Dance!

A very special glimpse into the dance studio where the girls dance.  These are just some of the girls that dance with our girls and here is one of their teachers, Ms. Danielle.  There is also Mrs. Tracy, Ms Sam, Ms Julia, Ms Melodie.  Of course we miss Mrs Brenda, but we always have Vegas and our breakfasts with her!

We love the dance studio and Emma is even at the pre point level.  It has made her love dance even more!  A quick post, but I did not want to forget to let people see our 'second home.'

Over Due, just go with it!

Like in the below post.....just roll with it!  I am blogging months behind.  So much stuff goes on and I can only get to a few posts on the multiple things we do.  

End of 2013 round up!

Only a few things of the many that we did.  

Why oh why did our children decide that they would like to take a nice 'picture with Santa' why oh why!  I love the past pictures!!!  Now they are all smiles.  Please CRY.  The photographer was laughing at me when I was saying to them, "can you guys do something not cute!"  

 Well, a hour in line later....cuteness.

 Oh and Christmas....

 Oh and Disney On Ice, which is a tradition in December for our family.  FAMILY, well, I guess us girls when the Disney On Ice is princess related.  I bought the tickets in advance so when the day came Drew and Derek were like "a no" so I took the G-girls with us.  They had a blast since they had not seen something like that before.

 Oh and Christmas.......

 After presents this happened......

 yep that is right, they played with the hose outside while everyone else in the country was freezing.

 And there were Christmas lights that had to be seen with peppermint hot chocolate for the kids.

Oh and a few sleepovers during Christmas break.

So many more things went on, but I wanted to share a few horribly taken pictures from my phone's camera.

Two Nutcrackers, TDAD dancers at both!

I know, I know this post is from around Christmas time, but when I am on a blogging run, you just have to go with it:)

Thanksgiving weekend the girls performed The Nutcracker!  Or this year we dance parents called it the 'mini nutcracker' since so many of the older girls have moved on.  It was for sure not like the past performances, but it was excellent.  Performance weekends are always very busy and exhausting for me.  Derek is the lucky guy and just goes to one (at the most two) performances, but I have to do all of the 'mommy' duties.  By the end us girls are beat.  We do have a good time though.  We always find a great place to eat.  The concession table is always fun and a great way to get last minute gifts, the girls have so much fun on stage and playing with friends backstage.  Of course, they get flowers and big hugs from everyone that comes to see them.  This time only Grandma came, she is very supportive.  But the best part of dance weekend is the MAKEUP!  Emma enjoys that very much.  Daddy, not so much.

We get the girls these and then for days they linger around the house and scare the heck out of me.  Yet, I keep buying them.

Our babies did such a great job.  They are such beautiful ballerinas. 

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Then after one of my 5k's Emma and I hit the road to VEGAS!  Love the open road and I swear each time we go their the distance/time gets shorter.  Then there is The Nutcracker performed at The Smith Center by the NBT, watching that is worth the miles!

 Once we got there and checked in we went to a very fancy dinner...name of it I can not remember, but it was yummy, Emma liked her $22 side of Mac&Cheese, and me the view of Downtown.  Yep we stayed on Fairmont Street.  I doubt I will do it again, unless Derek is with me.  It was a little scary.  It was very strange how good and nice that restaurant was for the location.  Oh well, live and learn.

Then for the reason for our yearly trip.  The Nutcracker!  It was a Christmas present from my dear friend and I appreciated it so much.  So unexpected.  As many of you know that from reading our blog we go to Vegas a few times a year to watch the NBT perform.  In the past we go to support the dance studio our girls dance at, the owner's daughter Krista dances there.  But now we have another reason to go.  Madison dances there now!  She signed a contract at the age of 15.  Amazing.  The show was great!  Probably the best I had seen so far.  Then again I am partial:)

 *Em and Madi

 *Em and Mr. Jerry

 *Em with Krista & Madison

 *Em with Ms. Tracy

 Then we went to Fairmont St with Ms Brenda.  That was an experience.  Crazy people, crazy lights, more crazy people, loud music and more crazy people.  Of course me, Em and Ms. Brenda were not part of those crazy people.  I had no idea that it was so late by the time we got back to the hotel.  It was around 2am I think!  Vegas does that to people.  BTW, Em was just fine and so excited.

 We met a lot of cowboys that weekend.  This couple was from Canada I think.

 Before we left we had to go to the MOB Museum.  Taking a child was probably not the best love because it was a lot of reading and I could not really do any of that because she wanted to 'go fast' and look at all of the cooler stuff.   There was even an entire floor that was not suitable for children.  We went anyways and I held her eyes shut.  I wish I could blog more pictures, but Picasa is being a pill and I can't figure out how to make collages another place.  Sorry!  What is not shown are pictures of Emma shooting a Tommy gun, electrocuting me, many of the famous gangsters wardrobe, and the outside of the old courthouse which is where the museum is located.

 I like these pictures!

 The actual wall!  Bullet holes and everything.

 Of course we had to go to the Bellagio.  I love the conservatory.  Never disappoints.

 Bye Bye Vegas!  We will be back soon.  Maybe one time Derek will go with me:)  I won't hold my breath.

American Girls!

I told myself that I WOULD NOT under any circumstances buy my girls American Girl dolls until they were 8.  I did not get mine until I was a little older that than and I think 8 is a great age for not coloring on them or cutting their hairs.  Well, the below picture says it all.....

I headed with the girls to LA for DeAnne's daughter, Avah, 5th birthday party.  There were about 12 of us walking around the store, many of us for the very first time.  I felt like such a little girl!  I walked out or there with 4 bags, which was not the plan!  I could not help myself.  I am sure many of you ladies had one or more of those dolls.  I can not remember which one I had, but I wish I had kept her.  I want my girls to have so many more good memories than I ever did.  So when I walked into the store and saw their faces, I melted and I think my debit card caught on fire..haha.

After the girls got there dolls, or those that had them already purchased clothes, we headed for the lunch at the restaurant.  OMG, it is the most adorable place ever.  The girls loved it!  The colors were bright and so girly.  The little dolls even got to borrow high chairs that connected to the table.  Oh and each doll got a goodie bag!  Super cute.  

After lunch we headed home in traffic because the girls had something, who knows what, but something and it was going to take me forever to drive from LA.  The girls were sad that they did not get to see Santa with all of the other girls, but I did get a cute picture of the girls.  Next time I want to walk around The Grove, but probably will not spend over $250 to get the free parking next time!  haha  

How did Derek take the news of my day of spending money on DOLLS?  Well, he was just fine with it because he has the same dreams for our girls like I do.  It is about memories.  He was so very proud that he can provide for his family in a way that us girls can have a great day.  They are in love with those dolls still and they go everywhere with us.  Here are the girls with BB for Lilly and Caroline for Emma.  I can not wait to go back and get a big girl doll for Lilly!  

  ***my camera phone stinks!!!