waitin' for Spring

As we powered through the end of the winter there was no slowing down. There were lots of activities keeping the girls busy. Olivia attended a super fun birthday party for her friend, Ava at Board and Brush in February. The girls made their own creations on distressed wood. Since the party consisted of the entire girls soccer team the artwork was all soccer inspired. I was super impressed with how Olivia's board turned out. Such a nice keepsake, and a great party with great friends!

Every year around this time Olivia and her dance team perform at the Mad Ants basketball game. They do this every year. Our local basketball team does not draw the biggest crowds, but the performance gives the girls a chance to perform their new dances for a audience. Olivia loves any chance she gets to perform, and I love watching her. They did a great job!

The highlight of the winter for Olivia was being Principle for a Day or "Lower School Director", as they call it, at her school. We won this experience for her during a silent auction and gave it to her as a Christmas gift. I think it may have been her favorite gift as she counted down the days until she was in charge!

The day kicked off with picking out a special outfit for her teacher to wear. She was thrilled to be able to embarrass him with this nice ensemble! He was a good sport and happy to follow the director's orders. Then it was time to get down to business in the lower school director's office. This included making some school announcements and making some decisions for her class for the day.

She was then treated to lunch and a trip to the book store with the director. They had a great time venturing away from school for a few hours and getting to know each other a little better. After lunch she met the school headmaster and got to sit in on a few important school meetings. I think the day wrapped up with bringing ice cream treats back for all of kids in her class. She came home that day with a smile that would not quit. It was definitely one of her best days, and one she will not soon forget!

Soccer called us out of town for another tourney in late February, but because of other commitments at home we were not able to take Olivia. She was more than excited to tag along with her bestie and her family though. The girls usually face pretty tough competition in these tournaments, but they seem to grow tougher each time they play, and they always come away from it knowing they gave it their best effort! Of course the down time between games is really what the girls love the most. Spending time together and just being silly. They may not always win their games, but the fun they have makes up for it.

Since Olivia was away overnight for her tournament, we promised Cecilia she would get to do something special with just Todd and I. We surprised her with a tip to SkyZone. It had been quite awhile since she had been here for some trampoline fun, so she was ready! This girl jumped for 30 minutes straight without stopping, and loved every second of it. She was pretty excited to be able to tell her sister that she went to SkyZone without her. I will admit it is sometimes nice to spend time with the girls one on one.

It was nice when March finally arrived. Signs of Spring were in the air and it was time for the first of two dance competitions of the season. Olivia and I dashed down to Indy for the day so she could compete six dances with her group. These girls work all year long to perfect their routines, so when competition time rolls around they are ready to go. Dancing brings Olivia so much joy and she gets so excited about competing.

It was a jammed packed day, but the girls kept their smiles on and their energy up! They scored very high in most of their dances and even walked away with some special judges awards. I was so impressed with my girl...and not only with how well she performs, but also how she manages to remember so many different dances. The competition was a success and at the end of the day I had one tired dancer.

Since Olivia and I were out of town for the entire day Cecilia and her Daddy had something very special planned together. It involved being pampered like a princess for the day! Things kicked off with a princess make-over in the afternoon. There were different stations where she could get her hair and make up done, and even a manicure! She also got to enjoy craft time, making a princess wand, sash and corsage!

Once the makeover was complete it was time to learn to walk and wave just like a fairy tale princess. She was a little shy for this part, but warmed up to the idea pretty quickly. It was easy to feel like a princess, when you look like a princess! She wore the princess gown from her ballet class last year. It was the perfect outfit for the event!

As if all of the pampering wasn't enough, Cecilia got to attend a princess ball that evening with her Daddy. Before heading to the ball they stopped at Nana's for a little hair and make-up touch-up. Then it was off to the ball for some dancing and snacks. Being princess for a day was the perfect activity to distract Cecilia while her sister and I were gone all day. The princess life suits Cecilia very well!

It is hard to imagine that the school year is nearing an end. Olivia's 4th grade year has been full of so many neat experiences. A few highlights of the winter included a Spanish performance of The Tortoise and the Hare and a class field trip to the State House in Indianapolis. This school has provided Olivia with some wonderful opportunities and she is soaking them all up. 

It's been a great school year for both girls, but we are ready for pool days and summer nights! Counting down the days!