Nothing delights me more than my singing kiddos.  Bailey is quite the performer, but only on her own time (so you’d better have that camera ready!).  And Parker really and truly loves to sing.  He is a little more hesitant about public performances, however, so as a doting mom, I just do what I gotta do to capture the show.  And really, shower acoustics can’t be beat..am I right?
Sing on, sweet P and B.  Your days will be so much more full when you give them their own score.

1…

2…

3…

FOUR years old!

I love you, girl.  And yes, I promise we’ll be together forever.

You see, there’s this girl…and I’m fairly certain she’s made of magic.  She’s as passionate as she is silly, as thoughtful as she is prissy.  I just can’t help but stare at her sometimes – she truly is the most enchantingly beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in real life.  I am challenged by her imagination, and wildly entertained by her antics.  She’s entirely too much, yet I can never, ever get enough.

But you know what the most incredible thing is about this itsy-bitsy 3 1/2-year-old ?  You know what it is about her that makes my guts all twisty and my throat lumpy and my eyes misty when I take the time to really consider how magnificent she is?  It’s the fact that she’s MINE.  Bailey Boles is the gift that I never dared to ask for.  I cherish you, my perfect daughter, and am humbled with gratitude that I get to be your mom.

(Now please get that obnoxious, sparkly Barbie pony out of my face for FIVE SECONDS so I can finish this, darn it.  Yes, her mane looks beautiful.  YES, I know that a flying horse is a pegasus and that you’re still hungry and that you don’t really like Miss Spider and you want me to watch how fast you can run in your new shimmer-shoes and that you love me and that you want to kiss my cold arm and that you miss Parker and that you want to go play at the Y and that Mrs. Wester sounds like a princess and that today-tomorrow we are going to see Stella and that you want to swim and we can bring our pool if Stella doesn’t have a pool and we will cheer “GOOOOO RICE!” at the football game and you can probably have nachos because they are your favorite but PLEASE!!  Please.  Just give me five seconds.  Thanks for the kiss.)

But really…what a morning! Bailey had her first ever dance recital on Saturday and yes, I cried. No, I wasn’t overwhelmed with emotion watching my baby girl twirl on stage, I was devastated because I forgot a piece of her costume at home! After meticulously organizing, labeling, and pre-packing all of her costume pieces, the sequined pink tu-tu, (a ballerina’s crowning glory!) somehow fell out of the bag on our way to the car.

What’s a mom to do? Show time is in 15 minutes, but the sequined tu-tu is not required until the very end of the show. Yes, I could probably make the 25 mile round-trip journey in time…but I’d have to MISS 90% of the recital! Matt is working in Kentucky this month and I had carefully planned to film the recital for him. I felt completely helpless.

So I cried.

I cried as I decided to let her be the one tu-tu-less ballerina and slumped down in my auditorium seat, and I cried as I changed my mind, jumped out of that seat, ran all the way to my car and sped off toward home just as fast as my little Prius could take me.

I missed her tap dance – the one with the grass skirt and lei and impossibly cute maracas…but by golly, I was there for the ballet number and so was that sparkling pink tu-tu.

Apparently, however, this ill-fated tu-tu ensemble was increasingly uncomfortable for Bailey to wear, and by time the finale rolled around, my itchy girl was reduced to pitiful pouts.

Hmmm. A trophy provided a brief distraction from the misery.

When the show was finished, the tiny dancer was tired, staaaarving, and couldn’t shimmy out of that uncomfy costume fast enough.  (seriously, was 12 noon the best time they could come up with for a 2 hour recital for 3-year-olds??)

Photo ops be darned. Bailey was done.

After swapping some quick hugs with her adoring fans, we got the heck out of there and went straight for a little Sonic therapy.

(and some bonus big brother therapy, too)

What a difference some apple juice and a t-shirt makes!  I feel you, girl.

When we finally got home, I took advantage of her corn dog high and convinced her to costume up one last time.

Thanks, B, for humoring your mama.

Whew!  What a day.  What a Bailey.

I sure do love you, my ballerina princess, and I would drive a million miles for your tu-tu if I had to.

Nah, I’ll probably just start keeping a spare one in the trunk.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMa1ImzUx_U&sns=em

Bonus cute cousins:

.

Practice…

…makes…

…doh!

A little sweet talk can’t hurt.

New strategy.
Watch out, Napoleon.  She’s on her way.

And so it is, on this 10th day of January, 2011, that I would like to send  kingdom-wide 3rd birthday greetings to my one and only Princess Raincloud Boles.  Thank you, sweet Bailey, for bringing an unexpected explosion of pink, sparkles, and giggles into our home.  I love you times infinity.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Although I hadn’t planned on a formal birthday party, I decided to throw together a last-minute little McBirthday celebration with a few of Bailey’s favorite buddies.  The meals were Happy, the cake sprouted from the waist of a Barbie, and I think a good time was had by all.

Chocolate milk cheers to you, my little sweetness.

What a crew!

Derek the Ladies’ Man

What’s up, ladies?

The candle stabbed through Barbie’s hip region was Bailey’s doing.  I voted for sticking it in her ponytail.  Birthday girl wins.

]]> http://janicabolesphotography.com/blog/party-girl/feed/ 5 http://janicabolesphotography.com/blog/the-soloist-and-the-theif/ http://janicabolesphotography.com/blog/the-soloist-and-the-theif/#comments Mon, 20 Dec 2010 22:40:43 +0000 jbo http://janicabolesphotography.com/blog/?p=4211

For the first time, Parker and Bailey participated in our church’s annual Children’s Christmas Program.  Parker has been rehearsing with the children’s choir for a few months now and has LOVED being a part of the group.  The day that he found out that he’d be singing a little solo, he simply beamed with pride.  The performance couldn’t come fast enough!

Bailey, on the other hand, wasn’t so enthusiastic about the whole thing.  When I first approached her with the idea of being a part of the show as lamb, she looked me straight in the eye and told me, “No.  I will not be a lamb.  I will just be a butterfly”.  Now, I know that there are many biblical references to the droves of nativity butterflies, but for whatever reason, a lamb was our only option.  I tried not to push the issue, though, and just hoped that she might come around.  Sure enough, as dress rehearsal day arrived, and she caught sight of a few of her little buddies prancing around in white long underwear, she couldn’t shimmy out of her dress fast enough.  ”I’m a lamb, Mommy!  A lamb!”  As she crawled up on that stage for the first time, I couldn’t help but notice the slightly crazed look in her eyes. Something told me that we were going to be in for quite the performance.

My sweet children did not disappoint.  Parker threw himself into the music with vigor and concentration, and Bailey the lamb…well, she darn near stole the show.

My boy Parker is feeling it.

Yes, at first glance all the lambs look the same, but you’ll soon know exactly which one is mine.

Best buddy, Kemper.