Fairy Princess Ballet

G just performed at her first dance recital this past weekend. I was delighted by the professional program and beautiful costumes designed by her dance instructor. I was also impressed by the 17 3-6 year old girls in G's class who (mostly) learned their routine in 8 weeks of 40 minute classes.

It is too early to tell if this will be the first of many dance recitals or the one and only, but I think it was a very entertaining way to spend a beautiful June night.

G Love

Three can be challenging.

Three can be creative.

Three can be fabulous.

T's parents got the joy of spending 7 days with just G while T and I took B with us on a quick trip to London. She had times of great joy and times of great...angst.

Three is such a crazy age. She is so full of love and cuddles one minute, followed quickly by a tantrum for some crazy reason (my recent favorite was the fact that May 1 was NOT Christmas morning) followed by a song and dance routine. Most of her struggles seem to stem from the fact that she can't have whatever she wants EXACTLY when she wants it. Then there are those days, oh those days, when she will ask for something and we'll say yes and she still throws a fit because...well, I am not sure why she is throwing a fit. I think it feels so insane right now because she is the youngest and as her brother learns patience and reasoning, her lack of both seems so extreme.

For now, I will soak up the cuddles when they come, try to stay patient when she isn't and try not to get worked up when it isn't Christmas morning on May 1.

Ballet - Oh Goodness

G had her final day of her ballet class today, so parents got to come in and observe.

Since her favorite part is running, I think her ballet career will be short lived, it is still pretty fun to watch. The class is for 3-6 year olds, so there is quite a range in skill and size.

Dance Class - Love it or Hate it?

G's fall dance class was cute and she said she liked it, but it was her first class where they want parents to stay out. On the last day, we got to watch from the side of the room. She was a bit bipolar that day...

Happy Girl

Not so happy girl

Loving it

Not so much.

This oscillating continued the entire time. I think she didn't like the choice in music or she wanted to do different things, or she was showing off for me. Not sure. Either way, this pretty much sums up our daily interaction with the Gorgeous Miss G!

"Is this a good time?"

Those are best words you want to hear from your social worker when you are waiting for an adoption referral. It means they have very important news and want your full attention. For anyone who has waited (and waited and waited and waited), this is the phrase that makes your heart stop, then start racing. This is when all your basic abilities cease. This is when, for the life of you, you can't remember how to dial a 3-way call on your phone (despite practicing for months and months). You can't find that beautiful notebook you set by the phone to write down all of the important information. Instead, you grab a crayon and the back of an envelope and start to scribble.

Our social worker was very patient and explained that she'd be sending an email with all of the data we were discussing, so we could just listen. Better yet, she was sending a photo - a photo of the little lovely who would forever change our family.

3 years ago, on the morning of January 9, we got, "THE CALL". A beautiful and tiny bundle of joy, not even 3 months old, was waiting for us in Ethiopia. We had a DAUGHTER. B had a sister. We were now a family of four.

~10 weeks

1 year

2 years3 years

Matchy Matchy Twins

I love that my kids are very close in age to their cousins. I love my cousins dearly, but those who I saw more often were so much younger that I still have to remind myself that they are cousins, not nieces and nephews. When we were preparing for Cousin A to bring her parents to visit in December, G helped pick out an outfit so the girls could be "Matchy Matchy Twins". They even added the Princess Shoes to complete the look.

Twirl Test

G got a new dress for her birthday, but we never had a reason for her to wear it. She did, however, wear it for Thanksgiving. In fact, she tried out the twirling in the living room. Then she showed off the twirling in the aisles at church, too!

Go Ducks!

Can't visit the Happiest Place on Earth without a hug from my FAVORITE character...Donald Duck!

11 - 0 - I LOVE MY DUCKS!!

Fabulous G

B & G were treated to some time with Chuck the Rat (better know as Chuck E. Cheese) a few days ago. (Add this to the list of 100+ reasons we love Annie the Super Nanny - her willingness to take these two to CEC on a Friday night by herself and thinks it is a fun way to pass the time.)

At the end of their time, the kids were "buying" prizes with their game tickets. G was taking lots of time trying to make a decision and a line was forming behind her. As Annie urged her to make a choice, G turned to Annie and said, "But I need to find something FABULOUS!"

