Tis the Season...

I just love Christmas time. Minus the cold, crappy weather, I could live like this all year long. I love the decorations, the real meaning of Christmas and of course all the fun stuff such as dressing my dog up every year. Lydia wanted to sit with Larry this time.

Last week we went to our new favorite place to buy a tree (Clem's or Redwood Rd). It's like a dollar a foot...such a good deal. It was so cold out there so here's Jake pretending to rifle through the trees to find the perfect Charlie Brown tree.

Here he is...what a beaut!
Last Thursday was Lydia's second performance with her dance group. I was pretty nervous that she wouldn't perform again and get stage fright (just like her mama). But she's been telling me ever since her Halloween performance, where she just stood there with her finger in her mouth, that she wants to dance on stage. She totally had regrets and has wanted to redeem herself ever since. Here's Madds and Lyd's before the performance at the Festival of Trees (Madelyn is in the same dance company but different age group).

Here she is about an hour before showtime. This is her "hit it" pose that they do before they start dancing. I had just hoped that she would do it on stage.It's showtime. She was the first one to walk out on stage and when she stood on her star she immediately put her finger in her mouth. Uh oh!!! Then Miss Mo said "Hit it" and Bam, Lydia was a different person. She was all smiles and was so happy to be on stage. She loved every second of it.

She knew every dance move and she was even in time with the music. She had that chorus memorized and she was so proud of herself. "Down through the chimney" was my favorite dance move, so adorable.

"Ho, ho, ho who wouldn't go?"

Down through the chimney was "Old Saint Nick". That's how the dance ended and Lydia could not have been happier that she actually did it this time.

Look at that smile as she walked off the stage. Adorable. I could not have been more proud. She did the dance perfectly and wasn't scared AT ALL! She loved it and I was so happy for her for this accomplishment. Good job Lyd's.

Mama and daughter after the performance. If you want to see her perform click HERE

Then on Friday night we went to Flip's to see Santa Claus. She sat on his lap but was scared to talk or even move a muscle. It was so funny. We practiced what to say when he asked what she wanted for Christmas but she choked. Then on Saturday night it was my turn to get on stage. As some of you know I'm in a singing group called "Utah Voices" and we have a few concerts this season and our first one was at Libby Gardner Hall at the U of U. It was so much fun and I loved being on stage performing "The Messiah" for everyone. It is the most beautiful music and I loved being part of the experience.

Here I am before I left for the show.

Here we are at the concert hall. It was such a cool place. Thank you to everyone who came on Saturday night and for those that are coming tonight. You guys are the best and I SOOO appreciate your support!