Hakuna Matata!



Frog

The first week of summer vacation we got busy with something to do. We took a trip to Tennessee to see the great-grandparents. The girls are so sweet, so affectionate and precious. They were never shy, only warm to these precious people that they don't get to see very often. Charlotte spoke slowly and tried to articulate. Ruby let them hold her Handy Manny doll, both girls shared their amphibian toys.

Grandma made a ham dinner with baked beans and mashed potatoes, onion shrimp salad. Both girls sat through the meal, CHARLOTTE CLEANED HER PLATE! Pa fed Ruby a bite of onion shrimp salad...she politely found a place to spit it out.

We three girls made it home on Friday in time for me to panic about the amount of things to do before Charlotte's dress rehearsal for her dance recital. We managed to kind of get her hair fixed (I bribed her with a bowl of chocolate ice cream) but she refused all makeup. They wanted me to put her hair in a bun. Uh-huh. Little Charshe with her short, wide bangs and chin-length bob. "Use bobby pins and aquanet and mousse and a hair net and an artificial hair piece". I managed to get it slicked back in a headband. Then I hotglued her hair accessory to it. And I felt good about it! When she wasn't looking I smeared some red lipstick on her. Char screamed, and started licking her lips. Now she has a red mouth. Oh well. Off to the Springer!

Very excited. Very theatrical.

Dress Rehearsal.

The Springer Opera House is amazing. Truth be told, the reason I went with the dance studio we went with was because (a) I knew they put on good shows; (b) they put on those shows at the Springer.

We went upstairs to the dressing room! Wow. With all the big mirrors and lightbulb lights. We got ready again. I wiped that lipstick off her chin. Then the mothers marched the girls downstairs to line them up, and get them in their order and their was a person in charge with a clipboard and an earpiece barking orders. All of it seemed a bit intense to me. The noise, the lights, "QUIET!" being barked every 30 seconds, the anticipation. I didn't know how I'd get through the real performance without a Valium.

Charlotte LOVED it - kept telling me to "go get a good seat mom!".

I cried when she danced her first number. She was thrilled to be up on the stage. After she danced I brought her into the audience for a bit to watch a couple more numbers. Then it was time for a "hair" and "costume" change. Charlotte's hair stayed the same, but she put on her big tutu.

I cried the next afternoon. The stress was getting to me. It's been a while since I've dealt with any stress outside of cooking dinner and managing toy brawls.  How in the world do all of these kids handle the stress of recital day?!  No worries: problem free, philosophy.  Completely enjoying all of the moments of the day.  I've got to be more like that.  

Charlotte's grandparents - Noni, Popi, Gigi were there and  her much-adored cousin.  It was a magical day.  One, I know, I'll never forget. 

Now let me pull out my calendar here to see what else we've done. 

It's too hot to go outside.  I will never get use to this Columbus heat.  It's the hottest place we've ever lived...and we've lived at the beach and in Savannah. 

We have been accumulating quite the Disney DVD collection.  When we went to Disney in February I came back talkinga bout how exhausting it was.  And it was but - something about seeing the Walt Disney World/Magic Kingdom/Cinderella Castle insignia before every disney movie reminds me of the "magic" and makes us want to go back.  So, yep, Walt, it's doing exactly what it's suppose to.  I'm falling victim.  We've watched lots of princess movies, but none can top "Snow White"; Ruby loves Snow White.  Charlotte is mesmerized with "Lion King".  Now she "knows" what Africa is.  (Throat Clears.)  And big sis wants to go to Africa. 

I'm thinking that's not too bad of an idea.  I've been itchy for an adventure. 

I settled for painting.  First, the dining room.  Now it is a respectable "Relaxed Khaki", one shade darker than the kitchen walls, now it looks like real grown-ups live here.  And I love it!  Then I needed to paint the short corridor off the dining room, to our bedroom (grey-blue) and to the living room (deep sage/cream trim).  As you read...that blue made it especially tricky to pick a color to tie into them all.  Once again, Pottery Barn led me astray, and convinced me that a coral-peach was the perfect choice. 

I should have known when I was at the paint store picking up my gallon (my fav of the three I tried out on the walls) when the paint man asked me if my husband knew I was painting something peach.  Well no, in fact, he did not.  He was fishing in Panama.  Charlotte told me she didn't like it.  They suggested purple. 

It felt like you were walking into the middle of a really ripe peach - which was as unpleasant as it sounded.  So, I repainted it the same day - well, that night.  To my fall-back pale greenish/greyish.  Still wasn't sure.  So I went antique'ing and found the perfect wall hanging.  Done. 

The girls ate lots of pop-ice, destroyed the playroom and watched hours of...well, "Snow White".  All went well, unless Ruby tried to take one of Charlotte's 175 Squinkies - then there was screaming and crying and Ruby running through the house laughing because now Charty was out of her "world" and chasing her. 

Yes.  We grew this tomato

They were afraid I was going to make them eat it.

We started swim lessons last night.  Charlotte in the pre-school class, where she's the youngest and the littlest and Ruby in the parent and child class.  Ruby did not want to "follow directions" - she wanted to do what she wanted to do which was whatever nobody else was doing.  Then she sunk, miscommunication between teacher and parent, and it was all over.  Out of the pool.  She decided she was content just watching her big sis.  We were really bummed - frustrated with Roo's class, because she loved getting into the pool and would get so excited whenever she saw one. 

Charlotte did great.  She trusted her teacher, said "yes" to trying everything he asked of her, went under, and jumped in at the end of class!  She leaned over, like she was going to dive, grabbed her teacher's shoulders and then jumped in, but still jumped in.  We were so proud of her, and she was so proud of herself. 

There's nothing better for a child's self-confidence than conquering something they're afraid of, something they believe they can't do.  We've been going to speech therapy for months and her "F" is getting much better and we've started the "K" sound.  Nothing has been as good for her self-esteem as jumping in that pool.  Even dancing on the stage, she knew she could do that - I was the nervous one.   

Here's hoping swim class today is a better day for Ruby.  Hakuna Matata!