over and out.
We are on our way to Michigan for the next nine days. Granny, Great-Granny and Uncle Terry are terribly excited to see Rowen and Finley, and our visiting is long overdue.
So, then, because of all of the above -- for some reason unknown to any rational person -- you load everyone up in the truck after nap time...
... and drive 8 long hours to Kansas...
... yes...
... Kansas...
... and see magical and inspiring places like this...
... and this...
... to finally arrive in stunning Garden City, Kansas, at 3am to quickly find a hotel to sleep for as long as possible (which turned out to be 7:30am -- thanks, Finley!)...
... for this...
THE END.
Okay, so it wasn't perfect. But at least he wasn't involved in the head-on collision in the beginning of the music (phew!). He couldn't help but dance around in his own little world and found himself on the floor... but I was pretty proud of my little boy!
I think he was quite proud of himself, too!
On our way home, we watched the very full moon rise up over the hill. Everyone was excited to continue watching it from the front door once we made it to the house.
UP NEXT: Day two. The last dance.
Will Rowen prove what a big boy he is?
Rowen's dance rehearsal was today, in preparation for the big weekend-long dance recital. It. was. a. disaster.
You wouldn't think that one little three-year old could be so naughty up on a big stage with no mommy around to keep him in line... well... I guess... okay... yeah... maybe you can...
I had wonderful thoughts in my mind -- images of Rowen being star... doing all of the dance moves just perfectly... people coming up to me and congratulating me on what a wonderful little boy I have...
Yeah, well... not so much. I was slammed back into reality when all he wanted to do was run around in circles, lay on the floor and crash into the stage curtain, certainly looking for more areas to ransack.
I stood there, holding a squirming Finley, pointing our camera at the stage, not sure if what I was really seeing there through the screen was really happening. "He'll snap into it. He'll focus. He's not really going to walk down the stairs... is he?"
After the show ended, that was only the beginning of Fun With Rowen. After they shooed all of the other kiddos off-stage, Rowen was still up there, running and jumping. Two -- yes, two -- teachers finally realized that he was not part of the group they ushered off and they started chasing him around, trying to catch him. Chasing him. Trying to catch him. Catch. Him.
Now... can anyone imagine what kind of wonderful, exhilarating game it is for a just-turned three-year old to have someone chase them? Let alone, chase them around a big, brightly lit stage while lots and lots of children and adults are watching? Well, my little angel didn't let me down. He ran circles around both adults, giggling uncontrollably. When he was finally scooped up and carried off-stage, I bolted out of my seat, muttering about... well, it is probably best if I don't incriminate myself on the www-net.
When I found him, he already had an "I'm going to burst into tears any moment" look on his face. Due to someone telling him about how naughty he was? I'll never know since at that moment, I really didn't care.
Finley, on the other hand, has decided earlier that a dark hallway was the most terrifying thing that she had ever seen, and was already in tears, screaming at the top of her lungs while I was carrying her down the hallway going to find Rowen. I grabbed his hand and drug lead them both quickly outside where I had to plop Finley on the ground and fish Rowen's shoes out of my bag so he could make it to the car.
Needless to say -- I'll spare the details of the rest of the afternoon -- but it included a lot of crying, a bit of sharp words, some rational talk, some direction to go play quietly by yourself in the living room, a firm decision to NOT attend either nights of the actual dance recitals, a quiet dinner, a sleepless night and ended with a decision at some ungodly hour in the morning, to let Rowen go his recitals.
This video didn't catch the end, since I was high-tailing it backstage to gathering him up. You can use your imagination... I also can't you tell where exactly Rowen is in the line-up... well... because he never actually stood in line. You can often see him tangled up in the curtain, laying on the ground, and you can catch glimpses of him almost off-camera most of the time as he is running around in circles from one end of the stage to the other. He isn't the one in the yellow shirt, nor is he the littlest boy on the stage... he's just the crazy one doing his own thing while there is a dance recital going on around him.
In all fairness, I do realize that after watching the video later, that perhaps it wasn't as bad as I felt like it was in the heat of the moment (although it didn't include the very end -- ). Greg made a good point that it looked like there was quite a bit of complete pandemonium happening... and not just from Rowen.
The day did have a high point, however. Earlier, before what I now refer lovingly to as the disaster, we visited Addie and Nolan's house for a early morning sandbox party with their other friend, Sadie. Rowen and Finley LOVED it... I can't wait until we can get a sandbox!
UP NEXT: The Recital.
Stay tuned. Will it get any better?
Miss Finley,
It is hard to believe that this was you one year ago.
You were so tiny! Your entrance into this world was such a blessing!
To all distant relatives that may or may not find themselves shaking their heads in disgust or jumping on the telephone to call up one of my closer relatives to complain : : this is not my child, nor do I know this child. However, having made it this far in his little life, while up against SARS, killer bees, avain flu, Y2K and the like, I bet he's one tough cookie!
Yep... it's ROWEN! No longer the shaggy-headed boy that so often gets the comment, "Oh my God.. she is SO CUTE!"
While in Denver for an unexpected two weeks, we decided to go ahead and get Rowen a real haircut. I am so happy with it, but still miss those shaggy locks. He looks so much older... but so much like all the other little boys.
Earlier in the day, we visited the zoo. I am so thankful that he got his hair chopped off AFTERWARDS... otherwise I would have never been able to recognize him in the crowds!
The zoo was terrific... the last time we went was while we were in Denver waiting... and waiting... and waiting for Finley to be born!





Now I am off to finishing piecing a new patchwork sundress together.