Thursday, May 14, 2009

Doodle Day!

My Doodlebug is 4. We survived 2... whizzed past 3... and we have soundly landed at 4. Raising a daughter is so much different than raising boys. The boys don't have the emotional ups and downs that my daughter has. And they don't have her tenderness. She's a great little sister, big sister and daughter and I am so blessed to have her as my own!

Happy Birthday Doodlebug!

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Following A Dream


When you're a kid, people ask you all the time, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" I think grown ups do it to see what kind of kid they're talking to. A driven kid: "I want to be an astronaut." A creative kid: "I want to be a banana!" A lazy kid: "I want to just watch TV all day." Or maybe to see what a kid is interested in: "I want to be a football player!"
Well, I hated getting asked that question. I didn't know. Until I started dancing. I could see myself dancing forever. I wanted to dance in the Rockettes. I wanted to be a Kilgore Rangerette. I wanted to be on Broadway. I loved it! So when someone would ask me want I wanted to be, I wanted to be a dancer.
As I got older, I realized I couldn't do it. I wasn't cut throat enough. I wasn't good enough either. But I could teach. I was good enough for that.
But as time went on, I married a military man, we lived in Alaska, and I had babies. I have always missed that part of me... but just accepted that it was gone.
Until now.
There was a strange rumor going around after the Doodlebug's recital that the dance teacher was leaving. After a little investigation, I found out it wasn't a rumor. She WAS leaving. And the dream began to arise again in my gut. Could I teach dance here? Am I too old? Am I too out of touch?
The answer... YES! Yes, I can teach dance! Yes, I'm old! Yes, I'm out of touch! And YES! I'm terrified of the thought of all those Mommies and Daddies seeing me in a leotard! But I'm going to do it anyway!
Look out world! Here I come! (I'm the one stuffed into my too tight leotard hiding in the back of the room!)

Friday, May 1, 2009

My Baby Had Another Birthday

Here's my Baby... 2 years ago. I love this picture! He was so tiny. My smallest boy. And so alert at 2 days old.


Then at one, he was just a little explorer. He was movin' and shakin'. And talkin' my ear off. Some things don't change in a year.

Saturday, we celebrated his birthday... as well as the Doodlebug's recital and Chojuk's Blue and Gold Banquet. It was a busy day. But we made sure to open presents. The Doodlebug supervised. See the hands on hips? She's in training for middle management.

My Snugglebug was excited about every gift and pushed him on to the next gift. I think he was secretly hoping something in there would hold some interest to him. The Doodlebug, however, genuinely was interested in every thing he got. More toys for her.

This classic was a hit. It's now in a million pieces all over my living room floor. But it was fun while it lasted. I guess that's a lesson for the Baby of the family. If you want it to remain in one piece, don't share!
Happy Birthday to My Baby!