January

January has been a big month around here, even coming off the holidays.  We celebrated Steve's birthday on the 8th with a cake he had to buy himself because I spent the day before sick in bed. Luckily it was just sinus related - not the flu - and I bounced back pretty quickly.

The biggest development is that Sara got braces!  She has brackets across her front six teeth on top, as well as a pallet expander.  All of this metal will be in place for 12 months, and after that she'll wear a retainer until all of her permanent teeth come in.  At that point, the orthodontist will determine if more work is necessary.

 Steve took her to the long appointment to have the braces and expander put in her mouth, and he said she did a great job.  She didn't whine or squirm or anything, just took it all like a champ.  Eating and talking having been an adjustment, and her nightly mouth washing routine has gotten longer, but she's doing a great job.  In recent months Sara had started making comments about not liking the way her teeth made her look, so I'm excited for her to gain the confidence that comes with a straight smile.

Later this week I'm heading to Signal Mountain to celebrate Grandma Lou's life and to help my mom finish cleaning out her place.  It'll be emotional, but I'm looking forward to the time with my sister, parents, and cousins I don't see often.  I'm also looking forward to going back up the mountain - not sure when I'll ever be there again after this.  First, though, it appears that winter is coming to North Texas.  Fire is going, chili is cooking, and all signs point to icy roads in the next few hours.  We have provisions and are prepared for anything!

Christmas

By the time Christmas break rolled around, we were ready for it!  Festivities began with school parties. It was fun being able to pop into Emma's party since she was just down the hall; it was the first time I'd had that opportunity.

We had a couple days of break before the actual holiday.  The girls and I went to see "The Greatest Showman", which was SO good.  Highly recommend.  We spent Christmas Eve with the Brittains and had Christmas Day at home.  The girls woke up and were so excited to get to their presents, and in my efforts not to miss it, I managed to not take a single picture of the Christmas morning excitement.

 On the 26th, we headed to MN to continue our celebration.  Melissa, Adam, Steve, and I enjoyed a night out at the Wild/Stars game.  After the game we went to a bar that had a place to shoot pucks.  Melissa and I attempted to show off our shooting skills (which are pretty decent, by the way), but we both strained some rarely-used muscles in doing so!

 Todd's new band, Triggerfish, had a gig while we were in town.  The band is really good, and it turned into a fun night for all!  Sara and Emma were the life of the party.

 The girls spent a night at Melissa and Adam's.  They baked, played games, and watched a movie.  Meanwhile, Steve and I enjoyed a short pseudo-date over Minnesota Mules (my parents were a few tables away with some friends!).  We all met back at Melissa and Adam's the next morning to watch the Cyclones win their bowl game!

 At one point during our visit, Sara hooked up with a friend she'd made over the summer, so the rest of us took Emma to Charlie's.  It's a favorite summer spot on Prior Lake - we can boat up and eat outside.  Obviously this time we drove and stayed inside, but Emma enjoyed looking at the frozen lake, spotting fish houses and cars all over it.  Definitely not something she's seen in Texas!  Of course Emma would order ice cream when we're all frozen ... she remembered getting ice cream at Charlie's in the summer and was determined to repeat in the winter.

 We couldn't miss the chance to hit the Mall of America for rides, shopping, and food.

We were at MOA on New Years Eve during the day, and they were busy prepping decorations for the evening's festivities.  We left before the craziness started and enjoyed a quiet NYE at home - dinner, toasts, and watching the ball drop.  The girls made it til 11:00.

We always love to have a puzzle going while at my parents' house.  The one this year was SO hard, but we managed to finish it with just a couple of hours to spare before we had to head back to the airport!

 The weather this year was COLD ... multiple days of below zero temps.  One day it got to about 15 degrees, though, so we bundled up to play in the fresh snow!

 The girls had the best time sledding.  We left the hill with super rosy cheeks and cold toes, but it was completely worth it.   I always love for the girls to have the opportunity to see and play in the snow! 

We returned to warmer-but-still-cold temps in Dallas, and then jumped back into our school/work routine.  All the more reason to be thankful for a fun and relaxing winter break with family.

Peter Pan

I'm still working on recovering from the holidays, which means the blog has been pretty abandoned for a while.  However, I'm committed to catching up with this three-day weekend upon us!  Instead of the-longest-post-ever, I think I'll divide it all up into a few different posts ... starting with Sara's first play!

Just before winter break, Sara was Michael in "Peter Pan" at a local children's theater.  She had fifteen lines, and delivered them perfectly. The entire cast was made up of 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders from Sara's school.  Most of the rehearsals took place at school in the afternoons, but the production itself was at the theater.  The stage and lights provided an exciting new experience.

 We were super proud of Sara's performance, and she was pretty proud of herself, too!  I hope there will be more theater in her future.

Of course we celebrated at BWW, Sara's pick!

 (not sure what Emma is doing here ...)