November was busy! We had a lot of baseball, a lot of dance and a lot of basketball. The majority of the photos here are of dance. Stay tuned for more basketball in December! :)
Grandpa:
Grandpa came up to Sarasota one Friday night as he had to pick Deona up from the airport. Roger and I had a date night planned with friends and Cora was at a sleepover but the boys were free and had a blast going out to dinner with Grandpa, watching basketball and playing video games. Thank you for these fun memories, Grandpa!
Flag Football:
Veteran's Day:
UTC Holiday Parade:
For the first time ever, our school had a float in the big parade near the local mall. The students and teachers worked SO hard on this. Cora and several friends were cast as dancers. They worked hard to learn a ballet dance for weeks before the parade and then on parade day, were made up as angels! Our float ended up winning a $6,000 prize AND we got to share Jesus with our community. Two big wins!
Tremaine Regionals- Orlando:
The weekend before Thanksgiving was Tremaine time again! Cora competed three team dances which all did very well although I can't wait to see them improve throughout the season. She cheered on her teammates who brought solos to this competition, she took lots of convention classes and had her first experience in the teen room! We had very little sleep but Cora somehow managed to pull herself together and dance her heart out. We had lots of fun with friends and so much special Mom and Coco time!
Happy Thanksgiving:
We spent another Thanksgiving at Der Dutchman, the local Amish restaurant. This isn't a tradition that I'd originally thought would stick but here we are on our third year. The buffet is tasty and has something for everyone. Amish cooking is something else. :) We continued the tradition of bringing some fun puzzles and table games (with prizes). We had a special morning and I can't wait to do it again next year!
Dance Makers Inc- Nashville:
For the second weekend in a row, Coco and I found ourselves at a dance convention, only this one was a flight away in Nashville! Ann Carroll, Cora's old dance studio, was attending this particular convention too so it was so fun and sweet to dance with old friends again. One of my favorite moments of the weekend was watching Cora cheer for Claire as she competed her solo. Cora is so passionate about dancing and so is Claire and it was just so special to watch Cora watch her bestie. I don't even know that I can fully explain it. I just know that I teared up. :)
Besides cheering Claire on in her solo and all her group dances, Cora took conventions classes and was even awarded a scholarship to Nationals which basically means she stood out and was recognized in her classes. We had the best weekend with Claire, Carson and Robin and getting to see all Cora's old dance friends and teachers too.
These girls are truly home with each other- it sounds so cheesy but if you know Cora with Claire and Cora without Claire, you know what I mean. :)
Emily was a Diamonique with Cora in 1st Grade
Miss Hailee was a high school senior and Diamonique class helper when Coco was in 2nd Grade. She was there to watch her younger sister.
The goodbyes were hard, as they always are. These two are something special!
The boys and Rog stayed home and relaxed which was exactly what the boys had requested for this break.
