Without further ado! Its Miss Abby in Dumb Dog… So proud of our little Punkin! She did such a wonderful job!
Abby, The Recital Veteran
Ellie’s first recital has now come and gone and now its time for Abby’s turn! Abby can now call herself a “recital veteran” as this is her second recital. She is just as excited though and this time I don’t think she is quite as anxious about it.
So, just like Ellie we spent the morning at stage rehearsal where Abby practiced her dances and enjoyed time with her friends. She did a wonderful job too. Its amazing how much she has grown and changed over the last year. She is so confident and proud of all of the things that she accomplishes and you can see it on her face.
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| A beautiful arabesque at stage rehearsal. So serious and intense! |
After rehearsal we headed home for some lunch and rest. We sat and laughed and giggled as Abby worked on getting her hair done. Both she and Ellie opened recital presents from Grandma and Grandpa Taylor as well as Auntie Fran. Pretty soon it was time to leave and head back to the theater. It was showtime!
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| What a gorgeous girl. All prepped and now its time to just wait for the curls to set. |
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| “Dumb Dog, Why are you following me?” |
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| Telling Sandy no with a little bit of attitude. That’s my girl! |
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| Abby was having so much fun up there! |
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| “Let’s Go Fly a Kite” Both girls sure love to jump! |
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| What a dancer! Abby was so proud of her “big girl arabesque”. |
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| Another perfect arabesque and a beautiful look on her face! |
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| Having fun even sitting and clapping along for the finale. I think at this point she was looking for us in the audience. |
Abby and Ellie’s classes each did the same dance, so Abby proudly danced to “Dumb Dog” from Annie and “Let’s Go Fly a Kite” from Mary Poppins. Being that this will be her last recital at Bobbie’s I thought it was very fitting that she had the chance to dance to a song from one of her favorite movies. Made my heart melt. Abby did such a wonderful job with her dances. She did such a great job of remembering them and dancing on her own. Shaun and I are so proud of her. What a very special night.
Of course after the show was over, Abby was happy to be the center of attention and receive flowers from us and her grandparents. She took pictures with her teachers, family and friends and would have stayed all night talking and running around with them if she could.
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| Abby and her wonderful teacher, Miss Elizabeth. We are going to miss her so much next year! |
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| Abby with Miss Elizabeth and Miss Jess. I think she was getting a little bit shy with all of the picture taking. |
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| Abby and Miss Jess. I guess she had enough energy to smile for one more picture! |
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| Abby and her little friend Lilah. These two were thick as thieves all year long. Such cuties! |
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| Abby and her very proud Auntie Jillian. |
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| During Ellie’s class on Saturdays, Abby made friends with a few of the big girls who were waiting for their rehearsals. They loved Abby and always let her sit and talk with them while she was there. One of the girls I have known since she was only two years old. Boy how time flies fast! |
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| Sharing a few hugs and smiles with Daddy. We are so proud of you! |
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| Enjoying a dancer of her own on an empty stage. |
Leaving the theater tonight was bittersweet. I was so proud of Abby and the beautiful dancing she had done. I couldn’t have been happier. At the same time I had a feeling of sadness. This would be the last time that we danced at Bobbie’s. It was almost like the end of an era. Between dancing there myself, watching my sister dance too, working there and then watching Abby and Ellie dance there too, there was a lot of history and fond memories. We wont be gone for good and I know that we will visit when we are in town, but it wont be the same. I only hope that we can find a dance studio in Seattle that they love just as much but there will always be a little something missing.
Despite the sadness, I was also happy to be moving toward something new and exciting. All moves away from the familiar are bittersweet and you are always leaving something behind but the unknown will also be exciting and full of new beginnings and new memories. So as we packed our beautiful little dancer into the car and watched her smile as she held her flowers I knew that she would always have these great memories as well as new ones in the future. All that mattered was that she was happy. A perfect night.
Ellie – Dumb Dog
Ellie’s still little and with that comes the element of complete surprise. Stage rehearsals can go horribly for some little dancers and then they are wonderful for the recital. The exact opposite can happen as well. A little one can really enjoy and love being on stage at rehearsal but then meltdown completely when it comes to having a full audience, brighter lights and all the things that might overwhelm a child.
Because of this, I took video of Ellie at rehearsal and for the actual show, just in case. Lucky for us she was wonderful for both occasions, so I thought I would share both of them with you. As you can probably tell, the top video is from stage rehearsal and the bottom is from recital. Hope you enjoy!
