Dance Class & Buh-bye Crib!

Is there anything cuter than a class of 2 and 3 year olds in pink leotards and tiny ballet shoes? No, there really isn't. 

Last Wednesday Harper started her first week of dance at Jeté Dance Centre in Rogers. We rushed home after work to get ready. I'm not sure who was more excited - me or Harper. After struggling to get her dressed we settled with a leotard, ponytail and headband. She was refusing to put on tights, and I opted not to fight her on it. I was certainly choosing my battles that night, plus we were under a time crunch. 

With minutes to spare, we pulled into the parking lot. We were greeted by Harper's instructor Miss Hannah who looked at the little ballerinas with a smile on her face. After going through a few rules, we found out parents are not allowed in the studio. There is a viewing window where we can sit and watch. She explained with this age group, separation anxiety can be a problem. As the little girls funneled into the pink studio, Harper held tight to Mitch's arm. With her big baby blues, she looked up at him with her pouty face saying - "Dad, you come in there with me?" Since she wasn't really budging, Miss Hannah invited Mitch to walk in and stand on the wall. Harper agreed to the compromise and walked right in. Each girl was given a blue dot to sit on, and the small group formed a semi-circle around the instructor. As soon as the class began, Harper was fully enthralled. Mitch immediately left, without any issues.

For the next 30 minutes we admired the cuteness that filled the pink studio. Harper was easily distracted by the mirror at first, and would wander away from her blue dot and dance in front of the mirror - smiling at herself the entire time. She had to be reminded a few times to go back to her spot. :) They danced in their semi-circle and had fun across the floor with teddy bears and streamers. Harper was smiling throughout the entire class, and I think I was too. I've been waiting a long time to have a little girl in dance - and the day finally arrived! As the 30 minutes came to an end, each girl was given a smiley face sticker. They filed out of the studio all scattering to their parents. Harper ran to us saying her classic line, "That was so much fun!" We're looking forward to the 8-week summer session, and possibly starting again in the fall! My lil' girl's a ballerina! :) 

Our out-of-town visitors were leaving Friday, so Thursday night we had dinner at my parents and hung out with everyone before they made the trek back to Missouri. As I've mentioned in past posts, Harper is obsessed with music and musical instruments. Thanks to recent garage sales, my Mom has added many instruments to Harper's collection. As we were sitting upstairs, enjoying each other's company - Harper dragged her music basket in the middle of the floor. She presented everyone with an instrument, and we started our very own girl band. 6 females, all rocking out having a blast. I was given the triangle, my Mom took the xylophone, Betty got the bongos, Shelby the sticks, Aunt Joan the bells and Harper took lead on piano. We all played, and luckily Mitch caught our masterpiece on video. Harper was in it 100%, and loved every second. I couldn't stop laughing at her little dance and intensity. It was the cutest thing ever. My Grandpa said we looked like the Muppets. I'll take that as a compliment. :) We all enjoyed our time with the Missourians, and already miss them. The band will have to reunite soon! 

This weekend Harper reached a new milestone - a big girl bed. We had a little snafu with the original set we picked out in April, and since it's already mid-June and the bed still wasn't in - it was time for "Plan B." We headed back to the furniture store on a mission to find something new, and more importantly something in stock.

I had talked to the store several times in the last two months tracking our order. Since it's been such a mess they offered us a full refund and an extra credit towards anything in the store. Luckily we were able to find something similar to the first set that was a little better quality. With the discount they offered, the price was nearly identical to our first purchase. Even better, it was in stock and they could deliver it this week! We quickly sealed the deal, and everything is scheduled to arrive tomorrow! 

We've been wanting to transition her into a "big-girl bed" for awhile and were hoping to have furniture by now. Since we knew everything was scheduled to arrive this week, we opted to start the transition over the weekend. We cleared out Baby H's room since we had been using it as a second storage space. The furniture from Harper's room (the crib, rocking chair, bookshelf and dresser) was transition into Baby H's room. Since Saturday, Harper has been sleeping like a poor college student with a plain mattress on the floor. Her energy level was insane while we were getting her "big girl bed" ready. She was running around yelling, "I can not believe it! I'm so excited!" 

So far so good. She hasn't asked why her old furniture is in Baby Brother's room, and she's managed to stay in her bed the entire night. The girl is a crazy sleeper, so this is saying something! By tomorrow night she'll have a normal room again full of brand new furniture! 

Sunday we celebrated Dad's day. We were lucky enough to spend some quality time with my Dad and Mitch's Dad. We hosted a mid-day BBQ, and ended up spending the entire afternoon hanging out watching golf and chatting. Throw in some cake and beers for the Dad's and I'd say it was a successful day. Not to get all sappy, but I'm going to… I'm amazed every day the amount of love Mitch shows to our little girlie. Their special bond makes my heart melt, and seeing him light up every time he see's her lil' face makes me love him even more. Mitchell - thank you for being an incredible Daddy-o. Our kiddos are lucky ducks.

Hope every Dad had a nice day celebrating their awesomeness. You all deserve it!

Until next time…

The Helleen's