Wet Weekend

We had another wet weekend this past weekend.  (It rained the previous weekend, too, but I'm pretty sure we got more this weekend.  I think we got something like 4 inches of rain this weekend.)  We only had some drizzle on Saturday up until about 2:30.  That's when the rain really started.

We started Saturday morning with dance pictures.  They've got a recital in about a little more than a week now.  It was the first time I've had to get them in costumes, and then do their hair.  We tried little buns, but they just don't have quite enough hair for it yet.  So there were lots.  And lots.  of bobby pins. Luckily, they were so excited, they didn't mind.

This is the only even partly decent picture I got (and it's still crooked and blurry), but oh my - so cute.  I caught glimpses of pictures being taken and I can't wait to see how ridiculously adorable they are.

After that, we went to Lowe's to pick up some more plants for the back yard.  The beds in the back yard have been pretty well neglected, and we've got a lot of holes to fill in.  Plus, I found this gardenia tree at Costco the week before, and it got me motivated to get it together.  That being said, the plants are still sitting in the front yard.  Maybe I'll have time this weekend.

We went to lunch, and, after checking the radar, decided to try to go downtown to the rubber duck derby that we went to last year.  I'll be honest - it was cold and windy.  I'm glad that we didn't get there much earlier (except that we missed free hula hoops).  And I'm glad we found a really nice lady who let the girls stand in front of her on the bridge.

This happens a lot lately when we take pictures - posing, making faces...

We finally convinced Emma that the giant inflatable duck wasn't going to bite, though by the look on her face, I'm not sure she believed us.  Oh, and more posing + faces.

Julie and Emma got a duck tattoo on their hands.

Watching the ducks.

They all got duck stickers, too, but Becca couldn't decide where to put hers, so she gave it to me.  While she wasn't paying attention, I put it on her shoulder.  Love that you can see the bun in her hair still here, too.

The rain literally started with the duck race.  It was light enough still that it wasn't awful, but with the radar, we knew it was just the beginning.  So, we didn't stick around for long.  And as soon as we got in the car, Becca asked why we didn't do a lot of things ("tings") there.  

And Sunday was pretty much this:

and this.

Dance Recital

I've been through the pictures from their first dance recital over and over and over again, and I just can't get myself to delete any of them.  I'm going to have to go back in a few months and try to clean it out.

They had the recital as the last class before Christmas.

They did a ballet warm up, and then a ballet routine.  Then they changed their shoes and did a tap warn up and a tap routine.  They're still at the age where they just follow what the teacher is doing, so they are pretty much looking at her standing in the corner in all of these pictures.

Shuffling backwards.  This was the cutest thing ever, because they all had to turn to look behind them.

Becca is a hard-core tapper.  She doesn't tap, she stomps.

So awesome.

Aunt Toria, part 2

We took Victoria to the "red bowl house" for dinner on Saturday.  (Hm, we've been there a lot lately.)  We'd been thinking of going to the mall for a train ride, but the girls hadn't had a nap, so I was afraid they would fall asleep on the car ride over there.  Plus, it was really nice outside, so instead, we went across the street to a shopping center that's got outdoor concerts on the summer weekends.

The music was billed as "jazz," but it wasn't what I'd call "jazzy jazz."  It was kind of an "easy listening jazz."  Kind of hard to dance to.

But they took that as a personal challenge.

Julie has the drama thing down.

I'm really not sure how head stands fit in.

A little headstand/breakdancing action.  And yes, I try to get my kids to wear shorts.  But they choose dresses and skirts at any chance they get.

We got some ice cream, too.  Emma has been all about the mint chocolate chip lately.  A girl after her mama's heart.  Though, mama has become kind of partial to anything peanut butter lately.

Never a dull moment.

On Sunday, we got up and the girls wanted to play outside.

The lilies are blooming.  Now, the girls call all flowers "lilies."

Safety first, especially when you're kicking a big soft ball.  (And look, Emma's in that black and white striped dress AGAIN.)

Julie playing catch with Aunt Victoria.