Tiny Dancer

Emerson had her first dance recital tonight and she did great!!! She was the best in the class (and I am not just saying that because I am her mom). I think that we have a future dancer. She had so much fun in dance class, so this was the perfect way to end the year. She had great teachers and made some great friends in the class too. I'm already looking forward to next years recital. Seeing how cute she looked in that dress and how well she danced made it worth all of the money that it cost this year (I had no idea how expensive dance is).

Giving Daddy a kiss before she went backstage

What a cutie!!

Emmy and her friends Sofia and Bridget. Us parents are already planning our dance class schedule for next year to make sure that they are in the same class.

The final bow

I tried to upload the video but it is just too big. I did post it on my facebook page though if you really want to see it.

The floors may not be clean....

...but I am one happy momma lately. I decided a couple of months ago to start doing more for myself. That might sound kind of selfish but we all know the saying ,"If momma ain't happy, nobody's happy." As a mom of three young kids, I felt like I was always giving, giving, giving and not always receiving. You wake up in the morning and there are immediate requests for milk, breakfast, stories, shows, etc. Even the baby asks for milk before I am done changing his diaper (remind me why I teach my kids sign language again??). Having 3 preschoolers requires a lot of work but I wouldn't trade my job of staying home with them for anything. So I had to figure out a way to get in some me time. Hiring a babysitter just isn't an option financially, so luckily daddy has really stepped up and given me a chance to do some things for me. I have started running. I run with a great group of girls from my mom's group and we are training for our first 5K. That may not sound like much to you runners out there but I wasn't working out or running at all before I started training so this was a great first step. I have found that I really enjoying running. Not enough, to do anything crazy like a marathon but enough that I think that I will continue to keep running after our training is over and may even try the 10K next year. As a mom, it is a great way to get in shape and you are not away from the kids for too long. You can even take them with you in a jogging stroller and still get your run in (although I have discovered that it is much harder pushing a double jogging stroller with 60 pounds of kids). I look forward to my nightly run by myself with my only worry being what music I want to run to (My humps and Katy Perry's Hot and Cold being 2 of my favorites right now).

I have also been sewing and doing other various crafts a lot more. My favorites list on my computer is overflowing with projects from blogs and websites that I want to try. But instead of complaining that I never have the time to try any of them, I just make time. My bed may not get made every day like it used to but who sees your bed besides you anyways. My kids are still getting all of their needs met (and much more) and I even have dinner on the table almost every night. My kids have "room time" every afternoon for an hour while Perry naps and that is when I have been diving into a lot of my projects. I have also been trying to be better about doing these things at night after the kids go to bed instead of watching TV shows that I don't care about. Emmy is modeling a dress that I made last night. It is actually for an 8 year old but it is equally as cute on her. I also made a matching headband and a matching dress for a doll. What little girl wouldn't want that??

These are some bouquets that I made for Kaden's teachers for the last day of school. Very fun project and free!

And these are my favorite!!! Aren't these watermelon cookies adorable?? They are almost too pretty to eat. I made these for Kaden's Young 5's picnic. I found instructions on this website. I just can't wait for another excuse to make them. So if you invite me to a potluck or picnic, chances are I will bring these.

So to all of you moms reading this, I encourage you to do something for yourself. It makes you feel so much better about yourself and I find that I enjoy myself more when I am with my kids.

Better late than never

Sorry for being such a bad blogger lately. I have had lots of things to post but I just haven't gotten around to it. I have been busy running with a great group of girls, getting ready for our MOMS club annual sale, and spending any free time I have sewing. Unfortunately I haven't had a lot of free time lately because Perry has decided that he longer likes to take long naps and also that I am his personal walking assistant so that he can get around the house. The only thing he wants to do lately is walk holding somebodies hand. He seems so frustrated that he can't get around on his own. I am definitely ready for him to be over this stage and for all of the yelling to stop. I was glad that this past weekend was a holiday weekend with an extra day so that I had some help.

Chris was in Holland last Thursday for a meeting, so the kids and I met him out there. After a very stressful trip to the gap outlet with the 3 kiddos, we went to Boatworks for dinner. It was so nice to sit on the patio and eat for the first time this year. Bring on summer, I can't wait for more sunny days.
We spent Sunday and Monday out in Spring Lake. We had a great time boating on Sunday and then just hanging out and grilling on Monday.

Emmy modeling one of the dresses that I made for her. I just realized that Perry isn't in any of these pictures. He was there too! He tried his first slice of watermelon and enjoyed spending lots of time outside.

It's official...

Kaden is now riding on two wheels. Kaden has needed a new tube for his bike for awhile and Sunday we finally got around to getting him one. Once Chris fixed his wheel, Kaden told him to take off his training wheels. Kaden rode with Chris hanging on to him for a little while that night but it was pretty late so he didn't get to practice for too long. The next morning he woke up and that was all him wanted to do. He had it down in no time. I guess I didn't realize how quickly kids learn to ride their bikes. Today he is completely independent on his bike. He starts riding all by himself and is even skidding out and leaving tire tracks on the sidewalk in typical boy fashion.

He couldn't stop smiling the entire time he was riding. He was so proud!
I had to throw this picture in. Perry just loves his new firetruck. He spends a lot of time hanging out in it and cheering his brother on.

Chris was really multi-tasking. Teaching Kaden how to ride his bike, keeping Perry entertained, and trying to lay sod.

Check out the video of him learning yesterday.

Another great mother's day!

I had a great mother's day on Sunday! I was able to sleep in a little bit and after waking up the kids surprised me with my gifts. They painted a flowerpot for me and filled it with my favorite flowers (gerbera daisies) and also got me some sewing supplies that I had been asking for. I ended up making Emmy three dresses later that day. It was so nice to just be able to sew and not be interrupted constantly.

This is an attempt at trying to take pictures at Cascade. Emmy is being dramatic, as always.

All of the cousins having fun together.

The two babies of the family!

Kaden and I at his school for a mother's day celebration.

Finally, a good family photo! The key is to take the picture at the beginning before everyone is dirty and cranky!

All dressed up and fancy!

I had the privilege of accompanying Emmy to a Fancy Nancy party this Saturday at the library. If you are not familiar with Fancy Nancy, they are Emerson's favorite children's book. The books are about a little girl that is always trying to be fancy, whether it is with the way she dresses or the words she uses. Emmy and I dressed up very fancy to attend the party.

Emerson drinking a fancy drink
Practicing her fancy walking


Emerson with her playgroup buddies Campbell and Reese

They look very "posh" as Fancy Nancy would say.

We had a great time at the party and it was fun spending some one on one time with Emerson. I am thinking that we might have to plan a Fancy Nancy birthday party for Emmy's 4th birthday.

A humble honor

I received an awesome reward today. Mother of the year!! Check it out for yourself here.