A Golden Nutt-y Week

After our slower week last week, we were back at full Nutt House speed this current week and wouldn’t have it any other way.  We were so busy in fact, that while loading the pictures for this week I found myself second glancing more than one once that some of the activities took place this week as they seemed to have happened so long ago.

The temperature has been creeping warmer as we are moving further into April and before the high temperatures remain without any reprieve for weeks on end the little Nutts and I started our week of Monday with a hike up to Hole in the Rock at Papago Park.  I’ve seen this place many a time and have always been intrigued by the location and wanted to hike it, but the hike seemed long and daunting, especially with littles in tow.  I couldn’t have been more wrong, after pulling into the parking lot and finding the trail head we found ourselves on an easy hike that took us mere minutes to complete.  Soon enough we had hiked our way the backside of the mountain and were peering through the hole in the rock to gaze out at the zoo, the fishing ponds below us and more.  The kiddos and I each enjoyed our hike and eagerly look forward to the next morning that time and weather allow for us to seek out another hiking location to explore. 

Halfway through our hike

My hiking buddies

Hearts for our big Nutt that couldn't be with us

Back at the bottom and as goofy as ever

School this week brought another field trip, this time we ventured over to the Natural History Museum where we shared one of our favorite locations with some of our friends.  The kiddos sped through several exhibits before slowing down while panning for gold and hunting for dinosaur bones outside.  Once back inside the kiddos once again darted from exhibit to exhibit barely glancing at the history that was right in front of them.  Thankfully when we reached a couple hands on stations manned by volunteers the kiddos were happy to slow down and learn what the volunteers had to share.  The final area the kiddos truly enjoyed was the Exploration Station where the kids could play with toy dinosaurs, complete dinosaur rubbings, study objects through the microscopes and more.  Overall, while a lot may not have been learned it is safe to say each of the kiddos enjoyed their time at the dinosaur museum.

How many little feet does it take to fill 1 dinosaur foot?

Dinosaur fossils

The kiddos were fascinated with the rocks

We took some time to enjoy the little moments and the good weather that the week afforded us with and devoted what moments we could to the simple things in life, such as scooter rides around the neighborhood, painting the driveway with chalk art, water balloon fights, and even a trip to the ice cream shop.  I hope though I doubt the little Nutts will remember much about what their lives were like at the ages of 5 and 3, however, I plan to do my best to never forget how fun we have in the little moments we carve out time to enjoy.

The sunset makes for the perfect backdrop for a nice evening of
scooter riding

My goodness!  The kiddos had a blast having a water balloon fight!!

Knowing we had a dance competition on Saturday we wanted to do something fun on Friday that had nothing at all to do with dance and would be fun for us all.  This led us to journey over to a park we hadn’t been to in over a year – Freestone Park located in Gilbert.  Fortunately for Kaden, he was able to have a friend join us as we played on the playground (well the kiddos did not myself), rode the train and the carousel multiple times as well, the kiddos rode the kiddie Ferris Wheel and kiddie Jet Ski roller coaster almost non-stop.  Where Kara was slightly apprehensive about the height issue with being on an airplane I was surprised at how much she enjoyed the kiddie Ferris Wheel and as no surprise to anyone, Kaden loved the train ride, though the fact that the Jet Ski roller coaster had a horn he could beep incessantly made this one a favorite as well.  Once I was able to pry the kiddos away from the rides we headed back toward the playground which by this point in time was crammed with school children and not much fun for the littles I had with me, so we veered over to the grassy area for some good ole’ fashion playing on the grass and snack time.  Once the heat of the day beat out the fun we were having we headed toward home arriving in perfect time to head to dance class. 

All aboard!

Bosom buddies (because boys don't have BFFs)

Gorgeous view of the park from the train ride

Love this pond and waterfall area

Quite the fun was had all day by these two

It seems so classic, but oh so good to see two
little boys enjoying themselves playing
with sticks on the grass....  Life doesn't get much
simpler than that

