The girls had their first dance class yesterday.  They are in separate classes- Naomi is in the mommy and me class and Mia is is the tiny tots class for 3-4 year olds.  Luckily, Joe was able to come help out and watch since the classes were back to back.  Mia has been waiting for this day for a very long time, her excitement was contagious.  I was so happy that there was window for the parents to watch the class so I could see Mia .  She really thrives in these types of situations and was a great listener and as far as I could see, she followed the instructor quite well.

Naomi loves dancing at home, it's probably one of her favorite things to do.  However, the first dance class was a little rough.  As you can see, she didn't want to wear her tights because they were, well...too tight.  She didn't have ballet shoes because I wasn't going to spend $20 on something she wouldn't even try on.  Once in class, she was barefoot and according to her, the floor was too sticky so she spent some time trying to figure out the perfect situation for her feet.  Once she got herself situated and comfortable, the last 10 minutes of class went pretty well.  Naomi is definitely 2!  : )

 I felt a little emotional watching Mia in her little class being so independent.  It made me wonder, will this be her passion?  Is this the beginning of a life of dance?  It's also a good possibility that we'll finish this 6 week session and move on to something else.  I just love being a mommy and helping my girls find things they love and seeing their excitement.

Mia's friend, Kennedy is coming to the same dance studio.  It's so fun to see these two together, they are the best of friends.

Today we spent the first day of summer at the zoo as a family.  It's always a treat when Joe can come with since the girls and I usually go during the week when he is at work.  Even though today is officially the first day of summer, it has felt like summer for the past couple of weeks and we haven't taken the beautiful weather for granted!

We've been swimming at our neighborhood pool with friends,

enjoying popsicles outside (did you know that they make fruit and veggie popsicles??...my girls love them),

watching a parade with our friend, Kennedy,

going on overpriced carnival rides,

climbing rocks,

enjoying the sunshine (with lots of sun protection, of course), 

 swinging,

and playing at the park.

Life is good in the summertime when you're 2 and 3!  It's not too bad for me either.  : )

I'm finally getting around to posting some pictures of Naomi's art party that we had in MN.  It was so fun to be able to celebrate in MN with family.  I kept the party details pretty low key since my motivation has been lacking with this pregnancy.  

Making cupcakes.

The girls were so excited to decorate for the party.   We just let them go crazy on this wall and they had so much fun doing it!

Sweet, little Ryder who slept through most of the party.

Naomi was a little unsure of everything when she first woke up from her nap/the party started.  She just sat at the table eating goldfish.

Riding the tricycle that I got for my 2nd birthday! 

Grandma with her grandbabies.

The cousins having so much fun with the balloons.

Norwood melting my heart.

The painting station.

All the kids had a canvas to paint and did such a great job.

Mia, Diana, Naomi, and Selene with their masterpieces.

Naomi did such a great job opening presents.  She really enjoyed looking at each gift; it was so fun to watch.

She LOVED her sunglasses and wand from Uncle Jake.

Hugging her new zebra.  It was a small, plastic zebra and she kept holding it and saying, "so soft".  HAHa.

Naomi got a little bashful when everyone was singing to her.

Happy Birthday Sweet Girl!