Volleyball Girl

Alice has decided this year to try volleyball.  Soccer had been fun, but a kid can only take so much losing before not enjoying it as much.  Her friend had played VB last year and they wanted to be on a team together.  Alice currently knows nothing much about the game, but she is ready and willing to try.  They have had 2 games so far and they won both.  Looks like an exciting season!

Welcome to Middle School

Well, the summer has ended and it’s back to school. Alice finally is going into Middle School which means more freedom and more responsibility.  Good luck baby girl!

Here are pics from the tree she poses by each year for first day of school.

Summer (again) in Colorado 2019

Although we visited Colorado last year, Alice wanted to go again this year because one of her best friends had moved there this last February and she really wanted to see her. Larry called it “an expensive play date” vacation.

I booked an Air b&b in Louisville Colorado which is a cute little town just north of Denver. Alice got to spend the entire time with her friend. Either Charlotte was with us, or Alice was at Charlotte's. First night we met Charlotte's family for dinner.

While Alice was at Charlotte's, Larry and I got to explore the area a little.  We had high tea at the Dushanbe Teahouse in Boulder and we toured the New Belgium Brewery.

One day we took a scenic drive to Estes Park and went up the tramway. The girls had a blast feeding the chipmunks and afterward we stopped by The Stanley Hotel to let the girls get some good Instagram karma at the hotel where the Shining was filmed.

We typically stay in the mountains when we visit Colorado, and the weather was definitely warmer in the Denver area, but the scenery was still beautiful. It’s a LONG drive but worth it!

Trip to Dallas to visit family

Just a quick post to show off my nephews (and my sweet Alice too)

Little Ian

Sean and Chris

Stranger Things Season 3 watch party

July 4th was the drop date for the new season of Stranger Things. Alice has been waiting for this day from the day they announced its premier date.  At first, she wanted to wake up at midnight and start watching it, but we did a little research and were unsure what time zone it was released at midnight.

We told Alice that if she woke up in the middle of the night and looked to see the season had dropped, we would all get up and watch it immediately....that’s the sacrifice we were willing to make you our sugar bug.

Thankfully, that night as we were getting ready for bed, Alice decided she can wait till the morning to start watching the new season.... so instead of watching it at midnight, we started our watch party at 7:00 am.

This pic was taken right after she finished watching the season.  There were some sad parts to the show.....She's a little emotional, but in a good way.

It’s a hard knock life.....

Alice loves summer acting camp.  This year she and her friend Ali signed up for the musical Annie.

They actually did this musical together the summer before they started kindergarten....you can probably find a blog around here about it from years ago.

Back then, they were the little orphan kids in the play with just a few lines, but this year they were the big kids. Ali played Grace, Mr Warbuck's assistant, and Alice played Ms Hannigan.

Alice basically has 2 choreographed solos, and of course she did great in all the scenes.

Collage of Alice and Ali from Kinder performance and pre-6th grade performance

They will both  be performing in an intermediate acting play this winter....stay tuned.

The end of an era......literally!

Pics from today’s graduation and lunch celebration with friends.

Gladney night at Six Flags

Each year we try and make it to the Gladney night at Six Flags.  The event benefits the Gladney Center for Adoption. We always have fun with my sisters family and my long time friend and her daughter.

Painting with a Twist

Alice's good friend Ali had her birthday party at Painting with a Twist. Alice really loved the party and wants to go back sometime.  Here are pics of my little artist!

Trip to LA

Alice and I went to LA to visit my cousin and her family. 

We had a packed agenda for a short 4 day trip.

Alice absolutely loved our trip to Universal Orlando a few years ago, so of course, we had to go to Universal in LA.  We did all our favorites....The Hippogryph, the Main Castle ride (of which I can't remember the name), The Mummy (MANY times) and a few new things such as the back lot tour and the Waterworld stunt show.

Funny story....we actually got STUCK on the Harry Potter castle ride for over an HOUR.  

Luckily the kids stayed calm and entertained themselves.

Since Alice saw the movie Wonder and saw the Santa Monica Pier in the background of one of the scenes, she has wanted to visit it.  The weather in February is pretty cold, so we are all wearing coats.

One night my cousins family took us to Gladstones for dinner. It was also a birthday celebration for my cousin.  We were happy to be there and able to celebrate with them. After dinner we stopped by the Beverly Hills Hotel for drinks and the kids were hopeful to see a celebrity....they were sadly disappointed, but it was fun anyways.

Alice and I also wanted to visit the Holleywood Walk of Fame.  We found many stars we liked, but I've selected one of our favorites each to share.

We saved a few dollars to get Michael Jackson to dance for us and pose for a picture, and I got a photo with Chewbacca.

Of course we visited the Sanrio store and purchased a cute Hello Kitty hoodie.

Alice had a blast in LA and can't wait to come back..... maybe next time we'll bring Dad.

Horseback Riding Lessons

It seems a rite of passage for a little girl to want a horse.  We really can't afford a horse, but we could give her a few riding lessons to give her a better understanding of what it takes to ride and take care of a horse.

Before and after each lesson, Alice had to brush the horse and clean out their hoofs.  It is a lot more work that you would think. Her instructor was very good but also patient, showing her how to get the horse to give you its hoof for cleaning.

We had to stop lessons when soccer season started, but she did a great job and now knows a lot more about horses and how to ride.