All the Single Ladies

For summer classes in ballet, the tap portion they are learning a "Single Ladies" from Alvin and the chipmunks dance... totally age appropriate and nothing like the YouTube stuff I'm sure we've all seen. It's hilarious and Ella plays this over and over...
*note - the Hawaiin grass skirt is her "cheerleader cheer" accoring to Little Miss.... and she also won't let me put her hair up so she's constantly stopping to push it out of her face...

Repeat

Ella told me she was going to take a rest... I heard her talking to her friends and I found this...Which is funny because she apparently gets it from me...

Surfing

Ella and I went to the park after ballet this morning to meet with friends and get the girls together while I did a photo shoot with their little brother (see Inspire Me Photography). There was a fallen tree which Ella practiced her balancing and jumping off to get branches.... at one point she yelled: "I surfing! Look Mommy! I surfing!"

Gulfport Swim

Here's Ella enjoying the water, obviously it couldn't have looked too poopy this day :) I will say that the water was considerably warmer than my beloved Hawaiian waters... this was really bath tub temperature. We found a sand bar the kids could run around on and the water up to it was only about 2 feet. I did see a large crab trying to scale the ledge of the sand bar and that further cemented my resolve to not go in... I can't see the bottom AND there are crabs... heeby jeebies!

Gulf Coast Beaches

Yes, three years in Hawaii spoiled us. I know. And I'm not going to apologize for being a beach snob either. These were some pics from a walk on the beach in Gulfport... and this I am told is normal... before the oil has reached it, if the oil reaches it, if the idiots in charge would just plug the bleepin' hole. I am outraged that a whole eco system could be wiped out due to sheer incompetence and blatant financial consideration.

Anyway, the beach was gorgeous white sand but the water was brown and murky... Ella asked me why the ocean looks like poop. (though it couldn't have looked that bad to her as she went swimming in it the next day) - go figure. I have been schooled in the fact that the brownness is sediment and that aside from the oil that will inevitably ruin it, the water is relatively clean..ish. I'm a beach snob, and I couldn't see the bottom, so I wasn't about to go swimming. Yes, Hawaii spoiled me... rotten.

Children's Museum in Gulfport

During our visit with Sara, we took the kids to the Discovery Museum and let them run amok... There was a whole area that replicated 1800 shops complete with a barber shop, hat shop, hotel, cafe, and tea room. Ella spent most of her time playing with the hats and though not great, the pics with the mirror are my favorites!

Another Catch Up Post

I have a feeling with my renewed passion for photography, this blog will have it's share of neglect... if you are curiuos, go to my photography blog INSPIRE ME PHOTOGRAPHY (I've added a link to the list on the right) and see some of the things we've (well I've) been up to...

Ella and I spent a week in Mississippi visiting our good friend Sara and her boys Wyatt & Miles. It was a much needed girlfriend break (her husband is currently deployed) and it was so nice to hang out with the the kids an chat over coffee or tea. Here are some pics from our week including a day trip to New Orleans...

Ballet Recital

Ella's Ballet Recital went perfectly this weekend. We are so proud of her and she was definitely the star in our hearts. Not only did she have fun and couldn't wait to get on stage, at the end of her performance, as the girls were leaving the stage, Ella took and opportune moment to take a couple of bows... she knows she's cute, for sure! Here is the star ballerina with her bouquet of flowers after the recital... and check out my photography blog : Inspire Me Photography to see pictures from the dress rehearsal. They turned out gorgeous!

Ballet Recital Dress Rehearsal

Ella is the third from the right....

Ballet Practice

I took this video a few weeks ago. We taped the girls practicing their ballet routine so we could practice at home before the recital. Ella, as well as the other girls I've been told, have little to no interest in practicing at home, and instead just like to watch themselves. Ella's dress rehearsal is tomorrow night and the recital on Saturday... it should be funny. We are allowed to take pictures and video tape the dress rehearsal but not the actual performance. I'll try to get some good footage tomorrow night but here's a taste...