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!
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?
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.
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?
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!
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...).
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)
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