First Position

Charlotte was today enrolled in her first ballet class, which pleases her very much given she's already taken to wearing her leotard and an assortment of ballet skirts and floofy tutus. There's one scary number I like to call "the black swan."

The great excitement, though, was the acquisition of some very petite ballet slippers. They are the real deal, by Danskin, and are sooooooo tiny. My little prima put them right on and proceeded to take her nap in them. Before heading off to bed, I put her in first position for a picture. Unless she ingests some magic growing beans, her stature is definitely more suited for the balance beam than the ballet. Just don't tell her that.

Ciao Bella

There is only one thing our (former) super nanny Roxana can't do, and that's smile for a camera. But on our last play date I cajoled her into sitting for a picture. It's been two weeks without our Bolivian hero. We miss her already.

Enter Talking

Should we ever need tonsillectomies, I predict the doctors will have no trouble locating the pesky organs.

The Little Ladies Who Lunch

Charlotte and her very fashionable friend Reagan went to Tysons Corner yesterday for some shopping and a little nosh at the Nordstrom Cafe. It was precious. It was also an expensive play date (sigh) after stumbling into a blue gingham Ralph Lauren number that I was certain my darling daughter could not live without.

Happy Trails

I had no idea I was so attached to our first family car until she drove away last night. It's like a little piece of our transition from married to married with children just rolled away. But we sold it to a very nice, young couple from Haggerstown who will soon be starting their own family. A happy ending. And one more sliver of proof that we are indeed leaving. I'm hoping the reality of this move sinks in by the time we push back from the gate.

(Husband left on Sunday, for a week, the door closing behind him about 12 minutes before our test drive arrived. Mother juggling two sick toddlers had to handle all negotiations, banks transactions, cleaning of said Bessie and hand-off. "Bitter! Party of One!").**

Drum Roll Please....

Introducing our new playroom!

It's spacious! It's airy! It's got the nicest bathroom in the

house! And we get to use it......for only two months before we surrender it, and the rest of the house, to total strangers (who will trash it, yes, I know).

But until then, I we are basking in the glow of the newest part of our home. The kids have been nearly glued to it since the launch yesterday, prodding and poking me to relocate every toy from the living room to a place where

they can actually enjoy them.

The trains, the blocks, the puzzles...all unceremoniously dumped on the floor....and I was....delighted, at long last, to see a total toy mess! Let the Legos rain

down, let the dinosaurs sprawl from every corner, let the trucks be damned. It's a playroom! And we all love it.

'Moving Right Along...'

"Movin' right along.

Footloose and fancy-free.

Getting there is half the fun; come share it with me.

Moving right along (doog-a-doon doog-a-doon).

We'll learn to share the load.

We don't need a map to keep this show on the road."

-- 'Movin' Right Along," From the Muppets' Rainbow Connection --

So why can't we just haul our stuff to England in this trusty little red wagon? We have just entered the controlled chaos portion of our adventure (solid chaos to follow). The visas are being processed (biometrics tomorrow! not sure if that means fingerprints or eyeball scans), the renters have been chosen, the property manager is in hand, the car is being prodded by strangers, and the movers, uuuuugh, have been scheduled.

So, dear friends (trust me, no one wants to live vicariously through THIS part of the trip), our stuff is set to be taken away in three consecutive visits by the movers the week of May 23.

The house is coated in drywall dust and toys (very cosmopolitan), but the basement remodel is officially complete tomorrow with the installation of some carpet (photos to come). We are hoping our toddler friends will help us inaugurate it soon with grape juice and crushed goldfish. Consider this a standing invitation.

Yes, we are very excited. Kinda wiped. But excited. Just wish the globe could settle down. Between the tidal waves, nuclear catastrophes and missile launches, Alexandria looks pretty cozy right now.