Tutu Time

After a quiet weekend, we were blessed with a fun Monday morning creating mini "Box Top" houses for the Box Tops we collect at home. Mommy will help you collect these Box Tops from various store bought packages and teach you how to cut them out and deposit them into the mini, colorful Box Top house you helped create today. When your house of Box Tops is full, we'll donate them to your school. Thus, through this service project at home, you'll learn how to give back as you help your school community. For this project, Mommy recycled Trapp candle boxes and Mrs. Ashley shared her art supplies: scissors, mod podge, & scrapbook paper---gathered together Mrs. Ashley, Mommy, Keegan, & you created these mini houses. It reminded me of your book, A House is a House for Me! I look forward to rereading this book with you and helping you "spy" Box Tops on packages----and together, we'll give the Box Top a voice & he'll say, "Where's my Box Top house? A House is a house for me!" (Or....I can't ever tell what you'll say......Thus, we'll let this activity unfold!) 

Creating

Here's your Box Top House:

Giving Back to Your School Community

After finishing our morning craft, we enjoyed the morning in the pool & a light lunch at Mrs. Ashley's. We parted ways knowing we'd reconnect at ballet this afternoon! Yes! You were super excited that you wouldn't even take your normal afternoon nap. We read your new book that arrived in the mail and revisited reciting the alphabet, the days of the week, the months of the year------and you lied there quietly only to toss and the lie still, then toss! Of course, you couldn't sleep--------it's officially Tutu Time! After a light snack, we tried on your tutu that arrived in the mail today. It was almost too, too small but as soon as you slipped your slender body into it, you beamed with delight and grew tutu prideful! I swear you were standing on your toes! Instantaneously, your sheer delight filled my spirit too. Looking at the clock, I, like Cinderella, knew it was time to go! We headed out the door in your Sanuk flip flops for our appointed time for shoes--------not glass-like, Cinderella heels but ballet shoes! Oh! How this added to your eagerness to attend your first ballet class this afternoon!

"Look Mommy! Little Sophia!"

Love your stance!

Thoughtful

Sophia & Keegan

Posing

Stepping into Class

Coloring Dora in her ballet attire as Mommy preps dinner after dance class! It was as if Mommy had waved her magic wand. When I asked you to go see what was printing, you came back with Dora & Boots coloring pages that kept you occupied prior to dinner (although you consumed a bowl of cereal, an entire mango, a half a cup of blueberries, & mini marshmallows before eating meat loaf, green beans, & corn)! Mommy also took advantage of you tracing your name and Boots's name on these coloring pages while you were occupied with markers & PAPER! You, my little ballerina, asked, "Mommy, why does Boots have two O's in his name?" I love, love, love these questions. I want to remember them all. It makes me think about you & I reading, a Ladybug Girl & Bumblebee Boy story tonight....you asked, "Mommy, how can I read this book?" At first, I didn't understand but then it dawned on me that you often pick up rhyming phrases and few printed words instantly when we read & reread books. Yet, this one book had paragraphs and dialogue. You wanted to READ out loud to me too so you asked how you can read it to me? You knew the story so you helped tell Mommy what happened next. Now, you know I love you so---------a little ballerina that can dance around literary! And I love, love these little hands-------the colorful nail polish is wearing off! You wanted patterns of color on your nails this summer when Mommy, Evan, or Nouna Mary would paint them. These summer colors are from our last day in Athens with Nouna Mary. You just might receive a manicure this week but I wanted one more little snapshot of simple, joyous summer memories that continue to unfold for us day after day.

When I tucked in my favorite ballerina, I asked you what your favorite part of ballet class was and you said, "My shoes!" Which shoes? You replied, "My tap shoes!" You didn't even get to wear those shiny, black tappers today since we were just fitted for them this afternoon but I promised you that they'd soon be here! And surely, they'll arrive by Monday's next ballet class that's filled with TUTU cute, little girls enjoying each beat of the music, following each given instruction, twirling, swirling...........

It's Tutu time!