Photos from YAGP in Dallas

A few photos from Lainey's performances in Dallas...

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From Paquita, Lainey's classical variation on pointe

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From Logn (pronounced "Lone"), Lainey's contemporary piece

Beautiful job, sweet girl. :) We love you! You are so strong and brave!

Walker is 11 years old!

a new haircut for the 11-year-old

A regular sight after school... a bunch o' boys and a ball. 

(Walker's in the orange shirt on the left.)

best buds...Jacob, Walker, Asier, and Josh

AND...Chuy's opened in Pembroke Pines! Which is kind of near us! We drove the 35 minutes there and then waited another 45...but it was worth it! :)

Happy 11th Birthday, Walker! We love you! And your 5th Grade school picture! :) 

Rain, Sun, and Wildlife

Walker and friends, playing in the rain after school

(Walker is in the bright blue shorts, holding the football.)

I think this is called a "tail cloud" - like a funnel cloud but without rotation. Crazy!

A happy turtle sunning himself near our house...

not to be confused with THIS turtle that I helped cross the road. ;) 

So many different types of turtles! And frogs/toads!

Reagan, enjoying the February sun

a little swimming (yes, our pool is heated!)

sleepy dog with cute paws

I spotted this fox near my running trail in Boca...I've never seen a fox before in real life!

A Walk on the Beach

This beach is 10 minutes away from Lainey's dance studio. It's a beautiful place to walk when she's in class! I feel so spoiled!

This is a Portuguese man o' war...not to be messed with. Beautiful but terrifying (if alive and swimming next to you).

Catching up...

Reagan looking cute

Walker's baseball team (he's second from right on the top row)

Damian, Jacob (Walker's closest friend here in FL), and Walker

Walker...far, far left

Lainey and I traveled to Dallas so she could compete at YAGP...a highly competitive ballet-based competition. It was a great experience, although being there with Covid restrictions and without a team/teacher was hard. :( I won't go into details, but it was a very humbling, raw experience! We learned a lot and are thankful for the opportunity. And of course, Lainey looked beautiful and I am so proud of her bravery, strength, and determination. She was amazing. 

ballet costume

contemporary costume

Thankfully, we got to squeeze in some good family time with Tom, Vivian, Whitney and Matt.

Vivian! She's one!

very interested in Lainey's shoes

Tom was interested in EVERYTHING! :) Being three-in-a-half years old is fun. ;)

We also got to see the Bader family - which made our hearts so happy. :) We love our Bader family!

littles vs. now...

And finally, we met Tuck and Emmy's dog, Paco, before heading to the airport.

He's so cute!

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Reagan was so happy for Mom to be home...although she adapted beautifully to Yiyia and Ben while I was gone! Belle...not so much. She was awful for her caregivers. :(

my snugglebug ;)

We got back from Dallas on a Saturday, meaning we were able to watch Walker play basketball on a Sunday. No one works harder. :) 

Basketball in Florida is all outside! It's so cool!

Walker was working on bonding with Belle... :) She is a little feisty! She really only "tolerates" me but likes Lainey. She doesn't really care for the rest of the family and she really doesn't enjoy outsiders. :)