everybody dance now!

(let's see how many different dance related song lyrics i can use as titles, shall we?)

sorry for the delay.  i don't have much of an excuse.  i'm kind of sick, and kind of don't have a voice.  but i don't need one to type, so... yeah.  i'm pretty sure i've been too busy watching beauty and the beast, which was released from "the vault" this past tuesday.  i was so excited for this since beauty and the beast is one of my all time favorite disney movies and was eager to pass on that love to mary.  apparently, i passed it on all right.  maybe even too much.  because mary has been watching it every moment she possibly can.  as i type, we are watching gaston sing ("and every last inch of me's covered with hair!") for the...oh, 6th time maybe?  i'm losing count.

random fact, did you know the beast's human name is adam?  neither did i.

back to the main point though.  which is dancing.  always dancing.  YAY FOR DANCING!
Crazy Girl is still in the class, though it seems the parents and teacher have come to an understanding of sorts.  CG goes in time out if she's naughty, mom (or dad) come in and reprimand her if needs be, and if she's extra bad she gets no sucker at the end of the class.  this week she was a lot better.  only slightly distracting.  though this video seems to say otherwise.  she's extra crazy in this one.  also, her parents speak russian and kept talking to each other.  wish i knew what they were saying.  apparently i'm nosey.


apparently, the popular topic of this week's lesson was how to jail break an iphone.  I DONUT  CARE (and yes, that was intential. donuts are delish.  those two thoughts aren't really linked. just...*shrugs*)


at some point, mary hurt her finger.  i'm thinking while lined up against the wall, one of the other girls must have accidentally stepped on it (ahem, CG? just kidding).  but she was very put out and not wanting to perform up to her normal standard of awesomeness. 

didn't want to high step march it.  and the shuffle step which she now normally does by herself, was insistent that the teacher do it with her.  in fact, she didn't even want to do it at all at first.  the teacher had to pick mary up and coddle her a bit, kissing her owwie and encouraging her to keep dancing.


this next vid is of mary making a pizza. i don't know exactly how this is relevant to dance.  but i like how mary is basically doing the splits right there.  she's so limber.


posting this next one solely for the mary princess wave.


this next video probably loses its adorableness because you, the readers, weren't there to really observe what was going on.  so i'll do a quick explanation.
there is a new-ish student to the class.  she HATES it.  her mom has to push her through the door that separates studio from observation room.  the girl CRIES the entire time.  until the mom goes in and sits with her.  and even still, the girl doesn't participate.  you can probably see her on the left side of the video.
during RIBBON DANCING YEAH mary kept going towards the little girl and waving her ribbon and smiling and almost encouraging this new student to participate.  the girl didn't get up, but did start waving her own ribbon back.  it just kind of melted my heart that mary seemed to be reaching out to this girl.  and maybe i'm reading too far into the situation.
but i like to pretend i'm not.
**edit** it helps if i actually include the video, right?

now for some pictures.

we got to the studio super early, me being a paranoid mommy and not wanting to be late again, so mary got some alone time in the room.
mary in cahoots with the CG

i'm wondering if this was when her finger got hurt...

an update on (great) grandpa koz:
we all know Mike is a fighter, right?  the latest news is that he is doing what he does best, pushing the limits and being pretty bad-A; recovering, feeding himself, vocalizing sounds and attempting to talk.  i half expect him to just walk right out of the hospital after he gets sick of being stuck in there for too long.
obviously i'm over simplifying things.  the road to recovery will be long and hard.  but in all honestly, i'm amazed at how well he is doing, so quickly after the stroke.  i should've known better.  this is the man who didn't like being confined after his knee surgery and wanted to get up and walk.  i know it is a relief to all the family to see him in better spirits. 
brent and i just wanted to somewhat publicly thank everyone who has shown love and support for the entire kozlowski family.  everyone at costco 484 has been sweet as sugar in their attempts to to cheer up and help out. 
so much family came out this past weekend to be together in the koz family's time of need.  mary reaped the rewards of having gpa koz so close by.
for instance, check out this sliiiiiiick dora big wheel mary is now in possession of (is it considered poor grammar by ending this sentence with that particular preposition?  i know there are exceptions.  i seem to have forgotten them.  why is the english language so impossibly confusing?!)  she's getting so gosh dang diddly big i can hardly believe it.  in less than two weeks this wee one will be three.  THREE!  where has the time gone?

