How Sweet It Is

I am talking about the Land of the Sweets in which Clara visits during the second Act of the Nutcracker.  My first time ever seeing this Christmas time ballet was with Anna last year in Ohio.  From that moment on, all she ever talked about when it came to ballet was performing in the Nutcracker sometime...being one of those kids on stage. Upon our move to Virginia, we became very blessed to stumble upon a ballet school associated with a real ballet company that puts on a professional performance of the Nutcracker. Anna went through the auditions and a little girl's dream came true when she was selected to be a "bon bon" to come out of Mother Ginger's skirt in the Land of the Sweets.  It was many many hours of practice, a week of late night dress rehearsals, 7 performances over 2 weekends, learning how to do make-up and real ballet buns, confrontations with "dance moms", hours of volunteering, but is was all worth it to see her light up during her 5 minutes on stage. Here are some clips of my sweet bon bon (honestly I don't even know what a bon bon is!)...

 Being silly with her cast mates. These girls truly built a camaraderie that I look forward to seeing continue in our time with the ballet school/company.

 The gang before heading on stage for their last performance.

 Anna and "Clara".  

One of Anna's most cherished possessions is an autographed point shoe signed by Clara that she actually wore.  Anna is dreaming of the day she earns point shoes and hopes to be "Clara" in the Nutcracker some day.

 Anna and the Sugar Plum Fairy. The girls were in absolute awe of her.

 Anna signing an autograph :)

The best bon bon ever! She cried the whole way home after the cast party last night.  She was so sad it was over. I guess we will be doing it again next year! Great job Anna! We are so proud of you and happy to share the joy of this experience with you.

Major Thorson

On November 2nd, Joel was promoted to a Major in the United States Air Force.  We have been waiting for this promotion for 18 months so are ecstatic that this day finally came!  10 years in, 4 states, 7 moves, 1 deployment...we have come through a lot to get to this point!  Joel is such a hard worker, and does an amazing job serving his country, providing for his family, and giving 100% at home being the best husband and father.  I am super proud to see him recognized for his achievement and the kids announced to the whole school why they were getting out early that day! A big thank you to friends and family who came out to support us that day and all those who support us with prayers.

 Pinning on Daddy's new rank

 Major Thorson being sworn in

Ugh, why do the kids never cooperate for these photos?!  At least Joel and I look good :).

Congratulations Major Thorson!  You are my hero.

Meet Finn

Finn McMissile Thorson is the newest Thorson in our household.  We adopted him over Thanksgiving break.  I have had the dog bug for awhile but Joel has been dragging his feet but when he saw this face he was in love along with the rest of us.  He is half dachshund, half chihuahua (a chiweenie", yes this is a real breed!).  He ways a whopping 3 lbs and probably won't get much bigger.  Our biggest hurdle is to have Josie see and treat him as a real dog and not a stuffed animal. It has greatly increased our work around house...I mean really it is like potty training another kid! But so far he has enriched our lives greatly. The kids are loving the energy and playfulness he brings and you just can't help but smile to see them all on the ground playing with him.  Or when he is asleep in Joel's slipper with his little head sticking out!

My American Girl

Her name is Anna.  She has more energy that me on my best day, loves to talk, dance, and sing.  She never stops doing cartwheels. She loves reading Junie B Jones.  She is outgoing and stubborn, and a natural leader.  We pray that she will grow in compassion and mercy and that the love of Jesus will shine from her heart. We are so blessed to have her in our lives.

She turned 7 on October 27!  All she wanted was to take her friends Caroline and Kay to the American Girl Doll store for brunch.  It was magical for her.  They have chairs for the dolls, and serve them little tea cups, and truly make the birthday girl feel special.  It was a great time. Then we came back to the house for cake and ice cream.

 Blowing out the candles on the requested chocolate chip cookie dough cake.

 Anna with good friends Caroline and Kay.

Anna and her doll Emily at brunch.

A Fish Called Josie

Josie is an anomaly at swim lessons.  They took this video to post on their website.  Maybe there is something to being "from" Hawaii or maybe our family is just has swimming in their bones 

(thanks Dad!)

Costume Frenzy

Why is dressing up so fun?!  The kids have had their Halloween costumes picked out for awhile.  Then about 2 weeks ago we got invited to a costume party which meant Joel and I got to join in on the fun.  We visited every thrift store in the area trying to make our vision come true.  We were the neighborhood spectacle yesterday but it helped us get some good pictures.

 Mary Poppins and Bert

 Captain America and Thor...no need to be scared with these 2 around!

 My peacock, Anna's 2nd favorite animal which she begged me to be.  This is the 1st costume I have ever made and I must say I am pretty proud of it!

Okay, so our little ladybug wasn't too happy to be snatched out of bed, dressed up, and made to take pictures.  She really did love running around in her tutu once she was more alert.  But for some reason I just love this picture of her crying!

Fall Festival

Yes, my favorite time of year!  I love all things fall and this weekend we spent a whole afternoon at a fall festival!  The place may have been a little ghetto in my book but that didn't stop us from enjoying it to the max.  The kids were in heaven.

Pumpkin Painting

Unlimited hayrides involving a ride through the woods with some giant spiders and graveyards.

 A giant slide.  The kids loved riding with "cousin Alyson"!

 Even Uncle Pat and Aunt Priscilla got in on the fun!

 Yes, us too.  I had hay stuck in every inch of my body.

Asher "surfed" down.

 

The day ended with s'mores in our fire pit, "camping" in our tent with some neighbor friends (we all ended up sleeping in our own beds), and spider hunting in the nearby park (and yes, this is for real!).

LOVE FALL!