My Christmas Wish

I did not send out Christmas cards this year, in fact I did not even attempt any homemade projects and can honestly say that it made a world of difference for me.  This year seems to have flown by.  I can remember last Christmas so clearly because it was last Christmas when my dad was in so much pain not sure what was going on and then only a couple weeks after Christmas we learned of his cancer.  What a ride this year has been.  We did get the greatest gift this Christmas.  We learned that dad's cancer is now in remission.  He will still have six more months of chemo, but it was the best gift I think we could have all hoped for.  I want to wish all of my dear friends and family a very Merry Christmas and let you know that I am thinking about you.  I wish for you all a year full of health and happiness.  I hope that this Christmas will bring many joyful blessings. 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Nutcracker

Hallie Jo was able to participate in the Nutcracker again this year and landed the roles of the "Party Princess" in the first act and was the tumbler in the Buffoon number in the second act.  She did an amazing job.  She seems to be a natural at the acting part of ballet.  It was really a struggle for her this year because she has been suffering from severe anxiety so she was a mess in the weeks leading up to the performance because she was so nervous and anxious.  I am so proud of her for overcoming her fears and doing such a good job.  You would have never known that she was so nervous watching her on stage.  She performs like a pro and her tumbling was amazing.  What a special little girl!  These are the only pics I have right now but I am hoping to have some more soon. 

The Party Princess

With Clara and all the Party Girls

Waiting for Stage Call

Enjoying a little down time.

All her Buffoon Fiends

The best Buffoon Tumbler I have ever seen.

Halloween

So I decided to try and make Cody's Halloween costume this year.  I love the fact that my children are still young enough that I can help them decide what they would like to be and I can encourage them to do a pair costume.  This year Hallie Jo went as Little Red Riding Hood and Cody was the Big Bad Wolf.  I found this great wolf hat and made the rest of his costume.  He loved it at first but it did not stay on him very long because he could not move as fast from one door to the other so piece by piece his costume came off.  At the end of the day they were extremely exhausted.  Cody is my little sugar boy.  He loves sugar and would eat it for breakfast lunch and dinner if I let him.  Hallie Jo on the other hand doesn't really care for it which is great except for the fact that she will give her candy to Cody. 

Itty Bitty

This year we are enrolling Cody in what they call Itty Bitty Ball at the rec center.  Each session focuses on a different ball sport for boys.  We are hoping that this will give him a chance to experience a wide variety of sports of see if he takes to one more than the others.  At the beginning of October he participated in Football.  This was his first experience participating in a disciplined activity (besides gymnastics) with teachers other than his mom.  He was really nervous and shy at first but by the end of the session he was participating fully in each of the activities.  They did a really good job of exposing the boys to the most basic aspects of football and by the end of the session the 3 and 4 year old boys were kind of playing flag football.

He learned how to kick the football.

He learned how to make a goal and how to play defense.

He learned how to throw the ball (he has actually got an amazing throw).

And at the end they got to meet Leo the Lion.  This was the only picture we were able to take with Leo and I think that it turned out GREAT! (Somebody walked right in front of me holding a balloon when I snapped the picture)

Birthday Time

September 4th comes pretty fast.  It always seems to creep up on us but what a wonderful day.  Seven years old this year and every day I wish she could just stay as small and as sweet as she is.  We really have been blessed with such a wonderful daughter.  She has the sweetest personality and is so helpful and kind to everyone.  Her birthday was a good one and like always lots of fun.  She was able to have a swim party with her friends this year.  It is probably the first year I have let her have a "party," and I forgot my camera.  She enjoyed it immensely but it was pretty stressful for me.  So grateful for wonderful friends and the wonderful families that they come from.

Birthday Morning

She wanted Disney this year.