Rylee Jay

The other day it was remarked by somebody that Rylee looks just like me and acts just like her dad. Her response? "Whoa, that scary." Yes, the child has fine tuned the art of sarcasm. Another funny one, we were watching discovery channel one day and there were donkeys on. The narrator was calling them "asses" and Rylee was appalled. So Ryan and I explained that sometimes people call donkey's that but that we'll stick to donkey, just to be safe. So a few minutes later some pigs come on the screen. Ryan says "Look Brooklyn, there's mom and Rylee," To which Rylee retorts, "Well, I'd rather smell like pig than like a$$." I know, we shouldn't laugh, but how can you help yourself sometimes? She really just grown in leaps and bounds this school year. Not just in height, but in all kinds of ways, and her witty and sometimes mean sense of humor is just one of them. You can always count on Rylee to pick on her dad, to start a fight with her sister, or to throw her mom's shortcomings in her face. While this doesn't sound like such a good trait, it really is cause for much laughter in our house. She's just funny. Even if it's a mean funny. Other things she's done this year, well, as much as she picks on her dad, she has really become his sidekick. Always wanting to go fishing, or help in in the yard. They love to watch TV and eat junk food together. And they especially love to pick on me and Brooklyn together. She has also developed her first crush. Cute little Garrett only lives a few houses away and the poor kid has Rylee and friends walking the dog by his house many times a day. She loves buying things or doing things for people. She loves to clean windows or organize closests. She can often be found spending her allowance on her teacher, me or Brooklyn. As funny mean as she can be, she actually loves to spoil people. Anyway, there's only 3 weeks of school left and it's just killing me that she is almost a 3rd grader. How did this happen?

So this is a picture of her before school this morning. It was Wizard Of Oz day and she was the Cowardly Lion. We tried to make her hair look like a wild mane and we also made a tail (which drove Rusty crazy.) But the main reason I took this picture is to see the nice lump on her noggin. She was doing flips out of the swings at school yesterday, and well, she missed her landing. She wouldn't let me take a picture yesterday, but it was about 4 times the size. Just one more way she's grown up. She used to be a little wimpy, but that seems to be changing.

ABC's Of Me

I was tagged. Here we go.

A- Attached or Single: Attached for nearly 10 years.
B- Best Friend: Ryan and Chandra
C- Cake or Pie: cake - cooked and squishy fruit makes me want to barf.
D- Day of Choice: No favorites. Most days are just plain good.
E- Essential Item: lately...Rollerblades. i can't afford gas.
F- Favorite Color: red
G- Gummy bears or worms: worms - the sour ones
H- Hometown: West Jordan, UT
I- Indulgence: Penne Gorgonzola from Jonny Corinos
J- January or July: July
K- Kids: 2 amazing girls
L- Life is incomplete without: family
M- Marriage Date: June 20, 1998
N- Number of Siblings: 2 brothers and 2 step-sisters
O- Oranges or Apples: An apple a day
P- Phobias or Fears: I try my best not to let fear rule me, but I don't love spiders.
Q- Quote: Sometimes life is the most wonderful fairy tale.
:)R- Ring size: no idea
S- Season: Summer
T- Tag 3 Friends: Treasure, Tawnie, Miranda
U- Unknown Fact About Me: there is very little unknown about me. I'm not all that quiet and apparently like talking about myself
V- Very Favorite Store: Target
W- Worst Habit: procrastinating
X- X-ray or Ultra sound: well, no more ultra-sounds for me
Y- Your Favorite Food: pasta, bread and chocolate
Z- Zodiac: Scorpio

Phew....

It's over.

We are finished.

The Spring Show has come and gone and the dance season has come to a close.

Part of me wants to run around cheering for joy and the other part is sad to see another season over. I have been a little stressed and tired lately, but this show went so well and it made all the stress worth it. We had 18 routines to perform and we had 18 incredible successes. Not one little hitch. Just slick as ice. Here are a few pictures. Now I'm off to bed. I don't plan on getting out of my PJ's tomorrow!

Lauren and I didn't plan the same hair. Just that great minds think alike.

Be Still My Heart...

