Halloween

October was so busy!!  Madelyn woke up a day or two before Halloween with a bad cold, just feeling miserable.   Friday night we went to Amanda and Houston's to wait for Mimi and Poppie to get in town.  Poor Madelyn just lay on the couch.  Once they made it in, we celebrated Mimi's birthday then went home to bed. 

Saturday morning we all had brunch together then the girls and I went home to rest.  Madelyn was feeling ok with a Sudafed,  but my head was pounding.   By the time we made it home I had a full migraine and spent all afternoon throwing up before finally falling asleep.  The girls woke me up at 4:00 and we packed up for trick or treating and headed back to Amanda's.  

The evening actually was really fun.   Both Madelyn and I felt better and the rain stopped just in time for trick-or-treating.  Anyway,  another Halloween in the books!!

Premier Showcase 2015

Each year to kickoff the competition cheer season, Premier Athletics hosts a showcase in Pigeon Forge.  There are 11 (Premier gyms all over the country, from Tennessee, Kentucky, Florida and Michigan.  It's a good opportunity for the girls to get on stage to showcase their routines and get feedback from judges, without the pressure of placing.

This year we decided that Clint doesn't have enough vacation time to head to all of the girls' out of town meets, so I knew Aubrey and I would be going solo to this one.  Madelyn gets pretty bored at the all-day events, so we decided she could stay here so that she wouldn't miss gymnastics.  Friday after work Aubrey and I headed down to my friend Kristie's house to catch a ride with her and her daughter Emme, who was on Aubrey's team last year.

We packed up the van with us, Kristie's sister Michelle and her daughter, Campbell and Kristie's college aged niece.  It was quite an adventure with all those girls in one van!!  The trip seemed long, as we lost an hour going and didn't leave until later that we expected.  Kristie's family is from East TN and her parents have a place in Sevierville, not far from Pigeon Forge.  The original plan was to stay there, but about a week before we left Kristie told me that we were going to stay in her sister's motor home instead.  Aubrey was so excited she could hardly contain herself.  She had never even seen a motor home before.

We finally arrived about midnight local time, got settled in the motor home and went to sleep.  I was surprised how well we slept, but we were exhausted!!  We woke up Saturday morning and didn't have to be at the conference center until after lunch.  We hung out in the morning, relaxing and everyone showering and getting ready.  I dropped Aubrey off with her team and coach and hung out for a while.  The event was set up really nice.  Everything was very organized and ran well.  The girls warmed up and we finally were able to see them on stage.

Ready to go!!

Aubrey's team and coaches

It's so funny to me how much Aubrey lights up as soon as she steps on that stage.  This girl definitely loves to perform!!!  She hit all her stunts, and the team looked great!  We stayed a while to watch some of the other Nashville teams, then headed back to the motor home to change clothes.

 

 

 

There's a place right by the convention center called "The Island".  It's a huge area with all kinds of restaurants like Paula Deen's, Margaritaville and a few others.  They also have a ton of shops, a big arcade, rides and activities.  As part of the Showcase we received discounted tickets so we decided to head over and let the girls have a little fun.  We put our name on the wait list at a restaurant (the wait was over 2 hours!!) and went around playing games.  After dinner the kids played in the arcade, and next thing we knew it was midnight!

Aubrey, Emme and Campbell

Sunday Aubrey had to be back for warm-ups by 10:30, so we were pretty rushed in the morning. Again, the girls looked great and Aubrey was pretty happy with her performance.  We headed out of town about 4:00, and headed home.

It was a super exhausting but fun weekend.  Definitely indicative of how weekends will be from now until April!!!

Fall Break

October has been super busy, with both girls gearing up for competition season.  We haven't been back to Memphis to visit since Christmas,  so the girls and I left Thursday night after school to go visit friends and family.

Thursday night we got in town about 7:30 and went to mom's house.   The girls were do excited to be there and just ran around the house like crazy.  Friday was a day filled with old friends.   Aubrey had a bff in Memphis who has called several times to see if we were coming to visit anytime.   I dropped Aubrey off at Jessa's house and they spent the entire day playing at the zoo.  So fun!

Madelyn and I did a little shopping, then I dropped her off with Nana so I could catch up with old friends.   I had a long lunch with my dear friend Joey, then went to FedEx to visit my former colleagues and friends.   It was so good to see everyone again!
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Me with Bridget, Noki and Adam

The girls decorating cupcakes at Nana's

The girls and I went to visit Granny in the nursing home that afternoon.   It's always difficult to see Granny in her current condition,  but we love her so much and the girls always ask about her.

After dinner with Nana and PawPaw we went to my best friend,  Emily's house.  The girls and her boys were so happy to see each other and ran around all night.  I can't even explain how much I love and miss this sweet family!

I love Mason's pose in this pic.  So funny!!

Saturday morning the girls woke up pretty early and we ate breakfast with Nana and PawPaw.  Then we headed out again to go see my sweet friend, Erin and meet her newest son.  We weren't able to stay very long and I didn't even get any pictures.  But it's always so much fun to see her :-)

We made it to Mimi and Poppie's house around lunchtime and headed out on a mission to get Halloween costumes.  Aubrey knew she wanted to be Spider Girl but Madelyn had no idea what she wanted.  She didn't like anything that I said was "cute" and finally decided on a Broken Doll costume.  She thought it was a little creepy but not too scary.  We went home, got dressed and headed out to eh Zoo Boo.  There are so many things that I love about middle Tennessee, but the zoo here is nothing compared to the Memphis Zoo.  We really have missed it and were so glad to be back.  it was so much fun riding rides, trick or treating and just hanging out.

Dressed and ready to go!

They sure love their Mimi!

We even got Poppie in a picture!

Madelyn thought the mummy was hilarious!

Being silly late at night after the zoo.  Aubrey always wants us to take selfies!

Sunday was busy as well.  While we were driving into town, Gisele called and asked of the girls would be interested in going to the Orpheum to see Cinderella.  They've never been to a musical like that before, so I knew they would love it.  We relaxed all morning then headed out to the mall to get some new clothes for the show.  I think we spent 3 hours in the children's department at Dillard's, bu both girls finally found outfits that they loved.  We headed downtown around 4:30 and walked to Kooky Canuck's to eat dinner.  The show was absolutely incredible, and we loved every minute of it!!

Pretty girls....

Excited for the show to start!!!  Aubrey has been begging for "fake" glasses and was happy to finally get some!

Fall Break really just flew by.  That was the last weekend before competition season starts, so the madness has just begun!!!