Gabe's Dance Recital Posted AGAIN

So I don't know how but I erased this original post and a few other drafts that were ready to post. SO ANNOYING! So I'm not sure what I wrote the first time around, but here it goes again. 

Gabe had her dance recital last weekend. We have her at this newer place in town called Adagio. Anything in town is hard, cause nobody stays long term, so everyone just moves their kids around to the next place that's open. So I feel like they are good but still working out some kinks. Luckily Gabe just loves to dance. I had tried out their ballet class and it was just hectic. Too many girls for just one teacher. So long story short she ended up in this ballet/tap combo class where she does tap for half hour and ballet for the other half. She loves it. I wasn't sold on tap at all, mainly cause it seems super old fashioned to me. Yep I said it. BUT it is teaching her timing with the music better so there's a nice plus to it. She loves it too. 

So for the recital She had two performances. Her ballet one in the Coppelia production the studio put on where she played a little doll. And then a tap dance later for another show. She rocked them. Gabe takes her dance seriously. She gets annoyed when other kids goof off cause then she can't dance like she wants. Her words, not mine. Soccer she's more than willing to goof off, dance not so much. She just likes to dance. So there are a few younger kids in her class that I feel like should be in a younger class, but the place is new and not that organized and mix them all together. Since Gabe is older and honestly better, she gets put by the younger ones to "help" them know where to go. This is nice cause Gabe is sweet and will, but annoying cause then she's herding and bossing kids instead of dancing. I was a tad annoyed. Oh well. Adam was annoyed her ballet dance lasted all of twenty seconds and then they were off the stage. Good thing she had tap.

Getting wound up like a doll, she loved that part. 

Notice the poor young girl next to her was a step behind. For little kids that's fine and cute, but not when my kid is more concentrated trying to tell her what to do. Ok I'll stop now. 

I paid for better pics but haven't gotten them yet, these are random ones I snapped. Having to rush to get her ready in another costume was nuts. And at one point I got chewed out by this rude random old woman who was helping them backstage. She tried ripping Gabe's outfit out of my hands. It was a little crazy. Oh well I told her to calm herself and walked away. :/

The boys got her flowers which she loved and felt so good about. Other girls get them, so she was glad she did too. 

We love watching her dance, and hope she always loves doing it so we can't keep watching her. 

The Little Red Hen

Gabe's class and the Yellow class that rotates with her class put on a play of the "Little Red Hen". Part of it was in English, with a bunch of sayings and parts of songs were in Chinese. It was really cool. Honestly the coolest part was to hear their Chinese teacher give them directions when the messed up, and seeing them know what she was saying. It always amazes me. ANWAY, Gabe was stoked about this play. She takes most performance things seriously, but she was at home singing and practicing all her songs so she'd get them right. She told me one morning, "Mom I'm worried about our play, the narrators don't know their parts very well." I told her not to tell them that. :/ She thought that maybe if they practiced they'd get better. I told her to just worry about practicing hers, so she did.

I asked her how she was chosen as one of the chicks, she said they asked her to write down what part she wanted on a paper. She put the red hen first of course, cause she loved that idea and loves to perform, but alas was sad it went to someone else and she was a chick. It was pretty fitting though cause she had a lot of parts as a group. And a lot of songs to sing too.  She rocked it, and flapped her little chicky wings like a champ. 

The place she takes dance actually is known for their musical theatre program, and we are thinking to have Gabe try a class of that instead of dance next year. Every time we go to plays she tells me how bad she wants to try that up on a stage, and after this play she was in heaven. So we might try it out. The girl likes the performing part of everything the best, and actually loves it more when people come watch her at soccer. I don't want her to quit dancing at all, so we might keep her in a ballet one too. Who knows. We'll let her choose. Anyway that's news for another time. Here are some pics from her fun day:

Gabe and Bri. 

Ollie's Preschool Presentation

Ollie had his Preschool Presentation/Graduation on Monday night. She calls it both, cause it's a combined class of 3 and 4 years olds and not all are off to Kindergarten. If you've seen Ollie at home you know he's a pest and a hyper crazy boy that loves to tease a get a rise out of people. It really is his favorite thing. BUT Ollie not at home is a totally different kid. He doesn't like to be put in any kind of spotlight at all. He hates attention of a lot of people on him. Not in Primary, class at church, or even some nights at FHE. If he knows this will happen he stresses and freaks out. He has this look of pure anxiety/terror that I call his "Freak-out face". He would rather watch and be on the sides lines, reserved in his own way. I don't blame him, I'm the same way. Anyway, when we found out about his program we knew we'd have to prep him. This usually ended with tears on his side. Which usually leads to some kind of bribery. We do what what works at this point. Ha! 

So we got him bribed and prepped and excited to go. As soon as we were getting out of the car he got  "The Look," on his face. Full of terror, pale, teary eyed. I HATE that look. It breaks my heart, cause I know he genuinely hates being in front of people. I just saw him go through it for Mother's day even with Gabe by his side singing in Sacrament. I didn't love seeing it again so soon. :( Some day I hope he'll grow out of it somewhat, but it's just something we deal with. 