and of course, mary chilling with gpa koz, loving life.

so, yes.  we've had an eventful time of things lately.  from family, to dancing, to disney, life has been hectic.  but pretty dang great.  now if only it wouldn't get cold...

dance, dance (in which stephanie gets a dose of humility)

some of you may be wondering just what the heck happened last week with our dance class post.  to sum it up, utah construction is lame, we were late, i didn't have a good spot to take pictures, etc etc.  ugh.

i wanted to make up for it this week.  unfortunately i had a lap hijacker in the form of one of the student's older sisters.  this cute little 4 year old chose to plop herself down on my lap and "help" me take pictures and record videos.  it was really cute, and i'm not really complaining, just know that's why things may look shaky or abruptly stop (as she was prone to turn it off mid record. that's what i get for showing her the on/off button).

i wish i could blame it on the full moon, but obviously that's since past, so yeah.  i have no excuse.  seems like every girl had a case of the sillies and could not quite contain it.  even mary, who is normally so enthusiastic about following directions, at some points decided she just plain didn't want to do anything.  or was being a squirmy worm.  it made me feel bad for how i react towards the Crazy Girl and her mom.  especially when i could hear the teacher "mary, how does a princess sit?  mary, sit like a princess." etc etc in an attempt to get mary to sit still.  i was properly embarrassed that mary was being naughty, and just wonder how the mom of  Crazy Girl feels every week.  that doesn't excuse the complete lack of control on her part, but still.  also, apparently (if my eavesdropping self heard right), the Crazy Girl may just be not coming back.  it seems there may have been complaints (not by me, at least, not officially) and problems which could result in her waiting a year before trying again.  i approve of this plan, if it actually happens.  i just feel bad for the mom who was looking for an outlet for her daughter's crazy nonstop go go go attitude.  i don't know how to feel about the situation anymore.

i think you can tell who Crazy Girl is

if only the girl could just be in a different class.  then i'd be done and all would be well.

graceful ribbon dancer

i can see more and more the different "dance moves" the teacher is going to incorporate into the recital.  it's really cool to watch them learn how to do things better, add new elements and the put it all together.

okay, video time.



the teacher put a sticker on each of the girls' right shoe, probably hoping to get them to use the correct foot.  she'd call out something to the effect of "tap the sticker shoe."  good idea.  but it just had mary focusing on the sticker. she wanted to ALWAYS use the sticker shoe.  i laughed and groaned as she'd call out to mary, "no the other shoe!" oy.
watch while mary does nothing! except wipe her nose on, not just her hand, but the hand of the girl next to her! amazing! *shakes head*



mary did her marching steps across the floor by herself again.  i'm not putting it here since you've seen it a few times before.  but it's up on our youtube vid if you care to watch it there.

i may be a bit braggy mcbragger by posting this video, but really.  i don't know how many times the moms will ask about mary's prior dance experience before they realize she just has natural talent.  i mean, unless you count dancing with mommy to single ladies and such at home...


you'll have to excuse the shakiness, as this is one of the times the lap hijacker was helping me.  she thought my camera was touchscreen (like my phone) and was trying to move the image on the lcd screen.
also, oh hi there Crazy Girl starting a mass revolt from the group...


mary has graduated from merely running around during freestyle time to trying to be a graceful prima ballerina.  that is, until she's trying to also whip the ribbon at passersby...



you can find the latest tippy toe walk across on our youtube channel as well.  skipping for sake of yours and my sanity.  too many videos, too little time.
last, but not least, some ballet.