The year is 1986 and I am 7 years old. I live in a deprived household that doesn't have MTV, but so far, I don't know any better. And then one spring day, we are at my parents friends home for a BBQ and on MTV is the most amazing music video I have ever seen. My heart skips a beat as the lead singer jumps and gyrates around the stage with his massive amounts of hair flaying this way and that. Something happened inside me that I didn't quite understand, but somehow I knew that that singer was the cause.

Fast forward 20 years or so and I am finally living my dream. That's right folks, last night I saw Jon and the boys live! I can't even begin to tell you what an amazing concert it was. Lets start with the fact that the concert sold out only 2 hours after tickets went on sale. 25,000 seats sold in 2 hours. I bet you didn't even know there were that many people in North Dakota. Looks like I'm not the only fan of the hair band. Anyway, as if it can't get any better than seeing Bon Jovi live, guess who opened?
Daughtry! What a great concert. Daughtry played for about 45 minutes and then it was 2.5 hours non-stop of Bon Jovi.
I can't decide what the best part was. The entire stadium singing along to Livin' On A Prayer, Chris and Jon doing a duet to Blaze of Glory, or was it that amazing smile with those irresistible dimples, or the baby blue eyes twinkling with just enough bad boy mischief, or maybe when he turned around and shook his tush for the audience. Hard to choose. All in all it was a great night and I have to thank my hubby for taking me to see my 1st crush.

Special Sessions

I'm teaching a few Special Session dance classes right now. Preschool or Tiny Kix, Beginner Hip Hop and Advanced Hip Hop. I made them smile for my every snapping camera today and I have to share. I love these girls!These are my Tiny Kix. They range from 2-4 yrs old. They are so cute.This is the Beginner Hip Hop. Notice Brooklyn and Rylee. They are pretty Hip!This is advanced Hip Hop. You can see that the 6th grade girls still love their picture taken, and the high school girls...not so much.

This is a picture of my super cute assistant, Lauren, doing some hip hop technique with the girls. She would kill me if she knew I took this picture, but she's so cute. I don't know what I would do without her. She is so young and fresh. She keeps me laughing with her crazy new moves that she is always making up, and she remembers dances when my mind can't take any more.

Summertime is comming!

It was 84 degrees today. I was so happy I was dancing in the streets. Literally. I had an aerobics class this morning and I made them go outside. Then, while we were running in the streets, I did the Michael Jackson 'Bad' dance. Summer just can't get here soon enough. Not just for the weather, but I also need some down time. It's time to take a break from dance, cut my hours at work and lay by the pool with my kids. Some people complain about summer and having their kids home, but I can't wait. I love it when they're home and we are hanging out. They are getting so big now, and I know I have precious few years left where they will want to hang out with me. I'm going to take advantage of that this summer. I'm going to run through the sprinklers and slip-n-slide. I'm going to drink Kool-Aide and roast marshmallows. I'm going to spend more time swimming in the pool with the kids than sitting on the edge with the moms. The only sad part is...after this summer I will have a 5th grader and a 3rd grader. Where does the time go?

Swimming with Skyler

Don't know who the kid is in the background. Apparently he likes his picture taken.

Fargo Air Museum

Well, it was too windy for Sky and Brick to take off yesterday. So we drove down to Fargo and met up with them at the Fargo Air Museum.

Uncle Sky is a succor for his nieces. They want dog tags...Sky buys dog tags.

Sky and Brick Visit

It was last minute and short lived, but Sky and Brick stopped in for a meal and a place to rest last night. Brick was having some work done on a plane in Cassleton, ND, so he and Sky rented a car and drove up here for the night. Too bad your not retired yet mom...

The boys trying to figure out how the $0.99 rocket works.

Rylee and the rocket.

Rusty on the balance beam.

Papa was glad Rylee built this fort. Now he has a place to sleep.

The sleep-over.

Please don't go!!!

I'm looking at these pictures and wondering..."Where's Brooklyn?"

I guess she wasn't into having her photo taken this weekend. Maybe next time.

Behind

Well, I'm a little behind on some birthday shout outs. Sorry Lindsey, I really didn't totally forget you, just forgot to blog.

