Dancing through the Holidays!

Lots of pics to share... not everyone has facebook, and not everyone is a fan of Dance eMotions on facebook (WHY NOT???), so I'm posting some of my favorite pictures from our performance at the Zilker Park Tree Festival and our dance team holiday party at our house. Such a fun time! Check out Melissa's blog for a more detailed account of the Zilker performance.

Okay, how cute is THIS?

Christmas Recital

Dance Party!

Ever wonder if Addison is still wearing a leotard or tutu every day? Well, scroll down the blog to see for yourself, that yes, she does indeed wear a dance outfit every. day. Today was no exception. And today I had the camera nearby when Addy had one of her "dance parties".

Today Aiden got in on the action (from a distance, anyway)

Our precious, precious son:

And both of our precious children:

Hate to sound like a broken record, but shouldn't it go without saying that I LOVE THEM?!?!

Happy Birthday, GaGa!

Yesterday was my mom's birthday, and we celebrated with a fun evening playing Wii. This was our first time playing this particular game, and man was it fun. I hope you enjoy the following two videos as much as I do :-)

First, here's Mike channeling his inner Britney Spears. It's just too much. SO FUNNY.



Here's Grandma (and her care giver) getting in on the action. I love this.

Addison's First Recital

Ok. So. I've been teaching dance for twelve years now, and directing recitals for eight. And I'm not gonna lie: from the beginning, I've been looking forward to the day my own daughter would be participating. And I just have to say, as excited as I was for this time to come, I am 100% sure that Addison was more excited. Recital MADE HER LIFE.

Dress Rehearsal was on Monday. As soon as she put her tutu on, she turned into a diva. "Mama, I need more lip make-up" was just one of the things she said to me that night. It cracked me up! She totally knew how to pose for pictures, too, which was really funny to me as well...


Here are a couple of pictures of her performing at Dress Rehearsal:

The ending pose!

She was so cute watching all of the other dancers as well. She followed her cousin Abigail around a lot, and wanted to dance with her when it was her turn. She also (and this really was precious to me) would yell "GO JUNIOR RISING STARS!!!" when my team was performing. She went to class with me every week when I would direct those girls, and it was obvious that she feels close to them. So cute. When it came time for Mike to take her home, she said, "BUT I LOVE IT HERE!"

Recital was the next day, and boy, was she ready. Here we are backstage before the show:

Addy onstage before the show.

All lined up, ready to take the stage!

Right after the show :)

It wasn't until dinner afterward that I realized we didn't get a family photo. This was the best we got. Aiden was *a little* hungry. And Addy was *a little* tired. And Mike *might* have murmured under his breath that it was totally ridiculous for me to expect a family photo at that exact moment in time. Whatever.

Uncle Frank and Aunt Cheryl drove in from California, and made it just in time for the recital! (literally just. in. time.) I can't wait to see the pics that Uncle Frank got! I'll post them as soon as I get them. (I will get them, right Uncle Frank?)

ADDISON'S THIRD BIRTHDAY PARTY!

Wow! What a fun party! If anyone who was in attendance reads this blog, THANK YOU for coming- we hope you had a good time. Addison said on the way home that it was "such a special day!" and that she "loved my party SO much!". I think it was a hit :-)

Cousins Micah and Jude were two of the first guests to arrive. They dressed as knights, and decided that they would stand guard over the door to the studio, and made sure only princesses or princes would enter.

Princess Addison had no problem entering and exiting the studio.

The party started with some "free time". Excuse the boxes and bags in the back ground. Recital is in 3 weeks...

Then the kids all played a game where they made a big birthday cake for Addy.

Then they played "The Princess Game", in which they have to run and leap over the wiggly worms to make it to the castle.

Addy's turn:

Audrey's turn:

Cierra's turn:

Aashrith's turn:

Erin's turn:

Elle's turn:


Embyr's turn:

CAKE TIME! Is this not the most beautiful cake? And would you believe me if I told you that it tasted even BETTER than it looked? 2 flavors: Strawberry Shortcake: Vanilla with fresh strawberries and whipped cream filling, and Chocolate with cookies and cream filling. YUUUMMMM.

Singing "Happy Birthday" to the birthday girl :)

All of the party attendees enjoying their delicious cake

Our "big girls" borrowed tutus from the studio, choreographed a ballet routine, and put on a short performance for the birthday girl. I must say, maybe because I'm their dance teacher, I thought it was adorable.

Next was present opening. I'm not gonna lie. There will be no posted pics of this part, a) because my hair was cray cray, and b)I am 9 mos pregnant and not looking my best. Suffice it to say, she got some AWESOME gifts.

When we got home, Auntie brought her gifts over: A new (to Addison, anyway) Bike and scooter! YAY! She also got a canopy to hang over her bed to make it a "PRINCESS BED".

And here we are... at the end of a LONG day. The silliness had taken over, I'm afraid :)

Again, thanks to all who came and helped make her day special. She really had THE BEST TIME.