Soccer - Fall 2012

Dear Abigail, 

Well, we're back on the soccer field, and I must say, what a world of difference a summer makes!  You are back on the same team, or at least with the same coach, Coach Will, and Addelyn and Jayden are still on your team, and man alive, you guys are good!!  We are now the dominating team, scoring all the goals, and keeping the other team from scoring hardly any, if any at all!!!  If you recall, last year I think we scored a total of 2 goals ALL SEASON and one of those was when the other team played "freeze" so we could score.  Yeah, seriously.  I don't know if everyone moved up in our league and now we're the 'oldest' team, but whatever it is, we'll take it!  Mommy (and Daddy, too!) have a bit of competitiveness in our blood and it was hard to watch last season.  This season, we're inviting scouts to come watch you :)  

Also, another pleasant addition to soccer this season is the one and only, Ellie!  That's right, she got old enough to play and what better team to play on than your team.  Well, we think... It's yet to be decided if this was the wisest choice, as you two have a tendency to do your own thing, despite what the rest of the team is doing, and you two can throw some attitude towards each other like no other!  But over all, I think you both are really enjoying being on the same team, the Purple Unicorns team, that is, even though we wear peach, you girls all wanted to be called purple and because Coach Will is awesome like that (and clearly didn't have a choice), Purple Unicorns it was!  

You've had 3 games so far and you have scored several times in each!  You and Jayden are both rocking out the goals, to the point where last practice Coach Will practiced with you girls on passing the ball to a team mate!!  That's my girl!  I mean, play as a team Abigail.  You need to pass :)  We've won all 3 games with flying colors and each time you are SOOO excited to tell me how many goals you scored or give high fives to Coach Will!  Like I said, a whole different ball game my friend!

You are so proud of yourself and Mommy and Daddy (and Mimi!) are, too!!!  Good job soccer player!!! Keep it up!!
Loves you!

Dance Party 2012

Dear Abigail,

I struggled for a bit on what to do for your 4th birthday party, I will admit.  In hindsight, it was silly, I should have known all along, but you know how that goes.  I thought about gymnastics, thought about a jumpy place, thought about several things, but none of them would take more than like 16 kiddos at a time, and, well, you are quite the popular little lady, or well, you have LOTS of friends, including lots of cousins, so 16 was more on the lesser side of people.  Then one day, I looked up to see you dancing away as you always do, and it hit me - a Dance Party!  And there it was, and like magic (and a little help from your BFF, Sarah) one awesome 4th birthday party was born!  Auntie Amy had this awesome dance floor at her latest birthday party and I just knew that was what you needed at yours.  It was so awesome and lit up all different colors to the beat of the music.  For the party, we moved all - yes ALL - the living room furniture into the dining room (that's the one good thing about us not having a dining room set, yet, huh!!) and put the dance floor smack in the middle of our living room.  It fit perfectly, too!  Sarah had a brilliant idea to set the camera up so everyone could watch themselves/each other dance and man alive was that not the greatest thing ever!!  We 'kept it simple' (HA!) with pink and silver balloons/decoration and even had a disco ball hanging in the middle of the dance floor!  

You had disco ball cupcakes that Mommy made (a first for me and thanks to Miss Kristin for the awesome cupcake recipe!) and a special cake on top with a real mini disco ball!!!!  I especially loved that!  

We turned the music up loud, REALLY LOUD, and let you and all your friends dance the night away, or, well, day away!!!  

A couple of times you and your friends needed a little break...

And your sister, too!

But soon enough, the dancing would resume!

Toward the end, even the boys got out there and danced a smidge :)

But the girls dominated, for sure!!!

Everyone enjoyed the cupcakes and a little rest period...

We burned off a little more energy/sugar after the cupcakes with a few more dance moves and said goodbyes to most of your friends, but not first without passing out the coolest favor ever...

That's right!  You passed out a 'mixed tape' as your Auntie Amy would call it of your favorite dance tunes!  Included were Hoedown Throwdown, Peanut Butter Jelly Time, Moves Like Jagger and 14 other songs that you LOVE!  We've listened to that CD so many times I'm beginning to regret coming up with such an idea!  Nah, I love it and I think your friends all did, too.  Speaking of, several of your new friends from school came to your party - Gracie, Faith, Hudson, Zack and I think someone else that I can't remember right now.  And, of course, Ellie's Chloe was there, along with Ellie and Christopher, and Ryan and Jake, Jacob and Anna (although they were a bit shy to dance, or overwhelmed - I might go with the overwhelmed!), Addelyn from soccer , who had no problems dancing!, and of course Em, John Michael, and Clara Lee!  And Caroline, too!  Oh, and parents!  And your sister, of course, who LOVED that light up dance floor!!  

After most of the crowd dispersed, we ventured to the present section and opened a few totally awesome presents, like a new pink bicycle, and SUPER huge awesome tent and a best cousins forever book of you and Clara Lee!!  Not to mention a WHOLE lot of other super cool presents!  

And if you can't tell, the party did wander upstairs to the playroom, along with a few wardrobe changes!
Eventually everyone left but Mimi, Pic-pic, Em, Ash-ash, Uncle Jason, Clara Lee, Aunt Steph, Uncle Jaybee, Ellie, and you, Mommy and Daddy (the babies went to bed) and that's when the after party started!  We ordered pizzas and had a blast using that dance floor for the rest of the night!!!

PS - Did I mention your BFF made your awesome birthday hat?!  I did the "4" but she totally put it together!!  Another great idea.

Notice Emily doing flips in EVERY picture?? Well, Uncle Jaybee challenged her, and I must say, put up a good fight!!!

And Clara Lee wasn't too bad herself!

Even Mimi got "low, low, low, low"

Yeah, we know how to have an after party, huh!!  What a BLAST we all had at your dance party!  We are finally recouping from the exhausting weekend but you still talk about your dance party.  As a matter of fact, you take your birthday cards and say "I'm sending invitations to my friends for a dance party"!!!  What a way to celebrate turning 4!!! Now, what to do for #5...

Just kidding!  I'm totally going low key for that one.  Ah ha ha ha ha ha. I crack myself up sometimes!

Love you dancing queen!!!!