Memorial Day and the Pool

We bought an above ground pool online a couple of weeks ago, hoping that it would be here in time for Memorial Day. Well, this past Friday, it still was not in. I decided to go to WalMart and RE-purchase it (with the intent to return the first one when it came in).

Olivia had a friend stay over Friday night and we all went to Larry's Pizza (no dance practice due to recital pictures). After we came home, Brian and I started putting the frame together. Saturday morning, we started filling it up, and noticed that the ground was not very level...didn't think TOO much of it, and continued filling it up.

WELL...when it was 1/2 full, we realized the unlevel ground was a problem. We discussed our options (draining it and leveling the ground, or making due with the unlevel ground), and decided that we'd try it unlevel (after all, I had read a review online from one customer that had a sloped yard, and she said it still worked fine...) Once it was full, we realized it was not a good situation, and Brian was not happy with it. I started getting nervous about it too. So, we let the kids play in it for a while, and then started to drain it. The draining process went quite slowly, so they got to play quite a bit. Brian and I did some yard work and other repairs to the back yard.

This morning, the pool was STILL not drained all of the way, but with a little time and a shop vac from the neighbors, it was drained by noon. We started to shovel the higher ground... After some time, we were able to get the ground pretty much level, and reassembled the pool. It was filled by mid-afternoon. Yea!

The next day (Memorial Day), we had Emily, Justin and Cooper, along with our friend Ashley, for a lunchtime cook-out. The kids got in the pool (although it was still pretty chilly), and then we ate. Cooper wanted to go in "the jumpy thing" and they all had a good time in the trampoline. After they left to give him a nap, Ashley stayed and visited a while. She left and we continued our yard work. The back yard is looking good! Not much left! WooHoo!

Bella's Caterpillars

Bella got a Painted Lady butterfly set for Christmas from my dad and Yvonne. I had suggested that as an idea after doing the same kit in my classroom. (She LOVED the butterflies at the museum in DC.)

The caterpillars came in a box marked "Live Insects". We watched them grow and change for a week. Once each one made a chrysalis, we pinned the paper disk from the jar into the net.





Then yesterday, we noticed there were two butterflies in the net. By this afternoon, all 5 were out and flying around. Bella is SO excited! I just hate to think about telling her we will need to eventually let them go...





ETA: Bella was actually ok with letting the butterflies go... We all went outside one morning and watched them take flight. She wore her butterfly shirt and shorts for the occassion! Super cute!

Talent Show

I got this great idea to plan a talent show at my school. Everyone said it would be a lot of work, but I still wanted to do it anyway... It WAS a ton of work! But, after it was over, I was quite proud of it! There were two performances, one in the evening for parents, and one during field day for the students.






The very last act was a teacher dance to Fire Burning. The brave teachers to perform this with me were Tui, Paris, and Jessica. The kids (and parents...) thought it was hilarious (and that was our goal).


I was asked the next day if I was going to be doing it again next year. Yeah, I probably will! :)

New Discovery

When Brian was weed-eating the yard, he came across a hole of fur. He came and got me, thinking it was rats. I told him I figured it was a burrow of bunnies. I followed him outside, and yep, there were the tiniest bunnies I had ever seen! They did not even have their eyes opened yet!

We let the girls touch them with one finger (not sure that was a good idea, but I just had to do it, and then didn't feel like I could tell them not to...). We then realized that one of the bunnies had an injury from the weed eater. Brian covered them back up again, hoping the mother would come back and take care of them.

A few days later, the bunnies were still there and their eyes were opened. Yesterday, Brian said they were gone. My neighbor said she sees them all over her yard in the evenings...yea!

Mother's Day

I had the BEST Mother's Day EVER this year! We went to lunch after church at On the Border (YUM!). Then, Brian took the girls and did my grocery shopping while I sat at home on the couch in our room and watched New Moon. Home alone? Oh, yes! It was awesome! Then, I got up and got ready for dinner with my mom and sister at Bosco's. My mom had not seen my haircut yet, so I wanted to fix it so she could see it. Emily had seen it the day before at the Puddle Jumping Limited Edition event.