The Bike

G has been BEGGING for a big kid bike ever since she hoped on her brother's bike this summer. I knew back then that she would be getting one from her aunt, uncle and cousin on her birthday. The big reveal brought huge smiles all around.

Birthday Fun

What better way to celebrate a birthday than with four of G's favorite people?

Today is the Day

Our baby is THREE today. (Some were a bit confused when I posted my last post a bit early. I was going for better early than never.) So far, we have celebrated with a play group party and muffins at school. We are going to have a whirlwind of a weekend celebrating both G's big day and Halloween. Since my birthday normally falls during spring break, I have always enjoyed an extended birthday celebration and hope she does too.

She lights up any room she enters. She is funny, loving, empathetic, intelligent and independent. We thank God every day that she came into our world. I can't help but think of those who gave up so much, who made a very selfless decision, a very difficult decision, a life-altering decision three years ago. We pray every night for the special people in Ethiopia.

On a lighter note, this past week, many of my friends posted on their blogs about both a Sesame Street video and 9 year old Willow Smith's video about brown girls loving their beautiful brown hair. We have been watching the videos often, complete with singing, hip shaking and head whipping. So have the kids...(ha ha...just seeing if you are paying attention.)

Thanks to my friend, Katie, over at Happy Girl Hair for posting a bit about them. She also put up another link to an article on NPR. Check out this NPR post. You can see the videos in both spots.

New Normal

I haven't posted for a bit because I am still working on making our New Normal less 'new' and much more 'normal'. B seems to be settling into his routine. I am still walking him all the way into his classroom rather than dropping him off at the door or the curb. Compared to the WEEKS of tantrums at drop off last year, I am happy to walk him to the room. Today was my first day volunteering with his class. He didn't like it when I left, but seemed to enjoy having me around today. I am thankful for that while it lasts.

G is spending her first day at a new school. I wasn't happy with her other option this fall. Unorganized is the best way to describe it. Nothing WRONG just didn't feel RIGHT. Had to follow my Mama instinct and go elsewhere. I called a couple of hours in and they said she is doing great. We'll see if she sleeps or eats...

T is working crazy hours. I hope this isn't a permanent part of our New Normal. I know he feels the same way. He was able to get away to celebrate a night away for our Anniversary. That was a well-needed break that we both enjoyed.

I will try not to stay away too long. For now, I'll keep working on this routine.

Munchkins Amok

Out little munchkin finished her summer sports class. She learned to play soccer, basketball, tennis, tee ball, floor hockey but if you ask her, she learned how to play Sharks and Minnows.

New Poses

Both of my children have spent a lot of time getting their photo taken. They are pretty good about indulging their camera-happy mom. G, however, has a new technique for getting me to stop snapping.

Instead of this beautiful pose...

We get this one.

I will admit to you (but not her) that it works. Tongue comes out, camera goes away.

Another gem on the new learned behavior front, yesterday, we were sitting enjoying a treat. Little Miss Sunshine turns to me and says, "Can we please go play before we go home, Mommy? Pleeeeeeeease? (Insert FLUTTERING EYELASHES HERE!!!!!)"

OH YES SHE DID. Three times. I laughed, scoffed and looked at her with what had to have been a combination of surprise, joy, and annoyance. I thought, "Where did you learn this trick? Does it work for you with someone else? Is this cute or really disturbing or both?"

Eddie Haskell, Jr.

G has a classmate who is relatively new and likes to pick on the other kids. I was a bit surprised to hear about it, since he is always so sweet and smiley when I walk into her class at both drop off and pick up. When I started to hear from G about this little tyrant's propensity for pushing and hitting, I asked the administrator what is going on. Turns out, this little guy tried to hit and/or push G when he first got to class. What did she do?

"No! Stop! No hit! NO THANK YOU!!!!"

Nope. She wasn't having any of it. He hasn't gone near her since.

He is, however, a fan of picking on those who take it and don't speak up for themselves. Yikes! A bully at the ripe old age of 2. I am happy to hear that our girl spoke up and demanded that he stop, but I am sad that she is being exposed to this disturbing social norm at such a young age, an age when they learn behavior and don't always understand the consequences.

As a result, I have started talking to G about standing up for her friends, too. If she sees someone hit or push one of her classmates, it is OK to say, "No. Stop. NO THANK YOU! Be nice to my friend."

I have a feeling we haven't seen the end of this episode.

And, just for kicks, here's a photo of the fabulous Miss G!