ballet

I started taking dance lessons when I was little. I did clogging for a long time and loved to perform. When I was 9 or so my mom took me to see the Nutcracker and after that I wanted to take ballet. I wanted to learn how to dance on my toes. I started taking ballet lessons when I was 10 which was actually pretty old to just be starting. There were girls in my class who were 4 or 5 so I felt a little out of place sometimes. But I really loved dancing. When I got to be a little older the ballet school I went to held auditions for the Nutcracker and I wanted to be in it so badly. It was for the parts at the beginning of the ballet, the party scene, but I didn't get a part. I was too tall to play the role of a little girl, but I was not advanced enough to play the role of one of the boys. I was devastated. But I kept going to class because I loved it. When I was fifteen the director of the ballet school met with my mom and me and told us they wanted me to move up a level. I was so excited because that meant that once a week I got to take a pointe class. I remember going to the store to get my first pair of pointe shoes, putting them on and standing on my toes for the first time. My first pointe class was amazing even though I came out of it with bleeding toes. As the years went on, though, I realized that being at that dance school was not going to give me opportunities to perform like I wanted. I wasn't the best dancer. I really had to work where it seemed other girls in my class had more natural talent. I quit taking classes my sophomore year of high school because of cheer leading. I would rather perform every week at a football game or in school assemblies than just dance during class. But I missed ballet, so when it was announced that Las Vegas Academy was going to open I auditioned. I went there for my junior year of high school. I had 3 hours of dance a day and during performances would also dance during lunch or after school at rehearsals. I was in the best shape ever and I loved performing. One of our performances I got to dance "en pointe" in a beautiful costume. I finally felt like a real ballerina. But I knew I was not cut out to be a dancer. I wasn't good enough or dedicated enough. I had fun in the lessons I took and the performances I did and that was enough for me. After high school I took ballet classes for fun and in college as well. And recently I came across a Ballet workout DVD that I love doing. My kids will watch me as I workout and tell me I am doing great and I dance so well. I love having them as my audience. I'm sure I'll never wear pointe shoes again and never get the chance to dance on a stage in a beautiful costume, but I still feel like a ballerina when I stand in front of the TV with my chair as my ballet barre and do the familiar exercises I used to do in class so long ago.

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Refresh

I read an article the other day that talked about how to "refresh" your home. I thought it was going to give some recipes for homemade air fresheners, but it was all about getting things organized and clean. I decided I was going to work on my bedroom and bathroom. It seems that those two always get neglected and my room turns into a dumping ground for everything: half-filled laundry baskets, library books, stuffed animals, kids' blankets, socks, shoes, church clothes, Lego guys and bath toys. I cleaned everything out of my room that didn't belong and put away anything that I don't use on a daily basis. I took the bookshelf out and put it in my closet where I filled it with all of the bathroom stuff that was taking over my bathroom drawers and cabinets. My bedroom and bathroom have stayed clean the entire week, clutter-free, neat and organized. I love it. I was so pleased with the results that I cleaned out the junk cabinets in my kitchen, and after throwing away a bunch of stuff I didn't need I had two empty shelves. I used that for my water storage and we now have an empty shelf in the garage for the boys' newly-purchased bike helmets. The longer I live here the more I love this house. We may not have all of the fancy upgrades I wish we had, but when everything is clean and put in its place there is a sweet peace that makes me feel so happy to be home.

My bedroom after cleaning. There used to be a bookshelf in the corner that always looked cluttered. I love how clean it looks now. Less really is more.

The bookshelf that used to be in the bedroom. Now in the closet and holding all of the bathroom "extras". Love all of the storage and now I have tons of space in the bathroom drawers and cabinets.

Birthday Boys

Colin was born on Dave's birthday. I remember joking with Dave when I was a few days overdue that he was waiting to come for his dad's birthday. And that he did. Dave told everyone at the hospital that day that it was his birthday and his son was his gift. 

