Family Fest

After Izzy's dance class, we all ventured out to the family fest. It was basically a vendor fair but it had a few fun things to do for the kids (meaning Izzy and Sean). Sean was so excited to have his picture taken with a Star Wars character. He dragged poor Luke with him so he wouldn't look too silly. There were lots of other characters there that we thought Izzy would love to see but she decided she wasn't interested in having her picture taken with Dora, Diego or the princesses. Surprisingly, she seemed more interested in the bikers and skateboarders doing tricks on ramps. This thrilled Sean of course.

Here's Izzy showing everyone that even ballerinas can be tomboys.

Homerun!

Tiny Dancer

After a long week of anticipation, Izzy finally had her very first dance class today. Truthfully, I thought she had probably hyped it up in her mind so much that when she was actually in the midst of a lesson, she'd be disappointed and want to leave. Even worse, I thought she'd be too scared to not have mommy in the room with her. Much to my surprise, however, she was the bravest of the group. She wasn't the least bit concerned about where mommy was. She was so attentive and hung on every word of her teacher. She looked at her like she was a real princess, full of awe and wonder. She was such a good listener and performed every task presented with much more grace than I could. Her class currently only has two other students so she's sure to get a lot of attention. I'm sure the class will grow in the coming weeks but this was a perfect way to start. It's a creative movement class that combines both ballet and tap. Izzy loved wearing her tap shoes the best I think. She even taught me some the moves like the "shuffle". Of course I stayed glued to her every move, watching her through the two way mirror. All the girls were so adorable to watch, but of course as her mommy, I feel she was the best. At the end of class, the girls got to perform for us and some older girls. I thought for sure this would intimidate her but again, mommy underestimated her. She LOVED it and said she can't wait to go back. I can't either. smiles....

Luke is 5 months old

Luke's had a busy couple of weeks. In addition to turning five months old, he started going to "baby school" as Izzy says which means the babysitter. Naturally, I was terrified of this change and spent a good week crying and worrying about the separation. It definitely was much more difficult for me than for him. He seems to really enjoy going to the sitter's house and is always full of smiles when I pick him up after work. Izzy's been really enjoying being back to her school as well. She seems to love her new teachers and the new friends she's making. I'm still suffering from separation anxiety but I'm starting to get so busy at work, that I don't have much time to obsess about it. Needless to say, I rush to go get them both after work and smother them in hugs and kisses.

As for Luke's development, he continues to acquire new skills every day. He's able to sit alone while leaning forward on his hands. I have to be right there, though, because he's still not strong enough to support himself for too long. And lets be honest, he's got a lot of weight to support...ha! He's also started trying to grab things out of reach and stretches on his belly to do so. Usually he resorts to a roll over method to slowly inch closer but I can tell he's on the verge wanting to crawl. We're in no rush for him to reach this milestone though. Not quite ready for him zooming all over the house. Thankfully, he has an attentive big sister who will help us keep a close watch. Speaking of his big sister, she seems to really enjoy his development as well. She loves that Luke LOVES to watch her. He gets so excited and I can tell he's desperate to be able to move around like she does. And no one can get him to giggle quite like his sister can. They are so adorable to watch.

Bella Ballerina

My girliest of girls has always had a passion for dance. For the past couple of months, she's been asking to take dance lessons and we've finally decided to sign her up. She is beyond excited (as am I). She's taking a creative movement class that starts tomorrow. We had to buy a pink leotard, tights, tap shoes, and the best part, pink ballerina shoes. She was so excited she begged to put everything on just to dance around the house. Of course she may hate the class once it starts, but at least I got to fulfill the need pretty much all moms feel to see their little girls dressed up like a ballerina.

Izzy's grandmother must have heard the exciting news about Izzy's upcoming dance class because these adorable ballerina pjs arrived in the mail yesterday. Izzy was ecstatic.

And she hasn't even had a lesson yet. What a natural.

Our little mermaid

Over the summer, we took Izzy to our neighbor's pool almost every day. Izzy has always loved the water but was very afraid to put her face in the water. Over the course of the summer, her fears began to subside (thanks to some mommy and daddy directed aversion therapy) and by the end of the summer, she became a full fledged swimmer. No floaties necessary. So proud.

Camping In

The last few weeks of summer vacation, Izzy developed a passion for making pallets and tents inside the house. She's constantly making little pallets for her babies. As a special reward for being such a good girl, she and Sean built a tent in the living room and had a camp in (instead of a camp out). We ate popcorn and watched a movie together. Sean and Izzy even ended up falling asleep under the tent but I had to retreat to my comfy cozy bed.

Oatmeal Face

As expected, Luke is a voracious eater. He gobbles up anything we give him.