Team No Wheat. No Cheat. For Ashlee!

* Missing Justin who had to go and pick Tyler up from basketball

American Dance/Drill Team: Groups

Cheer

Clowning around

Hip Hop: Fly Away With Me 

The girls killed it on stage today. 

They brought home SIXTEEN trophies, including top honors in all dances and divisions,  the coveted "Winner's Circle" and a "Director's Award" for Jillian (which is voted on by other directors!). The girls were so excited to add to our growing trophy collection - and to add patches (and pins for Logan and Ashlee) to their jackets! 

All that Glitters

American Dance/Drill Team: Duets

Tonight, competition kicked off for the duets and solos at The American Dance/Drill Team.

Groups go tomorrow.

The girls were more than ready to hit the "gym floor" for the first time in what seems like ages. The Swagger Sisters are always ready to get on stage - they find practicing a bit boring so it's always fun to see them shake it on stage!

And shake it they did!! Ashlee and Logan did amazing (scoring a 93 out of 100! and earning second in their division. They earned a pin which we got after the competition Saturday. Penelope and Sophie earned first in their division and got a trophy!) 

I can only see better and better performances coming from these two little hip hop rock stars.

flowers from daddy

Wordless Wednesday {Duet Beauties}

Making Baskets, Taking Names

Ashlee is taking to basketball like a champ!

She's doing amazingly well on defense (it's her best skill) and is making a lot of baskets (mostly because she's about a head taller than a lot of the girls).

Next year, we'll work on dribbling and appropriate passing. We've just skimmed the surface of those this year.

The good news: there will be a next year because she's loving basketball (and the Fireballs) so much!

At this weekend's game, she was excited to see Cali in the stands. She loves having spectators to perform for in the audience.

Always on my Mind

I love getting texts from my princess (in her giant ear muffs)

on Bachelor Girls Night

Wordless Wednesday {Another Tooth Down}

*Grandma pulled this one

Wrap Me Up

Ashlee's holiday party was full of mummies, or rather snow mummies!

The mom in charge of the game brought toilet paper, noses, buttons and eyes so the kid's could turn each other into snowmen. It was similar to what we did at Oni's Frozen party, but a bit larger since there were so many kids. Everyone had an absolute blast ... and it was the highlight of the party!

I Love You Snow Much!

Another one of those homemade gifts I love so much. Opened early with love and adoration!

Wordless Wednesday {Celiac Kid's Gingerbread House}

*She did use 2 graham crackers on her plate that are GF

Be Still My Heart

My Ashlee. She is always so happy and joyful and so willing to share her heart with the world.

This week, she and her friend, Leah, came up with this idea for a Christmas gift for their teacher. Apparently, Mrs. Sibenaller really enjoys clean desks so Ashlee wanted to buy her Clorox wipes.

But that's not all.

She and Leah were going to make lots of pictures for her so she knew how much she was loved.

On Friday, Leah came over and together, the two of them made picture after picture for Mrs. Sibenaller. Ashlee continued to make pictures all weekend long.

Today, she was taking in 20-some homemade/hand drawn photos, 2 giant tubs of Clorox wipes and a purple "S" Tervis that I picked up at Hallmark (for her Diet Coke, Ashlee says).

Ashlee could hardly wait to get out the door with her present (which she could hardly carry!). She just knows she's going to love it.

Princess, she is going to love it. The thought alone is amazing!

Gingerbread Baby

"The Gingerbread Baby" ran across yellow pod yesterday.

He tumbled upside down and right side up as he made his way into the gingerbread house that engulfed Ashlee's first-grade classroom door.

It was all part of the holiday decor I spent yesterday creating.

The kid's have been studying Jan Brett so they each made their own gingerbread baby that was on display on the bulletin board.

Math fact houses surrounded the babies to help keep them on track to the house!

The house was made with construction paper and some old candy string holiday decor the teacher had in her decorations stash. Plastic candy canes lined the floor.

The kids were ecstatic to get back from specials and find this special treat awaiting them.

Today, we're adding a roof and white paper for snow!

UPDATE: Sadly one of the kindergartners thought the candy was real and ended up pulling the house down. Next time, we'll have to print the candy strings on paper!

Dear Santa...

Someone's Christmas list is out of control!

Snowmen Family

These gifts will never get old.

Ashlee couldn't wait to give Justin and I the Christmas gift she made us at school: A family of snowmen, made out of her little hand print.

I wish I could keep these gifts - and her - in the palm of my hand forever.

Homemade gifts are the best gifts!

Nutcracker Tea

My beautiful princess and I got all dolled up for the Nutcracker Tea Party Sunday.

We went before but activities got in the way the last couple of years. We were excited to get invited this year by Ashlee's first-grade friends (and moms) and get back into the holiday spirit.

Our group had about 5 tables, or about 50 people!, so it was a little bit chaotic when we arrived. I thought we were getting there early, but apparently we were a bit late so we were squished into a table without enough chairs.

Melissa and Kennedy from our small group attended with us so I let them - and Ashlee - have the table and I stood while we enjoyed hors d'ouvres and lemonade from our fancy cups (thankfully I had thrown some snacks into a purse for Ashlee as there were no GF options for her. My friend is on the board next year and is going to push for allergy-free options, YEAH!) 

When the show starts, all of the guests head up to the stage and watch from there, opening up the chairs and tables for the adults.

Katelyn, Avery, Taylor, Leah, Addy and Ashlee

I think Ashlee absolutely loved the show - and for the first time appreciated the beauty of the dancing!