From Thanksgiving to Christmas people are kinder, more generous and more forgiving. You have good reasons to gather, to celebrate, to demand time of your kids, and to be grateful. While some celebrations shift year to year, traditions remain.
Our Everyday
Sharing our stories, big and small.
Posts from the “childhood” Category
Dear Oliver,
My third, my youngest, you are always being told what you can and cannot do, what you are and aren’t, by your big siblings and by me. But despite what we say, you do as you see fit. You dive deep into things that interest you and don’t give up until you’ve mastered it like solving the Rubik’s Cube in under 40 seconds and listing every single country in the world in under 6 minutes. You kinda love dance and you kinda like flag football, absolutes mean something to you so you are rare to use them. But your friends, your entire crew of fourteen boys, your girlfriend, your cousins and aunts, and us, absolutely think your funny and clever, smart and sweet, thoughtful and sincere. In some ways I am easy on you and in some ways the hardest and since you are fourteen sometimes you want nothing to do with me and sometimes want me to be everything for you. When I look at you and see how much you’ve grown and how much you are changing, I sometimes get sad because you are my baby but not a baby anymore. And I’ll ask you to cuddle with me and you’ll say “No Mom, that’s weird” but then you’ll relent and give me a hug for as long as I hold on.
By my third you’d think I’d have figured some things out but I still make mistakes, I say the wrong things and I try to define who you are and what you can and cannot do. But luckily you hear what you choose to hear and you know exactly what you can do.
DanceMakers’ mission is to offer the very best in dance education, provide an atmosphere that fosters creativity and use dance as a medium for self exploration and love. The Collective is an elite group of dancers chosen by the DanceMakers faculty as outstanding representatives of “who we are”. As a Collective member Lucas will attend eight regional conventions where he will assist, demonstrate, perform, work competition and study/mentor with the faculty that has inspired so much of his dance journey. He will be challenged, he will learn, he will be inspired, he will make mistakes and he will grow. Daytona Beach is his first city and he has already learned he needs to properly fuel his body to survive the demanding weekend schedule and that assisting ballet in the junior room can be challenging but also a lot of fun. 
Creative Dance Center’s annual Nutcracker In a Shell The Remix is our community fundraising performance of the year. This year marks Creative Dance Center’s 26th annual performance, Oliver’s first, Penny’s fourth and Lucas’ last.
Tagged: Creative Dance Center, dance, Lucas, Nutcracker, Oliver, Penny
Oliver’s first fall season of flag football we were excited to watch him learn a new sport, work with new teammates and coaches and were thrilled when he finished the season with a reception and a few QB sacks. Oliver’s second fall season brought a new coach and new teammates so he adapted to a new team once more and continued building his skills and learning the game. He would hesitate when pulling flags, was terrified at the thought of the ball being passed to him and would get in his head but he’d show up week after week and with a supportive coach grew as a defensive player and scored his first touchdown. That season the team won the Super Bowl and while Oliver grew a lot as a player, liked the coach and made new friends he really wanted a season of playing with his friends. Oliver’s third fall season brought the best combination of a strong coach and a team with some of his friends. What started out rocky turned out to be a dynamic, cohesive team with well balanced play across all the players. Oliver played offensive and defensive, scored a touchdown in most games and grew the most in any season. The team was eliminated in the second round of playoffs but was definitely the best season ever. (Huge thank you to the professional sports photographer dad that captured some amazing shots!)
Tagged: AIM High, Chiefs, flag football, Oliver
DanceMakers Collective Season XI kicked off with a weekend in Charleston, SC full of joy, friendship, community and anticipation for a one-of-a-kind year ahead!
Tagged: Charleston, dance, Dancemakers, Lucas, South Carolina
CLI Conservatory is a pre-professional dance program located in Southampton, MA. They offer summer intensives which are six days of classes with top choreographers across multiple styles, provide dance on camera experience, include wellness sessions to address the whole dancer and provide a safe, supportive community of like-minded dancers committed to growing their artistry. Lucas danced all week in a room full of supportive and talented dancers, learned from choreographers that inspire him, and rediscovered and deepened his love and appreciation of dance. I enjoyed the slowed down pace and charm of the many small towns of western MA, spending time with my fellow dance mom and seeing my son push himself, stay true to himself, and grow and stretch in new ways.
Tagged: CLI, CLI Conservatory, dance, Easthampton, intensive, Lucas
They did it! But wait, this journey for Lucas actually started seven years ago. DanceMakers was the first dance convention he attended when he joined Creative Dance Center’s competition team in 5th grade. It immediately made an impression on him. We’ve attended many dance conventions and the format is largely the same; high caliber faculty, classes in many styles of dance, competition against some of the best dance studios in the nation. What has stood DanceMakers apart from the rest is their vision; to make every person who walks through their doors feel welcomed, loved and supported. Those first few years Lucas stood out for his hip hop while he learned ballet, jazz, contemporary, tap, ballroom and musical theater. Then class by class, year by year, his confidence grew. His trust in the dance community grew. His belief in himself as more than a hip hop dancer grew. The community, the faculty and the Collective of DanceMakers played a big part in the safety of this growth. For the past seven years we’ve attended a DanceMakers regional event and for the past three years we’ve attended their Nationals. The mutual trust and respect between our studio and DanceMakers has grown tremendously in the past few years with our coaches and dancers all feeling a bit more at home, every year.
Tagged: convention, Creative Dance Center, dance, Dancemakers, Lucas, Myrtle Beach, Nationals, Oliver, Penny, South Carolina
Bringing the kids to Rehoboth Beach since 2007 we’ve made a lot of traditions. With Happy Go Lucky, celebrating Penny’s birthday has become one of them. Her second time bringing friends to celebrate her birthday, she got to share some of her favorite things in one of our family’s favorite places while creating traditions and memories that are all her own. 
Tagged: 15, birthday, Delaware, fifteen, Happy Go Lucky, Penny, Rehoboth, Rehoboth Beach
Beyond the Stars was our studio’s last team competition of the season and the one event all three of my kids competed all their routines. The season is always busy but always seems too short. 
Tagged: Beyond the Stars, competition, Creative Dance Center, dance, Lucas, Oliver, Penny
Our Everyday 