December is off to a BUSY month!

It's hard to believe Christmas is only 2 weeks away!!! YIKES! The last few weeks have been swamped with fun activities. Of course, the most important being LTD's 10th Birthday! Time has flown by WAY too fast and it is truly hard to believe that the trio that graced us with their angellic presence (what seems like yesterday) are now double digits in age. I can honestly say, December 1 this year was a bit tough on me as I reflected back on all the precious moments we have shared together and all the wonderful memories we have made over these last 10 years. BUT, we have so much to look forward to and we truly believe the best is yet to come!

LTD had Friday, December 5, off from school this year and decided to invite their closest friends to share a day at the Waterpark of America. We had the entire waterpark pretty much to ourselves and it was a blast! Our fun group consisted of 22 kids (and Dave and me) who are a pretty special, close-knit group of kids that are very well behaved and fun to be around. The kids opted (with a little arm twisting involved) to forgo birthday gifts this year. In lieau of gifts, we asked for our friends to donate a non-perishable food item to dontate to the local food shelf. Together, all the kids donated 5 full bags of groceries that weighed 50 lbs!!! Pretty impressive and a great lesson to give to those less fortunate. We have way more than we need and there are so many people who need help just putting food on the table. 

After a full day at the park, LTD each invited two friends for a sleepover. The girls produced and performed their own Christmas play for Dave, me and the boys who were VERY patient and gracious during the 10 minute performance. Check out our Shutterfly Link on the right hand side of this blog to see all the birthday party photos and the cute video production. 

Taylor's Petite Nutcracker Performance

We have just posted the video of Taylor's Nutcracker Peformace on the Shutterfly Link. Check it out. Very sweet!

Christmas Dance Event

Friday night, Lindsey and Taylor performed in their dance Christmas event. We absolutely LOVE Prairie School of Dance in Eden Prairie! It is a faith-based dance studio whose mission is to provide quality dance instruction in a wholesome environment while celebrating the beauty of each dancer and the joy of dance. It's a refreshing change from the typical dance studios. The girls are in Hip Hop/Jazz and did a super job performing and had SO much fun. Afterwards, we got to share in some holiday cheer with other dancers and their families, including a good friend of theirs from their school. We were very proud of our tiny dancers. 

Hosanna Christmas Concert

Last night, we loaded up the kids for a nice dinner out and a spectacular evening at Hosanna in Lakeville to take in their Christmas Concert. WOW, WOW, WOW!!! This is a sellout every year and I understand why. AMAZING!!! A good friend is in the choir and not only got us half-price tickets, but she scored some great seats! We all loved it immensely. They had a full-blown orchestra, massive adult choir, a talented children's choir, ballerinas, acrobats, ice skaters and amazing singers. It was outstanding and definitely an annual family event moving forward. 

Now if we can only survive the next two weeks. We have a piano recital today, the girls and I are attending The Nutcracker after the recital, I start work on Monday, we have several Christmas parties, basketball, dance, gymnastics, snowboarding, Christmas cards to get out, Christmas shopping to finish and Christmas baking to start. WHEW! I hope I survive the frenzy. However, no matter how overwhelming it can get, we all need to remember the reason for the season and just slow down and take it all in. Enjoy the "present".