Twinkle Toes in the Making.....

Can't wait to dance!

Tiny tap shoes.

Trying out the tap shoes on the ceramic tile (no tiles were harmed during this photo shoot).

Check out sassy Kendall!

Emma adding some attitude.

K got into some trouble before trying on the ballet slippers and this was the best she could do....

I think Ems liked the tap shoes better.

The girls are getting ready for their first dance class tomorrow evening!  It's Wee Dance (or something like that) at KnoxDanceWorx.  We won a year of classes for one child (at a Knoxville Multiples Club meeting) and decided to sign up both girls this year.  They have an hour class once per week where they spend half of the time learning ballet and the other half learning how to tap dance.  I am SO excited because I grew up taking tap lessons, so I'm hopeful that at least one of them actually like tap dancing. :) (Yes, I am a tap-dancing nerd and proud of it!)
At the moment, they are pretty excited to put on the leotards, tights and tap shoes.  The ballet shoes were good too, but they definitely enjoyed the noise generated by the tap shoes.
I'm sure I will have to be back soon with updates on how their first class went, so stay tuned.  I am trying to get back to being the diligent blog-posting mommy because I know how much this will mean to me many years from now.
For now, I must sign off and get to bed as another day of fun is just around the corner!

Sunday Sprinklers

We had a threat of rain all day Sunday and two of our wonderful children slept in until 10am, so we decided to just turn on the sprinkler outside before lunchtime and give them some time to run around.

It was finally a chance for me to just sit down and try to get some photographs of the kids and keep the camera in "manual mode", which has been a challenge lately.  I'm struggling to get pics taken often and since we are usually inside in the evening, I tend to turn the camera to "auto" (a big no-no from my photography class almost two years ago) so that I can at least get a shot that is in focus and has a reasonable chance at the correct lighting.  Sunday was an overcast day and the perfect opportunity to try my hand at manual again.  And it was FUN! [I should note that Clark has a piece of grass right by his nose that looks a little less than ideal for a photo, but I am not bothering to work on the editing before posting this time.  Forgive my laziness, but I just wanted to get another post out here before I call it a day.]

Got Ducks?

Saturday was the annual Great Tennessee Valley Duck Race to benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley.  They sell rubber ducks for a chance to win a number of great prizes.  All of the ducks (estimated to be 40,000-50,000) are dumped into the Tennessee River downstream of the downtown area.  They eventually make their way to Volunteer Landing where lots of people are awaiting their arrival. 
There was a great children's area with inflatables and food (can you say FUNNEL  CAKES?!?!?!).  My wonderful friend, Lindsay, went with us (I should mention that the kids LOVE LOVE LOVE her) and we spent some time entertaining the kids.  It was a little warm, so we only lasted a couple of hours but I think the kids liked it.  Afterwards, we made a stop at Brusters to introduce Ms. Lindsay to their yummy ice cream.  They are all fans of mint chocolate chip now after trying Auntie Karen's "green ice cream" a few weeks ago.

That is one big rubber duck!

All three eating mint chocolate chip.  Yummy!

Take Them Out to the Ballgame!

My amazing boss and his wife treated my co-workers and our families to a fun night of food, fellowship and baseball last Friday night.  We went to the Smokies Stadium to see the Smokies take on a team from Jacksonville.  This was the first time the kids have been to a "real" baseball game.
 
They had so much fun getting to know the kids and adults that shared the suite/box with us.  There was plenty of food to allow us to graze all evening on something (including hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza, chips, salad, ice cream and cookies).  We were also treated to an amazing fireworks show after the Smokies won the game!  The kids seemed a little surprised at how loud the fireworks were, but they quickly discovered how beautifully they lit up the sky and it seemed to calm any fears or concerns. 

We hope to take them back to a game again soon, but I wonder if they will expect the star-treatment again with access to air-conditioning, sofas, tables, unlimited food and so many wonderful people around to get to know?????  It was definitely a night full of great memories!

Thanks Mr. Mike and Ms. Lisa and to all of my amazing co-workers for helping me keep track of my kiddos!

It's Coming! The Knoxville Multiples Club Fall Consignment Sale - August 13th, 2011

The Knoxville Multiples Club Fall Consignment Sale is almost here.  There are only a few more days until one of Knoxville's most popular consignment sales for families of multiples opens it doors.  This sale is awesome for any size family (small or large) as well as grandparents, aunts, etc. looking for quality, gently-used clothing and equipment (sorry, no car seats for sale).  You can find strollers, cribs, costumes, shoes, bottles, bibs, toys, books, games, CLOTHING and more.  Did I mention clothing?!?!  There are always great deals to be found and items that are in great shape and ready to be put to good use in your home.

Please send me a message if you have any questions about the sale.  Hope to see you there!

Fun on Market Square

Kendall watching a mommy put her baby's toes in the water spray.

"Whatch' you talkin' about Willis???"

Daddy worked a little overtime today just for kicks and we got together with Auntie Karen and Uncle Tom to take the kids to Market Square.  The girls, in particular, were a little "off" today.  I won't say that they were in a terrible mood, but not necessarily cooperative.  And not always happy and ready to have fun.  We were met with a number of protests along the way, but we kept on pushing forward to get there.  Uncle Tom and Clark left to run a few errands and met us downtown.  I think Clark really enjoyed his one-on-one time with Uncle Tom.
Originally, we had planned to have lunch at a little cafe on Market Square that my parents liked, but it closed (and I don't know how long ago that happened).  Instead, we did a little wandering and the kids were able to taste some "jelly bean tomatoes" (they are small and very sweet).  Emma seemed to be a fan, but Kendall was kind enough to give her's away.  Afterwards, we strolled along looking at some of the fruits, veggies, bakery goods, etc that various vendors had for sale and listened to a man playing the guitar.  There are a number of people who bring their dogs to the area, so it is fun to check out the many sizes, shapes and breeds of puppies out and about. 
Despite numerous dining options, we chose Subway because they actually have seating and an indoor restroom.  It turned out to be a pretty bad choice because the service was terrible and it was REALLY warm in the restaurant where we sat.  But we survived and then the kids were ready to get in the water/fountains.  I had hoped that they would end up too tired to get wet, but that was not the case.  In the end, I'm glad that they jumped around in the water because I think they were worn out by the time we left and the ride home was peaceful.  They even went down for naps with very little protest.  Whew.
Now for Sunday.....thinking the zoo, maybe?  We'll see.

Playtime with Pam!

 Ms. Pam surprised the kids with a visit yesterday afternoon and, as you can see, they had a blast!  Emma could not stop talking about the fun they had in the pool.  Looks like she set the bar pretty high in terms of what to do in the late afternoon/early evening. :)