We celebrated their birthdays on Wednesday this week. Colin had been excited for weeks for his birthday to come. One Saturday I took Colin to the store to point out things he  might want as gifts. We ended up getting him some new art supplies (drawing paper, new pens, paints and brushes and paint paper) and a book called Wonkenstein. He LOVED the book. He said it was the best gift ever. The author, Obert Skye, came and visited the school and Colin loved every minute of it. He came home and started writing and illustrating his own books. He drew pictures of Wonkenstein. They read the book at school but he was still excited to get to read it at home. It's a funny book and I love sitting there reading and laughing with the kids, Colin excited because he knows a good part is coming up. It's so fun seeing these boys grow up and noticing how they change year after year. It's fun seeing them developing their talents and wondering what they will be like 5 or 10 years from now. I know Dave doesn't get his own special day anymore, but I don't think he minds sharing with his son. 

Guest bathroom - finally finished

On Saturday Dave put up the new light fixture in the guest bathroom. Today I was able to finish painting, and now that bathroom is done. I keep looking in that room wondering if it looks too bare, if I need to decorate with more stuff. But I love the way it looks: clean, fresh, simple. I love the blue and white. Someday I want white kitchen cabinets with wood floors and the walls painted a grey-blue. And yellow is my favorite color, so that is what I decided on for some pops of color. It's not a lot, but I think it's just enough. It's a bathroom, after all, and the last thing I want to do is have more stuff I have to keep clean in there. I mean, with a house full of boys the bathroom gets dirty enough.

 The new light fixture! I hate the lights they put in bathrooms, so this to me was a huge change. 

 I sat on the phone with my sister as I made the "wash your hands" print. She suggested the word placement and I think it came out so cute. The kids think it's funny, but honestly, they need the reminder.

 These are the yarn wreaths I made and the curtains my mom made. I love when bathrooms have white curtains, but I love having a lot of light in the room. The yellow stripe on the curtains is a dish towel I found at Target. I love how it turned out. The yarn wreaths are so easy to make and I used a yellow and white ribbon to hang them up. For me, this is super crafty.

Ahhhh...doesn't it look so clean? I think I need a vase of flowers on the counter.

Your brother is your best friend

I have a list of Family Rules in the family room and one of the rules is "your brother is your best friend". Last weekend a friend of mine called asking if Colin wanted to go play at her house with her son. I asked if her son could come over here, instead, because I knew if Colin went off to play Logan would be sad. I told her that I sometimes forgot to call and have friends come play on the weekends because the boys always play together - they are built in friends. Colin's birthday is in a few weeks and he wants to go to Flip N Out. Trevor went for his birthday in March so I told Colin, just like Trevor, he could invite two friends. His answer: "I want to invite my brothers." It's nice to know our boys are following at least one of our rules.

Gardening

Logan has been a very picky eater since about the age of 2. He does not like anything green and the only fruits he will eat are apples, bananas and watermelon. That's about it. I have always heard that when you have your kids help in the kitchen and let them see how the food is being prepared they are more likely to eat different types of food. I have also heard the same is true with having your kids plant a garden. And now I believe. When we moved into this house last summer I was looking forward to the spring so I could use the great garden beds that were here to try and plant a garden. We also have some great asparagus plants (I have learned that they are annual plants and will grow for about 20 years!) and ever since January we've been planning our garden. I took the kids with me to buy seeds (peas, carrots, broccoli, corn, green beans, watermelon and pumpkins) and we started some inside so the kids could watch them grow. One sunny afternoon Logan helped me plant different seeds in the garden and ever since the asparagus started popping up, he's helped me water and look after the plants. Logan has done the most work in the garden and seems the most excited when little things begin to sprout. Recently, when we picked some asparagus, he watched as I brought it in the house and cooked it for everyone to taste. And he ate it! And he liked it! He's never tried it before, but because he watched it grow and watered it he wanted to see what it tasted like. Some of the foods Logan has tried lately have been strawberries, pears, pineapple, broccoli and green beans. Seriously the kid has been trying all kinds of new things just because of that one experience with the asparagus. Gardening with your kids is the best thing ever. I just hope the rest of our plants grow as good as these asparagus.