Tutu trouble

Yesterday, Grace's big day finally came - her first ever day of ballet. I had been excited about sending her in a sweet little pink tutu, but not as excited as she was about wearing one. But then last week a letter came saying that the kids can't wear skirts to class because it restricts their movement or something. So no skirt = no tutu. Seems silly to me, but alright.

Can you wear a leotard without a tutu? I have no idea because I know nothing about these things. I decided to just send her in leggings and a matching tee and explained to her that skirts weren't allowed. She handled the news rather well. Her head didn't even spin in circles or anything.

Here's a (horrible) picture of what she looked like on her very first day of ballet. She looks like she could be anywhere. Bah. Oh well. She was still super excited and that's what really matters.

But then then right after I snapped the picture I looked up the stairs and saw a swarm of tiny little tutus. What's up with that? Do tutus not count as skirts???

"You actually listened to the letter? Oh how funny."

There was only one other little girl who was wearing regular clothes. How awkward. And of course Grace had some things to say about all this. How even more awkward.

"Uh-oh, she's wearing a skirt!!! We're not supposed to wear skirts!!" and "How come they can wear ballerina costumes??" Things like that. She took it well, but was confused. Poor kid. And poor me too, because loud little voices echo in stairwells.

It wasn't really a huge deal, just embarrassing. It doesn't take much for me to feel out of place. She seemed a little disappointed that she wasn't wearing her ballet gear like them, but still had a great time and didn't want to leave. Next week she's wearing her tutu and leotard for sure. See ya, leggings!

But you know, I don't really like her First Day of Ballet Picture, so let's just pretend like this is it instead:

Also, let's pretend like she's wearing actual ballet slippers instead of pajama ones that are too small. And while we're using our imaginations, let's pretend like she's in a big ballet studio with shiny wood floors and mirrored walls.

There. Much better.

Because I just couldn't help it

Lately I've been dying for a pair of TOMS. For the past two weeks my poor husband has heard me incessantly whine talk about my terrible overwhelming need for these things. Well, yesterday I went and got my shoes so the poor guy is probably thrilled sideways.

I knew exactly which ones I wanted so I went ahead and took The Short One with me. Shoe shopping with a four year-old when you don't know exactly what you're looking for? Oh, horror of all unholy horrors, NO. That would be a good way to get back at someone who slashed your tires. It would also be a good way for a mother to lose her mind and her will to live at the same time. But I even knew the exact color I wanted, so we got in the car, got to the store, and BAM. Oh no. There they were.

Teeny tiny TOMS. What's a girl to do?

Now, I had seen kid-sized TOMS before, and I even thought they were cute. But I never thought I'd actually buy a pair. When I saw them this time, the thought of Grace and I getting matching TOMS together crossed my mind and then it was all over.

Something you must know before I go any further -- buying matching clothes with my kid was something I never wanted to do. Maybe I have a heart of stone, but that always seemed a little cheesy to me. Yet here I was, telling Grace about about how much fun it would be for us to have matching shoes. She was thrilled at the idea of having shoes just like Mommy, so we went home with two pairs of Ash colored TOMS.

Maybe being a little cheesy isn't so bad?

Mommy and Grace Time

First off, don't let the first picture fool you. This is not a boring "this is everything we did on our vacation" post, so don't leave. If you get done reading this and think it sucks, well sorry. But at least you'll know I didn't lie. So trust me, I'm going somewhere with this. Hopefully.

Anyway, we got back from our San Francisco trip late Friday night. I missed it before we even left. I was sad to leave and can't wait to go back someday.

Can you blame me?

But let me tell you what. I missed my sweet, funny, silly little kid and it's really good to be with her again. Even if she is a huge whine bag sometimes. Today we had "Mommy and Grace Time" at the Target snack bar. It's becoming a little tradition of ours. We just sit and talk about every little thing over a big pretzel and some of that nasty cheese dip. Simple, but really nice. San Francisco is an amazing city and I love it. The above picture brings back feelings of excitement, joy, and awe. But today I took some pictures during "Mommy and Grace Time" and psshhh....move over San Francisco. Nothin' beats a little girl with her first ICEE.

It's good to be home.