We got there early knowing we'd have to battle to get him up there. He does better when Daddy talks. He's more emotional with me, and Daddy makes him feel braver, so we go with Dad when we can. Good thing Dad was there. He got him in his chair, but he broke down. So we got him his own tissue and helped him chill out. Yes, we're those mean parents that made him do it anyway. Bawling and all. 

He eventually turned around in his seat to face forward, and that's about all we got out of him. He sang a little under his breath a few times. No dancing, standing, jumping, marching, and his teacher didn't even ask him to come up to say his speaking part. As soon as he thought he'd have to get up and do something he'd try not to cry. So we just let him sit. 

Good thing his good buddy Embrie was his partner cause she was good for him. He was supposed to be her partner, strategically placed by his teacher who knows him well, to do this clapping song together. He refused to stand, but she wouldn't let him out of it cause she wanted to do it. So he sat while she made him clap. Ha! It actually was quite amusing. 

Gripping his tissue watching everyone else. Whenever the class got up to do something new he'd give us his panicked look and get teary eyed, we'd just say, "You're good you don't have to." We just let him sit. So sit he did. He didn't love it, but he did it. He wouldn't go accept his "award" from his teacher, so she gave it to him after and we took their picture. Thanks Mrs Lorilee for all your patience. Maybe people would think we shouldn't have sat him up there, and some might think we maybe should have made him do more. Either way, we could care less, cause we love our cute boy and were SUPER proud he was willing to be brave and face his fear somewhat. It was a big step for him. 

Afterwards, a few shots with his twin buddies Kleyton and Kollin who live on our street and are in his primary class. 

This picture sums up the night. Happy chipper Embrie trying to calm a stressed out Ollie. :) Here's to hoping next year will go a little better for him. Heaven help up when school starts and we have to send him to a new Preschool again. Not looking forward to it much. Cross your fingers he'll grow out of it by August. He's already fighting us about swim lessons in June. :/

Mommy's B-day/Mother's Day

I was super spoiled on my birthday. I got to sleep in, with breakfast in bed. Roses brought to me at lunch from my wonderful husband, and a dew and treats from a friend. With the boys being sick I probably would have canceled the birthday plans that we had for that night. But Kay had volunteered to watch the kids, and wouldn't let us cancel. It turned out to be a nice thing, cause we had already bought tickets to go see the Avengers movie. We then planned to go out to dinner. So kay took on our sick kids and we went. Too bad Adam was having a Crohn's flare up and dinner wasn't quite how it was planned, but I was find getting yummy take out, and coming home to eat coconut cream pie, and open presents with the kids and cuddle with hubs on the couch. Such a nice relaxing day. 

Poor Adam gets to stress two weekends in a row trying to make everything perfect for me. I got breakfast made, the house cleaned, kids taken care of, presents, and a yummy salmon dinner with dessert. Not to mention my favorite, crafts and love notes from my kids. 

Gabe's Soccer Ending

Gabe's last game was at the beginning of this month. She did so great this season. It was so fun to watch her do something that she loves. I never thought she would love soccer, but she does. Even though she's still one of the smallest, and stuck with second graders, she just LOVES it. She was so much more aggressive with it this year. Her first game she was at, Adam couldn't make it and she was so timid about it all. So I finally told her I'd give her a penny every time she kicked the ball. She told me that wasn't very much. I told her then she better kick it lots. There was one game she kicked it like 32 times or so. That was her best. She averaged kicking it around 20-15. It all depending on the positions she got put. There are four quarters, and she always played goalie once. She loves goalie, which it funny to us cause she hates balls flying at her. She told me she likes it cause she gets to rest, and pounce on the ball. Except this awesome coach this year didn't let them rest, he made sure she was moving and watching. He was so good for her. Her main penny scoring was when she was forward and moved around the field a lot. Then defending always varied. And there is always one quarter she sits out. The game she got so much she never sat out and played forward twice. She rocked that game. 

She rocked every game. We were always so proud of her. She wants to keep playing it, and at times told me she likes it better than dance. So I guess we'll see how that plays out. Cause then she goes to dance and still says she likes it best. Who knows where this girl of ours will go, but she's going places that's for sure. Here are some pics from her game. 

checking shin guards and cleats before the games. Not sure why the ref does this, but they do. Maybe just to make sure everyone has safe equipment on. 

Waiting for it to start

We had the half time fruit assignment and the end of the game treat assignment for the last game. So I took a pic with her team when they are silly eating fruit. They do this every game. 

Throwing the ball in while playing goalie. 

One mom started this the first game, and we are so glad she did. The girls loved running through the parent tunnel. 

Team Pics

Last one with her coach. I wish she could have him every year. I thought her last one was good, but this one was great. A Upon seeing some of the other yelling coaches, I was so glad she was on the team she was.