Ballet: Parents' Day

I can't believe I haven't posted about this yet!  About a month ago, Delilah's ballet class had a parents' day, where we could come in and watch.  Chris couldn't make it (but he had seen her class just two weeks earlier!), so it was just me and Noelle.  It's hard enough keeping Noelle out of Red's class when the door is closed...but being in the class itself and expecting Noelle to sit on a folding chair for 45 minutes?...forget it.  Red's class is very small, so I asked the teachers and parents beforehand if they would mind a little toddler running around a bit; luckily, everyone was very understanding. :)
I love that some of these pictures capture Delilah's pure love of dance.  I have never seen her as enchanted as she is when she is in the ballet studio.  She's only 4, so I won't say she's a prodigy or that she's better than anyone else in her class, b/c she's not.  But she does love it more than anyone else in that room...it's beautiful.

The way we start out every class

I thought food might keep Noelle in her chair

I was wrong.  Noelle HAD to join class, and Delilah was so very happy to have her

Adagio time when they dance around the room.  It's Delilah's favorite part of class.

Pure leaping joy.

Noelle, still part of the class.  The other students even went and got Noelle her own wand.

Look at her sweet little face!  You can almost hear her saying, "I want to be just like you!" to her teacher.

Ending the class by saying thank you to the pianist.

A crown and award for participation.

We love Miss Danielle!

Keep dancing to your own beat, sweet Red.  And I hope music always inspires and moves you.  Last night at dinner, we had classical music playing and you looked up at me and your dad and spontaneously said, "This song sounds like love".  You are simply magical.

Wordless Wednesdays: "Hey, Daddy. I painted Ellie Bug...and She's Beautiful!!"

First Team Huntley Family Vacation!!

A couple weeks ago we went camping and It. Was. Awesome.  We rented a car and headed about 2.5 hours north to Copake, NY and the Taconic Mountain Range.  It was a beautiful drive and the girls haven't been in the car for almost a year, so they were angels, content to look out the window and listen to music.
We stayed in a cabin at a little family-oriented campground.  There was a pool and a playground, and every cabin had its own firepit and grill out front.  Delilah and Noelle were in HEAVEN.  We stayed from Thursday to Sunday and nobody was ready to leave.  Delilah kept saying she wanted the cabin to be her new home.  She also asked why our houses keep getting smaller. :) 
One of my favorite things about the trip was that the playground was directly across from our cabin, which meant the girls could go by themselves while Chris and I watched from our picnic table.  They loved getting to go by themselves and we loved watching the girls play together.  Delilah is so caring with Noelle, and Noelle wants to be wherever Delilah is, doing whatever Delilah is doing.  I had no idea when Noelle was born how much I would love watching my girls play together...few things warm my heart more.

Delilah and Noelle slept in bunkbeds.  Delilah LOVED her little bunk with a window.

Happy, tired girls.

A favorite pasttime was throwing pebbles in the puddles in front of our cabin

Delilah coloring at our cabin's picnic table.  She wanted to do EVERYTHING outside.

Daddy getting his girl to sleep

We went hiking at nearby Bash Bish Falls.  Please note Delilah's self-selected hiking outfit.

Happy Chris. :)

Not always a Norman Rockwell picture around here.  Delilah did have a meltdown on the trail b/c she wanted to go swimming so badly.

Noelle LOVES this backpack.

Our little woodland sprite.

We hiked into Massachussetts!

The beautiful falls

I love her sweet little face in this picture

The Huntley Girls

First S'mores!

Our tired crew resting in the cabin at night

We visited the most idyllic sheep farm.  This is Delilah picking a flower in front of the barn.

She loved the sheep

Noelle could not be troubled to see the sheep farm.

We went to a breathtaking sculpture garden.  You can see Chris & Noelle walking, and if you look closely inside the sculpture, you can see the spot of pink that is Delilah.

Delilah loved walking around the giant open fields and coming across the sculptures.  Our little artiste.

Delilah taking a break on one of her favorites.

 The last picture is of the beach at Taghkanic State Park, where we stopped to play for several hours on our way home.  I left the camera in the car, so this is just a stock photo I found on the internet.  I had to include a pic b/c it was perhaps the highlight of our trip.  The girls played for HOURS on the beach-- racing in and out of the water, playing in the sand, and just doing what little girls do. 
The whole trip was such a nice (and much-needed) break for all of us.  I love NYC, but I also love that within 30 minutes you can be back in the middle of nature.  Our first family vacation was definitely a hit, and I can't wait to go on another one!!!!!!!!

Happy Father's Day

Such a fun Father's Day this year.  We went to Central Park with some friends from the building to watch one of the dads play in his softball league.  We spread out blankets and food, let the girls run around, and had so much fun that Delilah slept until 8:30 this morning and Noelle slept until 9!

On the streets of New York

Delilah, Noelle, and Lyla in a bear hug!

Lyla and Noelle love to hold hands

How did I get so lucky?

Chris playing with the girls

Delilah was walking around with the camera, taking a million pictures and telling everyone she was a photojournalist.  This is a pic she snapped of me. :)

The girls cheering for the softball team

"Me next! Me next!"

Lyla and Delilah...best of friends

Holding hands on the cobblestones

Delilah, Lyla, and Alexa with the best seats in the house

Thank you for all you do, Chris.  It makes my heart so full to watch you be a daddy to our two precious girls.  They love you beyond words and I hope one day they realize that how blessed they are to have you for a father.  All three of us love you to pieces!!!!!