Ellie – Let’s Go Fly A Kite
Ellie’s still little and with that comes the element of complete surprise. Stage rehearsals can go horribly for some little dancers and then they are wonderful for the recital. The exact opposite can happen as well. A little one can really enjoy and love being on stage at rehearsal but then meltdown completely when it comes to having a full audience, brighter lights and all the things that might overwhelm a child.
Because of this, I took video of Ellie at rehearsal and for the actual show, just in case. Lucky for us she was wonderful for both occasions, so I thought I would share both of them with you. As you can probably tell, the top video is from stage rehearsal and the bottom is from recital. Hope you enjoy!
Ellie’s First Recital
Today was the big day! It’s Ellie’s first recital! She was so excited when she woke up this morning and so ready for recital. We still had a full day to get through. In the morning, Ellie had stage rehearsal. This allows the dancers, especially the young ones, get a feel for what its like to be on stage and dance. Ellie got up there and did a great job. She may have been a little shy and quiet but she soon warmed up to it and had a great time. It was a great sign for the evening ahead!
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| Ellie practicing her “Dumb Dog” dance at stage rehearsal. |
After a successful stage rehearsal we headed home for lunch and a nap. Lunch happened, nap did not. That had me worried that a meltdown could potentially happen before, during or after the show or at all three moments. My fingers were crossed and I think I was holding my breath. She was so excited for the night that I didn’t want it sullied by not having a nap.
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| Ellie is all dressed and ready for her very first recital! Shaun is a great daddy for carrying Ellie’s costume bag, but I think we already knew that. It may not look like it here, but Ellie was ready to get the show on the road. |
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| My beautiful little Ellie doing her Fly A Kite dance. She was having fun with her little friends. It makes my heart soar to know that she enjoyed it. |
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| Beautiful arabesque! |
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| Jumping and jumping over and over again. This was her favorite part of the dance to do! |
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| “Dumb Dog, Why are you following me?” Nice big shuffles. |
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| She actually sat down during this part of the dance! Usually she just stands there. I guess she didn’t like that part and for those who know Ellie, she doesn’t do anything she doesn’t want to do. My stubborn little girl. |
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| My cute little cupcake. She loved this dance the most because of the costume. While the dance was to Dumb Dog from the musical Annie, she called it her “Minnie costume. She looked adorable! |
Luckily the lack of a nap didn’t create any issues. Ellie was great and we even got a few smiles out of her on stage. Even though she seems so serious on stage its because Ellie loves to soak everything in. I know she was having fun though, because at one point in her ballet dance she spotted Shaun and myself in the audience. I waved at her and she waved right back with such an excited look. So lucky to have caught it on video too!
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| Ellie is all smiles with one of her teachers, Miss Jess. Thank you for such a wonderful year! |
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| Smiles, hugs and flowers from Daddy! What a special night for both of them. |
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| Mommy and Ellie are all smiles after the best first recital ever. So proud of you Ellie! |
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| Ellie with her teacher, Miss Elizabeth. Ellie adores her! What an amazing young lady and teacher. She really has a gift with kids and as we saw tonight she is also a very gifted and talented choreographer. I think we will see a lot from Miss Elizabeth in the future! |
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| The little dancer and her flowers. She didn’t want to put them down or have anyone hold them! |
Ellie had one heck of a night and felt so special. Hugs and pictures with family and of course her teachers and then flowers from several people. She was all smiles afterwards and you couldn’t get her to stop talking about her wonderful night. We are so proud of you Ellie Belly! What a wonderful night for everyone! A little bittersweet but wonderful nonetheless. Love you Ellie!
It’s a Great Day for a Zoo Day!
With our move to Seattle coming up, it was hard not to think about the things that we will be leaving behind. The same goes for my parents and my sister. Once the Wharton’s head to the Pacific Northwest, my parents and sister wont have the same reasons to come and visit California. Its not that they wont come back to visit, but it wont be as often as it used to be. With that in mind we decided that during their visit, we would head to a few of the places we will all miss the most and today was the Santa Barbara Zoo!
It was a perfect day for the zoo too! Warm, sunny with a nice cool breeze. Couldn’t have asked for a better day! When we arrived at the zoo we headed straight for the giraffes, making sure we had the chance to see the new babies and feed Michael too. We made it with plenty of time to spare and enjoyed every moment. Its fun listening to Abby and Ellie giggle and laugh about the giraffe’s long slimy tongue.
