Holiday Cheer Camp at Sidney High

With school out for the holiday season we headed back to Ohio and did so just in time for Molly to be able to attend the Holiday Cheer Camp with Emily. The cheer camp was put on by the Sidney High School Cheer Squad which consisted of an evening of learning new cheers and cheer moves and then the next night performing them during the High School Basketball game. Molly and Emily were so excited to be able to really be cheerleaders in front of a filled arena! What made it all that more exciting was that this was the much anticipated rival game between the nearby Piqua High School, the stadium was filled to capacity.

Braden and Neleha were excited to just be able to sit together and eat popcorn all night, the game was just a added bonus for them.

Halftime finally came and out walked our dolled up girls. They were so happy to be in front of so many people, who in their minds came out just to see them, to perform their cheers.

They did such a wonderful job and most importantly had a great time doing it.

They did three cheers in all but the last was their best, it was the "Jacket Buzz" cheer which Sherry had taught the girls a long time ago. They had that one down pat.

Molly and Emily are certainly on their way to stardom!

The Dora Pirate Ship: Santa's Early Delivery for Neleha

Neleha's list to Santa this year included a rather large gift that would have made our holiday trip to and from Ohio very cramped for everyone. How reluctant I was when "Santa" delivered it to our door with a note that indicated his concern that if he delivered it to Grandma's house that we may not be able to get it back to Ohio. So to alleviate this problem he dropped off the special delivery a few nights early right to our door step.

This grand gift was of course the Dora Pirate Ship playset. Before I could even put it together the girls had already donned the included authentic pirate costumes and were ready to sail the imaginary sea's.

As soon as the ship was fit to sail Neleha took the helm and started shouting out her orders to Molly.

They sailed away and had a blast singing and pretending. Our girls were so cute and the happiness that was plain to see in Neleha's face was worth a million dollars to Kristy and I.

Neleha loved her ship so much that she decided that she would sleep in it. She brought all her favorite stuffed animals, tucked them all in, and drifted off into her ocean of dreary sleep.

Molly's Cheerleading Awards Ceremony

Molly's cheerleading program session finally came to an end with their final performance and awards ceremony.

All the little cheerleaders did their absolute best to perform their well rehearsed routines. Our Molly did it so well and what was more enjoyable was the fact that she was smiling the entire time. Her precious smile was a clear indicator of the fun she has had throughout her cheerleading program.

When award time came around Molly was recognized for having perfect attendance and showing great improvement and motivation throughout the session. She was presented with her very own medal to wear and display to all. I can't emphasize enough how pleased she was to be wearing her medal. Almost as pleased as her Mommy and Daddy.

Neleha's School at the Zoo

Kristy took Neleha to her first of many classes she will be attending at our local zoo. We decided to enroll Neleha in these classes due to her eagerness to learn and our inability to get her into a Head Start program. Because we already have a membership to the zoo Neleha's classes are greatly discounted which is also a big plus.

Kristy told me how Neleha was able to quickly find her place within her class and had a wonderful time painting, making a bird feeder and above all learning about animals. She loved it so much she now calls it her "school".



Neleha told me herself how she got to pet a bunny during her class which in her mind was the highlight of the day.

Our little Neleha is growing so fast and learning so much, it is so wonderful to watch her have so much enjoyment from exploring the world.

Decorating our Tree in a Box

A few nights ago we set up our first ever "artificial Christmas tree". We have had an actual authentic tree every year ever since Kristy and I were first married but this year it just seemed appropriate to vary from our tradition. I must admit the fake tree is less messy which was a big plus. The other nice benefit to this tree is that it already had the lights built in. You can't beat a pre-lit no mess tree.

Before we purchased our Christmas tree we discussed with our angel daughters the plight of our tight dual student financial budget in regards to Christmas decorations. We proposed that we make our own decorations for the tree and wouldn't you know it, our girls were more excited about that idea then buying decorations.

So on our FHE night Kristy helped them string popcorn and I helped with making a paper chain. The girls had a ball as we decorated our new Christmas tree.

The final product was certainly something to smile about.