in much more serious news, grandpa koz (as in brent's grandpa, or great grandpa to mary) had a stroke just recently.  they discovered a blood clot in his brain that is unfortunately inoperable.  and while they are no doubt administering anti clotting meds to help try and break it down, there's not much else that can be done.  we ask that, whether you are known to Michael Kozlowski or not, you keep him in your thoughts and prayers.  we're hoping for as close to a complete recovery as possible.
to glen and julie, who i know look forward to this weekly post, may mary's dancing serve as a means to cheering you up, even just a tiny bit, during a stressful and scary time. <3

better late than never (aka in which stephanie's witchy side comes out)

i think i've run out of "clever" things to say when it comes to mary and her dance class.  this is probably due to my most-likely-irrational frustration over one of the 3 year old girls in her class.  now i know what you're thinking, c'mon stephanie, they're 2-3 yo, hardly old enough to get you all riled up.  and yet, i find myself wishing to yell at the mom, or stick the girl in time out because she just. won't. stop.  what i mean by that is this girl runs around like crazy and uses her wily influences on the others (mary included) to run amok and lose focus on the dancing. it's maddening.  truly.  GET YOUR CHILD UNDER CONTROL BECAUSE SHE IS MAKING THINGS DIFFICULT FOR THE REST TO DANCE.
sorry.
/rant
moving on.  today the teacher busted out the ribbon dancers!!!!!  you should know i am singing the tv commercial about ribbon dancers that i can't find a link to anywhere (boo) and was singing it the entire time the girls were running around with said ribbons.

i feel like most of the videos are lacking in quality awesomeness (and yet, i managed to record like 10 of them).  again, because of a certain tiny terror on the dance floor...you can probably guess who the troublemaker is by the videos. if not, then, well...that's probably for the best.  i feel kind of like a jerk for complaining about this. 



all by herself...LIKE A BOSS!


again, horrible placement for mary.  makes video taking very difficult.  you miss her awesome leg work and pouty faces and bum shakin'


this is really mean, but...no one cares about the steroid drops you had to take for weeks because of the contact solution.  SHUSH.






look at that tippy toin' master! i know you've seen a video similar in past weeks, but for me it's all about noticing the progress mary makes.  she keeps her legs firmer as she walks and her arms raised up more. 

this is supposed to be the running, kicking the legs behind,move.  only i think mary was more focused on tippy toes.  best part?  the end where mary gets in that girl's face.  hands down.  i have no idea what she was doing.
the dance studio is opening up another class on thursday mornings.  i'm hoping that crazy girl goes there.  oh jeez, i can't keep from being rude.  still...*crosses fingers*

hurray for dance (in which many videos are posted)

i'm so very tired. and my head hurts.  so i'm forgoing most of my random running commentary in favor of you just viewing the vids.  i know you probably prefer that anyway (with the exception of sarinah who thinks i'm crazily hilarious)
thank goodness for no more illnesses that get in the way of wednesday dance lessons.  mary's been pumped since sunday, when brent made the mistake of mentioning it.  mary has been excited ever since.  even more so than normal because today brent had off and was able to come with!  one of the cutest parts about today's lesson was mary smiling and waving at daddy through the window.
there were a couple new faces in class today. i don't know if they were there last week and we missed them, or what.  but either way, mary made a new friend (long blonde hair in a ponytail, black skirt, you can't miss her: she's the hyper one).  it was really cute to watch them interact.  unfortunately, what wasn't cute was this girl blocking my view of mary dancing.  again, i wish i could've asked her nicely to move out the way.  or maybe put in a request with the teacher to always have mary in plain sight so i can record.  not like it's a big secret i'm camera happy.  oh well.
prepare for videos in
3...
2...
1...

















ok, one last snarky comment.  can i just say i was annoyed the other girls ran and took away from mary's awesome run/kick thingies?  because mary was the only one who did it anywhere near close to how the teacher demonstrated. 
oh well.  i shouldn't complain.  mary was delightful as usual.  i love seeing the small ways in which she advances in her class.  and how she learns more about balance and coordination.  it's such a great way for her to grow and learn

those of you expecting to see a dance class related post...sorry.

i know, i know.

what is this tomfoolery?
unfortunately for us all, mary got sick last night with croup.  it had been awhile, and caught us completely off guard.  but around 4 am, mary came  into our room wheezing and hacking and generally scared the poop out of me.  i'm pretty sure i bolted out of bed and ran to her.  how i managed to not trip and fall is beyond me.
one doctor visit, some meds later and we were home to veg and just hang out in pjs and stuff (don't judge, i didn't go to sleep after mary woke me up.  not one wink). she's sounding wheezier than she ever has while being all croupy.  that is to say, normally during the day you can hardly even tell she's sick, minus the runny nose.  i don't know exactly why this is, but she managed to put up a good front for rachel (who got her nook and came to get books from me YAY) and even cuddled up to her.
so while i can't give you mary dancing, i figured i'd give you mary singing.  because mary loves gaga gaga (that's lady gaga to you) and can't help herself. 






