Skating and Dancing and a New Blog Post, SO!

Sorry for the delayed post. I've had actual complaints. However, I have a few good excuses that I hope you'll support. First is that it's Michael's busy season, which means it's busy season for me, too. Michael's awesome at helping out at home all through the year. He's even great during busy season. He's just not nearly as available, so it cuts in to my blog time. Additionally, when he IS around and available we try to just be together or be together as a family when Libby's up. With Libby still taking great naps every afternoon it's extremely helpful for getting work done... but not as great for allowing me time to leave the house and run errands. So, the blog just gets pushed to the side. Additionally, when Michael and I have a bit of time to sit down, we've been working hard to catch up on Downton Abbey! We both really enjoy it and it's one of the few times that I sit down and just watch a show . Usually I'm blogging, ironing, tidying up, paying bills or doing any number of things while TV is on (now, for instance, we're watching How I Met Your Mother and I'm missing roughly a quarter of the jokes. Not so with Downton. That time is sort of sacred. I'm also in two book clubs...

I also hung this beautiful portrait by Lindsi!

And what about this cute photo of Libby last week before school?!

Now, to drop the excuses and move on, Libby has officially given up pull-ups during nap time. She made it six days in a row now without wetting her undies at nap time or her pull-ups at nighttime! ...well, until this afternoon, of course. But I think we'll wait until April to give them up at night... just in case. We celebrated the nap time victory yesterday by taking her to one of those frozen yogurt shops where she selected cookies and cream fro-yo with multicolored sprinkles for her topping. She said she wanted to go again soon! (Yes, this is why we haven't gone before now.) I also took her for breakfast at one of her favorite spots on Saturday morning for biscuits and hash browns (and she asked me to request that Sheridan meet us there, since she'd met us once before) before going home to enjoy the beautiful weather and take Commish for a much-needed walk. We spent some time at the playground, too! Last Wednesday was pretty cold, so Libby got to spend part of that day at her gymnastics studio for "open play," joined by her friends, Jack and Parker. And yesterday, with MORE beautiful weather, she got to get out her tricycle and play with Daddy. She rode it up and down the street with her feet peddling away. And she even pulled out her roller skates for a bit. When she let go of my hand and her Daddy's, I ran in to grab the video camera!



We also got to have the Pearsons over on Saturday night so the kids could play together and we could catch up. There was MUCH to catch up on, lots of trampoline time, chalk drawing, etc. We enjoyed bangers and mash, beer bread and Lindsi brought this garlic-butter broccolini and St. Patty's cookies that the kids especially loved.

Today, Libby began a new dance/gymnastics combo class. Here's what Gigi sent us about it for our midday update:

Her new teachers are Miss Emily and Miss Anna (at least for today).  Miss Emily said that Miss Katelynn is going to be there, too.  It started with just 2 girls and then grew to 5 with one of those tearing up and sadly leaving to go to Mommy's arms.  She rejoined them in the gym part.  Libby did pirouettes, is learning to pose standing on one foot with the other foot resting on her other calf with her hands on her waist, slide moving sideways in front of the mirror, plus her other things in the gym.  She did the low balance beam walking backwards by herself, went down a big wooden slide, did great somersaults starting from a full stand up position.  She said she had fun and she seemed to really like it.  Miss Emily came up to me after and said how she loves Libby already.  She said she's such a doll baby and always had a smile on her face!

Reading that obviously MADE MY DAY! She said she wanted to try the class with the dance involved this time and she told me this evening that she really liked it. Having grown up "in the ballet" myself, I couldn't be more excited. Of course, she may decide that it's not for her and if she does, that's fine. But I'm so proud that she's giving it a shot. Obviously, I hope she does love it - at least for a few years. I've already been exploring our classical ballet training options nearby. Of course, we'll just take it "un pas" at a time.

They also got to decorate Gigi's easter eggs with paint, glitter and lots of fun stuff! We just dye 'em here.

In funny things she says... she's obsessed with hurricanes right now, due to a Dinosaur Train episode last week. She knows about how they form, where they form and hit, how the wind, rain and tides can cause a lot of damage, "hurricane season" and about the calm of the storm in the eye. Last night in the tub, she noticed the water swirling down the drain and pointed out that it is like a hurricane! I asked her who told her that and she said no one. Daddy confirmed that he hadn't told her about this in the tub and no one else has bathed her but him and me. She also loves watching reporters broadcasting from hurricanes. Nice, huh?

She also likes to use the words, "so" and "apparently." For instance, "I already took my socks off, SO..." (and she follows that up with nothing) or "I need to brush my teeth, apPARently." She is figuring out how to use them properly pretty quickly. It's just amusing to hear - especially the tone she uses.