Christmas Fun in the 'Hood

With Christmas quickly approaching and my work schedule keeping me out of town most weeks, it seemed harder and harder to soak in the holiday spirit and enjoy a festive mood. Luckily we have the most amazing neighbors who regularly host fun events and activities for the kids. Our neighbor Kelly invited the kids over for some Christmas cookie decorating with all the special touches. Sugar cookies, gingerbread houses, brightly colored icing, and countless candy toppings all made for some unique creations by these kiddos. Even Connor with his perpetual bedhead made an appearance.

After all the sugar, the kids were so hyped up that they decided to take a "polar plunge" in Kelly's pool. No, the pool wasn't heated! But they insisted the water wasn't too cold and it seemed like a good way to burn off some of their sugar high, ha! 

What a fun afternoon enjoying some Christmas fun on such a beautiful December day. Not a day goes by that we don't feel incredibly blessed to have landed in such an awesome neighborhood with the most generous and supportive neighbors. We couldn't have picked a better place for our family!

Bombers Christmas Party

Kaitlynn's cheer squad, the Bombers, were excited to celebrate their recent cheer performance with a festive Christmas party at one of the parent's homes nearby. The beautiful holiday decorations were so charming that I couldn't resist snapping a few photos of my favorite cheerleader. Some days it seems that I don't even recognize this girl anymore because of how fast she is growing and changing. Sniff sniff!

With tons of food, fun crafts, and a pajama gift exchange for the girls, the girls had a blast together and really enjoyed the downtime after all of their hard work in recent months. It was the perfect way to celebrate their fall performances and begin looking towards the rest of their competition season ahead.

Bombers Cheer Photos

Even though we weren't able to watch Kaitlynn's cheer team perform in person for her December competition, we loved seeing the photos and videos released by the official sponsors. They do such a great job capturing the action and the great expressions of the girls. These were some of my favorites of our Woodlands Elite Katy Bombers, and it's not hard to see Kaitlynn when she is often front and center in the group!

A Walk Down Memory Lane

Due to the ongoing pandemic and strict Covid protocols at events in the area, Jeff was unable to be present during Kaitlynn's recent cheer competition in downtown Houston. Spectators were prohibited during the performance, so Jeff dropped her off for the event and then took the opportunity to reach his daily step goal while walking all around the convention center area downtown. He ended up walking all around some of our old haunts, exploring and remembering the days back when we first met while working downtown. He snapped a bunch of pics and sent me a chronicle of sorts in my text messages, reminiscing of the days we fell in love and all of the places we used to visit together. I was in the middle of a busy (and historic!) day at work in the Memphis area, but it was such a sweet and unexpected surprise to see his photos and read his sweet words as he walked our journey together downtown. The photos themselves brought back so many memories, from where we met at work to where we spent time together in the months/years to follow. 

"If you want my opinion, this was the beginning of our first date. I planned something. Thank you for accepting the key to my heart that day. Love you for the millionth time." 

So many of these locations in downtown Houston played a big role in the beginning of our relationship, leading us to where we are today having just celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary. It was a touching surprise to relive the journey through Jeff's sweet messages. "Our path isn't pretty, but it is our path and it made us who we are." 

Kaitlynn's First Month of Cheer Competition

After Kaitlynn's cheer team held their showcase in November, it was time to move into the competition season. The first weekend of December was their first scheduled event in the Dallas area, but the team was super disappointed to learn that the competition was cancelled due to Covid concerns. The girls had worked SO hard for months to be ready for their first big performance.

In lieu of the first competition, Kaitlynn's team decided to participate in a full performance experience during a week of practice instead. That meant the girls needed to rush home from school and get ready with their full hair/makeup/uniform for their first mock competition. Kaitlynn hasn't quite figured out the makeup thing yet and I was on the road for work, so Jeff and I had to scramble to get some help from a fellow cheer mom. Thankfully the team mom stepped up and managed Kaitlynn's makeup in our absence, and she was even sweet enough to send me photos. It was Kaitlynn's first time in the full uniform and she sure loved it! 

The team was able to run through their performance several times just like they would at a normal competition. They performed beautifully and really enjoyed the lively atmosphere. I was sad to miss but really loved the photos shared by the other parents.

Thank goodness the girls were able to have such a fun performance in their home gym, because their next competition was held the following week in downtown Houston. After all of their months of practice, the Woodlands Elite Bombers would finally be able to compete and participate in the full cheer experience. Unfortunately, I was out of town for work throughout the weekend and had to miss the entire cheer competition. But as usual, Sweet Daddy came to the rescue in a major way and was able to make sure Kaitlynn was fully ready for the performances. 

On the first morning of competition, Jeff and Kaitlynn were up bright and early to grab some breakfast and make the drive downtown. Our wonderful team mom agreed to apply Kaitlynn's makeup again, so Jeff met up with her before meeting the rest of the team at their scheduled call time. These girls sure looked the part and there was so much excitement in the air!

I was SO thankful for the flurry of text updates and photos that were sent out from all of the team parents that morning. It broke my heart to miss Kaitlynn's big performance, but she was in great hands and seemed to be enjoying every second of the experience. I was having quite the momentous day myself at work, but I was so thankful to hear from my little cheerleader in between her performances. It made my entire day!

The next morning, Jeff and Kaitlynn were back downtown for Day 2 of the competition. They went through the same drill and I received another awesome batch of photos to keep up with their comings and goings. By the end of Day 2, the girls were informed that they had achieved 2nd place in the competition. It wasn't what they had hoped for but it was a great accomplishment for their very first live cheer competition. They all went home with big smiles and exhausted bodies!

What a great first month of competition for our little cheerleader! In today's world of Covid, we were beyond thankful that Kaitlynn could resume some semblance of normalcy in her activities. She was truly enjoying her cheer experience and looking forward to the months of competition ahead!