Birthdays, Ballet recitals and Anniversary, Oh My!

I realize it has been a month or more since I have had the chance or the desire to write. Besides the lack of creative motivation, the family has been extremely active with events and out of town guests. Starting in May with Memorial day, then Frankies 4th birthday, ballet recital and instead of using the term illnesses, I will say system upgrades. These upgrades seemed to happen conveniently between each event. My sister and dad came to town for the recital and Frankies’ Godmother came in town for Memorial Day weekend, as she has every year since I can remember. We welcome and enjoy all our out of town guests and the time we get with family and friends is extremely important to us.

Frankie’s recital was adorable and one of the most charming performances I have ever witnessed. Mazza-Smith Dance Inc. (mazzasmithdance.com) is where we met Sherri, her instructor, her incredible ability to teach the littles and create some of the cutest routines for them to perform, surpasses anything I could have ever imagined. Her passion and patience are beyond amazing. Frankie adores her as do I. We have danced with her from the age of 18 months. One of Sherris’ students went on to dance professionally, which does not surprise me.

Because I was not a dancer, I did not know the first thing about ballet or being a dance mom, but it didn’t matter, I was treated as if we had been involved for years. Luckily with the help of Frankie’s Nana, we made it through like pros. Words cannot express how proud I am to watch Frankie perform in a real theater, in front of a large audience as if she had done it in a past life. No nerves, few mistakes, just dancing with passion and grace. It is phenomenal to watch.

As May came to an end, I was able to catch my breath long enough to roll right into our June events, birthdays and travel. Needless to say both May and June are very busy months for us. Hubby’s birthday and our anniversary are on the same day. Although I enjoy this convenience, I feel the need to make it a big deal and try to celebrate them both in a big way. Therefore, this year we took Frankie to a resort in Orlando and stayed at the Holiday Inn Club Vacations at Orange Lake Resort, an IHG Hotel in Kissimmee, FL - ReservationCounter.com. It was fun, relaxing and romantic all in one. When I asked my hubs if he wanted to go with just the two of us or take Frankie and make it a family trip, to my delight and surprise, he chose a family trip.

The resort had seven pools, a lazy river and eight restaurants all sprawled out through a golf course. The property was very nice and celebrated 40 years in operation during our stay. It looked like they needed some upgrades, but some units seemed to be in the process of renovations. We spent our days in the pool and at the lazy river with Frankie, where she made friends with kids her age, teenagers and adults alike. She swam and played until we had to pull her out of the pool for dinner and bed. All in all, it was exactly what we wanted and needed for a quick weekend getaway and family reset.

Now, with birthdays and Father's Day behind us, we move into the summer. Florida summers are HOT, but tons of fun. We live less than a mile from the beach, so a bike ride to spend the day or just to jump in the ocean happens almost daily during the summer. Another place we frequent is COJ.net - Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park because it has a playground, zip-line, splash pad and a consistent surf spot for the hubs. If we get waterlogged and it is too hot to play outside, we have trampoline parks and Jacksonville "Hands On" Children's Museum - Home & Calendar of Events (startlogic.com) to frequent. Frankie is also very imaginative and can spend her entire day at home playing with PicassoTiles Building Block Educational Construction Toys Magnet Tiles and STEM projects from Seriously fun hands-on learning for curious kids of all ages | KiwiCo. She is even happy just playing with the water hose, soaking in the kiddy pool or taking a bike ride to the park for the afternoon. There is no lack of activities for us, we can always find something fun and educational to do.

Now that the busy spring events have come to a close, we will move into the slower paced, hot and humid summer that I have come to love. Summer here is like nowhere else and either you love it or hate it. Luckily, I thrive in it and I am ready for it to be in full swing. As we move to celebrate July 4th, of which I will always celebrate and practice my independence, we can enjoy being in the peak of summer with popsicles, beach days and fireworks!