Dance Pictures

Siesta Key

This year we vacationed on Siesta Key in southwestern Florida, the official #1 beach in America.  It was absolutely fabulous.  With white sugar fine sand, beautiful clear water, great restaurants, and lots of shopping I could go on and on about how wonderful the whole Sarasota area is.  My great-grandparents and my grandparents retired here and, with any luck, maybe we will too.  For fun, I made a collage of my grandpa with my mom and Ryan with Tessa posing on the very same beach at the same ages.  How fun!     

Tessa is all set to wade into the warm gulf waters.  She ditched the tube almost immediately because the surf is calm and she could swim without being knocked over by waves.  In fact, it was so calm and clear that Tessa started calling the Gulf the "beach pool."  Awesome.

 

We spent hours and hours on the beach each day.  When Tessa wasn't swimming, she would build sand castles.  The sand was so fine it would pack into really great forms, which fascinated the engineer in the family.  Tessa and her daddy would build towers and designate who would live in them.  I think Mickey and Donald were trying to recapture this castle from Pete.  Donald was banging on the "door" demanding to be let inside.  The princesses would use the "steps" because, of course, our sand castle forms have grand entryway steps.  She used her piggy bank money to buy a princess sand castle kit.  So, later in the week we had a carriage that could "park" by the castle.  Her imagination is a wonderful thing. 

When she shops with me, Tessa loves to try on hats (and shoes and jewelry too) but won't actually wear one for more than a minute.  I knew we were going to be in the sun a lot and really wanted her to have a hat, so I offered her one of mine.  I think it's adorable on her but she only wore it for a minute and so I lost the battle.  But we did manage to make it a whole week with none of us getting a sunburn.  It makes me sound a old but I'll say it anyways, spray sunscreen is the best invention.    

Our anniversary was on the Tuesday while we were on vacation.  We wanted to do something special so we rented a boat.  We cruised the inter-coastal waterways looking for dolphins and found several.  Two swam directly under our boat, so close I could almost touch them.  Then we took the boat over to Lido Key and beached it.  Tessa went for a swim while I looked for seashells.

There is a shady park right next to Lido Beach so we played there on the swing set.  They also had the coolest toy, it's a bucket seat that sits on an angle.  Once you get momentum, your body weight swings you around in circles until you are totally dizzy.  Tessa thought it was super fun.

Then we navigated the canals and drooled over the amazing homes.  Bird Key is an especially pretty man made island full of mansions and manicured lawns.  I love all the Spanish architecture and tropical plants.  Tessa's favorite part of boating was going fast and bouncing over the wakes.  She took a pretty good bonk to the head on one bounce but quickly recovered.  Even before the bump though, she wasn't quite her usual perky self.  When I asked her what was wrong, she told me her ears hurt.  After returning our boat, we made a detour to the walk-in emergency clinic, not for the goose egg on her forehead, but to get her ears checked.  Poor thing, she did have an ear infection and she hadn't even complained.  In less than an hour we had a prescription for antibiotics and were ready for more vacation fun.  Time for a special anniversary dinner with this man that I love.        

Lido Key, the island just north of Siesta Key, has a fabulous shopping and dining area call St. Armand's Circle.  We had reservations for the three of us at Florida's oldest restaurant, Columbia House.  The weather was beautiful so we asked to sit outside.  Our meal was delish.   We shared an appetizer of shrimp and crab meat baked with artichokes and Romano cheese and served with Cuban bread.  Then I had skewers of huge grilled shrimp and a steak with chimichurri sauce that was to die for.  Ryan had shrimp stuffed with crab meat and cooked in a lemon butter sauce.  This was seriously good food.  Tessa was sad there was no ice cream for dessert but our waiter suggested chocolate cake, and, when he brought the gigantic slice to the table, she was in heaven.  Then he brought her extra strawberries and she had a new best friend.  We lingered over dinner and people watched.  After dinner we shopped our way around the circle.  Tessa was hilarious wanting to go to another store, and then another, and then another.  We bought a few things and then headed back to the condo.  Happy 13th Anniversary!

John and Mable Ringling, as in Ringling Brothers Circus, built a winter home in Sarasota back in the 1920s.  The gorgeous house is named Ca d'Zan and is open for tours.  There is also an impressive art museum next door and a circus museum.  We spent quite a bit of time checking out the circus memorabilia.  Ryan was intrigued by the complete miniature set of a town hosting the circus.  We spent not as much time admiring the art, Tessa was hot and tired and bored.  But I did get to see the sculpture garden with its bronze casting of Michelangelo's David.  I am surprised that this one looks so much bigger to me than the original I saw in Florence, perspective is a funny thing.

 

We rested for a few minutes on the waterfront patio of the main house.  The stained glass windows are stunning in the bright Florida sun. 

Did I mention that we spent lots of time on the beach?  This is the most relaxing vacation that we have had since Tessa was born.  I read two whole books and Ryan read one too.  We could lounge in our chairs while she played in the shallow water or in the sand.  Tessa made friends with other kids on the beach and she played a lot with one boy in particular.  My child is a natural born flirt, Nyles (what a name!) was totally infatuated with her.  We chatted with his parents and entertained ourselves watching them play together.   

