winter ballet recital ’19

Posted on January 4, 2020 by tandem in love

it was olive and ellie’s ballet recital! ellie’s first!

they had practiced all season long and i am always excited for every program they have been in. now, olive is now the seasoned pro but this was going to be ellie’s first recital! we all could not wait to see her perform!

it was the day of the recital and i was getting both girls ready. tights. check. tutu’s. check. shoes. check. hair buns. check. within 10 minutes of us needing to leave, ellie started to melt down. she was crying and not making sense. in my gut, i had a feeling that she didn’t want to perform but i brushed it off. we loaded the girls into the car and when we arrived at the center and i led the girls into the green room, ellie freaked out. she kept saying, ‘i don wan tooooo. i don wannn toooooo!’ right then my feeling solidified and i knew she was getting stage fright. i coaxed her, i asked her, i reassured her but she was not having it.

her teacher was so sweet and kind and even took ellie upstairs, 10 minutes before the show was to begin and tried to calm her nerves by playing music to distract her but it didn’t work. i was so bummed!! i wanted to see ellie perform. during her practice, she was soooooo good! she was one of the better performers amongst her group, so i was sad that she wasn’t going up on stage! i carried her to the auditorium and sat down with our family. i told them she was having stage fright and it wasn’t going to happen. womp womp.

olive was the first to perform and she did amazing!! she’s so poised, so confident, and has such great presence on stage! what a ham! i was so proud of her! after her class performance, all of the dancers in the show were fabulous and the little ones were the cutest!

once the program was over, we all congratulated olive and we had a celebratory lunch down the street from the center, where she performed. i am so proud of both my girls for working hard all season long! crossing my fingers this coming spring season will be the recital ellie will perform at!

[she’s so sweet!!! she’s so fearless!]

[she’s a natural]

[LOL…you can’t even see olive!]

[olive is so extra]

[she loves copying her sister!]

[my darling babe]

[i love ellie and all her faces]

[olive and gramma…oops, didn’t adjust my aperture]

[with auntie thuy]

[my fiery girl]

[i love their little buns]

[these two…]

xoxo

ellie’s first ballet class

Posted on October 14, 2019 by tandem in love

the day had come for ellie to be in ballet. now, if she likes it, that remains the question. she seems more of the soccer type of gal {or karate type} but that still remains to be determined.

so far so good with her…she’s had three classes and so far, she likes it. although i hear a lot of “ellie, listen” or “ellie, toes out” or “ellie, hands up” from the hallway, over and over. according to her teacher, though, – ‘she’s doing great!’. LOL

well, just to be clear…she started ballet class in september…yes, weeks ago and i am finally posting something about it. ughhhhh…life, right?!

ellie is my crazy emotional, tenacious, stubborn, fiery child. she’ll hit her sister and then hit olive again after i say, ‘don’t do that!!!!’, and then throw something at me. no joooooooke. she’s a riot…literally.

so, i am hoping ballet is something she likes and finds the beauty, calmness, and peace it instills within it’s creative form. praying. haha!

both girls did a great job with their first classes and they said they loved it! mama couldn’t be more proud! ya gotta admit, they are so adorable in their tutus and shoes!

this is olive’s third year in ballet and ellie’s first. i am not sure how long they will be in dance but i am hoping for a bit. honestly, as long as they love it. i think it’s important they are exposed to different activities but as of right now…olive really loves gymnastics, ballet, and swim! i ask her from time to time if she would like to do something else but she always says no. i think, more so, it’s because she doesn’t know any better and i will probably sign her up for different things {soccer? taekwondo?} to truly gauge what she, or ellie, gravitates towards. but until then, ballet it is for them!

[ready for the first class of the season!]

