spring ballet recital

makena's spring ballet recital was last week, and a few lessons to be learned.

(1) a performance for mostly 2-5 year olds in the middle of the day during nap time, perhaps not the best idea. Unless you like to watch little girls in cute costumes do anything but what they are "supposed" to be doing. (Which we really, really did!)

(2) feathers on the costumes of 2-year olds result in the ripping off of handfuls of said feathers and joyfully tossing them in the air. Which in turn causes other 2 year olds to completely stop what they "should be" doing, and chase after flying feathers (and also results in subsequent older kids in later numbers to blow feathers on ground up in the air while (not) doing what they are "supposed" to be doing).

hmmm...the dancing was supposed to be happening here....

makena needed a little help from miss vivienne to get up from her seated position in the middle of the stage.

dancing with miss vivienne is ALWAYS fun!

looks little like the cabbage patch to me...

SO.EXCITED.

the last 2 numbers were spent this way. examining the next groups props.

and, the reward for a successful performance? yummy cupcakes from hokulani bake shop!

oooohhhh.....

first kid out of the auditorium? first kid with a cupcake!

first haircut

before (long, curly with blond tips):

during (watching tangled, not thrilled with the process):

after (with sissy's after - we cut about 6 inches):

so sad that her hair was SO straight and most of the blond cut off. but, a week later and the curl is coming back a little. maybe it was just in shock.

not to be left out of a photo shoot opportunity...

this is what makena did during sissy's photo shoot at the beach:

who wouldn't want to hang out in a hot pink bean bag chair at the beach?

friends

one of my oldest friends, elisa, came to visit us with her family for a week. our girls are the same ages, so it was a fun (and busy!) household for a week.

climbing on the hippos at the zoo

just before they left for the airport to go home. quite the challenge to get four littles to look and smile at the camera at the same time. note makena's expression. she wasn't giving a thumbs-up, but had just popped her thumb out of her mouth. it was nap time!

and this is what nanea has been up to

stay on the lookout on magazine stands near you...

...top secret, so i'll post what magazine once it comes out.

it will be in the summer issue!

open your eyes!

makena wanted her picture taken with her sun hat, and proceeded to do the squinty-eyed-smiley-thing that all kids do. when i told her to open her eyes, she took me quite literally which resulted in a lot of laughing on both of our parts. so glad i captured this moment, albeit with my iphone so not great quality!

and we end back at squinty-eyed-smiley-ness :)! gotta love her!

easter recap

showing off her dyed/decorated egg

and here's le artiste's egg - she is a perfectionist in all she does!

trying to get three cousins to look and smile at the camera...fail! let's try two cousins...

double fail!

hunting for eggs. as she did when she was little, she only goes for the plastic eggs with candy in them!

makena on the other hand, REALLY LIKES hard (boiled) eggs!

makena showing her spoils