Tessa and I are not morning people so I don't know why I always try to have an early morning photo shoot.  Ryan tried really hard to snap pics of his two grumpy girls but these were the only cute ones.  Next year, to make everyone's life easier, it will be an evening photo shoot.   

I got it in my head that I wanted to rent bikes and ride on the beach.  So, one day after happy hour in the Village, Ryan humored me.  Tessa isn't riding well enough yet to keep up with how fast I thought we were going to ride so, we got a pull behind "princess carriage" for her.  Even though I hadn't been on a real bike in years, I spin twice a week and consider myself to be in pretty good shape so I graciously offered to pull Tessa.  Remember, this is after we had been to happy hour.  I didn't even make it out of the parking lot before I crashed into a storefront window.  In my defense, I didn't realize the bike had kid brakes, the kind you pedal backward to stop.  So, as I was approaching the intersection and trying to stop for traffic, I couldn't find the handbrake and crashing seemed like my only option.  Luckily, I was the only one hurt.  I sported some nice bruises for the rest of the week.  Despite the bumpy start, I was determined to ride on that beautiful beach.

No surprise, Ryan has much more knowledge of rolling resistance than I do and I quickly figured out why he had been less than enthused about riding on the sand.  It was SO HARD!!!  My delusions of riding around the whole island were shot in the first hundred yards.  Riding in the packed sand at the edge of the surf was easier but the princess kept yelling at me to not get her carriage wet.  It was too hot to put her plastic cover down so she was getting hosed every time we went through a wave.  About halfway to the hotel I called it quits and collapsed in a beach chair.  After recovering, we switched bikes and rode on to our hotel.  Ryan is so much stronger than I am and he did way better with the carriage.  I was told to slow down by a lifeguard because, on a bike by myself, I was flying.  We eventually made it back to the hotel.  The next day we rode on the sidewalks back to the village and I towed Tessa.  On concrete in the cool of morning it was the most peaceful and pleasant ride.  We will rent bikes again but I don't think we'll take them back out on the sand. 

Our condo had two pools and even though we spent most of our time on the beach we did swim in the pool a little bit.  Tessa is such a good swimmer.  She would swim the entire width of the pool all by herself.  If we tried to offer a hand, she waved us off or would swim around us.  I am so impressed.

Eventually the time came for us to head home.  It was hard to leave after such a fantastic vacation but we will definitely be going back.     

Dare to Dream

While planning our Florida beach trip, we realized that Disney on Ice would be in nearby Tampa during our stay.  To say that we are HUGE princess fans would be an understatement.  We had been to Princesses on Ice when the show came to Greenville.  But, since that time, Tiana and Rapunzel have been added to the lineup.  I'm so glad it worked for us to see this show, Dare to Dream, because it was incredible. 

As you can see, our princess was dressed like Rapunzel.  She toted her Rapunzel doll to the show as well.  We had front row seats right on the ice (good job Daddy!) so I got some great videos!

Tiana was great too, although Tessa did not like being that close to the bad guy, Dr. Facilier the Shadow Man.  Quick bathroom break during his number and we were all smiles for the rest of the night.

Disney is smart, a rather obvious statement about the marketing genius.  But, I say that because even though this show featured only three princesses, they all make an appearance in the grand finale.  This is good when, at intermission, your daughter is asking for Ariel or Belle or whoever is the current favorite.

And we could not go to Tampa without making a stop at the infamous Taco Bus.  Ryan has been raving about this place since he ate here two years ago while making the rounds of baseball spring training.  It is everything he claimed, I was eating salsa by the spoonful because it was just that good.

Pretty awesome first day of vacation. 

Last Day of School

Tessa has already completed a whole year of school!  Here she is all ready for her last day.  She is holding the picture she painted for her teacher and a little teacher's gift.  The school divides rooms by animals and she has been in the turtle room this year, hence the turtle painting.  In her left hand she is holding a card we made that says "Thanks A Latte!" and hold a Starbucks gift card.           

Parents were invited to the end of the year picnic on the playground.  I snapped a few shots of Tessa with the wonderful Mrs. Vaughan.  We could not have asked for a better teacher for this critical first year.  She did more than just teach my daughter, she loved her and prayed for her too.  Mrs. Vaughan is just as sweet as she looks and Tessa absolutely adores her. 

Each school day Tessa would bring home her green folder and we would look at her things over lunch.  She did the cutest crafts, painted beautiful pictures and had lots of papers with stars and "Good Job" written on them.  I am bragging because I am so very proud of her.  

Part of the curriculum was to learn to recognize and write each letter.  Each week Tessa came home with a crafty letter - a for apple, b for bus, c for cloud etc.  

They also worked on fine motor skills like cutting, coloring, gluing, and painting.  They learned about numbers, sequencing, shapes and colors too.  Tessa's favorite activity is painting and she had plenty of opportunities to paint at school.  I, of course, have kept all of her work and have an overstuffed portfolio of her masterpieces.  My favorite is the Noah's Ark picture complete with animal crackers.  

