The Boyd Broadway Broncos of Boyd High School proudly brought "Beauty and the Beast" to the stage. Jack was casted in the role of Cogsworth, the grumpy talking clock. And he was amazing! Every performance was better than the night before, and it was so much fun to watch Jack doing what he loves and doing it SO well!!
Jack and Danny made a dynamic duo as Cogsworth and Lumiere...
It was fun watching Jack and his friends celebrate their success together after each show...
And, of course, we were so proud to be there as his cheer section...
One of his biggest fans was Ms. Claire, his voice coach. With her help, Jack sounded outstanding on his solo in "Human Again".
The show was a huge success!
We can't wait for the next one to come to the stage at MBHS.
Marty was assistant coach this season for Little Bug's Upward basketball team, the Fighting Illini.
They have had a great season and are undefeated so far. Sofie LOVES basketball, and she is fierce on the court. I love watching her bring the ball up the court with such confidence. Her opponents are always amazed by her quick reflexes, and she grabs many steals while on defense.
Most importantly, she has a ton of fun playing the game!
And she has a great time with these girls...
Go Illini!
Update: The Fighting Illini finished their season with an impressive undefeated record of 8-0. I will miss seeing these girls play on the court together. They are so much fun to watch!
Since Lily was 4 years old, and she watched The Twelve Dancing Princesses she has dreamed of being a pointe ballerina. Finally, her dream is coming true.
After years of preparation, and months of conditioning in pre-pointe class, it was time to buy her pointe shoes. She couldn't contain her joy when we arrived at the dance store. Check out that smile!
She popped right up onto her toes. Ouch!
Pointe shoes handmade from Russia...ooh, la, lah!
After buying their pointe shoes, the girls in Lily's pre-pointe class met up at the studio to sew the ribbons and celebrate their big accomplishment.
These girls know how to "get to the pointe".
Pretty, pretty, pretty...the shoes are not bad either.
The first of many days we will see her dancing on her toes.
We had a quiet but Merry little Christmas with just our sweet family. On Christmas Eve, we went to our new church, Radiant Life early in the evening. Then we celebrated our Savior at home together with food, and fun, and presents! Of course we all got a little dressed up...
And we did a little Christmas Eve baking...
We rang in the New Year at home with a lovely dinner, a lively game of Hearts, and a little celebration with Crackers and watching the Ball drop on TV.
Here's looking forward to a new start in the New Year!
Our dance studio has parent performances in December. It is a great way for us to celebrate all our dancers are learning, without adding to the stress of the season with another recital.
Lily was so proud after her Ballet 2 performance of The Waltz of the Flowers.
Lily's Ballet 3 class performed Spanish Chocolate.
This was her favorite dance and she was so excited to perform it.
Little Bug danced to Run, Run Rudolph and had a blast!
I love the way is falling in love with dance. Her confidence is really building.
After her dance, Sofie ran straight to Daddy's lap for hugs and kisses. He was happy to oblige.
When the dancing was over, we took a few pics to remember the fun.
Lily adores her ballet teacher, Ms. Jamey. I think the feeling is mutual.
It is fun having two dancers in the family! And they are just a little proud of each other.
Though we had an ice storm, we decided not to let a little bad weather ruin our plans. So, Marty braved the ice and drove the girls and I to Tea With The Sugar Plum Fairy so Lily could meet the principle dancers in the Allen Civic Ballet's production of The Nutcracker. It was an enchanting afternoon and a dream come true for Lily.
Meeting Clara and her Prince...
One day that throne will be hers...
Lily was so excited to chat with her favorite character...The Snow Queen.
She hopes to be her one day.
We had tea and sweet treats and listened to the story of The Nutcracker.
It was a magical afternoon.
Both girls were a inspired and awestruck by the Sugarplum Fairy. She is Sofie's favorite character in the Nutcracker and she spent a lot of time talking to the girls.
To remember the day, Lily got a pointe shoe signed by all the dancers. It is a treasure she will cherish forevermore. She left so inspired to dream.Bug loves art, so she chose to bring home her very own Nutcracker that she painted herself.
December 2013 kept us so busy, it only seems fitting to sum it all up in one big post.
First, we got Gus! Our new Australian Terrier who has quickly grabbed our hearts. We adore him! It was definitely love at first sight. Though having a new puppy has its challenges, he is totally worth every one!
Jack feels a little bit less outnumbered having another boy in the house.
This sweet face is tough to stay mad at...even when he leaves little surprises on the floor.
We have all enjoyed getting to know him and he has quickly become one of the family.
Early in December, North Texas was hit by a huge ice storm. Bug loved playing outside in the "snow". She definitely has some Iowa Girl in her veins.
As Christmas drew near, we enjoyed beautiful concerts. First, Lily performed in her Cockrill Middle School Choir Winter Concert.
Days later, the Boyd Choir amazed us and inspired us with their great gifts...and humor.
Jack's letter jacket FINALLY arrived...just in time for Winter Break.
And Little Bug turned Double Digits...
Finally, I got to watch Lily give her first solo as she was chosen to be in the Select CMS 6th grade choir when they visited a local nursing home. Her microphone and music both malfunctioned so she sang acapella. She was sensational!
We celebrated with pizza afterwards.
Jack, Sofie, and I helped host a Christmas Party to underprivileged first graders at Finch Elementary.
Jack fell in love with this little boy and the feeling was mutual. Little Skyler had some special needs, but he was full of Christmas spirit. He wanted to sing "Jingle Bell Rock"...and Jack asked him to come up and lead them in the song.
I thought I was going to have to bring the little guy home with us to get Jack to leave. I have never been more proud of him.
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