Sweetheart Dance

We had the SDI Sweetheart - Daddy/Daughter dance tonight.  I do not get a chance to dance with my girls too often.  I cherish the time when I do.

Dad and Gabby!!

Dad and Annabelle

Not sure what was so funny but you could tell we were having a great time.

Beautiful girls!!!

Dad made a picture!  They are growing  up.

Playing with my Camera

We have started playing with the camera.  Here are some of our photos of Victoria and Alina.  We are entering competition season and I will be taking an posting MANY pictures.  Enjoy.

Please comment so I know someone is looking at these.

Finally.......

I am finally getting the time to use my Christmas gifts.  Most of my gifts were associated with my camera.  I got several backdrops and stands to take portrait pictures.  For Father's day, Kelda got me studio lights.  We figure that we will be able to save money if I take all of the Dance portraits in all the costumes.  Heck..... I might be able to make some money if I get good enough by taking portraits of the other dancers in Senior and Senior Elite.  I will post some pictures as soon as I get some worth posting.

Last weekend Victoria and I went to the Marietta Square to take a few pictures.  Here are some of our favorites.

 She is growing up too fast !!!

I know I am biased but she is beautiful!

We took a few pictures on the train tracks.  We both love trains and could not resist.

There is plenty of "Kelda" in Victoria.  Not only does she have her mother's good looks but she also learned how to stick out her tongue when we take pictures.  If I had a dollar for every time Victoria, Gabriel and Kelda stuck out their tongues during a picture, I would be a gazillionaire.

New Tradition

I was not sure how this Christmas was going to be.  This is the first Christmas since Tom passed away.  We all knew there would be good moments and sad moments and even though we know Tom is with Jesus, we miss him.  I have spent some time with Delores of the last few weeks.  We have laughed,.  We have cried.  We have remembered.  I continue to ask you to call her to see how she is and to continue to lift her and the girls in prayer.

On Christmas eve Kelda, Delores, Gabriel, Victoria, Alina and I went to the cemetery to celebrate Tom.  The Georgia National Cemetery place a wreath on each marker for the holidays.  As you can see from the picture it is an amazing site.  I am sure we will do this in the future.

One of the gifts the Gabriel and Victoria got was from Tom (sort of).  Tom had been collecting coins for the girls for several years.  These were all of the state quarters and  president quarters.  Delores and Kelda decided that this year we would give these to the girls.  We will keep them in a a safe place but these coins belong to them.  In the years to come they will continue to appreciate Tom's love for his grandchildren and be able to hold these coins.

Gabby 16th Birthday Update

Park your cars and get off the sidewalks.  Gabriel got her drivers license.  She went this past Wednesday to take her test and passed on the first try.  She was very nervous and had to wait for her turn for about 40 min but it was well worth it.

This summer we got a car for Gabriel to drive.  (The picture above is from this summer when we were practicing but the smile was still the same).  I am already loving the fact that I do not have to be the taxi every time because Gabriel likes to drive and has done well when driving.  Yes it is a little scary sending your "baby" out on her own but I know that God is with her and will protect her.

As a new driver, she can only drive family for six months.  We are still trying to see if that includes Alina.  We have received mixed  answers so far on this question.  Gabriel has already driven Victoria alone and driven to Jamie's (boyfriend) house.  Now she has to find a way to make a little extra money now that she is mobile.  Anybody need a babysitter?

Gabriel's 16th Birthday

What a special day.  Monday was Gabriel's 16th birthday but since she had dance on Monday night, we decide to celebrate on Sunday night.  We took seven of Gabriel's friends to Dante's Down the Hatch for dinner.  She wanted to have a masquerade party so all the friends dressed up to celebrate.

Lacy, Victoria, Casey, Gabby, Jamie, Laura, Bekah and Alina

Gabriel and Jamie

Gabriel's boyfriend Jamie got her a special gift.  Look at the expression on her face when she opened it up.

Look at all the beautiful girls.

Singing Happy Birthday.  What did you wish for?

Bekah and Laura

Victoria

Gabby - Your mom and I are so proud of you and the women of God you have become.  He answered our prayers and blessed us with you.  I watch with great anticipation for what He will do in your life.  We love you more than you know.  Happy birthday!

Thanksgiving

I have much to be thankful for.  Jesus loves me.  Beautiful wife (who loves Jesus).  Fantastic kids (who love Jesus too).  Great family.  It has been a tough year though with Tom being sick, his death and funeral.  I know this holiday season is going to be different. It will be great and hard all at the same time.  We will lean on each other and rely on God's strength to get us through this time.

We have been busy too.  When we said we were going to have Alina come stay with us for the school year, we all began thinking about all the "things" we needed to do with her this year.  I think we have done all of them so far.  Since my last post (in addition to school, dance, church, etc.) we have gone to a University of Georgia football game.  We also went to Calloway gardens Fantasy in lights as well as spent some time going through the gardens (butterfly's, flowers).  Yesterday we went to ride the Pink Pig in Atlanta.

We also went to see Santa.  Let me stop here and explain the issue with this.  I hate how early the stores and everyone does Christmas so early.  Don't get me wrong.  I love Christmas and what it means (birth of our savior) but I hate the fact that people start "celebrating" in August.  One of my standard lines is that I do not want to see Santa in the mall until Thanksgiving.  If I do then Santa will not come to our house on Christmas.  Kelda and the girls have given me an extremely hard time about this "silly view".  I was told every year to get over it.  With Alina staying with this year and us at the mall for the Pink Pig, we asked the girls if they wanted to sit on Santa's lap and get a picture.  I went along with it and I saw Santa before Christmas.  We were able to do it with no line and, with our busy schedule it might be the only time we could do it.  Now I am getting a hard time from Kelda about "giving in" for Alina but not my kids.  Doesn't matter that we always got pictures for Gabriel and Victoria with Santa when we wanted to do it (just after Thanksgiving)  Guess I can't do right no matter what I do.

Thursday we have a busy day.  We start off with breakfast at our house.  This is a tradition for us.  This year Delores, Tammy, Zina and Scott, David, Dick & Judy me & Kelda, Gabriel, Victoria and Alina will be there.  We are adding Jamie (Gabriel's boyfriend) and his family.  Sometime around lunch we will start getting out Christmas decorations.  The afternoon we will eat at Sandra & Harry's (Delores' sister).  Finally we will eat dinner @ Dick & Judy's with much of my side of the family.  I will try to post pictures of these events.

I have pictures of all the events mentioned above on my Facebook page.  Go check them out.