So, Happy Birthday to my little sister. I think it's time we forget the "in-law" part. After all, I knew you when you were an irresistibly cute little girl, an awkward pre-teen, an energetic teenager and now a beautiful young woman. I was there when you got your ears pierced, when you were baptized and when you were married. We have had a lot of fun times together and I'm so proud of the woman you have become.

Next...Happy Birthday Papa J!

I feel as if you are my grandpa. You mean so much to Ryan and I and it means so much to us that our kids get to know you. You are such a kind and generous man and have passed that on to your family. I'm so lucky to be a part of your family. Happy Birthday!

On another note...this is what we woke up to this morning. Signs of spring have disappeared. I guess we should be thankful we aren't a few miles east of here. They got 16 inches. Gotta love the ND weather.

Moments

Do you ever have those moments when you are feeling pretty cute. And then you are snapped back to reality with pictures like these?

I am such a dork!

These were taken at that wedding I did on Saturday. I love to dance, but seriously...someone stop me!

I am frequently telling my dancers to avoid the "duck lips". Maybe I should take my own advise. Although, I might prefer that to Carla's bite your head of mouth.

Modbe

Hello All - My cousin Tawnie has become a Modbe consultant. I checked out their website and there are lots of cute, modest, slimming clothes. What more can you ask for? How about reasonable prices! Because I'm too far away to host a party, please check out her website below.
http://www.tawnie.mymodbe.com/

Goofing Off

Yesterday I was hired to take some pictures at a wedding and I brought my good friend Anna along for moral support. We were meeting the wedding party at a historic old house in town at 2:00, but they didn't show 'till 2:45. So in the meantime...Those self timer shots are always great.

Anna.

Ordering in some takeout?

Enjoying a fur.

Mary Poppins on the banister.

Hip Hop Pheasant Hat

I have to get me one of these hats.

This is Anna in her Pheasant hat and fur trying to look serious.

Here's Anna and I with Carla at the wedding dance.

A little background on Anna. She is actually so mature and professional. She runs a day care out of her home with somewhere around 15 kids. You might think that would be complete chaos, but not for Anna. She always has things under control. Walking into her house you would never guess there were so many kids around. It's always relatively quiet. She has this amazing ability to make a room full of kids each feel like they are the most important person in the room. We met because her daughter Bailey is Brooklyn's friend and her daughter Amber is Rylee's friend. Anyway, something happens to us when we are together. We seem to revert to the maturity of 13 year olds. It makes for some really fun times.

Signs of Spring

This morning around 5:30 A.M., despite the forecast for snow, I got up and opened my bedroom window. Why, you might ask? The birds were singing! If the birds are returning, then spring must be on it's way.

Later in the morning there was a beautiful Blue Bird sitting on my deck and I decided to take a picture. He was gorgeous. Just strutting his stuff across the rail of our back deck. So I get out my camera and I'm ready to snap the picture, when another sign of spring decides to pay me a visit. A spider dropped down from his web right into my face. Of course my reaction was to scream and jump backward, crashing into the kitchen table and scaring away the Blue Bird. We then had to get Ryan on the scene to rescue us from the pin-head sized beast.

Later I did manage to get a picture of a Blue Bird in the tree, but he's not looking at me and I really hate it when my subjects don't look where I need them to. I also found a Woodpecker, but you can't see 1/2 of him because of a branch. Oh well. Guess I'm not really the bird watching type.

However, Rylee thinks she is. She and her friend Aishlee got all dressed up and headed out to spot some birds of their own.

Woodpecker

Blue Bird - (This might be a female. Not as bright as the other one.)

Which actually reminds me of another story. The other day the girls and I were talking about birds, and how the male is always more colorful and attractive than the female. The kids asked why and I told them it was natures way of protecting the females so that the could reproduce. Males are prettier and therefore get more attention. Rylee's response? "Well, I'm glad I'm not a bird. Human girls are way better than boys."

And of course, we can't leave without another picture of the spoiled little baby of our house. Isn't he cute!

On another note...today, after 4 failed attempts in the past few months, I finally made Grandma Debbie's Poofy Pancakes look poofy. Rylee and Aishlee even ate them. In the past, when I have tried to make these, they never turn out poofy and the kids don't eat them. They pretend they are interested until they think I'm not watching and then they dump them. And so, after nearly 10 years of marriage, my cooking skills just might be improving.