[ellie always spying on her big sister]

[walking hand in hand to ballet class]

[they’re so sweet]

[my sweet girl ready for her class]

xoxo

spring recital ’19

Posted on June 6, 2019 by tandem in love

oh, how i love the spring recital.

olive’s first formal recital was last year and it was so special and oh so sweet but this year felt even better! why? we were seasoned, we felt more confident, and i was less anxious. LOL

i think the most stressful part about the recital is reserving all the seats for our invited guests. most people wouldn’t care, worry, or think it’s a big deal to nab good seats but it’s my purpose. haha! i find it important to be front and center for my girl and that her family can see her clearly! my problem is that i invite 15-20 people each time and i semi-feel like an ass blocking off that many seats! but not enough to not do it, so it’s an endless mind battle in my head. i’m filled with anticipation until i do so and then once it’s done, i can relax. phew!

our family trickled in and everyone was situated in their seats and ready to watch our baby girl perform! olive’s group was first to perform. she danced her ballet routine to ‘somewhere over the rainbow’ and then her group was fourth in line to perform and they tapped their way to the song ‘rainbow’.

watching the little kiddos dance is so darn sweet and cute! they are usually all over the place with their moves, never in sync, and so darling in their costumes. when it came time for them to end their routine with a final pose, it was like a comical show with them not knowing what they were doing or arguing with each other on how they were suppose to pose and end the act….hahaha! ahhhhh, their innocence is so heartwarming!

olive did such a great job! she practiced at home {a few times} and was so focused during her performance! i am so blown away she doesn’t get stage fright or even appear to be nervous. she just goes with it and i love her for it!

after the show, i picked up olive and brought her out to her adoring crowd. she was showered with flowers and gifts…what a welcome! our family snapped a few photos of the shining star and we all cruised back to our abode for a late lunch and fun.

once home, our guests slowly arrived while hc and i ran around preparing random things for the party. i snapped pics of olive with all her guests while hc prepped the food. once i was satisfied with all the snaps {olive so patiently obliged to all the photos, although she wanted to play! oh, she’s so sweet and kind!}, i took everyone’s drink order and finally stopped for a moment to visit with them.

it was so sweet that auntie lynne bought flowers for both girls {she didn’t want ellie to feel left out} and gifts for them both. she’s always so good to them! they are so spoiled by their family!

about an hour and half later, kim and reagan stopped by after his baseball game and joined in on our fun! the weather was so amazing! rain was in the forecast but it stayed away and it turned out to be the most perfect day.

the whole afternoon was so good. the food was delicious. the drinks flowed. the girls were super happy and our guests were comfortable. we couldn’t have asked for a better time.

spending time with family is always the best. words can’t describe the joy, content, and happiness we feel to be surrounded by our loved ones. happy recital day miss olive. you did such an amazing job in your dance routines and you are one blessed girl to have such wonderful family around you.

[i love how she chose to pose]

[she danced to ‘somewhere over the rainbow’]

[the final pose]

[ready for her tap routine]

[the girls tapped to the song ‘rainbow’]

[the final bow]

[inundated with flowers and gifts!]

[my sweet girls]

[ellie did not dance but auntie lynne got her flowers to not feel left out! how sweet!]

[of course we had to coordinate olive and ellie]

[auntie missy and olive]

[papa and gramma]

[the heintz family]

[barbara and lynne]

[ba and rimma]

[no cake topper, so i quickly decorated it with flowers]

[cousin reagan and auntie kim]

[so azn]

[mes soeurs]

xoxo

winter ballet recital ’18

Posted on December 21, 2018 by tandem in love

even though this is her third recital {second winter one}, i still get so excited, although less nervous. the anticipation of seeing her perform gets me all giddy, happy, and feeling so proud of her!

we typically split the driving duties…i take olive early to drop her off before the show and hc will take ellie and make it in time for the performance. this time around, thuy, dad, jane, dick, grace, dan, agata, hc and ellie were in attendance to watch olive perform to ‘santa claus is coming to town’.

she did such a great job! she had high jumps and perfect poise. oh, it’s so cute to watch her dance! it makes my heart melt seeing her confident and growing in her execution. don’t get me wrong…these girls were so goofy, all over the place with their moves, and so fun to watch! that’s the best part! seeing each kid do their own thing and not really following a routine is always so funny and endearing.

anyhoo, after the recital ended, i grabbed olive from the pick up room and brought her back to her fan base. everyone then showered her with kisses, hugs, and flowers. after quite a few pictures, we all headed to a restaurant down the street called pierce tavern, a new joint in the downtown area.

it was a bit of a wait, so we walked across the street to the toy shop and the kids had fun while we waited for our table to be ready. a perfect shop to go to when the wait is long and you have kids! our experience at the restaurant was great! hc and i really loved the food, ambiance, and decor. it’s a cool cozy place with a diverse menu. i really think we found our go to place and that’s saying a lot because we don’t have one after all these years out here!!

moving from chicago to the ‘burbs leave little to be desired in the restaurant department. that’s the one thing we truly miss about not living in chicago anymore. we had easy, quick access to so many wonderful restaurants and bars and being out here – well, we haven’t found a place close to home that we love and we’re hoping that this is it!

it turned out to be such a lovely, loving afternoon. we all had a great time watching olive perform and our lunch together, afterwards, was just perfect. excellent job on your ballet recital miss olive. we are so proud of you and love that you love what you are doing.

