Caroline's 3rd Birthday

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We had a very laid back, family birthday to celebrate our spunky Caroline turning three! She wanted a butterfly-themed party, so we went to the Heard Museum and checked out the butterfly exhibit. Next we hit Mellow Mushroom for pizza and headed back home for cupcakes and presents. All in all a wonderful day for the birthday girl, with the exception of a tumble out of the chair right before we were going to sing Happy Birthday. Fortunately all her teeth were still in tact, and the promise of cupcakes and presents helped her forget the pain pretty quickly. SPC_7002-Edit-EditSPC_7011-EditSPC_7035-EditSPC_7056-Edit-2SPC_7059-EditSPC_7064-EditSPC_7086-Edit-2-EditSPC_7097-Edit-EditSPC_7108-EditSPC_7118-Edit-2SPC_7135-EditSPC_7138-EditSPC_7139-EditSPC_7142-EditSPC_7169-Edit-2-EditSPC_7177-Edit-2-EditSPC_7204-EditSPC_7209-EditSPC_7211-Edit

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And a poorly done video with my DSLR:

the girls' school christmas program

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I was saying to Nick how strange it would feel that we'd be in the audience without a squirmy Caroline in our laps... they would BOTH be up on stage this time! Famous. Last. Words. Caroline cried and cried when her class got up on stage, and finally a teacher brought her down and she sang the songs from my lap. We were so surprised! Caroline seems like the type who would enjoy the spotlight. Maybe she was tired and overwhelmed! ?? SPC_1339-Edit

 

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Kate VOLUNTEERED to be a townsperson. Shocker, huh? When the teacher told me she volunteered for a part, I was pretty sure she'd gotten Kate mixed up with someone else. I was SO proud of her for coming out of her shell and trying something new. She did very well, but she didn't like her costume. It wasn't quite up to her princess costume standards!

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And here's a video from Nick's phone of the kids singing "Happy Birthday, Jesus." Such a sweet song!

christmas cookies 2013

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from 12/6 The girls had such a fun time making Christmas cookies this year. I let them pretty much destroy the dough. Kate decided they would be making pizzas instead, and I was having too much fun watching them play to salvage the dough. I did end up re-rolling it and baking them, but they were hard as a rock! Better luck next year!

Here's my post from last year.... what a nice sunny day that was! These were taken the first day of the ice storm, so there was very little light coming in.

 

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And here's an insanely long video. I was having so much fun watching them play that I had no idea how long I'd been recording. :)  Also, I took it with my camera, and since I don't really know how to use the video capabilities, there's a lot of re-focusing. You've been warned!

kate's christmas dance recital

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From 11/30 Kate's "official" Christmas dance recital was held on Dec. 21 at the high school auditorium, but I took an untested zoom lens with me (BAD results), and Nick's iPhone video didn't turn out either. Fortunately, Kate had another performance of her recital piece ("Run Run Rudolph") just after Thanksgiving in the McKinney square for the "Home for the Holidays" event. Unfortunately, not all of her class was able to attend this performance, but you get the idea. :)

These were taken with my 85mm f/1.8 lens. It's so sharp, but I need more reach!  I'm thinking about getting a (reliable) zoom lens for these types of events.

 

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Strike a pose!SPC_0343Here's that face, at 100% crop! close-up

Here's the video. I was taking pictures with my big camera AND trying to video w/ my iPhone at the same time, so it's really bad quality. Sorry if you feel like you're being tossed around in the dryer! (Oh, AND I didn't get the video started on time, so you miss the first little bit. I'm guessing you won't mind.) :)

kate's first dance class

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A few weeks ago, Kate started pretending "dance class," and one night before bed, she asked me if she could start going to real dance classes. It was a strangely grown-up conversation, and I told her that Daddy and I would think about it. She then kept reminding me that I promised we'd think about it! Needless to say, we got her enrolled!


Kate was so excited to go to her first class. She walked right in without fear, but then just stood in the back and wouldn't respond to the teacher's requests to participate. I was just glad she wasn't crying! Once they changed to tap, Kate was finally ready to dance!

The video is hilarious to me.... it's the moment she decided to stop being a wall flower. 

Just a note... this was a substitute teacher, and in Kate's regular class there are about 7 or 8 little girls. I thought it was so funny that there was only one other little girl there at the first class!
first dance class


And the video:


We went to dance for the second time this week, and Kate followed the same course. She sat down for the whole ballet time, but then she got her new tap shoes on and was ready to roll! She just needs a little time to warm up to being there, I guess! It might take a few weeks before she tries any ballet. :)


Christmas Cookies (and video, too!)

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Kate and I made cookies during Caroline's morning nap yesterday. Caroline woke up in time to enjoy our hard work!













And some videos!

Clip #1 is short & sweet, taken w/ my iPhone.

Clip #2 is longer, and I took it w/ my camera, so you hear the camera focusing. It's herky-jerky and quite a bit longer, so I assume only our family will want to watch it. :) Kate's had a cold, so she sounds all nasally. She says, "just a minute" about 500 times.

Take your pick!