Firsts

We have had some fun FIRSTS this week.

To start off, Claire had her first dance class at Silhouette Dance Studio. It is a combo ballet/tap class. She has been so excited about it and on the day of she nagged me every 30 minutes about when it was going to start. Of course when she got there she was a little timid, but was happy to have her friend Brooklyn in class with her. Ava's primary teacher is Claire's Dance teacher and that helped Claire come out of her shell. 

Claire loved being in her ballet clothes and even asked to sleep in them that night. I can't wait for her winter recital.

Ava got her first black eye this week, compliments of the same coffee table that gave her her first experience getting stitches. She is 0-2 with that table and I think she should just end that unhealthy relationship. We iced it for a long time, but it progressed to all sorts of shades of blue and purple throughout the day. She is nervous to go back to school and get made fun of. I told her that people will think she is some sort of  undercover/secret ninja and think she is cool. 

I don't think she believed me!

Another 1st was seeing Disney's Tarzan at Hale Center Theater. The last two years I have taken Ava and my mom down to St. George to the Tuacahn to see a show. This year we are traveling to Oregon for my nephew's wedding and so we decided to save some money and do something closer to home. Ava has really loved musical theater and this show did not disappoint. Ava was so smitten with the aerial acrobats and all the fun dancing and animal costumes. She asked me if I would come see all her shows when she gets older and of course my answer was "Yes".  It was a fun girls night. We got some dinner before the show and my mom enjoyed a little bonding time with us. We already know Mary Poppins' is coming next year and we want to go.

The round theater was transformed into a wonderful jungle.

 

 Ava gets shy getting her picture taken with the cast, but secretly she loves meeting them. These were some of the apes in Tarzan's family group.

This was Tarzan's mom Kala, dad Kerchak and Tarzan's best friend Terk.

And finally Tarzan and Jane. Ava was a little shy that he had no shirt on. She commented a few times that he looked a little naked. He was seriously strong though. He swung around on vines (aerial drapes) and did some amazing tricks.

Can you tell she is blushing?

 We also went to our first Redneck Party. Our Cousin Ambria had a Redneck Birthday Bash.

There were many fun redneck games, but the most popular was the woopy cushion challenge.

Here they are as official rednecks.

Mommy Dates

Over the last few weeks I have been so blessed to go on two dates with my Ava Anne.

She has been a little down lately and (like her mother) a little hard on herself. Sometimes I feel like she is a old soul. She is so tender, sensitive and loving, but these traits sometimes work to her detriment because she feels things deeply. Since having Talmage I have noticed that she feels a little put off. She often states that she feels less important or ignored. While I do think she is over dramatizing it a bit, I realize that sometime she is right. She often has to wait while I tend to Claire and Talmage who are smaller and can't do for themselves. I had been feeling like she really needed some 1:1 time so we planned a few dates. (Which when I explained to her what a date was I made sure to say that it often included hand holding and lots of talking so that I could reap the benefit of those two things).

Our first date was to a movie she had been asking to see called Oz. It is a movie that tells how the Wizard of Oz came to be. The night started rough at home with an overly emotional and whiny 5 year old, but once we finally regrouped and left for the show; all was well. We stopped at the gas station for some treat and then headed to the theater. After the show we talked as we rode home and she related her favorite parts and relaxed sleeply in the back. I loved every minute of it.

Our second date night had been in plan for a month.  I had bought tickets to see Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the Hale Center Theater. I planned this along with 5 other moms. We decided to do a mom and daughters date night with our girls. We started out by grabbing a bite to eat at the Pizza Factory. On a side note, I tried the carb free noodles with my pasta (which was zucchini and spinach cut up like pasta) and it was very good. We then grabbed some treats at the gas station and headed to the Theater. We let the girls all sit together in the row in front of us and we all sat behind. They did so good. They were not too wiggly, giggly or loud except when it was appropriate and you could tell they each felt so grown up. They are such a cute bunch of girls.

The show was fantastic.  It was funny and held the girls attention really well. The songs were fun and Ava was in heaven watching the kids in the show that danced and sing on stage (her current greatest desire). We were even more excited because one of my cousins, Brooklyn Pulver was the play (she might really be a 2nd cousin but I always have thought of her more like a 1st cousin because we are the same age). She was in the traveling Broadway play of Hairspray as Tracy Turnblad and has a fabulous voice. Plus she is a great actress to boot. She played the "not so nice" part of the Baroness and did a wonderful job. Ava was so excited to tell the girls we were related to her. Afterwards we got some pictures with the cast. My cousin's husband was also in the cast as the Child Catcher. The girls were a little more hesitant to greet him after. His make up didn't help either.

 Here are the main Characters. Ava loved the female lead who played Truly Scrumptious. She especially liked when Truly Scrumptious pretended to be a life-sized wind up ballet doll. I must say her isolation dance skills were pretty impressive. The girls kept asking if it was a real person or really a doll.

We had so much fun we decided we should do a moms and daughters GNO every few months. Here is the whole group, mom and all!

I must say that my date was pretty darn cute! I loved my Ava time and I plan to continue dating her.

I hope these dates will yield lots of great conversations and build a wonderful relationship with her. I love the relationship I have with my own mother and have always desired to have the same kind of open, loving, accepting secret telling kind of relationship with my own children. I hope we continue to know each other and growing together.

The Art Of The Brick

Last weekend we had a family date night.
Our family went on a date with another family.

We went with the Matt and Crishelle and their cute daughter Alyse up to spend the evening in Park City. First we went to the Kimball Art Museum to see The Art Of The Brick exhibit by Nathan Sawaya. It was life sized art made completely from Legos. Tyson was in heaven and the girls were super impressed. In the newspaper article it said that he asked his parents for a dog and they said no, so he built a life sized one from Legos and that is where his passion started. I like the idea of a Lego pet. Here are some great pictures of some of his pieces.

 This was Ava's favorite. She is our little artist.

 This was one of Tyson's favorites because it combine skateboarding and Lego's.

This was my favorite.{SMOOCH}

Bucket List: See Mt. Rushmore- {check}

 This was one of the coolest. I can't believe you can create such detail in a flat image.
 In the background you can see his self portrait in Legos.

The girls weren't sold on the Lego cat as a pet idea (Darn).

Here are some more great pieces. His self portrait, the city scape, a castle and a creepy peeper.
Ava found the money one real quick. Already going for the Benjamins!

We ended the night with dinner at the Wasatch Brew Pub.  Good food and good company. However next time we should rethink a brew pub when it is the night before St. Patrick's Day.

*Side Note- One funny event of the evening was when Tyson parked the stroller in the lobby area where everyone was parking their strollers.  When he came back to where the group was standing, I asked him "Where is the baby?" He looked at me and said, "I don't know. Don't you have him." I shook my head and Tyson took off quickly and headed back to the stroller.  He had parked the baby with the stroller. We were all giggling. The baby never noticed. He wasn't crying or even making a peep.  He is such a happy and content little guy. Tyson had seen me take the blanket off him and thought I had grabbed him too. It was so funny! We still giggle when we think about it.