Christmas Season 2022

Christmas 2022

A year later....I was reminded on Christmas morning 2023 that I haven't updated the blog in a very.very.long.time.  And there are many reasons but knowing that my children (and myself) often look to the blog for memories, I am led to update now.  

Christmas 2022 was, in one word, BUSY.  We have four girls and all four girls were in three different shows, in three different theaters, three different rehearsal schedules, and....all three shows that involved all four girls were in the same ONE weekend. 

MK....she danced beautifully in her 6th Nutcracker.  MK has done ballet since the age of 2.  Every year since we have either watched the ballet with her friends from the audience OR she has been in the show.  She is full of grace and elegance when she dances.  

Maddox....Maddox was cast as a Who and a Toy Soldier in her dance studio's annual Christmas show.  She enjoyed both roles. Maddox is a phenomenal dancer in all genres and her expressions draw the audience in.  

Maryn....Maryn was cast as an elf in her dance studio's annual Christmas show.  Maddox and Maryn dance together but their schedules are often different.  Maryn is in the Mini Troupe and the minis are always Elves in the show.  Maryn enjoys this role as it is high energy and the bonus is that the minis are on stage for the entire show meaning they get to watch every scene as they entertain the crowd.  The downfall....the hat.  Maryn has not one bit of like for the elf hat.  It's tight and the little bow on the front hits her in the face every time she moves.  The combination of exhaustion, tightness, and the little thing hitting her in the forehead makes for a grumpy elf....did I mention they do six shows in three days??!!  Alas, Maryn is always a "yes" for candy which gets her through....that and she genuinely loves dancing!  

Chapman....Chapman is our stage girl.  She loves a good show, loves being a part of a cast family, loves the hair and makeup, loves the chance to stay up late and get up early.....give her a role and she is all in!  For years I took the children to see A Christmas Carol performed by the Augusta Players.  It was our tradition to see the show, have lunch, and then go to the mall for Santa pictures.  I used to tell the children that we were all going to be in it one day together.....and though that has not happened, our two youngest have now been a part of the cast.  Maryn did the show in 2019 and Chapman was cast as Little Fan, a rich child, and an Angel in the 2022 show.  Chapman even wore the same costume Maryn wore in 2019.  As if that was not enough, Chapman was invited to be in the Christmas show with Maddox and Maryn as well!  She was a rockstar....never a complaint, always up for curling her hair and putting on more make-up, she knew her cues, she knew what costume she wore next and when it was time to get dressed, she did her vocal warm-ups, watched quietly from the wings....she was amazing.  And I vicariously lived through her....I once did shows with the excitement and zeal of this little caboose.  

So, for the re-cap, it was MK in Nutcracker - four shows in two days; Maddox and Maryn - six shows in three days; and Chapman - eight shows in five days....and a partridge in a pear tree;) Somehow I managed to watch all three shows and work backstage in all three shows....thankful for a husband and a friend group that made it all possible.  

And, somewhere in the middle of all of that, we made our annual trip to Clarks Hill Christmas Tree farm!

Christmas 2022 was our turn to have Gran and Pop with us for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  We love this time with them and we are always excited to have Pop read the Christmas story to our crew.  Most memorable of this Christmas would be Chapman begging for a hamster or something of the sort so we went with a bunny who, one year later, still has no name but in fact has many names and we all love him to pieces...except MK.  MK is not a fan of the bunny.  The boys got a surprise gift of F1 tickets to see in Miami....a true highlight for them and one that Ryan and I were excited to make happen.  2022 was the year of BeReal and the kids were sure to make that possible even with Santa.  

The remainder of 2022 looked like a lot of relaxing, exploring the canal with friends, playing games at dinner, ice skating, and relaxing more.