Friday, May 21, 2010

Gymnastics, Basements, and Dance 'Recycles'


Hooray for a Daddy at gymnastics and parent observation day!
We always watch the little gymnasts through the window, but on the last class of each semester we are allowed to come into the gym with our cameras.

Handstands


Forward rolls high in the air


Waiting behind two other law orphans, Noah and Gabby. Don't even try to separate these three into groups. They are a package deal.


Jumping over the line


Getting ready for Donkey Kicks


The, ahem, 'donkey' part she gets from her father.


So strong


Daddy coaxing Ava to jump from the high mat into the pit.


It's a long way down.


Trust


Pleased as pie


Daredevil


again


and again


A beautiful day at the park, two sweet bow-heads and some ducks.

Trying to keep up with these mobile girls


Watch out for the goose.


Clapping to clear the sidewalk of water fowl


Tuesday brought more 'helmet weather' to our fair state. We decided to join up with some sweet friends at the student union on campus, where we could park in the garage and avoid softball size hail damage.


Keeping the mood light and fun with Cinderella on the computer and a picnic.


Trivial Pursuit therapy soothed adult nerves.


See that red/black blob on the radar? That's us.


Helmet time. A new friend joined to watch the movie while we waited.

After almost four hours as refugees, we headed home. The clouds were magnificent.


Spooky how terror can come from such beauty.


Ava had her first dance recital, she called it a 'recycle'. She danced to The Witch Doctor in a very cute cave girl outfit.
The little dancers entered the stage doing a mouse walk.
(See the whole video at the bottom of this post.)


So happy to be near her friend Grace


Really dancing!

I'm posting this picture specifically for Coach and Mimi. See that little Josh Lockett tongue out the side of her mouth as she concentrates? Melts my heart every time.


Almost time to perform for the whole crowd.


Precious Waggoner family brought flowers to all the North Haven girlies in the 'recycle'.


Susie and Mary came just for Ava.


Celebrating with frozen yogurt


Baba, Pops (not pictured here), and Uncle Nate came to visit for the weekend and were thrilled to catch Ava's dancing.


Entertaining a very captive audience of adoring fans.



Sunday, May 16, 2010

1 down, and I'm not talking crossword puzzle here

On Friday Josh finished the last final of his first year of law school!
One year down, only two to go. Everyone tells us that (here at OU at least) the first year is the hardest. I choose to believe it. To celebrate his major accomplishment we headed to the one block in Oklahoma City that makes all of our wildest dreams come true.
Sara Sara Cupcakes and Pachinko Parlor Sushi
The fantastic cupcake chef went in with a friend and opened a sushi joint next door...cue Hallelujah chorus here.
(By the way, anytime you see a word typed in a different color in one of my posts you can click on it to see the website I'm referencing.)

A chilly day in May
Not to be confused with the 'cold day in July' or 'snowy day in Hell', just a casual observation, although there were doubts during this year about whether or not we'd all three live to see the end of year one.


Adorable little Pachinko Parlor car


Handsome with relief, it's so nice to see his shoulders in their full, upright position.


Beaming at her daddy


The hostess let us know that Sara Sara was closing (9:00 on a Friday, really?) so Josh ran next door and came back with our dreamy cupcakes. Since they are both owned by the same guy it was not a big deal for us to bring in our own dessert.


Candy Land is Ava's new favorite pastime. She is such a good sport, win or lose. She is actually more concerned if one of us lands on a sticky Licorice box and must lose a turn.


Ava added a couple of her own rules to the game.
Anytime you draw your favorite color (purple for me, green for Josh, orange for her) she gives you a huge hug and kiss. If someone else draws your favorite color, you have to blow them a kiss.

We're both just so happy to have him here with us.


If you can reach someone you love tonight give 'em a big smooch just because you can. I know I'm sure going to.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

The wind began to switch, the house to pitch, and suddenly the hinges started to unhitch

While this was happening one block away, we were in our 'fraidy hole'. I'm not being dramatic here, no hyperbole for this writer's benefit. Our apartment is across the street and one block down from the National Weather Service. We knew that the weather was supposed to be rough for the evening (actually through Sunday), but when the sirens started blaring we knew it was time to take cover.


We tried to keep the situation as light as possible, for Ava's benefit. We played with toys and Daddy actually stopped studying for a little while! She was convinced that we were actually hearing a train.

Hold on to your helmets.


We've got cows!


Other than some wind damage (a huge branch fell in our parking lot and squashed a car), and no electricity for a while we were fine. Thanks to everyone who checked in on us. Remember, cell phone coverage is very sporadic during these storms. Just because you can't reach us doesn't mean we're in the suck zone.


See? She's fine. I promise. And, as my sweet friend Katy pointed out, this helmet hides her new chopped bangs quite nicely.