Summer has flown by and we have been busy, busy, busy. Lots of good stuff, some not so good stuff. Much of the good stuff can be seen below. As for the not so good . . . J we are praying for your strength and healing! We love you!
Little Miss enjoyed her first summer camp experience of sorts . . . it was a one week ballet camp where she danced, danced, danced to ballet fairytale themes (i.e. Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Coppelia, Swan Lake) and made related crafts and props. My girlie was in her glory plie-ing, pirouette-ing, and arabesque-ing her way around the studio. The only kink was that she became sick/feverish just before the performance on the last day. The show must go on as they say, and so it did . . . minus one princess! She did (for the opening number) flutter her swan wings across the stage, make a big circle on stage as was choreographed, but then she kept those wings flapping right into the audience and into my lap! She put her feverish head on my shoulder and that was that! Oh well, it was a week of fun anyway.
Little Miss after the performance was over . . . and after the Tylenol kicked in.
The fact that she did not perform didn't stop her from joining her fellow cast members for a group photo after the show. Little Miss ran right into the center of the dancers who were poised and ready for the photo and put on a big smile as if she had been the star of the show! She also welcomed the after show flowers offered to her by her adoring fans despite the lack of performance!
We enjoyed another fantastic Ethiopian Culture Camp adventure this year.
This was a demonstration and there is Little Miss all up in it.
Dancing with the Ethiopian ladies - I think her enthusiasm is obvious!
This was a demonstration also of church music/songs . . .
. . . and once again there's my girl all up in it with her own interpretive dance.
Hanging with old friends and new ones too. It's amazing to watch the connection between these little ones!
All of these pictures (but the last two in particular), for me, summarize why we go to culture camp. Culture camp gives Little Miss what I cannot . . . dances with Ethiopians, hand-holding with Ethiopians, a chance to grow up with Ethiopians. We are blessed to be close enough to such great opportunities and such wonderful people.
Our summer days have been busy with some play dates, park time, beach/swim time, trips to the amusement park, and the usual summer activities. Little Miss loves to take walks around town - usually pushing a doll or animal in a carriage, stroller, wagon, etc. or riding a scooter, trike, etc. And this summer such "walks" became even more thrilling because of Little Miss's mastery of a "big girl bike"! Day one on the 2-wheeler with training wheels Little Miss said goodbye to her tricyles and has never looked back. The foot brakes threw her for about 30 seconds, then she had it (although if going down hill too fast, she will still resort to the dreaded foot drag breaking method . . . good-bye shoes).
Speech bubble above her head reads "I really think I can do it without the training wheels." - easy Evel Knievel you're only three!
