All Things Elise & Alina

Friday, December 20, 2013

Preschool Winter Concert 2013 - Santa has Arrived!

The cuties performing at their preschool winter concert

Alina was so excited to greet Santa, she ran to his lap

Sweet moment with Santa, she asked for "Minnie Mouse toys"

The girls had their annual preschool winter show last Friday, and we were really taken aback by how much they have grown and matured over the past two years. They both performed great in their winter concert and dance routines. Elise was up first and she sang, dance and caroled on cue, all the while flashing big smiles and plenty of proud giggles. When little Alina's toddler class took the stage, we weren't quite sure what to expect. Alina did amazing; in fact, she was the star of the show. All the other kids in her class were in tears or froze up on stage, while she followed all the moves and melted like the perfect little snowflake. Watching our sweet little star shine on stage was certainly a very proud parent moment for us. Her dance teacher even commented, "she was my only performer; she did fantastic!". I can't praise these two enough (it's my job after all), but at the same time they make it pretty easy by doing so well.

After the performances, the next big highlight of the day was meeting Santa Claus himself! In years past, the girls haven't exactly had the best track record with Santa. In their past meetings with Santa there has always been a bit of uncertainty and hesitation. This year, they embraced the opportunity to meet Santa. Alina ran right up to Santa eager to hop on his lap, and express her wishes for, "Minnie Mouse toys". She flashed some of the sweetest and most adoring expressions toward Santa. Expressions that had my heart melting, because I saw the genuine sparkle in her eyes and once again felt the pure magic of the holiday season. When it was Elise's turn to site on Santa's lap, she ran up told him she wanted, "a Disney princess castle" and had the biggest grin the entire time. She had been talking about meeting Santa for weeks, and even wrote out her very own Christmas list, which she mailed directly to Santa. The girls left school that day feeling fulfilled; Christmas is right around the corner and they both are officially basking in the spirit of the season.

Story time with Santa and their Christmas book exchange

Elise was thrilled to meet Santa, look at that huge grin

Watching the Little Red Riding Hood puppet show

Sunday, December 15, 2013

Elise's First Ballet Recital

Adorable ballerina in the making

Ballerina Elise practicing her final bow

At her very first ballet recital; she did fantastic!

Elise has been taking dance classes since September, and despite being nervous initially, she's amazed us with her determination and drive to succeed. It was immediately obvious just how much she enjoys dance. Her eyes lit up during the first class, and her body language spoke volumes as if she was freed from routine and meant to find dancing as her outlet; she was able to quickly pick up all the dance steps and at that moment she made me the most proud mom imaginable. She has been so happy after each class and has unwaveringly declared that she intends to become a ballerina when she grows up.

Elise had her very first ballet performance last weekend. Her act was among fifteen others at the dance studio's semi-annual winter recital. In the weeks leading up to her big debut, I had tons of "what if" scenarios running through my mind. At the top of the list, was concern that she may be fearful on stage after seeing everyone in the audience and freeze up, or even worse refuse to go on stage. The main reason I kept replaying this scenario, is because I was the shyest child and certainly could not have gone up there and performed in front of such a crowd. Elise, of course, never ceases to amaze and impress me. She immediately erased any lingering doubts I had, when she bounced out with the rest of the girls and saw me, Alina, grandma and grandpa in the front row, and flashed the biggest and proudest smile ever.

Her performance was fantastic. She followed her cues, smiled and looked completely comfortable on stage. I had to hold back tears, because she genuinely did something I never had the courage to do at her age. Not only that, but she did two performances, so she was there from 2pm-6pm, in the back room with the rest of the girls, patiently waiting among the other acts until her stage time. I'm still in total awe of our little girl. She was so well behaved and she shined on stage. This was truly a special milestone; we knew it, as did she. She road home in the car that evening beaming with pride. I kept looking back at her in the rear view mirror and her face said it all, "I did it", "I succeeded", "I made my family very proud". She did all of that and more. We love you little ballerina!

Our proud little star after the show

All dressed up by the tree

Little cuties. Alina says she wants to dance like her big sister

Sunday, December 8, 2013

First Frost of December

First frost of December 2013

Frosty and cold outside, cozy inside

Only in the California valley, is it appropriate to get overly excited and take photos of the first frost of the season. Us valley dwelling Californians are so spoiled with temperate weather year-round, that when temperatures fall, and weather reports state that there are chances of snow, we all go crazy. Just this past week, temperatures dipped as low as, 40 degrees during the day, and 25 degrees overnight. All of us finally had good reason to pull out (and dust off) our gloves, hats and scarfs from hiding. While we didn't have snowfall in Citrus Heights, the nearby cities of Roseville and Rocklin did see a little bit. We haven't seen true snow in our city since a very cold streak back in December of 2009. I remember it well. It was Elise's very first December, and the fact that we actually had snow, that stayed on the ground, was cause for serious celebration. As much as I complain about the cold, I have to admit that I am glad that it finally feels like December here. The overly warm weather was outstaying its welcome (at least for me) this year.

Icy leaves and bark

This is what the girls wanted to see. They were
wishing for snow here, but alas, no such luck

The girls stayed warm, as did our resident cat-dog, Link

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

'Tis the Season

Proud girls after decorating the Christmas tree

Daddy's festive Christmas lights

The twinkling Christmas tree, 'Tis the Season

Lovely illuminated moon on a cool December night

Friday, November 29, 2013

Happy Thanksgiving 2013!

The girls enjoyed helping make the pumpkin cheesecake

Little chefs in their new aprons, thanks grandma

Colorful Fall leaf art. We had fun making this

Sweet sisters, thankful for each other

There are so many things to be thankful for this year. Of course family always tops the list. Watching our two sweet girls grow and develop a loving bond with each other has been an absolute joy and privilege. They have become so playful and truly the best of little friends, don't get me wrong, they still play tug-of-war over toys and freak out when one touches food on the other's plate (natural instinct I suppose ha-ha), but overall they are loving and sweet. Elise will sometimes just watch Alina dance and play and exclaim, "Aw, she's so cute", meanwhile Alina is always saying, "I love you Elisey", or patting her shoulder and saying, "It's ok Elisey", when she is upset. It has taken them quite some to get to this point, but they now are at ages where they can both imaginatively play together and will often do so for hours. We love it and are so thankful that they have each other as best little buddies for life.

Of course, the only thing that can top sister play time is cousin play time! When they get together with all their little cousins there is so much joy and laughter that we all just relish in watching them play. It is wonderful that they are all so close in age and play together so well. We are thankful each and every day for our family and the time we get to share. They have already established so many wonderful memories together and we look forward to years more. Happy Thanksgiving 2013!