Our morning started out with an unexpected guest…

And since no one can quite narrate such a scene as well as Jacqui… a video clip for your enjoyment…

These are literally the very first moments of our morning. I was yanked awake by a little girl shouting, “Mommmmmm!! Comere quickly!! Dair’s dis most ‘mazing super-ize in da backyard dat I’ve never seen before!” And then she shoved the camera in my hand while tugging me upright, “Here! You’ll probly need dis!”

As you can tell in the clip, Jacqui is a morning person. Me? Not so much. I was still waking up and not yet ready to meet her inevitable onslaught of chatter with the enthusiasm it deserved. And to be fair, possums are not exactly on my ‘Top Ten’ list of things to be excited about in the morning. Or even on my list of things to be excited about ever. Jacqui now claims she is no longer interested in having a hamster for a pet (as she had previously informed us yesterday). She states that “a possum would make a very more clebber pet, don’t you think?” Hmmmm… clever? Perhaps. Conceivable? No.

Note: You will not be able to see the video if you are viewing this post through a reader. It might take a few moments for the video to load and buffer after pressing the play button, so be patient.

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Little Mister Kyle turns two this week… and it’s already going a little too fast.

Note: It takes a minute or so for the slide show download to transfer after you push the play button, so be patient.

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Note: For those of you receiving this post via email subscription, it contains two video clips that you will not be able to view without going directly to our blog site (sorry!).

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Well, here’s a little clip of Jacqui’s ballet for you all. Jacqui is the one in red on the far left of the stage. It was her very first performance and I really wish I could have taped the second or third one. She was a bit upset during this performance because one of the assistants told her just as she headed out on stage to remember to “stay in line” when she was dancing.

Jacqui just gravitates to center stage like a little spinning top and whirls there like she’s the only one in the ballet with a huge grin on her face. The slight reprimand just as she was walking on stage really rattled her nerves and I wished more than anything that I could have rushed over and reassured her with a hug after the look she shot over her shoulder at me as she headed out on stage. From behind the curtain, I could see her look of concentration as she looked at the floor, trying to stay in line. She was like a little deflated balloon… all the joy just gone! You can see her sad little limp off stage at the end… she usually skips off, and giggles full of smiles. In the middle of the clip, the little “Ooooo!! Oooooo!!” that you hear with the audience giggling? That’s Jacqui… Worried about getting back to her place in line after dancing in the butterfly circle.

When she got back stage, she was just about in tears. “I ‘membered evvyfing, Mommy… ‘cept I forgotted to smile! I forgotted to have fun!”

I gave her a big hug and told her how great she did and let her know that in the next performance she could try again and not to worry about lines - That she should just go out there and have fun dancing. She grinned and took the advice to heart, pulling off two more priceless performances full of joy and exuberance plus a final bow scene on Sunday evening that I’ll cherish for years to come with all that is precious from her childhood.

Even though she’s a slightly dejected butterfly in this clip, she’s still adorable! Scroll up to the next post for some great photos of her weekend as a prima ballerina!

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