Christmas Vacation and New Year's Eve

We headed over to Fort Worth one day to see Meredith and her boys.  It's always fun spending time with them.  Caden and Jonah enjoy playing together, and Annabelle plays so well with the big boys and Asher.  Jonah wanted to take us "sledding".  I had never been cardboard sledding before.  The kids had fun!

Even the moms took a turn.

The Bujas had a few families over to celebrate NYE.  Not everyone stayed until midnight, but we made it, along with the Tilgers.  Annabelle and Hadley toasting their grape juice.

The boys New Year's toast!

We made it through 2020...a year like no other.

Christmas in Tyler

We headed over to Tyler to celebrate Christmas with the Juillerat family.  

A picture of Nana and Papa with their grandchildren.

A pic of the whole family, including Great Grandma.

And another pic without Great Grandma.

The cousins in front of the tree before opening presents.

Caden got a Mavs shirt from his cousins.

We gave James and Jack spikeball.

The girls ready to open their first present.

Annabelle with her AG doll caboodle and book from Nana and Papa.

Caden opening his present from Nana and Papa.

More Star Wars Legos.

A comfy from Jeffrey.

The kids playing Spikeball on the trampoline.

Christmas

Kevin, Kelly, Wyatt, and Luke were in town the week leading up to Christmas.  The kids enjoyed playing with their cousins.  

We celebrated Christmas with them and Mimi and Tia on Christmas Eve.  A cousin pic before we opened presents.

Luke and Caden wasted no time before they started putting together their new Lego sets.

We spend Christmas morning just the four of us at home.  A few family pictures before opening presents.

The kids ready to open their stockings.

Annabelle opening her gift from Grandpa.

Annabelle has been so curious to know what her really big present was.

She was so excited to get the AG doll summer camp set.  After she set it up, we took a picture of Annabelle with her dolls and the new camp hangout.

Caden is really in to Star Wars, so he asked for Star Wars Lego sets.  Here he is opening the gift from Mom and Dad.

The other present they're getting is a trip to Walt Disney World at the beginning of February.  They are so excited, but Caden is especially excited to see the new Star Wars area.

Christmas Parties

We are limping to the Christmas break finish line.  The kids are definitely ready for a few weeks off from our normal routines.  

Annabelle's grade has done an ornament exchange party every year.  They draw numbers and randomly pick presents.  Annabelle just happened to get a mouse in a cracked nut for her ornament.  She loved it!  Here she is opening her present.

All the girls lined up with their ornaments.  Back row: Adelaide Breed, Presley Bass, Kaylee McDonald, Laura Darley, Lily Stueve, Hannah Ratliff, Annabelle, and Lisette Kelley.  Middle row: Audrey Thomason, Ann Holland Crow, Lily Thompson, Stella Stimson, Abby Hawk, and Elena Forsythe.  Front row: Katherine Kingsriter, Bailey Shannon, Lily Thompson, Zoey Seale, Hadley Sullivan, and Makenna Cleary.

Annabelle's friend Adelaide had a birthday party this week, and they made/decorated small Christmas trees.  It is the perfect size for her dollhouse.

One of the moms in Annabelle's class made this card for their teacher.

I was so sad not to be able to attend the kids' school Christmas parties.  Caden's teacher shared a few pictures from their party.

My iphone 8 died, so I ended up getting a new phone.  Here's a pic of the tv room with my new camera.

The kids had another swim meet the Saturday before Christmas.  We had to drive down to Mansfield at 6:30am.  No parents were allowed inside, so we had to watch the Facebook live feed.  USA Swimming has different level time standards (A, B, & C).  Caden is super close to getting to the A level.  This meet was just for B & C swimmers.  It was a large meet with 8 teams there.  Caden ended up being tied for first in total points for the 10U boys.  He swam the 200 free (3rd), 50 back (1st), 100 free (1st), and 50 free (4th).  He improved his 50 back and 50 free time, but he is still ever so slightly short of making "A" times.  There was no 8U category, so Annabelle competed against the 10U girls.  She swam the 50 fly (DQ), 50 back (14th), 50 breast (12th), and 50 free (13th).  She improved her time in the 50 back.

Nutcracker 2020

I can't believe Nutcracker happened!  I was so worried that it would be cancelled at the last minute.  Annabelle was so excited to perform; she just loved being a mouse this year.

I was able to take a few pictures and videos during dress rehearsal.  She's the mouse right in front of the tree in this picture.  Then I've added arrows to point out Annabelle in the other pics.  With their masks and costumes, it was really hard to tell which one she was.

Here is the video of their main dance.  She is the 4th pair of mice to come out.  She enters out of the fireplace on the left.

Then she comes back on a few minutes later with a stretcher to pick up the mouse that was shot.

Here is the video of the "stretcher mice".

Then she's back on the stage again to fight with the soldiers.  Since she's the tallest mouse, she ends up in the back a lot.  She's in the back on the far right in this last pic and video.

Here are a few pictures from backstage.  A little girl who was in her 3 yr old preschool class is in her ballet class this year, and she was a mouse with her.  Here's a pic of Annabelle and Larsen Gray.

More pics with all the mice.

I sewed Violet a matching costume.

Here's the professional picture they took in the studio.

Annabelle was so excited to have friends and family come watch her.  Mommy attended Friday, Saturday and Sunday, but Caden and Daddy came to Friday's performance.

Our neighbor Natalie Bryan came Friday with her mom.  A pic of Annabelle with Natalie.

Nana and Papa came Saturday night.

Audrey Thomason and Bailey Shannon came on Sunday afternoon.

As did Mimi and Tia.

Annabelle's teacher, Mrs. Mogk came Sunday, as well.

It was an exhausting week of rehearsals and performing.  And Annabelle loved every minute of it!