Recital ~ 2012

What a beautiful night.  It was the very first ballet recital for not only Gianna, but for The Lake Charles Dance Academy founded and run by Colleen Cannon Benoit. Colleen and I went to high school together and I remember her amazing passion and gift for dancing all those years ago.

Our year of ballet was such a good experience for both Gianna and I.  When Gianna's teacher told me how good she was in class...I was so pleasantly surprised that I actually cried.  She said Gianna was one of the most mature in her class even though she was one of the youngest.  Whew.  That was good to hear...especially on those days when I question my parenting.

She did a fantastic job at the recital.  (I thought I'd be a wreck, but I wasn't nervous at all.)  She was thrilled to finally be on a BIG stage.  Heaven knows it's where she belongs. :)

Well, I could go on and on, but I'll just post pictures instead.  (And by the way, I'm learning to shoot my pictures in manuel mode and and not good at it yet.  That ought to explain the blurry, "artistic" pictures. :)

My sweet little ballerina.

Bravo, Gianna.

You were amazing. I know your Daddy watched you with love and delight.

Vibrato

I've mentioned before that Gianna loves to sing and does so ALL the time.  The newest skill she's added has been this melodic vibrato which she has honed all on her own.  It cracks me up every time she does it.  

I let her watch part of the finale of "A Miracle" Idol the other night and now, whenever she gives a concert, she interrupts herself by announcing another star (many of the finalists sang duets with their own popular idols.)  Here's a little performance I walked in on the other day...



...and in case you didn't catch it, she announced me as her duet idol, "Mommy Ledet!  (as in Josh Ledet).  The girl makes me laugh.

She is even styling herself as the little creative that she is.  Thankfully these ensembles only debut in the privacy of our home.

Look Alike Doll

My inlaws sent me an email this week that said they had just mailed a special doll to Gianna.  They said they had an old neighbor back in Nicaragua who handmakes personalized dolls.  They sent her a pictuer of Gianna and the lady made one.  My father-in-law just returned from Nicaragua and picked up the dolls (they had one made for Gianna's cousin, Madeleine too.) 

Today we received the package in the mail.  Gianna and I were both so excited and surprised.  Here's the doll:

Here's the picture:

Isn't that the cutest thing you've ever seen?  I'm so impessed.  And it's super simple too.  Just made out of foam sheets and standing on top of a covered CD.  And the details are incredible.  Look at the flowers on the shoes.  I love the fact that she captured Gianna's signature look. 

I think I might find a little shadow box to place the doll and the picture in.  I'm so excited to have such a special keepsake from the place where Gianna's daddy grew up. 

Thank you Tito and Tita!! We just love this special gift.

(By the way:  Gianna keeps saying how much she loves her Japanese doll.  A family friend recently sent her a doll from Japan and I guess she can't get it out of her mind.)

Welcome to Disney...(vol I)

When I started seriously thinking about a Disney trip, I asked my friend Eva if she'd be interested to come with her four year old niece.  I was so excited when she said yes.  These little girls made some precious memories in just a few days.

 Gianna says this was her favorite ride as DW...

Other Disney Posts:

Telling the Girls the Disney Surprise

Traveling to Disney

Tianna & Jasmine

I'm sure going to miss my neighbors...

....and their Mac Daddy garden!

To Disney and beyond...

I haven't forgotten to blog about Disney.  Just have a bit of a full plate these days.  I certainly can begin the tale of Disney without mentioning the travel.

I guess I should start by saying that both girls got sick right before we left LC. That's about right. We drove to New Orleans and spent the night in a hotel near the airport. Poor Gianna didn't sleep that night. Thankfully she's not sick often, but it always throws her for a loop.

Pretty cute kids for being sick.

They were as excited about going to the airport as they were going to Disney.

Gianna talked to EVERYBODY along the way.  She has a current obsession with police officers, so she wasn't going to let this opportunity go by...

As much as I hated to make this trip without Iain, I felt blessed for the opportunity to share it with Gianna.... 

She was SO good on the flight and wasn't a bit nervous.

The people surrounding us on the plane got quite a kick out of her - especially when we were landing and she announced that she was sure the pilot was winning the race. 

And now....on to DISNEY!

"A Miracle" Idol

I've always watched American Idol.  Granted, I fast forward through a lot of the fluff, but I have really enjoyed this year in particular - I think it's been the best so far.

Gianna has referred to AI as "Mommy's Singing Show" but recently I heard her call the show by it's name (in her mind):  "A Miracle" Idol.  How cute is that?  This year was such a kick because one of the finalists, Josh Ledet, lives about ten minutes from our home.  It was wonderful to have a local kid that made it to the top ten and then the top three.  It was even more wonderful because I think he's one of the most gifted performers Idol has ever seen - as well as being grounded, humble, appreciative and faith-filled.

Last week we got a call from our sweet friend/babysitter, Jessie.  Her Grandpa is on the Westlake City Council and scored some tickets to Josh's big Homecoming Pep Rally/Concert which sold out in only an hour. She invited Gianna and I to come along.  Gianna was beside herself with excitement (as were her momma and her Jessie.)

We got to the Coliseum at 3:30pm Saturday and waited for quite a while before we were able to actually enter the building.  Then we waited for another two hours (while listening to Josh's cousin play Zydeco music) before the supposed start of the concert. 

The opening act was yet another Zydeco band (Grammy winners!) and to the frustration of 8,000 of very eager Josh fans, played song after song after song - trying to kill time before a very late guest of honor arrived.  This poor band was put in such a horrible position.  It was getting to the point that people were booing when they would announce that Josh still wasn't there. 

FINALLY, a whole HOUR late (we'd been there 3 and a half hours by then), Josh made his way on a Mardi Gras float and the crowd was just electric.  There seemed to be a few organizational snafus, but most people were very forgiving and patient.

All the waiting was well worth it - when Joshua finally began to sing.  He started with When a Man Loves A Woman.  Holy Moly!  (Gianna now sings this song incessantly.) He truly is amazing - even without all the glitz and glam and backup of American Idol.  He is truly gifted.  He also sang the now famous It's a Man's, Man's Man's World and it seems like everyone in the stadium lifted there arms in unison to show their goosebumps. This boy can SANG!

By the time it was over, my trooper of preschooler made it five and a half hours with no food or bathroom break...and very very little complaining.  Kudos to you, little girl!  She experienced "The Wave" for the first time (which was hilarious to watch) and still chants, "WE WANT JOSH!" at really random times.

Well, tonight. Our Josh was eliminated from American Idol.  Gianna had tears in her eyes...but it was such a great lesson for her.  I told her that it wasn't about winning, it was about showing people what an amazing gift he has.  His job is to use his singing gift and make music that will touch people's hearts.  He doesn't need to win in order to do that.  She seemed completely okay with that. 

What a fun ride that little boy from Wess-a-lake has given us!  Follow your dreams, Josh...your future is bright.