The Big Day on the Big Stage

The Big Day finally arrived. This Momma was all nerves and Jilli was all excitement. We were up early to make sure we had enough time to get totally ready and not be late. We managed to get a bun in Jilli's hair for the second time (an amazing feat to be sure). Make-up was applied, much to Jilli's delight, mouse costume was wiggled into and we were off to to check her into her class for her moment in the spotlight, her time to dance on the big stage.

When I dropped her off, there were many little girls upset because they were scared, they didn't want their Mom's to leave them or they just didn't want to dance on stage. Not my Jilli, she was all smiles, she couldn't wait for her turn, she had no problem leaving me behind. I on the other hand managed to do what I do best at times like this.... cry.

I went out front of the auditorium and waited for the rest of my family to arrive. Uncle Timmy and Aunt Melissa even came in town for this special day.

We all found our seats and patiently waited for the recital to start... I of course was trying my hardest to keep the tears at bay and did a good job of it until the lights went down. Then it was all over.

Thinking back to how this little girl wasn't even supposed to be born and how she wasn't going to have hands and her feet could have been clubbed.... and here we were waiting to watch her dance for Jesus.

Her moment arrived, her class was brought out on stage, the girls were all smiles, just like at the rehearsal (sorry no pictures were allowed during the performance). The music started and the girls started dancing.

Then it happened...

I don't know the name of the move, but the girls were supposed to put a hand on their hip, hold the other hand out and kind of skip towards one side of the stage, then turn and skip towards the other side of the stage. Well.... Jilli did just what she was supposed to, but she never turned to dance towards the other side of the stage. She danced right off the stage. Later when I asked her why, she said "because I never saw my teacher dance the other way." Side note... Her teacher was behind the curtains on the opposite side of the stage that Jilli danced off of (she couldn't have seen her teacher b/c she was looking the other way).

Then after what seemed like forever to me she danced her way back on stage and received an enthusiastic applause. She never lost a beat and went on to finish the routine. I ended up laughing so hard my sides hurt and of course I had tears running down my cheeks. It was so precious!

After the recital was all done, I checked her back out and we went to find our family, I asked her how she thought she did and she told me she did great! And I agree, she did do great!

I am not sure why I don't have a picture with Ama and Pop Pop giving her a hug, because they were there cheering her on too.

And I am also not sure why I don't have a picture of Aunt Laurie giving her a hug, or Uncle Paul and Aunt Nadia, because they were also there. But I do have a picture of Donal.

Hugs from the most important person in Jilli's life??

But of course, her Daddy... and even though he moaned and complained and kept threatening to get up and leave as soon as Jilli's dance was done, he stuck it out and I think..... he liked it (but just in case he put any of his crazy idea's into motion, I had his Mom sitting next to me to keep him in line :-)

Lets not forget Jilli's little ducky friend, there were hugs for her too.

It was one of those special times that will forever my etched into my heart.Love you my Little Sweet Cheeks!!

Places..Places Everyone!!

Dress rehearsal, excitement flowing from hundreds of little girls. Waiting patiently (and some not so patiently) for their turn on the Big Stage. Lights lighting up the stage where my little mouse awaits the start of her music.
And they're off..... Jilli was all smiles, she was in her prime, loving every beat of the music.
She was awesome, remembering all the moves that her teacher had so patiently taught them.
Cutest little mouse ever....At least in my book.
And when the song was done, and I went to go get her, she asked if she could do it again. I told her that tomorrow was the big day, the day she would perform again in front of hundreds of people, the day she had been waiting for since her first dance class.

Then we found her little buddy, the ducky, and this Mommy couldn't help but take a picture of these special girls.

Blessings!!

The Day Before the Big Day

It was a big day, one that I wanted to remember forever. I was willing my tears to stay in my eyes. There are times that I wish that I wasn't so emotional about certain things, because as I was applying mascara to my baby, mine was running down my cheek.

I knew that when I signed Jilli up for dance, this day would come, the one that we would 'practice' for the real recital. The first time that I would apply all the make-up tricks that I have learned over the years, but on my 4 year old.

Jilli had been counting the days down, until she got to dance on the big stage. She was all about the hair and make-up (not sure who she takes after). It was about 1.5 hrs of Mommy daughter bonding time in my bathroom.

We started out with a little girl and we ended up with a glimpse into the beauty that Jilli will soon be.

My heartstrings were being pulled in a half a dozen directions all at once.

They say, that your eyes are a window to your soul... She has amazing eyes...

Here she is ready to go to the 'big stage' she is all excitement and her Momma is all nerves!

Yes, she is a mouse, complete with a shakeable tail!

Blessings!!

My Baby is 5 Years Old Today!!

How can it be 5 years already? This morning I was holding my beautiful niece, looking at her remembering how 5 years ago it was my baby that was so little and everyone was cooing over... I told Kelli not to blink, because 5 years were going to fly by.

In honor of Jilli's birthday I have a few pictures to share from when she was a little younger. They bring back so many memories. If I let myself ponder them, I will soon have tears streaming down my face.

My Beautiful Happy Baby Girl...

Who from Day one captured our hearts with her amazing smile...