 

Congratulations on a fantastic first year!

Mother's Day

It just doesn't get any sweeter than this Mother's Day song.  Tessa sang this during her school program but I wanted a version with just her precious little voice.  Daddy was off camera cueing her, but she wanted to do it all by herself.    

We took it easy that morning and slept in.  We never seem to do that anymore, so it was a special treat for me.  Ryan and Tessa even made me pancakes.   

Our Mother's Day tradition is to go to the Westin downtown for lunch.  

They do a beautiful buffet and make fabulous Bloody Marys.  The fact that none of us have to cook is a present all on it's own.

 

I love my daughter, my mother and my grandmother so very much.  As Nanny is rapidly approaching ninety we are seeing many changes in her.  My mom is amazing, sometimes taking care of both Tessa and Nanny at the same time.  We joke that the women in our family live forever, but it may not be as long as we think.  I'm grateful we were all together for this Mother's Day.  

 

My sweet baby tells me she's not a baby anymore, she's a kid.  She's right, but I tell her she will always be my baby and I will always love her.  This beautiful child made me a momma and that is what I always wanted to be.

  

Mother's Day Program

On Friday Tessa's class had a special Mother's Day program and it was precious.  Hanging on the wall outside her classroom was this portrait of me.  How fun to see yourself through your child's eyes, especially since she says I am happy and sweet!  The statement that I like to write letters surprised me.  But, as Ryan pointed out, if you count e-mail, blogging and Facebook in addition to the real cards I send, then I do "write" a lot of letters.       

Tessa made me a jeweled crown and cut out a paper corsage for me.  As a side note, she has wanted me to wear the crown all weekend.  When it kept falling off my big head, I told her I needed to pin it on.  She rummaged around in the drawer and found a chip clip, which I dutifully used.  It worked surprisingly well to hold on my crown, she's so smart.

The kids had been working on special songs for the moms.  I knew my child couldn't wait to perform because I had been getting previews all week.

Tessa, Gamma and I sing this song together a lot so it was extra special to see her sing it with her class.

After the singing, Mrs. Vaughan read a story and then we had cookies and lemonade.  Tessa made this hand print place mat and beaded picture as my gift.    

Mrs. Vaughan had interviewed each child and listed the things they said about their moms.  The list really made me laugh.  Tessa thinks I am 5 years old, that my favorite TV show is Mickey Mouse, and that my favorite restaurant is McDonald's.  She also says I cook the best steak.  One poor mom was listed as 80 years old, glad that wasn't me!  But the part that melted my heart is that she told her teacher that I always say "I love you!"  Sniff, sniff, I do love her so very much.

Berry Patch

Have I mentioned that Tessa loves strawberries?  And here in South Carolina, it's berry pickin' time again.

This farm is great, it's close to our house and cheap.  If you bring your own bucket it's even cheaper.  And since my child can eat her own weight in strawberries, this matters.  It's even ok to eat as you pick, which you can see we do.

This year Ryan went with us.  He is an awesome strawberry picker, he filled our buckets in no time.  I didn't have to do a thing except take pictures and watch my two loves enjoying themselves.      

Ryan would hunt and search to find the prettiest berries for Tessa.  She is convinced her daddy picks the best ones.  They would blow the dirt off and eat them right there.  These are the moments I don't want to forget.

Gamma's Birthday

Gamma's birthday week was full of fun.  First we had cake, and more importantly icing.  Tessa wanted to decorate the cake with the Chipettes, but we opted to have them on the side. 

On Gamma's real birthday, we headed to Dupont State Forest to see waterfalls.  I could say we hiked, but really it was more of a leisurely stroll over the river and through the woods.  The weather was gorgeous, cool and sunny just like my mom likes it. 

Posing by the first waterfall, Triple Falls. 

Thanks to a fellow hiker, we have a group shot.   

This trail is great because you can climb down to the riverbed for an up close view of the falls. 

Then we moseyed on down the trail to High Falls.  Seriously, we weren't going anywhere fast with Tessa stopping to look at something or dig in the dirt every five seconds.  But we were in no hurry and she was happy.  On the return trip, we had to laugh every time we spotted her "tracks" where those little fingers had scooped up sandy soil.

After admiring the falls from here, we took the trail down to the base of the falls.  Tessa entertained herself by throwing sticks in the water and watching the current carry them away.  Seeing her precariously balanced on rocks and then bending over the water's edge gave my heart a big jolt.  She was so intent on grabbing sticks that I was afraid she would topple right into the water and be swept away.  So, we moved to safer rocks where she took her shoes off and dangled her little painted toes in the freezing water.   

This is such a sweet picture with Gampa.

Tessa is saying "Hooray for Birthday!"

She sure does love her Gamma.

Yep, we live in a beautiful area. 

After our trip it was home for chocolate pie and champagne.  The next day, for the birthday finale, we all went out to eat.  Happy Birthday!