I always underestimate how busy I'll be in December. Just the regular schedule for school, kids' activities and household is more than I can handle, so throw a few extra parties, service projects and shopping into the mix, and other things (like blogging) get put on the back burner.
The madness began at 6:45 a.m. today, when I got up to put my breakfast casserole in the oven for our ward breakfast. We got to stay for about 45 minutes, most of that time spent in line to dish up food, but luckily Santa showed up just before I had to whisk the girls away to their ballet recital.
The recital was awesome: about 30 minutes long, darling costumes, a convenient location and free! Ellie was so happy to be in the same class as Amelia and Halle.
And Ainsley loves dancing with Megan. They were all so cute and fun to watch.
After the ballet recital I took Robbie and Joey to Toys R Us for a promotional event. I'm not usually this nice, but it combined two of Joey's passions, Legos and ninjas. Unfortunately, the ninjago line will not be release until January 1st, so it won't be under the Christmas tree this year, but if they manage to get a Lego Ninja Wii game by next Christmas, Joey will attain nirvana.
The girls had their fun too, at even greater personal sacrifice: we spent several hours shopping at the mall. It's bad enough without the Christmas crowds, but I needed sizing help, which I can't do online. At the top of my gratitude list today? Amazon. Here's hoping I don't have to set foot in one more store before Christmas. :)
I asked Ainsley what the caption for this photo should be and she said "Ainsley and Lulu, butterflies."
No performance is complete without ice cream afterward.
And here are her loyal fans.
The boys were especially excited to be there.
The program said no video or flash photography. The announcement before the curtain went up said absolutely no video or photography. I chose to observe the written request, and only took photos without my flash.
Ellie was awesome. And she had a great time.
Here's the final curtain call. She's behind the Emerald City guard, but you can see what great costumes they had. The set was well done too.
Ainsley was so excited to give her flowers after the performance. Ellie was excited to get them too. Win-win all the way around.
May is one of our busiest months, and it's pushing back into April this year. Ainsley's ballet recital isn't until May, but they had photos today. Ellie has a dress rehearsal tomorrow, and a performance Thursday night. Robbie and Joey's piano recital is Monday night, and Joey's play is in May too. Add to that swim team every week day after school, plus scouts, tumbling, field trips, chess club, wedding showers and receptions, birthday parties...well, you get the idea.
Ainsley came to me and said, "Mom, want to see how I cleaned the bathroom?" Knowing how that kind of "help" usually pans out, I hurried back to access the damage. I was pleasantly surprised and slightly alarmed to find this. I think it's safe to say, genetic testing will not be necessary to prove she's mine. :)
"Mom, I loved my ballet recital. I wish I could have gone on stage a hundred times! When can I do it again?" Ellie has been ecstatic since last night's performance. Being a prima donna might just be her calling in life. :) She really did a great job; she was much more confident and excited than she was last year. In my completely unbiased opinion, she and Amelia were the cutest ballerinas on stage. Next year's cast is already showing some promise though:
