One more picture

I realized I hadn't yet posted this picture of Kelsey and thought it was just too cute to omit. Also, it showed that she had fun :-), along with her tears :-(

More dance pictures

I started to call this post "a few more dance pictures," then got started and realized that wasn't realisitc! Ha, ha.

My sweet (calm, at the moment) butterfly running to her place. She knew just where to go.

Ooooh, Caitlyn and Emma are scared.

Good has triumphed over evil and the prince sends away the little devils. Keegan is on your left.

Initially, Caitlyn was disappointed because although her group was on stage a few times, they were doing more acting than dancing. She was extremely excited the day they started learning this dance in rehearsal. It even had leaps!

We loved the castle backdrop, which was rented from California.

Here are the mean, nasty girls who attend the birthday party and laugh at Aurora. Don't they look sweet?

Caitlyn, backstage, with her friend Nicole. Nicole is a gorgeous dancer, and so sweet!

Make-up is definitely not my strong suit. Thankfully, some of the other dancers and moms were willing to help me out with Keegan and Kelsey. I just can't get that eyeliner to look right! Other people do it and it looks so pretty and soft. I do the exact same thing and it looks like for some reason I drew a big line across their face :-(. In self defense, I think, Caitlyn has learned to put on her own stage make-up, except for that annoying eye liner (maybe it's genetic.)

Christmas in January

Caitlyn and Kelsey had an exciting time when the mail came yesterday! For Christmas, Kelsey got a Make-A-Plate kit and she has been anxiously waiting for her plate to get here since we mailed it off a couple of days after Christmas. Caitlyn and Keegan each made one a few years ago. So now Kelsey is content because she, too, has her own plate. She even asked me not to wash it after lunch, so it would be in the cabinet sooner :-).

Caitlyn has waited so patiently for her gift. For her big Christmas gift, we ordered her a Scottish Highland dancing outfit. Well, it didn't get here before Christmas, so she actually got a picture of a Scottish outfit. It has been a long wait, with concerns about lost mail along the way, but yesterday it finally arrived! The vest looks black in the picture, but it is actually a dark green. The colors look so good on her (no bias, of course) and now she is ready to perform! Of course, she'll wear shoes then, but we didn't bother for the picture :-).

Sleeping Beauty - Showtime!

We were so thankful to have so many good friends come to the show. Below are Caitlyn, Keegan, and Kelsey with our good friends the Bosches. (These are really the parents of my friend, Desma, but we are trying to steal them as grandparents for our girls :-) Our girls were so excited to have their own cheering section Sunday. Thank you to the WONDERFUL Sunday school teachers and friends who came. We appreciate it!





Caitlyn is in the green dress.

Keegan is being a sad little devil because she has to wait to do horrible things.

Kelsey was so pround of her special part sitting on the prince's shoulder (although she only managed it 2 of the 3 shows, she was still excitied and proud:-)

Ths is the birthday party where all of the mean, nasty girls are laughing at poor Aurora because she only brought a small present.

Poor Kelsey

Can you tell that Kelsey spends a lot of time waiting for her turn to practice?

SNOW!

I woke up this morning at 7 to Caitlyn and Kelsey saying, "It snowed and we are almost ready to go out!" It had, and they were.

While they were out, I made butterscotch oatmeal and hot cocoa. Keegan came in and exclaimed, "Oh, Mommy, thank you for making us things with lots of sugar!"

Despite what I thought, there WAS enough snow to sled.We have discovered that inflatable pool toys make great sleds.

Keegan isn't going to let a little rain stop her fun! (For those of you who are worried, I did tell her not to sled holding the umbrella :-).

Even when the snow was almost all trampled away, their sledding track (which had been squashed into ice) still worked.

Keegan and Kelsey stayed out all morning. Periodically, they would come in to exchange their wet coats for warm, dry ones from the dryer.

Our day off

Since 5 days of ballet rehearsal would obviously not be enough to entertain us this week, we volunteered to go to a demonstration of Scottish Highland dancing. Caitlyn, Keegan, and Kelsey, along with 8 other members of their group, danced at a school's cultural awareness week. Keegan doesn't ordinarily have a vest, so she was extra pleased to borrow one!

Kelsey is SO proud to be an official Highland dancer now (wearing a real "baby kilt"!)

Dancing the Fling. Keegan is the back left, and Caitlyn is the front right.

Practice makes perfect

Keegan getting some direction from the extrememly talented Miss Marilyn.

Naturally, Keegan's and Kelsey's favorite thing about rehearsals is seeing their friends! Right now Polly Pockets and Littlest Pet Shop animals are the most popular forms of entertainment. They are happy to dance when it is their turn, but also eager to get back to their playing.

Kelsey is the next to last butterfly.

















The little devil group













Caitlyn dances with a great group of girls. They were all excited to try on their dresses Saturday.

















Unlike her sisters, Caitlyn would be happy to work on her dances all day, without a break.

My girls really enjoy this part of the show when an owl (representing wisdom) and a wolf (representing evil) fight. Keegan is way in the back in the pink pants.

More rehearsal

Here is another picture from the ballet rehearsal. Caitlyn is pointing at Aurora, laughing at the small present she brought to the party. This is so unlike the real Caitlyn. She blushes whenever anyone mentions this part to her :-)!

Back in the swing of things

We got going again this as week as classes started back after the holidays. Caitlyn, Keegan, and Kelsey are all in a ballet production of Sleeping Beauty later this month, so we spent the day at the theater, rehearsing. Kelsey is a butterfly flapping her wings. Caitlyn and a friend holding some props. And finally, Keegan is snarling. Caitlyn and Keegan both act way out of character with Caitlyn as a nasty party girl and Keegan as a little devil.

Also this week, Bill's sister Charlotte was diagnosed with Crohn's disease. We would appreciate if you would please keep her in your prayers.