After we fed the giraffes it was time to feed ourselves. We headed off to a quiet little spot for a picnic. We watched people and the giraffes from our perch and had a visit by several little hummingbirds. Once our bellies were full it was off to see more animals and have some fun!
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| Abby was so excited to feed Michael the Giraffe again! She loved every minute of it! |
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| Elle was trying really hard to feed Michael but tough his tongue too. She was fascinated by it! |
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| One of the two mama’s hanging out with the babies. So cute and she was being so protective! |
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| One of the little hummingbirds that came for a visit as we had a picnic. |
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| Walking the boardwalk to see the Condors and the Channel Islands Fox. |
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| Beauregard the Channel Islands Fox was adorable today! He crawled up a beam and came right up to the netting that covers his enclosure. We thought we were special but its because it was feeding time. A few minutes later a keeper came with dinner and he was off to give her some love. Still cute and Auntie Jillian was beside herself with excitement because he came so close. Great moment at the zoo! |
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| We had to stop and visit the penguins for Abby. Gotta love these guys in their little tuxedos! |
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| At the end of the day Abby and Ellie had the chance to choose something from the shop. Abby chose a giraffe which she named Audrey after one of the mama giraffes. Ellie chose a lion and promptly named him Ted. Not a clue where that name came from but it sure gave us the giggles. |
We made our rounds through the zoo, seeing as much as we could before closing time. I didn’t get to see the otters as I had hoped. Well I did but just their bellies as they were sleeping in the grass. What is important though is that the girls had the chance to see the animals they love to see; giraffes, elephants, gorillas, penguins, lions and more.
We had a great time with all of the animals and even the drive home was gorgeous. For one last bit of nostalgia, dating back to when Jillian and I were kids, we stopped on the way home to get a little treat at Foster’s Freeze in Carpenteria. So yummy and a great way to cap off an already fun day in Santa Barbara. Its going to be a while, but until next time Santa Barbara!
Our 6th Anniversary and a Very Happy Father’s Day
Happy 6th Anniversary…
I cannot believe I am saying 6th anniversary! Then again, I think I say that every year! It feels like only yesterday Shaun and I were married and we had the best party with all of our family and friends, brush fires and all! Our day wasn’t perfect, in the sense that not everything went off without a hitch, but it was perfect to us because we were surrounded by the ones we love. In life, that’s what matter most.
Not much has changed since then. When the road gets tough and we are faced with challenges, I try to to worry because I know I have Shaun right there with me. He is the cool, calm and level headed person that balances my often emotional and reactive personality. In my mind we are a perfect match and after six years our relationship is better and stronger then it was before.
The year leading up to our 6th Anniversary has been a bit more rocky and challenging than the years past. But the one good thing about all of those challenges is that it has given us some wonderful perspective and allowed us to appreciate the things that we do have, each other. Here is what we were doing leading up to our 6th Anniversary…
- Abby performed in her very first dance recital. She was adorable and did such a great job! We were all so proud of her and I cannot wait to see what the future brings, assuming she wants to keep dancing. 🙂
- Celebrated Ellie’s 2nd Birthday and watched her grow even more. She is talking more than we can can keep up with and learning all the time. Ellie is has definitely started to show her stubborn side. Age two is going to be interesting! We also discovered that Ellie has an issue with her vision. She has an astigmatism and is also very nearsighted. To correct the problem and strengthen her eye she will need glasses during her crucial development years, so until about age 10. I was worried at first but she is darn cute in those glasses.
- Overnight Ellie was potty trained! All it took was a trip to Grandpa and Nana’s, some pull ups, a princess potty and some hot summer days to run around in her birthday suit!
- In September, Abby started her first year of school at St. Stephens Preschool. Where does the time go? Preschool already? There were a few years from Mommy and Daddy too!
- Abby, Ellie, Auntie Kelli and myself took a fantastic road trip up to Montana near the beginning of September. WE missed Daddy a lot but a girls road trip was a hoot. I also enjoyed sharing some of my favorite places with Kelli and she enjoyed it too!
- Unfortunately, at the beginning of October Shaun was laid off from his job at Sony. It was a scary and very startling reality to life. The unknown is scary but we have each other, the support of family and friends and faith in the fact that things will get better soon. For now we will enjoy the time we have with one another.
