Sophia's first Dance Competition: KAR Long Beach

We had NO idea what the dance world was all about when try outs came around last year.  Sophia had just turned 6 and her teacher saw so much potential in her so we just trusted her and we're so glad we did.  We've watched her blossom and push herself in a way we never thought possible.  We are so proud of her dedication and hard work and it couldn't have been more evident than in this first dance competition.  Thankfully, some of the more seasoned dance moms are helping guide us.  The backstage area is both super exciting and overwhelming at the same time....I can't imagine it through the eyes of a 6 year old.  We absolutely loved the spirit of this event.  It was all fun all the time.  The award ceremonies were the BEST and Phia's team won 2 awards: Top First(the highest they could've received) and 5th overall.  Last year's tap team won nothing at this same competition!! Phia still doesn't understand it all(heck...either do we!!) but we're all having so much fun it doesn't really matter:) Oh and our studio is A-MA-ZING!!! Oh and one more thing...Phia's facial expressions on stage are so amazing on stage....to die for!!

Our Annual Snow trip: Mammoth

This was our longest road trip to date! 5 hours in the car with the kids and they did pretty good:) We stopped at an awesome cafe on the way there with lovely craft beer for mommy and daddy.  The beautiful part about the timing of our vacation is we went mid-week so we had no traffic, no lines at restaurants or at the slopes.  In fact, we sent Phia and Preston to ski school and while it was insanely expensive we scored with private lessons since there was no one on the mountain!!  We loved our resort and our condo was perfect for our family:) The views from all the bedrooms and balcony were breathtaking.  Preston and Bentley both referred to skiing as "skeeting" and we didn't correct them.  Ski school was attached to our resort as well as a lodge with a restaurant and full bar so mommy and daddy kept plenty busy while the older ones were learning to ski.  They both did AWESOME!!! Phia preferred going down "pizza" style with her legs pointed toward each other and this is a shocker...but Preston preferred "french fry" style....ski's pointing straight down the mountain.  We're learning more and more that our Phia is a perfectionist and it was very evident in her skiing style!  Our second day Phia and Presto both wanted to ski again but we decided to take a gondola ride to the Main Lodge for some hot chocolate with the whole family followed by some sledding! Preston was a HUGE fan of sledding(mommy nearly had a heart attack), Phia's nose got busted open and Bentley ended up with a bloody lip and cheek.  Dangerous stuff...who knew?  I pinch myself thinking how lucky I am to make all these amazing memories as a family.  Each moment(even the craziest ones) are all amazing.  We seriously have the coolest kiddos:)!!