[she’s so sweet]

[walking into the waiting room…excited to see all the other ballerinas!]

[the girl with a million silly faces]

[getting on stage]

[they started off sleeping and waking up like little blooming flowers]

[‘sleepy heads’ getting up to stretch]

[plié]

[done! walking off the stage]

[this…oh my heart. it’s melting into a puddle]

[she was like, ‘kiki…i can’t hold all these flowers!’ haha!]

[double whammy…papa deux bisou]

[oh, proud mama here!]

[olive and her super aunty]

[dan and agata]

[a yummy bloody mary – extra spicy please]

[silly cats]

[a perfect sign for hc]

[celebrating my birthday, at home, too!]

xoxo

ballet recital

Posted on June 6, 2018 by tandem in love

olive had a winter ballet recital that was very informal. her spring recital was much more formal. full costume, make up, and a full line up on stage!

i don’t know why i was filled with anxiety. call it the typical mama nature. i was nervous about olive’s will to perform {we practiced together but you know…she’s only four!}, i was nervous about getting there on time. i was nervous that i would forget something on her costume. i was nervous we wouldn’t get front row seats. i was anxious about having people over {which we do on the regular}. it was just one of those days. don’t you have those too? eveything i stated above, i always encounter or do all the time but that day, i was filled with tension.

well, i survived and got over it and everything went super, duper smooth! we got ready early, had enough time for pictures, arrived early enough to grab seats [although our invited guests arrived earlier than us!! yahoo! what a relief to not have to fight for seats and nab front rows! we needed at least 18 seats for all our attendees.}, olive met and greeted with her guests, got checked in, her costume was in tack {i remembered her ballet shoes!}, and we were able to relax before the show began.

the lights went down and the first act performed. olive’s group was the second act and i was so excited! the curtains closed and a few minutes passed by. then the curtains swooshed open and the crowd gasped in awe {a lot of ohhh’s and awwww’s}, little ballerinas on stage looking so cute!

olive did so well! she was poised and did a great job executing her routine. i loved watching her and was so proud. everyone was giggling at how cute the little ballerinas were. at the end of their performance, when they all jumped forward into their final positions, was so stinkin’ cute! just watch it on the video…pardon the small screen capture. i was taking pictures and my sister recorded the performance.

after the recital {17 acts all together!!!}, i went to pick up olive to meet her guests. everyone showered her with flowers! it was too cute! we all headed back home to our house to welcome our guests for the after party. we had pre-ordered food {although we had a situation with picking it up} and set the house up {a little decor + dessert table} before we left to be ready when everyone arrived.

it was fun, relaxing, and perfect. everyone enjoyed their food, their drinks {ahem…missy and aunt wendy}, and the desserts {diy’d the cake!}. the weather was perfect for an evening outside. what a beautiful day! olive’s recital was awesome and our evening together as a family was even better.

great job on your ballet recital baby girl! you were absolutely fabulous!

[my darling babe before her recital]

[she’s so cute]

[first act, imagine dance team, then olive’s group!]

[ellie enthralled]

[ready to begin!]

[true colors pre-k jazz/hip hop]

[how far i’ll go/ballet]

[na na na pre-k ballet]

[sing! tap]

[na na na pre-k ballet II]

[the end]

[olive and ba]

[olive and super auntie thuy]

[dan and agata]

[barbara and lynne]

[grandmas]

[gifts from grandma barbara and aunt lynne]

[she loves her whale unicorn from aunt lynne – narwhals]

[she’s so sweet]

[diy cake]

[fresh peonies from our yard]

[french macarons]

[flowers from her recital and gifts]

[dessert table]

[flowers from reagan]

[sweet girls – olive looks like my sister’s daughter]

[grainy {my flash died} photo of ellie eating macaron]

