Halloween

Dale had dance on Halloween, and since trick or treating was immediately after class, some of the kids were already in costume.  As for Dale, his hair was sprayed silver in anticipation of his "old man" costume.

 

 

While Dale was inside his class getting all riled up with the other kids, (the teacher lost control that day), Rose was outside, already dressed up as a lady, posing for pictures like a perfect child.

 

 

But as soon as dance class was over, we headed straight to the mall for some fabulous friendly indoor trick or treating.  As you can see, Dale was thrilled with his costume.  I'm sure he would have loved being a superhero or something of the sort, but I saw this year as my last chance to put my kids in whatever I wanted.  So I did.  And dang, they sure did look adorable!

 

Rose was a huge hit in the mall. She carried Monga's makeup bag as her purse, where she kept all her candy.  Every time I turned around to look at her, I laughed out loud.

Dale was as polite and patient as could be.  Once he remembered the concept of trick or treating, he practically flew around that mall.

Waiting for Rose to catch up.

 

It was the best Halloween yet!

The Birthday That Ended With a Miracle

September 26, 2012

 

Dale's dance class fell on the day of Rose's actual birthday,  but she didn't mind.  While Dale was in dance class, Rose had her own fun with the other little siblings.  They shared raisins and boogers and giggles and cries.  It was a grand ol' time.

 

Once Daddy got home from work, we went out for a tasty birthday treat.

This was the first time we had been to one of these build your own frozen yogurt places.  Dale had a blast with all the toppings.  Princess Rose loved hers so much that she got very upset at me for snagging a quick bite of her treat.

My children are quite agreeable after they are given treats.  This is the face Dale makes when you ask him to say "cheese."

The clouds parted, the angels trumpeted, and my children both looked at me and smiled at the same time.  That's right, a miracle occurred on Rose's second birthday in front of the frozen yogurt store in Manhattan, Kansas.  I think I may have even seen the face of Jesus in Dale's yogurt.  Write it down, folks.

Dreams really do come true.

Happy Birthday to the cutest little Princess ever!

 

New Beginnings

The day before Dale's preschool started, we went to the open house to explore.  Dale gave his new teacher one huge smile before hiding behind Daddy's leg.

 

A smile and a crotch grab, that is.

Rose was already firmly planted in her spot between my legs.

Once we got inside the building, Dale went nuts exploring all the new toys.  We chose a play based preschool for Dale, because we wanted him to grow socially.  Plenty of time for all the other stuff later.

 

On the same day as the preschool open house, Dale's new dance class began.  Dale was super excited about his dance class.  He entered the building like he owned the place, changed into his ballet shoes, and walked right into his class with his new friends.

 

 

Dale appears to be the youngest in his class.  The teachers invited Dale to join the 4-5 year old class, even though he would be three when the class started.  Yay, Dale!

 

And the tap shoes!!!  When Dale puts those shoes on his feet, he gets a new burst of energy and a sparkle in his eye.

Future tap star.

Meanwhile, little sister Rose entertained the other mommas with her loud demands for everyone to say "Hi!" to her.

Even the mannequin was greeted by Rose.

Last Dance

Dale's last dance class of the summer was bittersweet for me.  On one hand, I was sure going to miss watching those adorable kids grin with glee as they pranced around the room, but I was very much over the three times a week trek in the heat that we made right before dinnertime.

Before looking at at some entirely too cute pictures of Dale, here's Rose sitting at the little table not eating her morning snack.

Don't let the mess fool you.  Rose doesn't really eat a thing.

Without further ado, here's Dale!

Dale couldn't wait to get inside the school to see his friends.

In the window you can see Lily pushing Rose toward the door.

The mannequin at this dance school is extremely interesting to all the children.  Her purpose is to don the new apparel for sale, but the kids think of her as the strangest toy they've ever seen.  The poor thing gets her hand ripped off several times a day.  To me that mannequin is creepy, and I'm pretty sure it comes alive at night and changes outfits while singing, "Do you dream about me."  If you don't know what I'm talking about, click here for 80's awesomeness.  Admit it, it was your favorite part of the movie too.

"At least she'll never tell you your hips are too fat." -Hollywood Montrose from the 1987 movie Mannequin.

But Dale loves this gal even more.  Meet Autumn, Dale's dance BFF.  She suits him.

Oh boy does this picture do this group justice.

Dale's posse.

Since it was the last class, the teacher let us in to see the dance the kids had been working on all month.  Dale was so proud of himself.  Dale's favorite dance move?  Jumping up as high as he can and then landing on his knees.  My cheeks hurt from smiling.

When class was over, we watched the kids get their final stickers for their stars.

Then I made Dale pose for more pictures.

Back at home, we resumed our usual strangeness.

"Wimming suit peeeeez."

Tiny Dancers

I don't know who enjoys dance class more, Dale or me.  I certainly get my fill of laughter while watching those tiny dancers spin and giggle and jump and play.  Dale has made many new friends, which I love, and Rose has made one of her own just by hanging out in the waiting area.  We're all happy.

Dale waits for his friend, Autumn, to show up for class.

Front and center in class, Dale follows instructions very well.  So well, in fact, that he is one of the only kids in his class advancing to the 4-5 year old pre-dance class in the Fall.  And he'll still be three!  Yay Dale!!

So what's Rose doing while Dale is in dance class?  She snacks or yells at the other people in the waiting room.  She is the Mommy entertainment.  She also entertains the other dance-sibling sitting in his stroller by yelling, "NOOoo!" and "MINE" at him.

We love our dance studio.  We love all the kids, the teachers and the parents.

Check out Dale's point!  All these years of walking on his toes are paying off.

He's a good kid.

Once the kids all started to get to know each other a little better, they started to act more like three year olds.  Dale would wait until Autumn arrived, but then the two would go bonkers until the teacher started class.

Cute Kids Overload

If you ever feel like you are in the mood to giggle, or you have a hankering for pink tulle, just visit a three year old dance class.  There isn't a single thing about this class that doesn't make me smile.

Every once and a while, I can manage to get a short video through the classroom window.

At the end of every class, the well behaved toddlers get a sticker to put on their star.  Dale always makes sure to tell me about his sticker.  He also tells me who doesn't get a sticker by pointing and talking loudly about it in front of all the other parents.

The whole dance class experience makes Dale feel like such a big boy.  He is very well behaved and wants to push Rose in and out of the school.  On this day, Rose wanted to wear her dance outfit too.  She cannot wait to be three.

After dance class, we headed to KState to watch Daddy play Ultimate Frisbee.  For some reason, running around in 100 degree weather makes Daddy sick in the head happy, so we just go with it.

We watched from afar in the nearest shaded spot we could find.  Both Dale and Rose wanted to run onto the field.

There were also fights a brewin', so we didn't stay long.

The Dude Can Dance

June 4, 2012

Dale's first dance class!!!

That's right, Dale is taking dance class at Bates Dance Studio here in Manhattan.  On his first day of class, he was so excited that he gave me his best cheese face before we went in.

Those three year olds are crazy cute to watch.

After the first class, Dale was still happy.  Success.