Gracie

Gracie with Russel from "Up" at Disneyland.  In Disney California they have the "Redwood Creek Challenge" which Gracie has always loved.  We often go there when the other girls are at Grizzly River Run, which Gracie is terrified to go on.  It is full of rock climbing, zip lines, rope climbing, tracking and the like.  Recently they added Russel to the trail and a map with badges to earn.  There were six badges in all and then a final badge at the end.  Gracie worked hard to earn them all and this is her with the final badge.  She was so cute taking it all so seriously.  It took us about an hour.  She is officially a senior Wilderness Explorer.

This is Gracie after her ballet performance in Cinderella.  This was her horse costume.  She also played one of Cinderella's mice.  The mice were turned into horses, so she had two parts.  Her dance teacher is amazing.  She wrote a Cinderella ballet specifically for her classes, giving everyone prominent parts so they were all on stage a lot.  Most of her students are homeschooled and it is a very small studio. Hopefully Anna will do it next year.  She says she wants to.  I've always dreamed of a ballerina for a daughter.  Not a professional, but getting to the level of point, because I think it is so beautiful.  And dancers have so much grace and poise.  Gracie is my last hope.  I've tried with all three, and none of them lasted more than two years in dance.  We'll see with Gracie.

Seriously though, there is nothing in the world like seeing your beautiful daughter in a tutu, on a stage dancing to classical music.  It is precious.  Sigh.  She made me very happy.  She had rehearsals all week, some of them very long (one was 4 hours!), and she did great.  I was very proud of her.

My girls are growing up and it is constantly entertaining.  At Disneyland yesterday, a very cute boy stared at my girls and Olivia(a friend we brought who is also very pretty) for probably 30 minutes while we waited for World of Color.  It took me a while to catch on to how enthralled he was, and when I caught on I asked him where he was from.  He told us San Francisco and asked us where we were from and I told him LA.  Now the second he spoke, all the girls but Gracie turned with all their attention to this beautiful boy.  They had been reading each other's palms and creating hilarious stories about each other's futures.  Immediately Aliese blurted out, "We're unsocialized homeschoolers."  Such a card when she tries.  And  low and behold, he is a homeschooler too.  We talked a little bit and then World of Color started.  He had to run back to his spot.  So evidently he had meandered his way down to check out Olivia and my girls.  He was in 9th grade.  Truly gorgeous.  Borderline celebrity type gorgeous, super nice, and homeschooled.  For the rest of the night Olivia and Aliese talked of Jonathon, searched for him constantly, regretted not asking for his phone number (at least Olivia did, Aliese is not quite to that point yet), and talked about his gorgeousness and perfectness.  Sigh.  She's growing up.  Funny side note, later on in the hulabalu of it all Gracie asked what boy we were talking about.  She met him, was unimpressed evidently, and promptly forgot about him.

School is officially over, though we have made academic and musical goals for the summer, which is only a month here, since they go to their Dad's in July.  Poor Aliese is going to do two classes online this summer to try them out to see if she likes the online learning approach.  If she does, she'll probably do several classes online next year, since she'll officially be in high school.  If not, then I'll be signing her up for some classes and get to run her around everywhere--yippee!  Seriously though, in a year and a half she can be a licensed driver.  We have some good friends who won't let their kids get their driver's license until they are 18!  When she told me that I told her the rule in our house is that if you don't get it when you are 16 I will kick you out!  Of course that is a joke, but early morning seminary starts at 6 AM here, and she starts in August.  I am afraid.  Very afraid, and I hope she will get her license when she is 16.  She is terrified and says she doesn't want to get one.  Yeah, well, whatever.  I need you to have one Aliese!  I promised her she could drive in town for 2 years if she wants before she braves the freeways.  The test isn't on any freeways.  Just in town.  She was very relieved to hear that. 

There is so much more to write.  But I have so many other things to do.  And my hand is tired.  It's been hurting lately.  I'm a little nervous about that.  I'm too young for arthritis aren't I?  Plus it's muscles, not joints.  Bla, bla.

I blogged Amy.  Happy?