Sick Day

At 6:30 am watching cartoons in bed.

Isabella is feeling good enough to play the Wii.

Ian is playing with his toys.

I've been taking care of sick kids all weekend. It started on Friday when I picked Isabella up from school early because she had a headache and tummy ache. She would start to feel better and then a few hours later she was feeling yucky again. That lasted all weekend. Then I woke up this morning to a sick toddler. His sister thought she would be kind and share her germs with her brother. Why should she have all the fun of taking medicine and dealing with the ickiness of fevers and headaches? It's more fun when someone else is sharing in your misery.  After sleeping at the foot of Isabellas bed last night and getting a total of 4 hours of sleep I was awakened by a tiny toddler at 5:45 am who was feeling not so hot, actually he was feeling really hot since he had a fever so he was pretty cranky.  So we've been up since about 6am with fevers, runny noses, headaches, coughs and plan old crankiness. I pray they feel better soon and I pray that I make it through this day in one piece. I think it's going to take lots of coffee to make it through the day, lots and lots of coffee.

Planet Dance at Relay for LIfe

Our dance studio had the opportunity to perform at a local Relay for Life event yesterday.  This was our second year dancing at the event and it was a great success.  I was able to perform last year with the dance team and this year both Isabella and I danced with our hip hop classes.  She had been feeling a little under the weather but like the true performer she is she pushed through and did a great job.  Here a some pictures I took before we took the stage. We will be performing again next Saturday at the local Asthma Walk.  I'm hoping that Mr. G will be able to get some pictures of us on stage. He was busy video taping the performance and trying to keep Ian happy in his stroller with promises of cotton candy and soda when we were all done. 

Here I am with some of the girls I take hip hop with.  Isabella took the picture thats why we are all bent over and squished together.

This is Miranda and Sylvia.  Miranda and Isabella go to school together and take dance together.  Sylvia and I are in taking hip hop together too. Who says moms can't get their groove on?

Irene, Sylvia, Christine (she teaches the dance team, ballet and jazz, and takes hip hop), Jacob (he teaches tap and takes hip hop) and Lexie (she is an extraordinary dancer and we danced together on the dance team last year)

Christine and Jacob, they are brother and sister and the best dance teachers I know.

The three of us right before we take the stage.

Jacob and Irene.  Irene and I went to the same high school together and attend the same church.  She takes hip hop with me too.

Jacob and Isabella.  She took tap with him last year and thinks he is the bomb.

Miranda and Isabella. I dont think they ever met a camera they didn't like. They are in the same class at school and take hip hop together. This is their second year dancing together.  They are very talented if I do say so myself.

Feliz Cumpleanos!!

Happy birthday to my two favorite boys in the whole world!!! 

Look at that face

This is the face of a little boy that I love more than words can express.  It is the sweetest, cutest, most precious face of any boy I have ever seen.  But don't let that face fool you. Oh no. Behind those sweet eyes and cute smile lies a wild boy (and when I say wild I mean acting in a uncontrolled and rampant manner). He can make a sword out of just about anything (right now its plastic curly straws) and insists on fighting you with it all day long, he torments the cat so much that when she sees him she runs for cover , he won't share his Thomas trains with anyone (I'm serious about this, you touch his trains and he has a nuclear meltdown), he has broken more glass and destroyed so many household items that I'm not surprised anymore when I hear a crash on the floor. He yells, screams and runs all around our house all day long.  For hours on end, just yelling and running.  Oh and growling. He loves to growl at everyone. He LOVES to fight with the vacuum when I am actually vacuuming the carpet.  Its kind of like his own version of a bullfight. He follows me around with his pirates hook and fights with it.  Entertaining for him but somewhat of a nuisance to me when I'm trying to be a good housewife and do my housework.  He can be exhausting. Sometimes I'm not sure if I can keep up with him or if it's even worth trying. Then I see that face. I see that smile. Oh how I melt. Then it all changes.  He becomes a loving and gentle little boy.  He runs up to me and hugs my leg to tell me he missed me and loves me even if I was only in the other room for 10 minutes.  He will rub my tummy when I have a stomachache.  He likes to snuggle on the chair with a blanket and watch movies with me. He will reach over and grab my hand at dinner and just smile at me.  Then I'm reminded of how sweet and kind he is.  I'm reminded of how precious these days are and even if he destroys our house and leaves me without any energy at the end of the day he is mine. God placed this beautiful child in my care and I have the honor and privilege of being his mommy.  What a blessing, what a joy. To be his mommy. So he may be wild and loud and seem uncivilized at times but he is mine. And I love that face.

February Goals

Here are my goals for February. I didn't do such a great job last month with my goals but that won't discourage me from making new ones this month. I think I need to put them on my calendar or on my to-do list this time. I need to be able to cross them off my list and see my progress to keep me motivated. Otherwise they will do undone. Then I will be a failure for a second month and I can't have that. Keeping them in this super cute scrapbook wasn't enough motivation to get anything done last month. That and the fact that I was just plan lazy.  So I will write down the days I am going to exercise, when I will work on my mini book and when I will organize my scrapbook stuff. I will  write the daily things on my to do list every night for the next day so I make sure they get done and crossed of the list.  That should help get this haute housewife organized enough to accomplish those goals.  So wish me luck and maybe you can set some goals for yourself this month too. 

Wanna dance?

Today is the first day of the dance classes.  I've dusted off my dance shoes and put a new playlist on my ipod.  I am beyond excited about this year!  I will  be teaching 2 preschool ballet classes this year and assisting 2 preschool tap classes.  Last year when the season started I was just going to be a teachers assistant. With over 20 preschoolers enrolled in one class it was decided to split them into 2 classes.  That's when I was approached about taking one of the classes all by myself.  I was honored to have the opportunity to do it.  My 8 ballerinas did a great job at recital and I was smiling from ear to ear like a proud momma during their performance.  I couldnt't have been more pleased with them.  They did such a great job.  So as we begin a new year I feel a little more prepared and confident in myself as a teacher.  I learned a lot last year and I'm hoping that I do an even better job this year with both classes.  Being a dance instructor and working for a dance studio is a childhood dream and I am so blessed to be able to have this amazing opportunity.  It's going to be a great year. I can feel it in my toes.

Put It In Writing

I was feeling crafty yesterday but never got around to making anything.  I didn't know excatly what I wanted to do but I knew that I wanted to use some of my new scrapbook supplies. So at 11pm I was struck with an idea to make a little 4x6 book to keep track of all the things I want to accomplish this year. So I went through my paper and stickers and this morning I got busy.  Here are just a few pictures of the book.  I already filled in January goals and as I complete them I will check the little boxes. I'm hoping that at the end of the year I can look back and see how much I was able to accomplish.