i promise.  brent and i are good parents.  we've never once watched or shown mary something that would result in her wanting to, uh, lift up her shirt like that.  i know laughing only encourages it.  i know.  :/ i couldn't help it!

it's wednesday again

obviously.

guess who got to the dance studio 15 minutes early because she was too impatient to sit and wait at home?

which means it's that time again! stephanie gets to be the braggiest mom that ever bragged show off our dancing queen.  you'd think i'd be used to how fabulous a dancer mary is, but i'm not.  this class was just as exciting as the first.  because while last week's seemed to be a little tap heavy, this week focused more on ballet. yay!

i especially like how you can see me all hunched down taking a pic like some creeper through a window.

i don't exactly know what's going on in this pic, but mary's the only one following the teacher. GO MARY!

d'awww look at that little sparkly tiara on her head.  which will be better explained upon viewing the video.

and while, yet again, i was the only one with both phone and camera out to snap snap snap away, you'll be getting basically, videos.  because let's face it, who doesn't want to see mary do a shuffle step, a pointed toe step, plie, and leaps?
let that be a warning.  if you don't feel like watching a whole crapton of videos...X out now! but, c'mon. i know you all want to.  mary is the reason you're here looking at this blog in the first place, right?
so grab some popcorn, get your snuggie comfy, and enjoy the show.
oh, one last thing.  i wish i could demand quiet on the set.  you'll hear a lot of chit chat in the background.  short of me turning around and SHHHHing everyone, because clearly all attention needs to be on our mary, i couldn't do much about the background noise.  maybe just block them out?  i don't know.  


it's unfortunate that i missed the vid opp where they are bouncing on their toes and heels alternatively.  one mom commented on how mary was the only one to be able to do both feet at the same time.  duh.  mary is awesome.  also, i wish i could've yelled "move out of the way!" to the girl that was covering up mary.  i figured that wasn't good manners though.


i think i only got pics of the high knee stepping.  so i'm glad they did it again for me to record.


shuffle steppin


we gotta work on those plies


tippy toes! also, NEXT TIME TURN YOUR PHONE TO SILENT, LADY.


i don't know what was with the buzzing.  but, another video where the crowd is amazed at mary's natural ability.  and where i don't know what to say so as not to come across to braggy...


upon playing this video in front of mary, i've come to learn that the dance teacher told the girls to pretend the green spot was a crocodile.  so they had to leap over it.  the teacher demonstrated and we all thought, "uh, this may be a little too hard for them to do."  psh! mary proved me wrong. though in the next video, she doesn't leap so much as gallop.  my guess is she didn't want the other girls to be embarrassed that they don't have mad skills like she does. heh



and there you have it. mary at her finest.  just think: if she's this good now, how much cooler will she be at the end of her dance year?

dancing queen!!!!!!!

you knew this post was coming, right?
today was mary's first dance class. YOU KNOW THAT MEANS LOTS OF PICTURES.
and because i'm slightly obsessive and camera happy i like to document all of mary's milestones, you get to see just how amazing mary was.  i was a little embarrassed that i was, for the most part, the only one taking picture after picture, video after video of mary.  but...::shrugs:: i can't help it.
just as an fyi, the pictures were taken with my phone, so if the quality is lacking, you know why.  we're not allowed in the studio (they have an "observation room" that has a window looking into the studio) and i didn't want my flash interfering with the glass of the window.  but all the vids are done with my camera. 

you may think me biased when i say this, but mary truly was AMAZING.  i'm not even exaggerating.  ok, maybe a little.  but she was little miss leader of the group; first to catch on and demonstrate what to do.  her teacher would ask her to do things first so the others could see.  and i mean, come on, we all already knew mary was a dancer.  this just kind of reconfirms that fact. 

tapping was first, followed by ballet/jazz.  mary got to strut herself across the dance floor, tap her toes and heels, then do a bit of tumbling.  the teacher demonstrated how to do a somersault and then assisted each child.  mary didn't want the help, but accepted it anyway.  she was all, been there done that, can i do it by myself now?

showin' them how it's done...like a boss

but as much as i brag, i'm just really glad she didn't get all shy and quiet.  she introduced herself to some of the girls that were there early like us, told the teacher her name and how old she was, and just got right down to dancing business.  it was so adorable to catch her checking herself out in the mirror, but turn and straighten to attention whenever the teacher addressed her.
this is only a good sign of things to come.  really.

we can't wait until next week!

