par-tay!

Happy times.

Last weekend we had the Drill Team Christmas party (at Nana's this year).

The stockings weren't hung, but they were SET by the fireplace, with care:

Jaiden was the star of the party:

How you know it was a special occasion:    cause Jesse ate MEAT.

But it's ok, cause look how happy it made him:

Gift exchange / secret santa...always fun.

I made Jaidy & Emylee little aprons and felt cupcakes.  I put the cupcakes in actual cupcake boxes, which I was happy I found cause I thought it made it cute.

They played with them, took some orders:

Group photo!  In which most are looking at Jaiden, some are doing something else, and only Mariah is looking straight @ the camera and smiling.  That's my girl.

It was a very merry party.

boo!

Why's there a lil lamb in my passenger seat?








Cause me & my lamb were on our way to:













Nana & Uncle Ronnie came to watch too.








Can you tell Mallory had a blast?  She was pretty excited.







Here they come!







Yeah, she sees me....







My little lamb got put to work at the end.







Arissa & Mariah (and the whole group) were also on the morning news several times, which is now preserved for time and all eternity on our dvr...and making it dangerously close to not recording Oprah's lifeclass because the memory is full.  But it's ok.

car wash

(Yes, stripes & patterns DO go together.  It says so in Vogue.)




"Somebody come to our car wash":









"Won't anybody come to our carwash?":







They did.  The girls (+ a few boys) worked hard.  It was hot.



























My BF really wanted to join in and help, you could just tell.  Maybe in a few years....

bonitafest

The Drill Team's first parade of the season was at Bonitafest. 

It was Mariah's first parade ever.





(I'll never forgive myself for not being able to finish crocheting that hair-net for her the night before....I totally failed.)


Waiting......














"Moms and their cameras, what can you do...."















She was nervous &excited.  Mostly excited, I think.








I tried to keep Mallory busy.









Then Sherry gave her a very important job:  handing out flyers for the dance studio to any and every kid/parent on the parade route.  She was only shy for a second and then she did awesome.

Her socks were two shades of neon pink.












Guess who we randomly ran into?












Working on her forced smile for all the many cameras that get shoved in her face at these events:







All the girls are so sweet to Mariah.  Sherry asked the leader-girls how come they were treating her different than the rest of the team (i.e., not shouting at her) and they said "because!  she's so soft and sweet!".  :)









Bright smiles, curly hair, dimples, and big old kissable cheeks....i love 'em.