Rehearsal Night

I signed Mallory up for ballet this year.  I thought it would be a good activity for her.  She was in a phase of dancing around the house.

She started out loving it.  But then towards the end I was having to force her to go.  I didn’t want her “quitting” I was trying to teach her that once you start something you need to finish.

And there were some nights where I didn’t want to drag everyone out in the cold and blustery snow and go either… but we did.  Once I got her there she enjoyed it.

Here she is on rehearsal night.  3rd girl from the left.

I very much enjoyed they style of ballet they did.  Her teacher is an older gal so she keeps it very real.   She literally plays old records for the girls to stretch to and dance to.  The song they danced to was super old… I can’t even remember it now… something about Wonderful World.  I liked that she was keeping the girls young and age appropriate. 

Here she is after rehearsal giving me a ballet pose. 

5 Years Old!

Five!  Five years old!  I don’t know why, but I have a really hard time saying that Mallory is five now.  I guess it just feels like at five years of age you are officially out of that toddler stage and you are a full fledge kid now.

She was so excited to turn five and have a party!  She ended up having a beautiful day.

Here are all the kids.  We are missing Junior – which makes me sad.

Opening presents.  Ellyn reads the cards.  The boys hold the present.

Princess Belle Doll! 

Since Max got a squirt gun for his birthday – one of her requests was her very own squirt gun… and bigger then Max’s. 

Coloring books.  She loves to color!  I bet she sits down to color 4-5 times a day.  She has just about used up all the books we had – so she got a fresh supply.  She also tapes her finished pictures all over the house.  My fridge is covered.  She puts them on my bedroom door.  She puts them on her own bedroom door.  One day I went on a tangent and tore down all the pictures and threw them away… which was really hard.  Some of them were hand drawn pictures which I love.  And it took a few days for her to notice and when she did she was almost offended.  But I told her she could make me more.  And more she did.  Instantly.  I’m now covered in colored pictures again.

Her first big girl necklace!!  She loves this!  She wears it just about every day.  She also got a jewelry box to put her new necklace in.

Mallory is very much a jewelry girl. She constantly has some sort of jewelry on.  Also lip gloss.  Loves her lip gloss.  She almost can’t leave the house without it.  I’ll be ready to go and she’ll be hollering “I need some lip gloss first” and she’ll be in her room loading it on.  She likes to put them all on at one time.  Sometimes she has come out and it is running down her chin she has so much on.

Her cake request was my homemade (100% from scratch) chocolate cake with chocolate frosting (100% from scratch). 

She wanted a frozen theme too – so I just searched for free printables and decorated it.  Kind of cheesey… but she loved it.

Hard to believe our little Mallory Rae is 5!  She is growing into a beautiful little lady!  We can’t get enough of her!

A summer of swings

Both of my kids love to swing.  So much.  They would spend the whole afternoon on the swings if I was willing to stand there and push them the whole afternoon.

This boy!

He is in a fussy whinny stage again.

Me taking pictures of him was making him even more mad.

I said something to the effect of “Mr. Cranky Pants” and it sent them into giggles.  And he was better.  He just wanted me to put the camera down and push him already.

There will never be grass growing under these swings. 

They had to show me their new “trick” of running to the swings.  I captured it for them.

I look at this girl lately and I think… you are growing up too fast!  She is looking so different lately.  So grown up.  Getting that kid look. 

And then there is this clown.  Seriously.  He is a clown.

They are a perfect team though!  I love it when they get in there Mally & Max World!  They are little best friends!