The Recital Video...as promised

Here it is, folks! Braelyn Nicole in Puddle Stompin'!
Enjoy! (Braelyn is the last little dancer to come out on stage.)

This Moment: Staycation

Lunching by the pool.

The last few weeks have been crazy for the Cease family, and the weeks to come promise to be more of the same. So, a vacation was quite in order for this long weekend. However, we are also trying to save up for house (hopefully this December!!! fingers crossed) so we are staycating instead.

We spent a good part of the afternoon out by the pool, and had planned to stay out there well into the evening until poor Braelyn was stung by a bee. Very, very sad. She swears she will not go back to the pool ever, which really throws a kink in our staycation plans, as sitting out by the pool was our only plan. Hopefully tomorrow she will find the courage to face to the bee-infested waters again.

Until then, we'll be blogging and watching Barbie movies and reading and wearing our junk clothes and doin' a whole bunch of nothin'.

(And I will try to persuade my sweet hubs to put Braelyn's recital video up on the blog. I haven't forgotten! :)

Have a great holiday weekend, y'all!

A Preschooler No Longer

First day of school:

Last day of school:

Apparently sassiness is something you learn in preschool! :)

To see last year's first and last day of school pictures, go here.

This Moment: Backstage

I am crazy proud of this girl.
Crazy crazy proud.

I'll get the video of Miss Braelyn's performance posted tomorrow.
Tonight, I'm wiped out!
Being a stage mom is exhausting! ;)

The Making of a Stage Mom

Okay, under normal circumstances I would resist any urge to display stage mother tendencies. But when my daughter is rocking my face off with her awesome dance moves...well, I don't know what I am expected to do!?

So at the beginning of the year, when her class would perform the Thanksgiving dance or the Christmas dance for the parents, Braelyn would have nothing of it.

Just one semester later, she is smiling and shakin' and showin' that dance who's boss. Seriously, she works it!

Performing her recital dance for the parents:

OKAY?! COME ON!!!!!

So you think you can dance?
Well her mama sure do!

Yesterday was her last class, so we grabbed a picture with her super sweet teacher, Miss Carol. She was the best! Just what B needed. She never pushed, but just let Braelyn do what she felt comfortable with. So grateful for that!

Braelyn's big recital is this Saturday! I can't wait.

I am so so proud of her and it's been a blast seeing her come out of her shell.

Before she was saying that she didn't want to do dance again, but yesterday said that she did want to try it for another year, which I am tickled pink about.

So for the future and for your own peace of mind, here are my stage mom ground rules:
1. This stage mom will not put her dancer on a diet.
2. This stage mom will not be rude to other moms or dancers.
3. This stage mom will not demand that her dancer be front and center in every performance. (Just most performances.) (Kidding! ;)
4. This stage mom will never botox her daughter's face to hide nonexistent wrinkles!
5. This stage mom will not yell at or scold her dancer for missing a step.
6. This stage mom will not make her dancer continue dancing should she decide to try something else.
7. This stage mom will cheer vigorously for her daughter and tell her she's awesome.
8. This stage mom will likely shed tears of joy at all performances.
9. This stage mom will love and encourage her dancer for who she is and not just for what she does.
10. This stage mom will likely take lots of pictures and brag about her dancer on the blog just a bit. Sorry. That's what stage moms do. It cannot be helped.

This Moment: Game Night

Spring Cleaning: Project 1

Our Closet.

Before: Ugh!

Hangers in a tangly mess. Instant anxiety attack.

OMG! I am losing my mind!
Look at that hanger!!!!!!

After: Ahhhhhh!

Yes...that's better.

Oh...there's my mind! Found it!

Winter is put away.
Clothes we don't wear are bagged and ready for Goodwill.
Clothes we do wear are hung up in an orderly fashion.
Shoes are organized.
Hangers are untangled.

It feels good.
Except for the $150 worth of dry cleaning that has piled up that I was avoiding before today. Besides that it feels real good.

Next project...I gotta couple of junk drawers to tackle.
Who's with me?!
It's fun if we do it together, right?!
Right?!
Cleaning!
We love it!

(Okay, well, we love it when it's done! Yea!)

Call Yo Mama!

Before, I had to call my mama on this sad, old little phone.

But now I can call my mama on my new iPhone. TaDa!

Happy Mother's Day to me! And do allow me to welcome myself to the 21st century.

If you haven't already...CALL YO MAMA!

To my sweet mama....I LOVE YOU!
Happy Mother's Day!

This Moment: Sharing Memories

My dear friend Mandi has been doing this for a while now, and I've tried to refrain from copying, but I just can't any longer! She posts a sweet moment or a beautiful image from her week. Well, today there was a moment that I just couldn't pass up. So...here's the first of installment of "This Moment."

Braelyn sharing family photos and memories with her babies.

Mandi...I tried to come up with a different name so I didn't totally copy, but I couldn't think of anything clever. :(
Thanks for the inspiration!