This next one is one of the first pictures with her walking. We were camping up in Ludington and she decided she could walk the path too. It is one of my most favorite pictures of my little girl.

Happy Birlthday Jilli Joy!!

A Good Change of Plans

In honor of our 13th anniversary, Kevin and I were going to take off for a few days of camping just the two of us. Because of a few different circumstances we were not able to leave when we wanted to, and decided that we would just go to the cottage instead. We were also both recovering from nasty colds, so we just kind of used the weekend to sleep and recoup.

We did have an unexpected surprise, Kerri (Kevin's sister) called and said that her and Jim would be taking a ride on Jim's boat and wondered if we would be interested. You wouldn't be Kevin if you didn't take someone up on a boat ride! It was a little cold and at one point Kevin and I got a little wet (that's a whole different story), but we had a great time.

One of the highlights was seeing a Tall Ship. I have seen them many times in port, but not actually sailing. Jim took off in hot pursuit. It was truly amazing to see, kind of brought you back in time.

Even though our carefully made plans kind of got changed, we still had a wonderful weekend. Really, who wouldn't be happy spending a few nights listening to the waves softly breaking on the shores of beautiful Lake Michigan, taking a boat ride up the shore line, and not having to make dinner for two whole nights!

Blessings!!

Wrapping it up...

The day at the airport was so much more than watching Grandpa re-live part of his past. Although it was the majority, it wasn't everything. I enjoyed watching my children marvel at all the awesome aircraft, get to try out some of the gear that our soldiers wear while fighting for our freedom. I loved talking to the men and women of our armed forces, listening to their stories, asking questions, and learning all I could about them in a very short period of time.

One of the people I spoke with was the pilot of the helicopter (he is the one standing in the front of it). He told me so much about the machine and what it did. He explained how different it was to fly a helicopter then one of the jets. He explained what all the instruments were and how each worked when flying the machine, then he told me that they were being deployed in two weeks. When I asked where, he said that he would find out when the plane landed and depending on the temperature he would know where he was. The sacrifice that these men and women (and their families) make is beyond words to me. I thank God so many are willing to offer their lives to keep my family safe...

These next pictures are of the kids in the helicopter.

Tyler LOVED pretending to fly the helicopter. The pilot even commented that he could be flying one in his not to distant future...

All three kids were able to sit in a humvee, and mess with all the controls in it too. They were able to climb through the opening in the top and look through a very high tech set of binoculars (I have no idea what it's called). I do know it had night vision and that was really cool. Micah was tall enough to see through it without assistance, but Tyler and Jilli needed a little help. It was so sweet to see this young kid pick them up so they could take a look.

Tyler and Jilli even got to try on the vests and hat that the army wears. They were VERY heavy and they didn't even have all the gear on them. I was told that the extra gear would add about 40 pounds (the vest felt like about 30 pounds to start with). I couldn't believe it and they wear them in extreme heat!

This last picture I just have to add because I love how the two are standing so much alike. Funny how even the way we stand can be passed down through our genetics.

I hope you enjoyed seeing the pictures and reading the stories of this special day as much as I have enjoyed sharing them.

Blessings!!

B-25

Here is the crew that came for Grandpa's big day. At this point Grandpa didn't know he would be going up in the plane.Grandpa looking at the plane, still doesn't know he is going up.Grandpa just learned he was going for a ride... and then he had to sign his life away to do it.Here is Grandpa going under the plane. This is the only way to get in it.At this point I am wondering how the world he is going to climb up that ladder to get in, I am sure he was wondering the same thing. But because I am a nice grand-daughter, I will not share with the world how he did end up getting in that plane. Here you can see Grandpa in his seat waiting for takeoff.Although you can't see it in this picture, they had started the engine on the left and were waiting for it to warm up. Then the plane took off for a 30 minute ride.When he was safely back on the ground, they presented him with a award since he was a WWII vet.I think he was pretty tickled that he got it.I am honored to say that many of the men in my family (& Kevin's) have served our Country, and because of men like Grandpa, we are able to freely celebrate July 4th.

THANK YOU TO ALL THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO FOUGHT AND FIGHT TO KEEP OUR COUNTRY FREE!

Happy 4th of July!!

Blessings!!

Snickerdoodles

Jilli & I are baking Snickerdoodle cookies right now and she says to me....

"Baking, I just LOVE this... I can't WAIT to taste this when it's done!"

I think I finally found my replacement in the kitchen. Just a little more training and I can hand the reins over to my little chief.

Blessings!!

Lorelei Bailey

I know that I haven't been blogging..... again.... and I fully intent to finish blogging about the day at the airport (life just has been VERY busy), but I just had to break in and announce that I became an Aunt again yesterday. Kevin's sister Kelli, had a baby girl and she is just perfect! I will share more pictures of her when I get a chance, but for now....

Introducing: Lorelei Bailey.... 8# 9oz

...and because this is my blog and I am the Aunt I will include a picture of me holding my niece.

Praising God for a healthy baby girl and for her mother that didn't give up the fight as the hours ticked on and on and on.... thinking that Kelli could run a marathon now and not even be out of breath at the end!

Blessings!!