- Abby celebrated her 4th Birthday and she has grown by leaps and bounds since. Abby is learning so much at school and at home, it amazes me. She soaks up everything at school, loves to learn, and is making lots of new friends.
- On October 31st, my Grandma Taylor passed away. It was unexpected, at least for me. We went to St. George to say goodbye and visit with family. Abby came with us and was such a good girl. She had a lot of questions about her Grandma Tutu, but listened and learned with the poise of an adult. I was so proud of her. It was a difficult time but knowing that she is now with my Grandpa brings me a lot of peace. Miss you Grandma and love you so much!
- Dance began again and this time Ellie started and had her very first dance class. It took a few tries, but in the end she loved it! She loves Miss Elizabeth and talks about her nonstop! I cannot wait for recital!
- We enjoyed another trip at Christmas time to Montana. No mishaps with bumpers or Montana drivers this time! Instead we enjoyed time with family, including my cousin Mike and his beautiful fiance Sue. Abby and Ellie didn’t get to see as much snow as they would have liked, but they made the best of it. Grandpa even bust out the sled and we found him dragging them around the neighborhood on several occasions. It was a fun and relaxing trip. We had to pinch our pennies but we found ways of having fun and loving the time we had!
- The NHL lock out finally came to and end and the hockey season began. Shaun surprised me with tickets to the first home game which meant we had the chance to see the Kings raise their Stanley Cup banner at Staples Center. It was worth every penny and then some!
- After not having any luck with jobs, Shaun and I decided to take a big leap of faith and made the decision to move to Seattle after the school year ended. We even took a road trip up with Abby to find a place to live. Its scary taking such a risk but I know, as always, we will land on our feet.
So the year has been busy but all of these events occurred in the same city, with the same number of children, in the same house! That is about to change though! What a new and exciting adventure we are about to embark on!
Happy Anniversary Shaun! Here is to another six years and then another hundred after that. I love you so much and I am thankful for all that you have done for me and given to me. I cannot wait to see what the next year brings us, especially in a new city and a new home What an adventure I am sure it will be!
Auntie Jillian is Here!
Auntie Jillian has arrived! Now the real family fun can begin! Father’s Day, Anniversary, Recital, Disneyland and much much more. Cant wait but I certainly don’t want the time to go by too fast. Let’s hope it doesn’t get too crazy and we can enjoy the time we have.
Grandma and Grandpa Taylor Are Here!
Grandma and Grandpa Taylor have arrived here in California! So excited to have them here. What a crazy week we have in store for us, but I am excited. It is a bit bittersweet, as its the last big trip they will make here to visit us. After this we are off to Seattle and while I know they will visit even more there, we wont have places like the Santa Barbara Zoo or Disneyland to go to.
We are still so excited about their visit and the move. This is the last bit of rest and fun before things are in full swing. So, now its time to visit and enjoy the time together!
Last Day of Dance
Today was the last day of dance. My heart felt a little heavy knowing that not only was this the last day of dance for the year but the last time the girls would take class at the studio. Bittersweet really. Despite my feelings, the girls had a wonderful time and are so excited for recital. Its hard to believe that its only a few days away! The last day of dance also kicks off a whirlwind ride of recitals, trips, time with family, packing and moving. Here we go!
The Blog is Back Up
As you can obviously see the blog is back up and available for everyone’s enjoyment.
For the moment, it looks like the problems with spam sites have stopped for now. I changed a few things around, taking more precautions with my settings and now it is no longer available to be found in a search engine like Google or Bing unless the exact name of the blog is known. That’s at least what Blogger claims. We shall see if its the truth or not.
SO for now we have kept the Baby Babbler from becoming completely private and it is easy to access for all of my friends and family. Lets hope it stays that way! So until then, enjoy all of our adventures and fun!
Blog Will be Down…
Greetings Family and Friends!
Due to some unwanted traffic from spam sites and such, I will be blocking access to the blog for a period of about 24 hours. I apologize for any issue this may create but I am trying to drive away unwanted traffic without forcing the blog to go private. Making the blog private means that each of you will have to set up a Google account and I know many of you may not be thrilled about that.
Therefore, starting this evening (Thursday June 13th) at 8pm PST you will not be able to access the blog. Instead of our beautiful home page you will see a typical Google Log In page. Don’t panic, we will be back up and running within 24 hours of that time and hopefully this will keep some of the garbage I am seeing through my stats away from the site. Thanks again for your patience and we will be up and running soon!
The Wharton Adventures 