Chop Chop

Serafina needed to keep her hair long so I could successfully put it in a bun for recital, but since recital is over she got a haircut.  I wanted it back to a bob like when she was younger but she wasn't interested in going quite that short.  We are both happy with the result though.  

Before...

 After...

Big Recital

It's been a wild week of dance rehearsals and performances.  Serafina has been a trooper through it all, even all the hair brushing.  

She performed both Friday and Saturday night.  Here she is at the Thursday night rehearsal for tap.  The tap dance was in the second act of the show both nights.  She danced to a song called Weird People with four other girls.  The routine was complicated but she did great.  

 She performed her hip hop routine during the first act of Saturday night only.  The rehearsal for Act One dances was Friday morning.

 Our carpool buddy (and Leo's classmate) Sophie performed in Act One also.  I made them pose for a picture before the rehearsal.

 Just Tom and I attended Friday night.  Here's a proud dad with his girl and her flowers.

 Tonight, Nana and Leo joined us to watch her do both her dances.

 We had front row seats, which was pretty awesome.

Tom snuck this picture of the hip hop routine.  She's on the far right of the photo showing lots of attitude.  

 Leo presented her with some flowers after the show.

 Nana enjoyed seeing her dance too.

 We are so proud of our girl.  It was exhausting process but Serafina loves it and it's really fun to watch her dance.

Wrapping up dance

Friday was Serafina's last regular dance class.  

 Here she is waiting for her carpool ride.

 Today kicked off a week of dance madness.  Today was picture day at the studio.  The rest of the week is filled with rehearsals with the big performances happening Friday and Saturday night.

Here's her hip hop costume.

 After the hip hop pictures, she changed at the studio into the tap costume.

Father's Day/Birthday weekend in Tahoe

Friday night, we hit the road to go to Tahoe.  It all felt a little surreal since we are so out of the Tahoe frame of mind.  The roads were clear and the drive so easy, that I ended up driving the whole way.  We stayed at my friend Aida's place along with the Smith family.  Saturday was spent at Squaw Valley.  

Here are the girls in the photo op chair. 

Serafina hung out with the Smith family while I took a yoga class.  

What were Tom and Leo up to?  Skiing!  In June! 

Action shot! 

Leo wasn't totally sold on the idea and he definitely wasn't sure about wearing his bathing suit, but he ended up having a great time.  I put him in the bathing suit because it provided sun protection and it would dry quick if he fell.  

Summer skiers in a scenic spot.  

 We met up with them in the village after.

 They are standing in front of a large splash pool set up for the Peaks and Paws festival taking place in the village.  It was all about dogs and they had a group called Splash Dogs jumping into the pool all day.

 Relaxing in the shade while I went to fetch the car.

 When we got back to the house, our hosts were back from their separate mid-day outing and the kids were all still full of energy.  From bottom to top: Ana, Emma, Serafina and Lane.

 So we packed up the wild children and headed to the pond.  It was much more crowded than last year.  The water was still freezing, but the kids didn't care.

 This time I brought some floats and they were a big hit.

The girls taking a break.  

Leo and Navid.  

I did some relaxing in my new hat.  

 Don't Bother Me.

Aida, me and Lizzy.  

 That night we kicked off my birthday celebration.  I insisted that I didn't want a cake, but if they insisted on getting one that it should be from Dairy Queen in Truckee.  Tom coordinated with Aida to have her pick one up while they were in town visiting friends.

 We were all glad she did.  It was fantastic.  Definitely a new level of ice cream cake and we were all fans.

 Lizzy made a huge breakfast for the whole crew for Father's Day.

 Yep, that's baby Halle on the table.

 Later that morning Serafina enjoyed holding her.

After breakfast, the boys headed out for a big hike.  It was a 1000 foot elevation gain and a bit challenging since there was snow still on the trail.  But Leo and Navid were up for it.    

Every single one of them came home wet. 

 The girls headed out for our own hike.  And we got to take the dog.

 Beautiful waterfalls the whole way.

Here are the dads, back from their hike, showered and pretty pleased with themselves.  

 It was time to say goodbye to our hosts and head out.  Not before one more picture.  Super sundress powers unite!

 We stopped by to see the big lake before making the trek home.

 This girl has never met a body of water she didn't like.

 He was happy playing in the freezing lake as well.

 There was live music happening on the shore and there was a sea of people.

We left Tahoe after that and headed down the mountain into 100+ degree weather.  All and all it was a wonderful way to celebrate Father's Day and my birthday.