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Picture Perfect Playdate
The girl had a playdate today with her bestie Parker. They played with Zhu Zhu Pets, had monster pancakes for lunch, played with the Light Bright, made things with the Fazoodles, played with My Little Ponies, got dressed up as royals, played Skylanders, and had just started to play Littlest Pet Shop when his Mom came by to pick him up. It was a great afternoon.
Oh! And I can’t forget… they made some plans for their future too. You see, they plan to get married, and they have now decided that they should have 100 swimming pools and 100 horses. Important things for any couple to have. 😉
Looking Back
There are times when everything is so chaotic in our lives that it can be easy to idealize the way things used to be. Of course, the truth is people’s lives were full back then too… but it is nice to envision a fairy tale simplicity; the not-quite-accurate bygone days. There are times though, when you stand still long enough to realize our lives really aren’t that much different. Our values are the same, as are our priorities. Okay, so that may not be true for all people, but it is for us. Family comes first. And we do everything we can to give Kid Kid as amazing and rich a childhood as we can. The holidays just tend to put the focus there, even for those who normally are too busy living to really notice.
The ballet recital
It’s amazing how quickly life intervenes and prevents you from getting anywhere. During the two weeks Damon was home from work, we got an incredible amount done… The house boxed up and moved, beginning to set up the new place… but now that he’s back at work, we’re lucky to get a box unpacked every day. With work, school, birthday parties, and ballet recitals? It’s tough to find time for anything else.
It’s a little frustrating. I’d really like to have the house free of boxes rather shortly. I don’t want to go into the holiday season amidst piles of stuff.
So here’s something cute. 🙂 The girl had her very first ballet recital today. Granted, it was an early introduction class for 3, 4, and 5 year olds – so there wasn’t much to it. But it was cute just the same. Here’s the video her Daddy took:
Hailey’s Question
I volunteer in the girl’s classroom on Thursdays, and like any Thursday, I was there today. I love that the kids seem to enjoy my being there. They get extra attention, so it’s a good thing. I always get a ton of hugs, they draw me pictures, I read stories, and I just hang out and listen to anything they feel is important enough to share.
Today, Hailey came over to me, with her hands on her hips, looking very serious. She stood, looking at me for a second, one eye narrowed, before she finally spoke. Then in a slightly accusatory tone she asked “Why does Lily-Ann always look so pretty?” Pretty coming out with a little extra venom. I thought for a brief moment (stifling my laughter) and replied “Well, I guess that’s just how she feels inside.” Seemingly satisfied with my answer, she sauntered off.
The Pre-K Graduation (photos and videos)
So, yesterday was kid-kid’s pre-k graduation. The kids all did such a great job, and they were all so patient (it’s hard waiting to hear your name called through TWO classes worth of little ones). Lots of people have been waiting ALMOST as patiently for photos and videos – so here they are.
Now, before we start the videos, please note: The girlie had her hair done beautifully. I left her in her classroom about twenty minutes before they came down to the gym… how you see her, is how she came down. LMAO It took every ounce of willpower to ignore my OCD self and NOT rush over and fix her pretty little headband. But I didn’t. I left it as is, and she felt good about herself (me mussing with her would not have been good for her self esteem – and we love her as she is, mussed up tresses and all).
Here they are performing “clap, clap, clap your hands”. Watch afterwards… little Alyssa runs to the edge of the stage looking for her mom, hoping for a little assistance. LOL Too cute! Oh! And yes, my daughter is the only one in the entire class who insists on bowing and taking her due credit for her performance. LMAO No… she couldn’t possibly be MY daughter. heh heh.
Song number two – all about what they learned this year in pre-k. 😀
The girlie sings this song all the time, it’s one of her favourites. We spend a lot of time answering questions about why they’d have a rat chasing away a snake when snakes eat rats… which always cracks me up. She takes it all so seriously. 😉 But honestly? Why do they have a rat chasing a snake?
So… what do you think? Maybe another performer in the family? LOL
Damon (who took all the videos for me – thanks so much!) missed the very beginning of this next bit. Ms. Tracy introduced each of the kids, and said a few words about them before giving them a book and their certificate. Of course, our little one – who goes to school dressed as a princess or a fairy (and slightly less often as a cowboy or pirate) half the time, was introduced as “Miss Lily-Ann Marie Smith Princess Cinderella”. 😉 And as for the comment that they watched her “become smart as a whip”? We think she always was. LMAO
Back when she was only three, and in her first year of pre-k, Lily-Ann had both a “boyfriend” and a “girlfriend” (the second of which is still her bff, even though she went off to kindergarten and kid-kid didn’t). And that boyfriend title stuck, as Cale also stuck around for a second year of pre-k. I made sure to grab a quick photo of the two of them on their way into the school for their pre-k graduation. All dressed up, and SUPER cute:
Lastly is the girl with her best bud from this year. Parker is seriously the sweetest little boy ever. He helps Lily-Ann with her fear of heights, always waits for her to make sure she hasn’t gotten herself into trouble, and is by her side about 80% of the time. He really is such a huge sweetheart. I’m so glad she’s got a friend in him. 🙂 So, I had to make sure to grab a shot of them after their grad:
So thanks for sticking with me through this video and photo laden post. It was a very special day for the girl and us. Can’t believe she’ll be on her way to kindergarten this Autumn. I blinked and my baby girl is already a school kid. How exactly does that happen?
The Kaminski Family – a photography preview
As I was working through some of my enhancements, I realized that it’s been a while since I’d posted a preview here. I’m terrible for that. LOL I go in streaks where I’ll share photos on a regular basis, and then nothing for a good long while. I’ll try to be more regular about it, but feel free to remind me if you haven’t seen anything for a while. I am shooting, I just don’t always think to share on the blog.
I enjoyed working with the Kaminski’s. Any chance to work with a family that includes four leggers as well as two leggers is always a good time. No, working with animals isn’t easy, but it’s a challenge I really enjoy. I know dogs, I love dogs… and I’m perfectly content to wait for them to give me exactly what I need. Hmmm… clearly I’m too tired to be writing this blog post as I’ve completely lost my train of thought. It’s just one of those days – and I have a feeling it will be one of those weeks. Gotta love getting ready (physically and mentally) for an out of town dog show.
Ah! Speaking of which!
I’ll be in Regina this weekend. And I may have time to fit in ONE more photo shoot. So if you’d like to grab that slot, drop me a line by filling out the booking form at TD Photography (http://photography.tobi-dawne.com/) as soon as possible, and I’ll do my best to work it out. As I’ll be in Regina already, there will be no additional travel expenses to cover. Just the regular session fee. But better be quick! Like I said, I’ll only have time for ONE additional shoot.
Okay, onto the preview: