Dancing Queen

Claire has been taking a creative dance class from a gal in our neighborhood.  She loves going and I love that it's close enough to walk there.  She had her recital Tuesday night.  Tim wasn't able to come because he was starting school that night (more to come on that later) and Claire was heart broken.  I mean she was sobbing at the dinner table.  Tim felt horrible of course.  Claire asked if I could call Grandma Wright and Grandpa Burt and see if they could come.  Grandma wasn't able to come but Grandpa was so all was right again in the world. Although she did leave a note for Tim on his nightstand.  She is always leaving little notes that pretty much melt the heart.   

"Dad, I wish you could come to my dance recital.  Claire."

So, creative dance is a funny thing.  It kinda looks like you don't need to know anything to be able to participate which I think might be the point.  Claire has taken creative dance before from a formal studio and I "got" it more when I watched her dance in that recital.  This one was improvisational. Which is a fancy way of saying you make stuff up on the spot.  The recital was interesting.  Claire is a graceful dancer and I think I need to get her into something more technical but it was a good experience!

This was called the Totem Dance.  Claire is the bear.  Get it.  Claire Bear!  

Claire has been telling me about this girl at dance that she really likes.  Her name is Sarah.  She is a year older than Claire in school but they see each other sometimes.  After the recital Sarah and Claire were thick as thieves.  Sarah's grandma came over and introduced herself to me and it was revealed that she was married to Tim's Dad's brother.  Sarah is Tim's cousin's daughter.  Only in Utah do you make a new friend at dance class and find out that you are indeed cousins.

     

The Piano Man

Luke has been taking piano lessons for about 6 months.  He is good at practicing without complaint and he is progressing nicely.  He had his first piano recital a couple of weeks ago and he played really well.  At school they were holding tryouts for a school talent show.  Lots of students tried out and they picked 25 kids to perform in the show. Luke decided to play his recital piece but I wasn't allowed into the tryouts so I had no idea how it went.  My understanding was that I would be notified if Luke had been accepted.  We never heard anything and so on the eve of the talent show Luke and concluded that he wasn't in the show.  

In our haste and surprise this is the best picture we got.  He looks so little.  

WE. WERE. WRONG.  We were at dinner in the cafeteria and the talent show had begun.  I mentioned to another mom that it was weird that we never heard if Luke was in the talent show or not.  The mom encouraged me to go look at the schedule so we hurried to finish our dinner and headed to the show.  We walked into the back of the room and were trying to find seats when they announced that Luke would be the next act.  Luke looked at me.  I looked at Tim.  We both looked at Luke.  He didn't have his music.  He hadn't played his piece in over a week.  I was starting to panic and hurriedly asked Luke if he had his piece memorized.  He asked me where the piano was because he couldn't see it over everyone's head.  I pointed it out and Luke said, "I got this.  I have that piece memorized."  Next thing I know he is at the microphone introducing himself and the piece he will play.  The little man sat down and played it flawlessly.  In fact, I would say he played it better than at his piano recital.  I was shocked and proud as can be.  He puffed his chest a little when he walked back to our seats.

It came out later that they had announced who was going to be in the show over the loud speakers during morning announcements. In the words of Luke, "They should know kids don't listen to those."  Ha ha ha!    

Spring Break 2016

We weren't able to get away for Spring Break this year but it was relaxing and fun being off of work and school and spending time with my all time favorite people in the whole world.  Each day we tried to get away on a little adventure; we threw in a few movie nights and game nights and I think it turned out a success.     

Monday was spend driving around to different Target's in search of a special Lego set that the boys wanted to buy with their own money.  I love that we can laugh and talk in the car.  The kids really are the best company and they always have me laughing at something.  

Monday night we headed to a local reptile zoo which was Luke's pick.  It is really small but they let you handle the animals and they spend a lot of time educating the kids about reptiles and spiders.  Lucky us, we were there when they fed the alligator.  I almost peed my pants because I thought this guy was coming after me.   

Tuesday was Claire's pick and she chose swimming.  Not only swimming but swimming with her hero and friend Ari.  Ari is the sweetest teenager in our ward who Claire looks up to and thinks is the best person in the entire world.  Claire has a wall in her room that looks like an Ari shrine.  All the things that Ari has given her sit on a shelf underneath some notes that have passed between them that are taped to the wall.  All we need are a few candles and incense sticks.  I was so happy when Ari was able to come because not only was Claire in seventh heaven with a pretend sister along but the boys loved spying on them and yours truly did not even have to get into the pool! 

Luke has officially overcome his phobia of water and he was able to keep up with Gage.  I can't believe how fast they are growing up.  

I loved watching these two.  They are both special girls.  

Wednesday we hit the aquarium.  I think Gage chose this one.  I hadn't been to it since it had been relocated and expanded.  It was fun!

Not sure what is going on with Gage and this Orca.  I'm a little disturbed to be honest.  

Do you think they can talk to eachother?

Luke was all about this prehistoric Megladon skeleton.  

Claire was determined to pet one of the sting-rays.  It took a lot of patience but she was finally rewarded.  They are so soft.  

Learned an interesting fact about Gage that this view of sting ray fills him with intense disgust and fear.  I think it cute.  No one ever said kids aren't weird.  

Thursday Tim stayed home from work and we headed to Delta Utah to go Trilobite hunting.  We spent more than an hour on dirt roads and literally drove to the middle of nowhere.  There is a company out there that rents the equipment and teaches you how to split the rocks and such and we all found tons of fossils.  We had a great time!

They don't mince words in rural Utah.  This sign tickled me for some reason.

It's hard to believe that billions of years ago this desert was covered in water and that ferns and extinct sea creatures were caught at the bottom of the water in mud.  But as we found out thousands did indeed get stuck and have stayed there waiting to be discovered.  The earth is amazing.

Claire was a good little miner.  Luke had the most luck finding fossils.  Gage and I not so much.  We did find stuff but it seemed that Luke found one everywhere.  

We felt like dwarfs.  

Some of our treasures.  

This picture filled my heart with joy.  A dirty car usually means you had a good time.