Celebrating Easter

We celebrated Easter in Show Low the weekend before Easter this year.  Brenna participated in the Show Low City Easter Egg Hunt and the weather was PERFECT!  We were prepared for it to be a bit chilly, but it was wonderful.  We got to spend quite a bit of time outside enjoying Papaw and Grandma's yard, hunting eggs in the front and back several times.  We colored eggs, made a fun Easter wreath craft and spent lots of quality time together.  It was so much fun to have some nice family time with the most precious kiddo on the planet. 

Play Ball!!!

 
Brenna was lucky enough to be the "play ball" kid at the Diamondback's game on April 13th.  We knew for a few days ahead of time, so she got to practice.  Typically, when asked how she'd do it, she'd jump with arms and legs spread out (sorta like a jumping jack) and yell, "play ball!!!"  But when the time actually came, she got quieter and quieter and we tried like crazy to keep her pumped up.  She was a bit nervous just before - probably once she realized that she'd be standing on the dugout (which I don't even know that she realized it's where the players were).  But, she did great!  The actual performance was pretty standard, she was her adorable self, but the words were said without much flair.  She looked adorable in her dback cheerleader dress and with a pompom in her hand.  She now tells me how her friends don't believe she's famous (since she was on the jumbotron, she believes she was on tv).  I hope that she'll have some memory of it for years to come - what an experience!!

Swimming Lessons

While we've been living in an apartment and had access to a pool, I've tried to take Brenna down a few times just to take advantage of the easy access.  Although she loves playing in the water, she is very cautious.  Don't get me wrong, this is good, I want her to respect the water and know her boundaries.  Unfortunately, her boundaries kept her on the steps ALL the time, even if I went in with her, it took a lot to get her out away from the wall.  Soooo....I decided it was about time to get some swimming lessons.  Money and time had always been an obstacle in making this happen, but I found a great place and decided to go for it.  At least for as long as we'll be on the east side (which is only a couple more months).  I'm behind in making this post, but she has now completed 3 lessons and the difference is so amazing.  She has so much more confidence in the water.  Just from the first lesson to the second, she had stopped hanging onto the instructor for dear life and when he was working with the other kids in her group, she was practicing sliding into the water face first - which she NEVER would've done before.  I'm so proud of her and so thankful that I could make this work.  It is so important and it's a bit of a relief to know that she has the basic skills to hold her own in the water.  Since the lessons, Travis has also been spending time in the water with her at the apartment pool and it is so fun to watch them interact.  She is now comfortable to jump to him from standing on the edge, has contests to see who can hold their breath longer, and loves to get dunked and spring up from the bottom of the pool. 

Tiny Dancer

Brenna completed another session of her dance class in a neighborhood nearby.  Mykee does an awesome job with these girls and they all love her!  It is so fun to watch Brenna get so excited to perform.  This year the theme was "wild" so I found a fun leopard print and paired it with a big pink dance skirt.  She got to perform with her friends Norah and Jacy (although Jacy was on the other side of the line, so I didn't get many pics of her) and they all did a great job.  I'm so glad to have come across these classes for her, they have been perfect for our schedule and our pocketbook.  Thanks Jody for telling us about it!  It's also given me some good times with my Jody, without it we will have to try much harder to squeeze in some hang out time!

All-Star

Each month at Brenna's elementary school, every teacher nominates a student (well 2 students) who have excelled academically or exemplefied the character theme for that month.  Brenna was the character nominee from her class for the month of March!  She displayed the character trait of being confident in herself!  I am so proud of her!  I can only hope that she continues to be confident as she grows into a young woman because we all know how difficult that can be.  I'll do my best to always help build that confidence in her.  She was very proud to get to shake her principal's hand and get a certificate and proudly posed for pictures with her school spirit shirt on.  What a precious little girl - she brings so much happiness and joy to my life, I wouldn't have it any other way!