the Dancing Queen

Afton had her first dance recital on Saturday. She has spent one hour every Thursday since August learning tap and ballet. And of course, she has loved every minute of it.

I volunteered to be the "Stage Mom" for the class. It was fun hanging out in the dressing room with the girls. I helped keep them occupied until it was their turn to perform, change costumes and hair between numbers, and reapply lipstick :)

The girls were all so sweet and it was fun spending that extra-special time with Afton.

The silly pose

Celebrating after dancing on stage

Yes- those are 'Crafty Texas Girls' bows :)

She adored being on stage. It was amazing to see how confident, concentrated, and smiley she was in front of all those people. Her hardwork practicing her routine paid off- she did a fantastic job.

Afton is the one with both arms in the air.

Her tap routine was to "I Want Candy" and her ballet routine was to "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"- which made me cry!

Waiting for the music to start.

 Lots of family came to the recital to support her, so Afton left with two arm-fulls of flowers. Her room in now adorned with three vases of fresh blossoms. 

She is already looking forward to next year's recital- and I have to admit- so am I!!!

Summer Days

We are now well into Summer Vacation. The weather has been hot so most of our time has been spent in the pool. Afton is such a strong swimmer this year and Maisy seems to have the 'water bug' gene as well.

The girls and I made a Summer To-Do list and so far we've crossed a few things off the list. Last weekend, per Afton's request, we made our annual trip to the Fort Worth Zoo.

Of all the things that the zoo offers, our favorites are the new MOLA exhibit (museum of living art.) And of course the bird sanctuary. Feeding the birds was a hit with everyone.

It has been fun watching the girls together lately. Afton is so motherly with Maisy. She loves having her near. And Maisy is head-over- heels in love with her sister.

She sings her name at night "Aton, Aton". Everything that Afton does, Maisy wants to do too. I think Maisy has almost memorized Afton's entire routine for the upcoming dance recital. She looks up to her big sister.

 Of course we do have our moments...

 But when you love someone this much, you get over it quickly.

It's a good life.

Cake and a Boat

May has all but disappeared, where did the time go?!  My birthday rolled around again, 31 this time. I am blessed with so many friends and a loving family to celebrate with me! I got to enjoy dinner at my mom's house, a night out at the movies to see "Bridesmaids" and lots of fun in between.

Swimming, pizza, cake and all-around silliness at Dad's house.

A night out with the girls and our hubbies in Fort Worth- Tillman's and the Martini Bar

Our little family, dinner at Anamia's and then home for cake.

Afton and Jeff baked me a fabulous cake.

Memorial Day Weekend we spent in our swimsuits. Maisy discovered the joy of goggles and Afton continued her love of water tricks with Daddy. 

Maisy wore these goggles, just like this, on her head for a good 2 hours.

Sunday was spent on Lake Grapevine with our neighbors. The kiddos lasted all day! Everyone was happy to be on the water.

Jaime, Bryce, and Tyler

This was Maisy's first time on a boat.

Afton was so brave in the lake! She even swam after a duck.

 

Mr. Mallard decided he like our group, we supplied him with lots of Goldfish.

Maisy loved driving the boat.

To our soldiers: May God bless you, each and every one. For all that you do for us each day. We will keep you in our hearts and for your safety we will pray. 

Hope your Memorial Weekend was restful, relaxing and fun.

The Graduate and Glinda

It's official, Afton has successfully completed Pre-Kindergarten and has graduated from preschool.

On Monday she walked across the stage, accepted her diploma, a bible and a hug.

As Afton stood on stage, the teacher said: "Afton Conner's favorite foods are hot dogs, oranges, and apples. At school she likes to play in the kitchen center. And when she grows up, Afton wants to sing and dance on stage." 

Jeff and I are so proud of our big girl :) 

We celebrated her accomplishment with a trip to Yogurt Land. 

This year has been amazing for Afton. Both of her teachers are loving, kind, and creative. She learned so much and had a lot of fun with her sweet little class.

This weekend Afton traded in her cap for a crown. Glinda's crown to be exact.  Our sweet friends Vivi and Jennifer invited us to see "The Wizard of Oz" at Casa Manana.

"There's no place like home, there's no place like home. "

We decided to let the girls dress up for the play and Afton just had to be Glinda. She has watched the movie every day this week and loves the story. So she and I worked to create the "Glinda crown" and sew a "puffy pink skirt with stars".

The girls thoroughly enjoyed the show. The music, costumes, and acting were superb. And afterwards, they met the cast and had them autograph the playbills.

The witch was pretty scary, but Afton couldn't wait to see her up close. 

Who knows- maybe one day Afton will be stage with them!