[hide and seek]

xoxo

my ballet birthday

Posted on December 22, 2017 by tandem in love

holy birthday weekend!

in previous years, we’ve gone out for my birthday. we’ve done something fun, with just us {me and hc}. every year we have been together, hc has made it a point to make my birthday special. my birthday is eight days before christmas and it’s so easy to get lost in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season.

this time around, olive’s first ballet recital fell on my birthday! i was so excited. all season long, she practiced very hard in class and at home and i couldn’t wait to see her performance.

hc and i talked over our plan for that day, to make sure we got olive to the show on time and get everyone else there early enough to nab a front row seat. score! we did both! i drove separately so i could get olive to the dance group before the show and hc drove his mom, dad, and ellie to the school to get in line for a seat. we nabbed a front row section and the location we scored was absolutely perfect!

olive entered the room on our side, so we were able to say hello to her as she waited to get up on stage and the teacher was on our side during the dance, so olive faced us the entire performance! woooo hoooo!

i was a bit nervous for her…only because during her holiday program {from several days ago}, she seemed a bit overwhelmed by the large audience. i couldn’t tell if the runny nose she had really bothered her or if the dozens of people scared her. anyhoo, she froze a bit with her performance, so i was worried that she would freeze up during her ballet show!

well i was sooooo wrong. she nailed it! she did soooo well! i was so proud of her! she was the cutest ballet dancer i ever did see! i couldn’t wait to hug her, congratulate her, and give her a big kiss for doing so well!

after each segment, the kiddos waited in a room across the way. once the entire show was over…one parent was able to retrieve your kiddo and i ran over to get her. i couldn’t wait to bring her back to the family so they could tell her how well she did! everyone congratulated her and gave her flowers! how fun and sweet! seeing her perform was the best birthday present ever!

after the recital, hc’s parents came over to our house to hang out and we had cake to celebrate my birthday. after hc’s parents left, we then headed on over to my parent’s house to have dinner. it was the best birthday yet! hc did such a great job making it wonderful and olive’s ballet recital was the cherry on top of a perfect sundae! no pun intended! haha!

best birthday ever!

[how sweet is she??]

[she spots us!]

[hands on hip and smile!]

[dada giving her flowers for her performance]

[how terrible is this…while i was pulling olive through the crowd, someone knocked her in her head so hard with either a corner of a purse or elbow. poor, poor girl! i didn’t even notice it until a minute later! i felt terrible…just terrible that she was trying to tell me her head hurt but i couldn’t hear her over the noise and i was so excited to get her to our family that it totally flew over my head that she was in pain. i really felt like a bad mom and a bit angry at myself that she was hurt and i didn’t realize it in the moment to comfort her. total mom guilt moment that still really bothers me!!! do you see the shiner on her forehead?! oh, i get so upset looking at it!!!]

[my sweet ballet girl]

*****

[celebrating with my sweet girl]

xoxo

ballet

Posted on September 22, 2017 by tandem in love

first day of ballet

i must admit, ever since i had olive, i always envisioned her in ballet! i always wanted to try ballet as a kid but that never happened, so i am living vicariously through my babe. don’t get me wrong…of course i want to put olive into classes and programs that would peak her interests but i definitely don’t want her to not enjoy what she is doing. that’s very important too.

olive LOVES ballet. she absolutely loves it. i am so happy that she does! she was looking forward to her first class and it did not disappoint. she loves the dancing, the techniques, and mostly, her friends. she had such a great time with the other girls in the class. when you look at the pics, you can see how happy she is and how much fun she is having with the other girls! when hc asked olive about dance, she said she had friends…how sweet is that?

now, with this being olive’s first class {most of the girls in the class have already been through a season of ballet}, she was a little lost. she didn’t listen to the teacher very well and had a hard time following directions. i wasn’t too worried though. i know the next few classes, she will become accustomed to the techniques and do a better job at listening to the teacher.

what i loved the most was that she was sooooo happy! she had a huge smile on her face most of the time and it brought me such joy to see how much fun she was having. that is what mattered most, regardless of her noncompliance. it was her first class and i am so glad she loved it!

i’m looking forward to every class and i truly believe olive will too. i can’t wait to see how she progresses in the next few months but don’t ever forget, baby girl, to always have fun no matter what you are doing! muwah!