Christmas Season Has Arrived

This I know for sure due to all the activities on our schedule this week.  Didn't Thanksgiving just pass us last week along with Black Friday and all that shopping we indulge in.

December 1st was a cold one and we were headed to a choir performance a tree lighting ceremony for Dixie Power.  You can't have this inside so everyone was required to bundle up nice and warm.  There was hot chocolate and doughnuts served.  The chairs were bales of hay really a fun experience.

Bundled Up Choir

Flip the switch to light the fun tree
w/the Lineman Santa climbing his pole.

Yummy doughnuts & hot chocolate
They even performed their theme song "Hot Chocolate"

Cool entrance from Santa

Christmas Family Concert
The look more lively tonight.

Gook looking group

Thursday was their final performance of the year showcasing all the songs they have been working on each practice.  The good news no more early morning practices until January.  This group draws big crowds and once again it was hard to find a seat.  Notice all the heads in front of me listening to all these kids spreading Christmas cheer.

What will the rest of the month bring hopefully more of the Christmas Spirit.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Thanksgiving weekend was full of turkey, stuffing, yummy treats, decorating, and visitors.  After spending all day Saturday decorating our house everyone was pooped.  Time to unwind instead we had family come to visit and spend the night with us.  The kids were anxious for cousins to play with but I was anxious to get my hands on the latest addition to our family Kasen.  Of course I have to fight with the kids & Dave .

He is a keeper

Uncle Dave not wanting his picture take but I did anyway.

Yummy chocolate waffles w/ whipped cream
This is the time of year for yummy treats and to share with others.
Owen told me that he loved them even before he tasted them.  I may have to keep him around for all meals
maybe his eagerness to try things will wear off on my kids.

Who gets him now?

Finally my turn.
Love this sly grin she finally go her wish.

Cousins are the best
There is always someone to play with and have fun together.
In the short time they played baseball, battleship, Legos, and cars.
Only one problem when they leave who do you play with?

Almost time for church
Getting in one last snuggle.

Rylee demanded one last snuggle as well.

As we left of church and they left for home all the kids could talk about was how much they enjoyed having a quick visit.  They especially loved meeting their newest cousin and his is definitely a keeper.  

They can't wait to see everyone again in a couple of weeks.

Goalie Wars

Time for all the goalies to come together and have some fun.  Their job is really hard sometimes without a lot of fun.  The Rage program wanted to reward all of them with some fun and games.  Reganne wasn't sure if it was going to be fun or not.  A little bribery was needed and we were off.

Quick warm up

Stop 3 goals and switch places

One on One

Who can score???

She hung in there and even managed to score a few.  One boy in the u8 division was really upset that Reganne kept scoring on him.  The instructor and to stop a few times and remind him that they were all having fun.

She wasn't the last one standing but she did have a smile on her face.  Her coaches all complimented her on her progress and told her to keep up the hard work.  Coach Jose invited to go with the Premier Team to a tournament in Las Vegas the next day.

They lost both games but she was able to play other positions as well as goalie in both games.

She is ready for some downtime from soccer this makes more time for her friends.

Jubilee of Trees Concert

LVE Choir was ready for their second performance of the school year.  This was the first performance outside of school.  The kids were eager to sing and have fun.  Dave & I quickly looked around at all the trees, wreaths, gingerbread houses, and treats displayed around the room.  The best part was listening to all the kids that came to perform.  

LVE Choir is 135 kids strong this year and full of energy.

Reganne & Grace

How did this happen she is on the front row
 with the tall kids.

That quickly changed since there were still plenty of spots on stage.
She moved to the side where we were sitting.

Kids sharing their favorite Christmas songs.

This is always the perfect way to start the holiday season.  However, it is not Dave's favorite time due to all the hard work he puts in behind the scenes to make this a success.  I am glad he was able to take a little time out to enjoy the 1/2 hour with me.

Cub Scouts

Ryder worked so hard to earn his Bobcat Badge in October but to technical difficulties it took another month to actually receive it.  This month's pack meeting was an Arrow Of Light Ceremony for two boys in the pack.  The younger boys were all eagerly watching and whispering about what was going to happen.  They received their very own arrows and their eyes lite up.

Ryder quickly checked the awards board to make sure his was on there.  Then patiently sat and waited his turn.

Pinning the Bobcat on

Must have picture and the added bonus
watching him squirm.

Easy peasy Mom!!!
I was worried about him with a sharp pin and my neck.
Not to worry it went smoothly.

He was so proud of this badge and is eager to get started on his Wolf.  He also showed the new boys and told them they could earn theirs too for next month.

Resident Artist

Reganne loves to draw and is turning into an amazing artist.  Her favorite subject is tigers but is starting to branch out.  DHHS sent out a call for artwork for their fall play AIDA.  Reganne's class was busy working on their entries.  I signed the release and went onto other things.

A week later I received an email that her picture had been selected for display and she received a free ticket to the play.  After volleyball practice & karate the girls headed off to the play and met up with her friends for a night of culture.

She was one of 20 kids getting her picture displayed. 

Her picture

It was an awesome show and more amazing was to see the talent from the high school.  However, Reganne ditched Rylee & I in favor of sitting with her friend Grace.  Rylee couldn't see so I sat by myself what Mom's don't do for their kids.

The kids were all really proud of their pictures.

Early Morning Sports

Fall soccer season was coming to an end with a 9:00 am game.  Reganne also had a 9:00 volleyball game.  She was forced to choose which one she wanted to go to.  This wasn't a hard choice for her and we were off to soccer.  However, someone forgot to remind the other team and only 4 players showed up by game time.  What a bummer the final game was a forfeit and they decided to scrimmage since everyone that was there wanted to play. 

Playing Goalie
Is hard work when you are playing against your own team members.

Time for a teaching moment.
Coach Jose giving Reganne lessons on how important her role really is.

Basketball???
Dave & Ryder practicing for his next adventure.

Serving overhand
Rylee is working really hard to improve her game.
She is not giving up.

Sports Saturday was finally over time for lunch. Time to relax.