What a fantatic and RELAXING Mother's Day!

Talent On Parade, Regional Competition

This was one crazy competition! Olivia's solo went on stage on Thursday afternoon around 2. That meant, I had to take off 1/2 day and get her out of school before lunch to start getting her dressed! She did a fantastic job, but the competition was so huge that she got 10th place over all (diamond elite award).



Then, she danced again on Saturday. Small group tap was that morning around 8:30. It looked pretty good. They got a diamond elite top first, came in 4th overall, and got a Dance Directive scholarship!

That evening, large groups went on. Soul Man went on first at 7:00. It looked awesome!

Then, Takin Care of Business went on...looked the best it has ever looked! Then, Falling Slowly went on--looking good as usual.



The weather was getting bad with tornadoes, and Liv had to be back up there early in the morning for duet, so we left to go home. I found out later about what they'd won. I believe that Soul Man won, Falling Slowly came in second, and Taking Care of Business came in 3rd...all with diamond elites.

The next morning, it was Love Shack. It came in second, received a diamond elite and a special judges award for Personality Plus!





We left there and went to Texas Roadhouse for lunch with the Brazil's and the Fletcher's. We were exhausted, and ready to see Bella! (she had spent the night with my mom...)

Bella's Private Lesson

Liv has been having some extra private lessons with Angel to work on her technique in her solo. Well, over spring break, we had her work with Bella too. So now, she thinks she needs to work with Angel each time Liv does.

Here are some pics of Belle during her second lesson with Angel. She absolutely LOVES having a lesson with Angel...and loves the dance she is starting to teach her too!

Primetime in Hot Springs

Primetime was in Hot Springs this year--our first time to have a competition (other than Nationals) away from Little Rock. We were excited that they would get practice on a different stage, but not so excited that duets went on stage early Saturday morning and the kids had dance practice until 6:30 Friday night!

We left the studio (Bella was staying with my mom--thank goodness!), and drove to Bryant to eat at TaMolly's with the Fletcher's. YUM! Then, we drove to our hotel, Candlewood Suites. We had a fantastic room that was essentially an apartment--kitchen with a full size refrigerator and stove, even a dishwasher! We were beat, so we got ready for bed quickly.

The next morning, we got ready for the duet. We were one of 3 duets competing in the competitive level (Abbey and Gage had the other 2), so we were kinda disappointed that we wouldn't get to compete against other acts... They got a 1st place award (one point from an elite first--so that is the trophy they got...not sure why), and then 3rd over all.

Then, we got ready for small group tap (also in the extreme level). It looked really good. It got a top first and came in 2nd place over all (behind Ice Cream Paint Job--our sm. gr. hip hop). Then that afternoon, it was large groups competing in the cutting edge division. Taking Care of Business went first (a 1st place award and 6th place over all), Falling Slowly (3rd over all and elite top first place award, choreography award), and Soul Man (5th over al, 1st place award).

When it was time for the dance off announcement, Falling Slowly got called. (so did Ice Cream Paint Job and Saved--our Studio is in both of those, but Liv is not--and then older kids made their dance off too). We ate dinner at the Embassy Suites restaurant, and headed back to get warmed up for lyrical. They went and danced...and WON the dance off!!!! They got $200! (Saved also won their dance off and got the Presidential award)






We left there and got back to the hotel and in bed around 11:30... It was going to be an early morning because Liv had her solo around 10:20ish. It was hard waking up (and waking Olivia up!), but we finally did and got packed up to head to the convention center. Liv did the best she could have with her solo, but only got a second place award. Everyone kept saying they did not understand why she only got that award, but some of the judging was a little off to us that weekend. Anyway, she had a good time, and that is what matters.