2 for the price of 1 (pt 2)

PREPARE FOR CUTENESS OVERLOAD!

as most of you know by watching the majority of mary videos, mary loves to dance
(it may or may not be my goal in life to get mary on Yo Gabba Gabba just to say "MY NAME IS MARY! I LIKE TO DANCE!" can't you just picture it?)brent and i had been discussing enrolling mary in dance classes for awhile, just working it into our schedules and budget and whatnot. we were a little shocked and amazed to get a call from gpa koz strongly suggesting (maybe even demanding...in a good way though!) we get our daughter into dance class! i'm pretty sure watching mary's Single Ladies inspired that phone call. but you saw it (maybe), how good of a dancer is mary? and i dont' say that just because i'm a proud mom...well maybe a little bit). so, with their generosity we were able to do just that. seriously, from the bottom of our hearts we thank gpas koz for the present of dance classes for our little mary.
we found a dance studio in springville called Expressions and the ladies there when we stopped by seemed very nice. mary was shy at first, but warmed up pretty quickly, demonstrating her twirls and other dance moves (luckily not the booty shakin, that may be a little to freestyle for right now). the class is a combination of tap/ballet/jazz. we got all her dance clothes: leotard, tights, skirt, tap shoes, ballet shoes, and mary is BESIDE HERSELF. she wants to wear her dance clothes ALL THE TIME RIGHT NOW DANCE CLOTHES PLEASE.
classes start this wednesday and go until may. expect a TON of pics/vids as i sit and observe her. and just an FYI, so you can "save the date" and make the necessary arrangements, mary's dance recital is in the beginning of june. WE'LL SEE YOU THERE, RIGHT?

2 for the price of 1 post (pt 1)

can i just state, for the record, that i hate blogger? i don't know if it's just me (and it very well could be. sometimes i am, if not techno-than surely html-tarded). but i simply cannot find an easy way to maneuver pictures and text. so...despite it going against my strong need for well desired, chronologically ordered posts (boo), you and i will just have to deal with the randomness of it all.

the last night (see how out of order this is already? oh the madness!) Gma Lub made delicious empanadas for us to enjoy. quite possibly the highlight of their visit. at least for me :) mary got to help put the olives in and also seal them up (with the aid of gma of course). the empanadas were so tasty. i somehow found it in me to share with valerie at work. i think this deserves a reward. of more empanadas? unfortunately, the last night was also the time the AC decided to stop working. it got a little hot inside the house. luckily a storm was kind of brewing, cooling things off outside.
mary got to take a special trip to build a bear. it was everyone's first, and mary seemed apprehensive when we initially got there; running away from the bears and not wanting to pick clothes out. Gma and i were left to the task. i think we did a good job. mary got really into helping give her bear muscles, and love, and whatever else it is the worker there has the kids do. but when it came time to stuffing the bear up, mary ran and hid. her favorite part by far was the "washing" of the bear. mary is a very clean girl. and you know what they say about cleanliness...

her bear's name is boo, so chosen by mary. i don't know where that came from exactly. but i approve.




by far, though, most of our time was spent at the local park/duck pond. the night before my parents arrived i went through all the things mary could do once they arrived (in an attempt to get her to go to sleep already). one thing mentioned was feeding the ducks. so the morning of their arrival, mary's first thoughts (seriously, after waking up and saying she was hungry she launched into this) were about throwing bread to the ducks.
you'll notice my dad missing from a lot of the pictures. he, like me, found himself behind the camera more so than in front of it. gotta capture those kodak moments. because, believe me, mary puts forth a lot.


