Post-Show Pictures

Here are some pictures from after the recital. Although it was a long night (at the end of a long week) it was well worth it!

This is one of my favorite images from the whole week. Muffin took this after the ballet was over, before they changed out of their costumes; I'm glad she did!

It's a tradition for family & friends to show appreciation to their dancers by giving them flowers after the show. As you can see by their armloads-full, we all thought Jordi, Emily, & Caroline did a tremendous job!

Don't you love the marquee lights in the background? Muffin took this one, too. Luckily for us, she knows all the key recital night shots!

Recital Night 2009

What a night! Although this was Jordi's third recital, it was a milestone for little sister Caroline as it was her very first one, which made it an even more special night for the whole family.

We began with makeup at Sephora, which we were invited to be part of thanks to one of the other moms in Jordi's class being employed there.

Although I'm not a trained professional, Caroline still seems to think that I did a good job of putting on her make-up. I didn't want her to feel left out, so I put her make-up on while we were waiting for her big sis!

I managed to take this one of Caroline backstage as she waited with her class to go on as a "Summer Daisies." (She's not just smiling for the camera, either - she was very excited and had that big grin on her face all night!)

Here's Jordi on stage during her "Ladybug" number, the first of her two roles that night. By the way, I'd like to thank Richard Ford for taking this picture and the next; way to go finding the perfect setting for taking ballet pictures in the dark!

We call this picture "Action Jordi," for obvious reasons! Richard took this during the tumbling number, set to the tune of "Shake, Rattle, & Roll." It was a high-energy, crowd-pleasing number!

Next post: post-recital pictures of pretty girls holding armloads of flowers! Stay tuned!

Rehearsals at the Paramount

Last week, the June Conn School of Ballet held it's annual recital. In preparation for that, we had two nights of rehearsals. It was tiring, to be sure, but it was all worth it in the end!

Here's Jordi in her tumbling costume. Their routine was set to the tune "Shake, Rattle, and Roll," and they all did a great job shaking their fringes!

Since Caroline was only in the ballet portion of the show, she had a chance to spectate during the Divertissment portion of the show. Caroline found a bird's eye view in a mezzanine box seat and seemed to thoroughly enjoy watching all the routines!

What better way to pass the time than snapping a mother/daughter self-portrait? It took a few tries, but we finally got a keeper!

More pictures next time from the Big Show!

Derby Luncheon

A couple weeks ago, on the first Sunday in May, we had a wonderful Derby-themed luncheon after church, which was a perfect opportunity for me to dress the girls in their "horsey" attire:

After all, you can't be born & raised in Kentucky and not have horse dresses and jewelry! (Thank you to Grandma Henri for sewing the dresses and to Grandma Dee-Dee for the horse necklaces from Ocala!)

By the way, click here for a recipe for a "freshly minted" Derby punch. It's alcohol-free & unbelievably delicious! (yes, it can be spiked for those who wish to do so!)

Happy Birthday, Little Emily!

On Saturday, the girls were invited to one of their favorite activities: a birthday party!

Jordi's oldest friend, Emily, was the guest of honor as she recently turned six. She had a pizza party at Mr. Gatti's, complete with gifts, games, & cake.

After we were done eating & watching the birthday girl open her gifts, it was time to hit the game room. Here's Caroline, racking up the points at bowling!

The more you play, the more tickets you get; here's Jordi showing off some of her winnings. At the end of the party, she redeemed her tickets for some awesome kid stuff: a whistle & candy bracelet!

Easter 2009

Although Easter was a week and a half ago, I wanted to share some pictures of the girls from the day:

Besides church, Easter morning means candy! Like all kids, the girls were eager to discover what the Easter Bunny had put into their baskets. This year, there was more than just chocolate & jelly beans... he included sunglasses, too!

Of course, the kids were called upon to sing for the Easter service. This is how we saw Caroline coming down the aisle; she said that she liked her new sunglasses so much that she wanted to keep them on during church, too!

I didn't know what to make of this look, but Chris said that it okay because it suited her. Even the youth leader, when I asked her why she didn't make her remove them, said "That's just Caroline!" Indeed!

I can tell Jordi's growing up because she wasn't shy at all in front of the congregation, especially here, during singing & dancing to one of my personal favorites, "Lord of the Dance"!

Although the weather was cool & breezy, there was lots of sunshine on Easter Sunday. Filtering through the leaves, it made for pretty lighting for our cousins picture: Emily Ford (age 12), Jordi, Caroline, & Richard Ford (age 14).

Ballet Recital Pictures

In anticipation of next month's annual June Conn recital, the ballet dancers had their pictures taken last weekend. This is always a fun (albeit hectic!) day, but even more so this year as it was Caroline's first time!

Isn't she lovely in her ballet costume, hair-do, and make-up? The ballet this year is "The Four Seasons," and Caroline's class are "Summer Daisies." This was quite a milestone for our little one - she really enjoyed being dressed up like her sister & all the other "big" girls!

Jordi & her classmates are Ladybugs. These costumes are perfectly suited for this spirited group of girls - bright & sassy! This picture was taken by my good friend, Bev; her daughter, Emily, is next to Jordi on the right. She always has her camera with her and always takes lots of great pictures. Thanks again, Bev, for another great photo!