Dance Class for the First Time...Again

You would think that the “firsts” for a second child would be slightly less thrilling for a parent to witness than those of her older sibling, but I have found this to be absolutely NOT true! Even though that first word or first step has already happened for you as a parent, it has never happened before with that wonderful second born. If anything, you appreciate it more because you now realize just how fast they really do grow.

This evening Eve participated in her first ballet class, and it was marvelous! It was as if I had never seen a three year old twirl or point her toes before. I was captivated by the newness and held a permanent smile for the entire half hour.

Two years ago I watched Grace dance in her first ballet class, and I remember feeling exactly the same way then that I did tonight. The only thing that made tonight even better was that I had Grace sitting right next to me watching her sister as closely as I was, and giving the occasional “Oh, she’s so cute!” and “Good job Eve!”

On the Drive Home...

Grace lost her tooth!

Happy New Year!

We rang in the new year with games, karaoke, good food, and family. We celebrated the last night of the year, as well as the last night of our trip with a bang. Several members of my family as well as Aaron's brother Vance and his wife Brittany congregated at my parents' home for a New Year's Eve party. We planned on putting our kids to bed early, but they just kept doing so well and seemed to be enjoying themselves so much that we let them stay up until midnight. I couldn't believe that they lasted that long! It was both girls' first new years awake and they truly enjoyed blowing their horns and shouting "Happy New Year!"

Snow What Fun!

A Few days after Christmas we drove out to Utah to visit some of my family. Grace had really been looking forward to the snow and was not disappointed. Even though it didn't snow at all while we were there, the white stuff was everywhere.

The girls had so much fun playing with their grandpa, grandma, uncles, aunts, and many cousins. Four of my brothers and my sister were there visiting (or living nearby) with their families. In addition to playing in the snow, a few highlights of the trip included visiting the lights at Temple Square, Skiing (for Aaron), Attending the Temple (while the kids went to Chuck-E-Cheese), playing basketball with my brothers and sister, and having a blast at the family's New Years Eve party.

It was a quick trip (just four days), but it was so enjoyable and definitely worth the twenty-two hours of driving. I love my family and I'm grateful that I got to spend time with so many of them this Christmas season.