Elle's First Day of Dance Lessons

Today was her debut on the dance floor. Well, at least a traditional dance floor. Elle started tap and ballet and as you can see on her face above, she couldn't wait to get started. While I anticipated a bit of shyness and timid movements, she was quite comfortable and seemed to fit in nicely.

This photo was taken at home after class. She just can't seem to rid herself of the attire.

During class and working on her tap. Notice the flex in her foot! Not bad for a first day.

And here is our ballerina. She did quite well and made us proud. Her sweet brother walked up and gave her a hug afterwards.

Craft Project

My friend Krystal started a monthly eNewsletter centered around craft projects you can do with your kids. I am really excited about it because it's rare that I have time to research ideas myself. Her first eNewsletter featured a Crayola project using old discarded broken crayons.

I tasked Elle with going up to the playroom to pick up all the broken crayons she could find.

Mind you, there were plenty because she like to test her physical strength by breaking them in half any time she can get her hands on them. The next step is to unwrap all of the paper from the crayons. While this sounds simple enough, it was actually a long and tedious project. Elle's patience quickly wained while Dakota remained my trooper and helped until the very end.

After peeling the paper, we loaded the naked crayons into muffin tins.

Then bake them on 250 degrees for about 15 minutes and the end result is these really cool multicolored funky shaped "crayons" you can use when coloring. The final product was so cool, Dakota ended up taking three of them to school as his "show and tell".

Thanks Krystal for sharing your talents with us. And if anyone else wants to sign up for her eNewsletter, you can email her.

H. E. Double Hockey Sticks Begins

So why am I complaining? I do it to myself. I signed up as a volunteer on a Tulsa Area United Way Community Investments panel (on top of everything else) and now I've signed both children up for spring sports. I re-enrolled Dakota in spring soccer and I'm hoping 2008 is nothing like 2007. In 2007, we froze our arses off in 20 degree weather with negative degree winds and poor Dakota cried he was so cold. But fall soccer was such a positive memory that we're doing it all over again (only spring...and friggin' colder).

And Elle expressed some interest in dance lessons. So naturally, I did an impulse stop at the dance studio less than a mile from our home to inquire further. Only $135 later, I have a recital costume purchased as well as five week of classes pre-paid. But oh how beautiful she will be. The recital is May 31st if you want to come. Just let me know.

Did you know that my mother (Nana Ellen) was a professional ballerina with Tulsa Ballet Theater several (okay, many several) years ago. She danced for them for a short time before my father swept her off her feet and eloped with her after a few short days of courtship. But alas, they're in love...

More ballet and tap pics to come... and more freezing cold soccer pics to come as well. What the H.E. Double Hockey Sticks was I thinking?

Glamour Girl Cont...

Just two days following the powder incident, Elle came downstairs (after I had her dressed and ready to leave for school), and informed me that she had painted her toes. Oh heavens. Well naturally I wanted to take a look at the feet first so I could compliment her pretty toes and THEN I would head upstairs to see what the carpets looked like.

Well here is a photo of her feet. Her right foot had purple on the big toe and the second toe. The third was a combination of purple and pink, and the remaining toes were featured in pink. The other foot was a completely different shade of light pink. She got very creative with her color options. And fortunately, the carpet was spared. Just a little purple polish was found on her pant leg but overall, she stayed "in the lines" exceptionally well.

- confessions of a Glamour Girl's mom.

She Does Love a Sparkle

So, Nana Ellen bought Elle some glamour girl kit that includes all sort of make up and accessories and came complete with shimmery powder. Little miss independent took it upon herself to open the entire baggie of shimmery powder and then proceeded to adorn herself with the contents of the entire bag (not kidding)!

Below is a photo of her when I first discovered her. Notice that in both photos she has down cast eyes and refused to look at the camera. What you don't see is that she has it EVERYWHERE. It's in her hair, on her chest, ALL over her face and sprinkled here and there on her legs (she had taken her pants off).

The final picture is of my hands after just picking up the baggie to dispose of it. That's some powerful powder! There are some professional dancers out there that would kill for the contents of that glamour girl kit. :-)

Dakota helped vaccum the carpet and when he touched it, you could see the glittle fly.

Christmas 2007

Christmas this year was fabulous and as you can see, it pretty much wiped everyone out. In fact, this photo was taken post Christmas at mom and dad's lake house. Even Buddy was exhausted which is pretty rare.

We celebrated Christmas a few times over this year. We did a small one at our house with my sister and her family, my parents and my in-laws, another with the Doctor's, another with the Gernhardt's and Zahn's and yet another with Santa Clause. It goes without mentioning that the kids loaded up on many gifts. Topping this years' list was a new go-cart for Dakota and a new Barbie Jeep for Elle; courtesy of grandparents.

The best part of the holiday was that we got to spend plenty of time with family and especially with our own children. I was fortunate enough to have taken some remaining vacation days and was off work for about 11 days. We've watched lots of movies and I've got plenty of book reading in. I read a good one titled Oh My Stars by Lorna Landvik (author of Angry Housewives Eating Bon-Bons). It's worth your time.



I've included a few other Christmas photos worth a look see. Hope your holiday was blessed with lots of joy and from all of us Doctor's, Happy New Year!


Tree Hunting.






Gabby & Dad


Shara, Kara, and Sam (friend of Kara)


Mom X2



Guess who?


Tindall Gift Exchange



Auntie Sissy and Elle


Gernhardt Siblings...showing the love.