a trip to barnes & noble produced a couple fun gifts for mary. one speaking book (which she has yet to stop obsessing over) and this little mermaid activity "purse" (also still being put to good use, especially at church...hey, don't judge, we have to keep mary reverent somehow!)

we had a lot of fun with gma and gpa lub here. mary, especially, misses them. when saying our goodbyes and explaining that gpas had to go home, mary announced she was getting her sandals so she could go with. then promptly bawled as they left. did i mention they left around 6:30 am? mary was so upset she didn't sleep after they left (it was a long day...).
oh, and remember me mentioning my dad not getting enough camera face time? well enjoy this vid of him going down the slide with mary hehe

to gma and gpa lub, come back and visit soon! mary's waiting!

so long, farewell, auf weidersehen, goodbye

we had a little bbq last night with the family (minus kelin and kendra...that's why you guys should live in utah not idaho) to say a fond farewll to kyle, stacey and baby londyn. thanks go to brent who was the grilling master and made delicious burgers, brats, and chicken. seriously, there was so much food. i thought everyone was going to explode from stuffing their faces.
but to kyle, stacey, and londyn we want to say goodbye...or rather, see ya later, since goodbye seems so permanent. mary may not know it yet, since she's too concerned with a baby not "stealing" her toys, but she will miss her little cousin.
we look forward to finding a way out to myrtle beach so we can lounge on the beach...i mean, see you guys! :) hope your drive cross country is safe (but hopefully still a little bit eventful otherwise you will maybe lose your minds of boredom. you know how boring it is to drive through nebraska! no offense to those who live there...).

POP

contrary to the title of this post, you will not be reading/viewing anything about deliciously carbonated drinks (known to some of you as soda).
this post is dedicated to mary, who for reasons unknown, LOVES catchy (awful) pop songs. this is a mystery to me, as really i don't listen to the radio. though i have to shamefully admit lady gaga is kind of growing on me. kind of. a little bit. but only some of the song. honest. you won't catch me going to any of her concerts or dressing up as some of the people from her videos (i'm looking at you jessica).
anyway, instead of me rambling on, enjoy some videos. because i know that's what you guys really enjoy.
SINGLE LADIES BY BEYONCE (as performed by mini mary)
i'll apologize now for laughing, basically, through the entire thing. around minute 2.06 you get some major laughs.


BAD ROMANCE BY LADY GAGA (as performed by mini mary)


and last but not least
TIK TOK BY KESHA or is it ke$ha...(as performed by mini mary)


now. who wants to get this girl a record deal?

do the *clap clap* potty dance

have you ever seen the huggies pull up commercial? if not, watch. because you'll need to be acquainted with it in order to understand just what the heck mary is doing. i'll give you a few minute to watch it

now, awhile ago we got mary some pull ups because she was showing interest in potty training (didn't work out as well as we'd hoped, but that's a different story). mary love, love, loved her pull ups. she called them her princess diapers and sometimes would forgo pants in order to see herself in them 24/7.
well, she's pretty into this potty dance song. i realized, one time when the commercial was on, that she was singing along, doing the motions (even trying to undo the pull up diaper like demonstrated on the commercial). one evening, while stripped to her pull ups and somehow wearing a bandanna and her dress up heels, mary went nuts in the kitchen singing and dancing. here's what happened:


and, because she's so dang cute and i can't get enough of her, this one. wait for the end when she almost falls while twirling. so funny. don't worry, no marys (or would that be maries) be harmed in the making of this film.



mary also has a fond love of pillow pets. it's almost a little scary how she's memorized the commercial for that product. i wish i had a video of that, but i'm almost a little embarrassed, in case you think mary watches too much tv. i swear that's not the case. she's just got this amazing ability to pick up and memorize things she hears and likes (it'snot just tv, it's songs too).
we went to the mall the other day and there was a kiosk full of them. mary went CRAZY! she went around popping them open and laying her head on them, fake snoring. oh man, we need to get her one. and in fact, the only way to get her away from the kiosk without a major meltdown was to tell her she'd get a pillow pet for her birthday if she was good. seemed to work.

oops!

Sorry we forgot to include the pictures of the new pool that got for Mary in our last post. So here they are.