Happy Korean New Year!

Ivy rang in the Year of the Tiger with happy twirls and dances. We've been celebrating the Lunar New Year all week long and look forward to celebrating this special holiday for many years to come.

행복한 새해 보내세요!
Hang- bok-han sae-hae bo-nae-se-sae-yo!

Lakeside dancing

Summer is finally here in Madison. For the next 3 months there are monthly outdoor music festivals in our neighborhood and last weekend we kicked off this joyous season with the Riverfront Festival. Ivy loved kicking up her feet and showed the stroller set that she has incredible sense of rhythm.

When she wasn't focused on her solo performances, she danced in the shade of lakeshore cottonwoods with her daddy. . .

. . . and waved at the all-girl Zydeco band while dancing in the blazing sun with her mommy.

We're looking forward to shakin' our booties all summer long and to continually introducing Ivy to the ways of the East Side.

First we walk. . .

. . . then we boogie

K-Daddy was out of town for an entire 30 hours last weekend. I was a little concerned about my first solo-parenting gig, but I didn't have to worry for long because my sister, niece and nephew spent the night with Ivy and me. We all had a blast and we ended the sister/cousin sleepover on a high note at a kids' disco at the Great Dane brew pub.

We started dancing at 11 am and didn't stop until nearly 2 pm! The event called for our most awesome 80s outfits, as evidenced by my totally new waver nephew:

My niece is a total rocker and said, "I knew that the disco was going to be fun, but I didn't know it was going to be SUPER FUN!"

And Ivy boogied herself right to sleep:

Here's a gnarly music video that we made of the dancing cousins. My nephew has a bass player's stance & attitude and the next time anyone needs a pick-me-up all one has to do is watch my niece's joyful dancing. Ivy loved bopping to the music and eating as many complimentary cheddar bunnies as she was able to charm from the brew pub staff.

Baby's gotta dance

Ivy loves music AND dancing.  She and Kevin have a daddy-daughter dance party every night after her dinner while I rest my weary bones on the soft cushions of the couch after sitting on the floor and crawling after an 11-month-old all day long (and I can't imagine a better way to spend the day).  Here's a little video of the dance partners interpreting the Muppets' Mahna-Mahna:

Who wants to join Ivy for the next 6-years-old & under dance party?  Cousins Adalia and Finnian - wanna dance the circle two step at the Concordia Ballroom in LaCrosse?  A jig with Baby Gus or free-form Modern with Madeline and Rowan right here in Madison?  How about a polka with our friends Emme & Evan, Moo & Sam and Baby Theo in the Pacific Northwest?  We could try the Virginia Reel with Asa in Raleigh.  Or should we boogie on down the cookie aisle with Kai in Corning?

(Collie and others - I know what you're thinking: nobody puts Baby in a corner)