Success!

Getting three kids up and ready for school each morning is no easy task. Getting three kids up and ready for school on Picture Day...near impossible! But, thanks to the wonderful support of friends and family...I claim this round of picture day A SUCCESS. Even with a slight mishap with the individual picture of our littlest, they all still came out darn cute.

Take that Picture Day!!!

Picture Days

So was the curse actually lifted? With the help of the collective memory of friends and family, I actually remembered to a) dress and b) prepare my children for picture day so there were no sad, disheveled and surprised pictures like last year.

Friends reminded me on Facebook, Stu texted, Mom nagged (repeatedly) and Robert, oh Robert, created a Facebook event for me and even provided the visual reminder above which I think finally did the trick.

Picture days (emphasis on dayzzz) was not without its hiccups. Although I had Athena, Zoe and Jack dressed and prepared for their respective individual and class picture days. I failed to present the prepared envelope with payment prior to the individual picture day for Jack's class AND, as I learned, they don't just take individual pictures of all the squirmy babies (Jack's class is the last in this category) only the ones whose parents have told them they will pay for the pictures prior to the picture taking. So Jack, although a part of his class picture, did not get individually photographed in his cute aqua blue polo and plaid short ensemble.

Instead, the teacher informed me as I offered the payment envelope two days late, we could do a make up picture, today. I looked down at Jack smiling up at me, the one day I let him dress himself and he was wearing a Giants tee shirt and matching Giants hat. "Do you want to take a make up picture?" the teacher asked. "Sure." I said. "With the hat?" "Oh why not."

When I told Chris what had happened he had one word..."Awesome."

So, Grandparents, when you get the trio of wallet sized photos of Athena in her favorite pink polka dot dress, Zoe in a fancy white frilly top and matching purple flower headband and Jack beaming from underneath the brim of a black and orange baseball cap, now you know why. Sigh.

Soccer Superstar!

Zoe is a soccer superstar!

She played her first ever game on Saturday after only one short practice last week. We had no expectations, especially since Athena was so unenthusiastic on her soccer team, we just wanted her to have fun. But Zoe was amazing! She blew us away!

Our standing rule is that each of our children are allowed one activity at a time. It's really all we can manage, especially with Jack starting activities soon. Activities usually mean bi-weekly events, registration fees, outfits, parent volunteer opportunities, and with three kids it adds up. So one activity at a time please. Athena, of course, chose ballet and Zoe chose soccer for the Fall season.

The whole family woke up early Saturday morning to cheer Zoe on at her first game.

And although there were too many kids on her team for her to play the whole time, when she was playing she was always in the thick of it. She had control of the ball several times, was always near the front of the pack, could out some of run the boys, and never once burst into tears or get frustrated because she couldn't get the ball (as many many of the other players did).

She said later her brain kept saying "kick the ball....kick the ball...kick the ball..." She ran and ran and ran, barely breaking a sweat, and was very good at getting to the ball. Of course, it probably helped that she's the tallest girl on the 4-5 team, a head above many of the boys even.

Athena was quite content to watch from the sidelines.

We cheered and cheered and cheered, yes we've made fun of these parents before, but its a much different game when your child is actually playing (not dancing in the sidelines and looking for butterflies). Zoe almost had a goal, too. She kicked the ball into the goal just as they called the game, granted it was right at the feet of the goalie, but...

We celebrated like it was a goal and she got lots of congratulations from her big sister.

She was pretty darn proud of herself too.

Classic

Athena has been begging for ballet classes for a couple of years now. And I've looked around town at several dance studios. What I found for her age group was "dance" classes that cost an arm and a leg and teach all forms of dance in a class (hip hop, jazz, tap) ballet being just one of them. And then typically after two or so eight-week sessions, you are required to shell out an additional $75 for a hideous and inappropriate bejeweled costume and sit through a "recital" that looks something like this:

Seriously, have you seen "Dance Moms"? Yea, we're so not doing that.

Finally, after much internet research I found a studio that starts little ballerinas at the age of six. The studio has no website, just a phone number listed online and many, many great user reviews calling it "a classic ballet studio." I called at the beginning of the summer and reserved Athena's place to start in September.

The studio director took my information and informed me that a "packet" of information would be sent closer to the start date of the class. The packet consisted of one page of instruction, with a required dress code ("arrive dressed like a dancer"), where to buy the proper ballet shoes and various instructions about parking and payment plus a handwritten note on pink stationary confirming Athena's enrollment in Class One, held on Tuesday and Thursdays from 4:00 to 5:15.

We arrived on the first day not really knowing what to expect. What we found was a grand studio in the old downtown area of Bakersfield, with big windows, floor to ceiling mirrors, gleaming wood floors, and eight little six year olds as eager to start ballet as Athena.

The studio director is Mrs. Martha Knight, she has been teaching children ballet in the Bakersfield area for more than 40 years. Her classes extend through high school, but she has other teachers instructing the advanced classes, she reserves the little ones for herself. Mrs. Knight has got to be nearing 80, but smart and funny, with a voice and manner of speaking like Ethel Merman and fantastic dancer's legs.

It was like walking into the past when we entered her studio. All the signs and calendars on the walls were handwritten and the framed posters all look like they from the 70s. I was actually surprised when she pulled out a remote control to turn on a CD of music, half expecting a record player to be trotted out. Many of the Moms bringing their daughters had studied dance with Mrs. Knight themselves as little girls.

