the nutcracker

we traveled to oklahoma this weekend to attend the nutcracker.  with grandma playing violin in the orchestra that accompanies the ballet, this has been an annual tradition for us since 2012.  (we only missed it in 2013 due to icy roads.)  and our third time seeing the show did not disappoint.  the girls were happy to get all dressed up for the saturday night show.

happy turkey day!

we hosted the big meal at our house this year.  the last time we were home for thanksgiving was 2009!  i think there were as many desserts as regular food, so no one went away hungry.

i tried to keep the kids entertained and engaged with some crafts.  little sister decided she wanted to make napkin rings using pipe cleaner, googly eyes, and construction paper.

 she & big sister also made oreo turkeys.

  earlier in the week, we built some m&m turkeys to place around the table.

but the pièce de résistance were the turkey cupcakes.  my nephew (and the girls) are fans of those cake-decorating shows, and he really wanted to make a cake that looked like a thanksgiving turkey.  we compromised and made cupcakes, thanks to the recipe & inspiration i was able to find here.

jump for joy

tonight was big sister’s end of season cheer party.  the squad voted on the location – lots of jumping, with pizza and cupcakes at the end.

i made little megaphone favors for each girls to take away, with a team photo and the names of cheers and chants scattered around.  the girls thought they were really cute.  i also made the cupcakes with decorations of m&m paw prints with gold sprinkles.

thankful

so cute to see what little sister is thankful for this year....

last soccer game

little sister closed out her soccer season today with the final game victory, giving them a record of 7-2 for the season.  she played goalie for the first half and sat out most of the second.  she sure does love to play with the **sparkles***!!

volleyball tournament

little sister's last volleyball event for the fall season was today's double-elimination tournament.  her team, the cRaZy SoCcEr MoNkEyS, ended the regular season with a 3-5 record, in 5th place overall out of 8 teams.

game 1: they played the #8 team and won.

game 2: they played the #7 team and won.

game 3: they played the #1 team and lost.

game 4: they played the #3 team and lost.

so overall at the tournament, they came in 3rd place.  not too shabby for a team that has mostly first-time players!!  the team is ready to sign up again for the spring season, so i'm sure they will all get better as they continue to play.

extravaganza!!

big sister's squad had their season finale show tonight.  they've been working on a chant, stunt, and dance for weeks now to prepare.  we even had a last-minute practice this morning to fine-tune their moves.

it's always fun getting fancy and sparkly.

 

here is their stunt & chant:

and here is their dance:

after all of the squads performed, the girls received their trophies and we gave them a special treat the coach and i made - candy necklaces.  so cute!!