Dance class was needed Friday so the girls could all run through their dance numbers one final time prior to the competition on Saturday.  I don’t know how we lucked out so well, but for this competition we didn’t need to be there until almost 10 am and both Kara’s group number and solo, plus awards for both were completed by 5 pm.  Heading into this competition we had practiced and I mean a lot where so much of the dance had changed for Kara, as well, where she felt so heartbroken about her performance at the prior competition. Going into Saturday, based on the wise words of Ms. Carolyn we knew that whatever was going to happen was going to happen, it was too late to change much so I went in with the strong thought that as long as Kara did her best and had fun the score wouldn’t matter and we’d be proud of her.  Now, this is nothing new, this is always my mantra, but for this competition it was more important than ever before, so Kara didn’t feel pressure to perform, just to have fun.  Thanks to the later day we weren’t as rushed in the morning and were able to enjoy breakfast and get all ready for the competition without feeling as frantic as we have before.  I don’t know if it was because of this, or because Kara’s group performed before the solos, but Saturday was a good dance day for us.  Sadly Ms. Carolyn wasn’t able to be there for the group number so it was up to the other moms and myself to warm up the girls and get them on stage.  Talk about pressure!  Fortuitously, the girls knew what they were doing and when it was time they headed out on the stage like they owned it.  Going into this competition we didn’t know that the judges scored hard, so when award time came and the girls scored a Gold we were surprised, but with Kara’s solo quickly approaching we couldn’t dwell on that as we frantically finished up a hair, make-up, and wardrobe change so she could stretch out her back and practice before it was time for her to perform.  Before we knew it or we were really ready someone from the competition was approaching us in the dressing room area to let us know it was time for Kara to be on stage.  So with a mad dash, I scooped her up and carried her back stage where with a kiss and hug good luck and one last reminder to have fun and do her best I was off to make my way to the front of the stage to join Brent and Kaden in watching Kara perform.  I felt a great sense of relief when Kara remembered and did well with each of her tricks and the overall routine.  Before the music had even ended I was back out of my seat and rushing to meet up with Kara back stage and walk with her to the dressing room area to change and finally breathe for a bit before awards.  As we walked Ms. Carolyn reminded me of a minor arm gesture that Kara had missed which is why I had noticed her pausing in one area of her dance, I was surprised and remarked to both Kara and Carolyn that Kara did well enough that I hadn’t even noticed.  Well, fast forward a couple hours later and it was awards time.  Where the group had received a Gold award I remarked to Brent I would be ecstatic if Kara received a High Gold (the level above Gold).  Brent commented that based on how tough the scoring was he thought she’d get Gold as well, while I agreed with this, I secretly hoped she’d do better.  When the scores for each performance were announced we were both shocked and amazed to hear “High Gold” called out for Kara’s performance.  Tears of pride and happiness soon filled my eyes and looking over at Brent I saw a shocked dad who also had tears swelling up in his own pride filled eyes.  As the awards continued and they on to awards for Top in each category I think we almost fell out of our seats when once again Kara’s name was called.  When they called her up for earning the overall #4 spot for solo performances I couldn’t even comprehend what was going on as I kept hoping Kara would remember she danced at Innerlight Dance if asked.  Now mind you, each time we heard Kara’s name we were screaming out in delight, so when names were called for the 3 dances who were invited to compete at nationals for overall dancer of the year we were flabbergasted and cheering louder than before as our sweet 5-year-old Kara’s name was called out.  Our competitive, hardworking tiny dancer owned this competition and we couldn’t have been more proud.  We do know and understand that come the next competition the judges may not like her dance as much, she may forget part of it, or she may not have the strong lines, arms and toes that she did Saturday.  But for this one day, Kara truly did her best and above everything else and all the awards she earned that day, that is what mattered most to us all.

Competition, here I come!

Warm up time... We got this!

Between performances photo op

Such strong fingers 

Love the pointed toe!

And she's looking at the judges!
*yes, I've become a full blown dance mom, & I admit,
with her as my dancer, I'm loving it!

All her fancy awards

Love her smile

Our tiny dancer with the teacher
that inspires Kara's dreams to come true

Kara has been wanting to upgrade her 3-wheeled scooter to a 2-wheeled model and we committed to her that if she did her best, had fun, and didn’t give up (Brent’s motto for the kids) that we’d get her the scooter she’d been eying at Target.  Well, Kara was asleep before we even got home, so Saturday evening I headed over to Target where I picked up the scooter and had it all ready for Kara when she awoke Sunday morning.  She was so excited that she scooted all over the house until it was time for church and ever since then, that is all Kara wants to do.  The trophies, awards, and accolades for her performance are long since forgotten, Kara earned her scooter and that is all that mattered to her.  And, I must admit, I like the fact that she isn’t wrapped up in the awards or placement at the competition and that the reward for doing her best was the best award in her own eyes that she could achieve.

What a week it had been, I am exhausted and happy to say that this is a wrap on our week! 

Now, bring on the next week!