Mrs. Knight prefers that her six year olds have had no other dance training. She teaches them true ballet, but also tempo, music, posture. She is kind and funny but demands the girls focus and by all means, no fidgeting.

It's difficult to be there two times a week for an hour fifteen.

But so far, Athena loves it and so it is absolutely worth it.

Although I don't have any information about it a recital yet, it seems like the little dancers may have bit parts in the studio's annual ballet. This is their last year's production of the Emperor's New Clothes:

Swoon, right?

Flower Girl P.O.V.

FOREWORD

This is an attempt to capture Matt and Andrea's glorious wedding from the point of view of their little flower girls. I did not get all the photos needed to paint a full picture of their day, I missed all the critical moments and was hoping to steal a few off other family members (or the fabulous photog) but they are not forthcoming (ahem). So this is the wedding exclusively through the eyes of Athena and Zoe and their experiences of this fabulous event.

THE REHEARSAL

It all started with a rehearsal. Andrea was radiant and Matt was ecstatic. The girls were given the ribbon bouquets from Andrea's bridal showers to practice with. The lobby of the church was a joyous reunion for many Liebel cousins and aunts and uncles all participating in the ceremony. Zoe was immediately overwhelmed and tried to hide under my skirt as she usually does in such situations. There was a ongoing mass in the catholic church so we had to keep our raucous reunion to a dull roar until it finished, not an easy task with this crew.

As we were waiting for the church to clear out,
Zoe fearfully checks the length of the aisle.

The rehearsal went without a hitch.

After the rehearsal I went over all the "rules" of a flower girl. You know...no picking at your nose/butt, don't touch your sister, don't be wild, smile for the pictures...the things you shouldn't have to say, but with little kids you always do. Then off to the rehearsal dinner - at the beach!

Before dinner we snuck in a few more pictures with the beautiful bride

and did some sand diving with lovely cousin Hayley.

The setting California sun cast such a lovely light, I absolutely insisted on more pictures.

The girls tolerated it for a few minutes.

Then went off to run and play in the sand. Such a lovely evening which was made even more lovely by the awesome In n' Out catering truck, free flowing tiki bar, and s'mores by firepit for dessert. Everyone enjoyed it tremendously and the kids danced and caroused with no sign of exhaustion until nearly 11:00.

THE NEXT DAY

The next day was the wedding! The girls got ready in the church's bride room. I snapped this picture with my phone so that I could send it to Yiayia right away. They were so cute in their lime green accented polka dot dresses with custom lime and tangerine converse embroidered with their names - a special flower girl present from the bride and groom. Zoe said she never wanted to take her shoes off and wore them everyday for a week.

The girls enjoyed the "behind the scenes" of the wedding.
Waiting it out in the bride room, Zoe showed no signs of stage fright.

The gorgeous bridesmaids, cousins Laura and Stephanie, peered through the blinds to see who and how many had arrived. This is a classic shot that exists for each of the many, many Liebel weddings held at St. Cornelius.

Meanwhile the boys got dressed at the hotel.
Just look at my handsome little Dude!

(and his Daddy is pretty cute too!)
Chris was on Dude Duty while I fussed and fretted over the girls.

Finally it was time to walk down the aisle. Bryn, the mini two year old flower girl, raced ahead towards a bag of jelly beans. And Zoe and Athena walked together, Zoe clutching her sister's hand and slowly caving into her the further they walked.
But she made it without fleeing, so that I count as a success!

The next role was posing for the professional pictures.
I snapped a couple of shots of the girls with the lovely bridesmaids before leaving them to it.

Athena started to get a little tired and overwhelmed by the day but got a quick pep talk from Stephanie. I slipped away after this knowing that the girls were in great hands and they went off with the photographer to take pictures throughout the lovely grounds of the Nixon library.

At one point, I went to look for them to see if they needed water or snacks. I found what looked like an very well dressed garden party in the rose garden. The caterers were serving hors d'oeuvres and beverages as the photographers called different sets of the wedding party for pictures. The girls were bouncing happily in the middle of this lovely scene, surrounded by loving family and with no need of me. I felt all at once deeply honored that they got to be a such an integral part of Matt and Andrea's special day. What a wonderful memory for them.

THE RECEPTION

The girls were announced as they entered the reception hall on the backs and shoulders of cousins Mark and Corey. Zoe entered blowing kisses to the cheering audience, it was a priceless moment and one I didn't get a picture of.

The first dance looked like something from a movie, simply breathtaking.

Coloring books and sparkling cider for toasting was waiting for the girls when they made it to their table, so many fun and special little touches.

A highlight was the photo booth...




Throughout the night they took picture after picture with various family members and disguises and pasted them in a scrapbook for Matt and Andrea with elaborate drawings on each page.

They bounced around from photo booth to dance floor and loved every minute of the evening.

Jack hung in until the very last hour and then crashed in his Daddy's arms.

Thank you Matt and Andrea for including the girls in your special day.
It was a lovely, lovely wedding. We love you guys so much!

As I poured a very sleepy Zoe into bed that night, she wearily asked me "Mommy when can I be in a wedding again?" I answered...

"Soon, Baby, soon!"