya a new name, 

just depending on what she thinks of that day.  Most days, she's still Mingya, 

though Sunshine is also a favorite nickname.  

Parkin' It

Just to have some fun,

we decided to go play at the park for awhile this evening. 

Harlan likes hanging around...

Wavy loves to swing! 

It was quite sunny out, so we had to wear our shades.

The kids had fun playing hard!

We started to get hungry after playing for awhile, 

so off to Huddle House we went!

Why is it always more fun to drink mom's ice water instead of their own? 

Eh, at least they share.  

 Sometimes eating out with two young kids isn't always easy, 

but it's still pretty fun!

Family Pictures

Photos by David Hargis @ www.dmhargisphotography.com

Safety First!

This boy sure doesn't mind a traffic jam!

He provided our entertainment while we waited!

Meet in the Middle

This picture does not capture that 

absolute cuteness of Wavy and Harlan chit-chatting

with their friends at the gate. 

I didn't want to interrupt their conversation to get a better picture, 

but trust me, it was adorable! 

They stood there talking to the girls next door for the longest time!

Hop-on-Pop

Never expose your back to young children....

They take it as an invitation to play horsey.  

Boys will be Boys

Tanner and Harlan 

were glad to rid themselves of their sisters and play with another dude for awhile...

It was all trucks and car sounds and I think they 

mainly communicated by crashing into each other and grunting.  

Hey, that's what little boys do!

Paint with Friends

It's a happy Friday!

Our friend Abby Cake (um... Abby Kate, that is)

came over to play. 

We had breakfast for supper, 

including pancakes! 

My kids always ask for either huge or tiny pancakes.  

Abby wanted a "medium-sized pancake", please.  

Then we got to paint!

Its so impressive how the kids' art skills are changing over time. 

Abby is a little over a year older than Waverly, 

and she paints a more clear picture, while Wavy is still in the abstract phase of painting.  

Harlan just sticks his whole hand in the paint!

Do you remember that picture of sweet little Abby 

holding a baby Harlan when he was about 3 months old? 

Well, we tried to remake that photo, but they've grown quite a bit!

I think its fair to say that Abby had fun!

Her mom sent this picture, 

saying that she fell asleep before even leaving the driveway! 

Flowers for Mama

My sweet boy picked me a beautiful flower!

Uncle Map

We adore Uncle "Map"!

He is a great uncle, 

and he is always up for playtime outside!

All dressed up...

All dressed up, and no where to go!

Since Wavy's recital is quickly approaching, 

we had to try on her costume just in case we needed to make any alterations. 

Harlan's reaction was so cute!

He was like, "What? What are you wearing?"

Wavy and I both cracked up laughing!

She did a few practice twirls and then we deemed the costume ready for recital!