Showing posts with label cheerleading. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cheerleading. Show all posts

Friday, August 26, 2011

FLASHBACK Friday...(one year ago)

(This was NOT the new uniform that they bought the year before...the one that I matching when I order NATALIE'S NEW CHEER SUIT.)


A year ago today, I found myself embracing all of Cari's lasts. This photo is an image of her and all the seniors at her last Jamboree of high school football. Weren't the girls all so beautiful? Now she's enrolled in college. This weekend will be filled with RUSH not high school football. WOW! Isn't it amazing how things change so fast and things are so different a year later. I am still proud of this beautiful child of mine and her beautiful friends too.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

WHAT I WILL MISS...

SOME OF IMAGES OF THE THINGS THAT I WILL MISS...


Above: Last Dance Recital


Below: Me and My Bestfriend (from prom)


Below: Cheering at football games (August 2010--Jamboree) Below: Dancing in the Nutcracker (November 2010--Snow Queen) Above: cheering at pep rally (October 2010)
Below: Dancing in the Pilgrimage (April 2011) Below: Dance Recital (April 2011--the dance she choreographed) Yesterday was the day, the whole story on that and the images behind the story will come later this week when I find a few minutes to get them edited just a bit. I will tell you I didn't cry like I thought I might, but I cried a lot over the last year or so...maybe I had much of it out of my system. But mostly I think it is the peace that only comes from God. Peace in knowing her heart is in the right place and that this is where she is supposed to be. I wanted to be light hearted about what I want miss because yes we don't miss everything about parenting when that phase is over. I miss my children being babies like their laugh or smile or them wearing "what I want them to wear", but I don't miss them being sick and not being able to say their ears or tummy hurts. Today I blog from an empty nest...these are some things I know I will miss about my last child not being here our home:




  1. Not seeing her leave here and/or taking a photo of her on her first day of school. Maybe she'll ask her roommate to take one since she is documenting and blogging too now.



  2. Her fashion opinion. You know--"which shoes look better?" I definitely trust her opinion on that one more than her dad's.



  3. Watching her cheer. She cheered two years and in jr. high and two in high school two. The two that she didn't cheer was kind of nice staying home watching TV with my love while she was out with friends watch the games...but not as nice as watching her perform. She also glows when she is doing what she enjoys.



  4. I will definitely miss our spur of the moment shopping trips. You know "retail therapy" or you realize you won't get another break in your schedule so this is a good time to go shop for new shoes, dress, whatever you're needing for whatever is coming up. It was so nice when she could do these shopping adventures with me. We have the same shopping style...a must for a good shopping partner!



  5. I also love her opinion on what really looks good on my when shopping. Now I am going to have trust my own and opinion along with the mirror. OH NO! Yeah, I am definitely going to miss that too!



  6. More along the shopping note: I am going to miss having her with me to pick up the case of diet cokes or case of bottled waters. I have had to learn to NOT pick them up because of my back issues.



  7. I am going to miss watching her dance. These past few years she has danced her home pom routine/dance (whatever you call them) for cheerleading, she has danced in the Nutcracker, she dance in the Natchez Pilgrimage Pageant (again whatever they call it--they changed the name this year) and her end of the year recital dance. I will miss seeing her radiance when she danced.



  8. I will miss watching TV movies like Lifetime Movies or series or renting DVDs. We love a good "chic flick"! I will probably even miss her watch Dirty Dancing for 100th time!



  9. Cari loves to cook. And who doesn't love living with someone that loves to cook. I will definitely miss her cooking for us. Sometimes she would just give me a break and cook the whole meal.



  10. Above all, I am going to miss my best friend. We've shared so much the last few years. Our family has gone through many ups and downs. We could talk to each other about things that no one else would get, but I could also talk to her about almost anything. I guess she will still be a text or a phone call away, but not like being in next room. I will miss this more than words can express. But I am so very happy and excited that my best friend is living the dream that I didn't get to do! LOVE YOU, GIRL!

NOTE: Have you seen Cari's blog lately? I hope she keeps this up. She has been blogging almost daily the last few days about her transition to college. Be sure to follow her: CARI IN COLLEGE

Friday, June 5, 2009

WHAT A WEEK!

Summer's have always been busy since our children have been old enough for ball, lessons and camps, etc. But wow WHAT A WEEK this has been and it only the first week of June! I think I have had only had one day of work. Hopefully next week will be much better. It is always so bittersweet...I enjoy my little sweetheart and all our special time together. But I also enjoy time to work and catch up on so many things that I struggle keeping together (my business/home work).

It is Friday and it already feels like Sunday afternoon by exhuastion level. My house upside down from coming and going and spending time with Natalie. I guess it can wait until Sunday afternoon because babies (little sweethearts) don't keep. They grow up so fast.

Monday I got up very early and took Cari to Baton Rouge for cheerleading camp. What an exhausting day that was. I got home around 10:00 pm ready to crash into my bed. Worked all day on laundry/photography work on Tuesday until bedtime. Wednesday I picked up Natalie and we went to the library and did some wal-mart shopping all before lunch. Then swimming with one very eager 3-year-old-almost 4-year old! I wanted take her swimming again that evening in the "big" pool (aka in-ground pool at the Tanner's) so I didn't even give her a bath or wash her hair like I normally do after swimming before naptime. We also normally read ALL the books from the library which was 12 this time. I knew I needed a nap as much as she did so I told her we would read half of them now and the other half at bedtime. She was sound asleep on my shoulder before I finished the 4th book. And I was so exhausted that while I was napping with her I didn't hear the phone ring when I received calls from Randy and Brittany. What can I say, swimming is very tiring for Mimi's too. As promised, we went swimming again that night. She did not want to put her face in the water at all. So....it has been decided she need lessons in a class with others so that she can see kids her age doing it. We took her to the other pool so that she could sit on the steps and begin teaching her some swimming skills. [goal not accomplished!] Needless to say Wednesday was fun, but also very tiring too.


Yesterday we went back to BR to pick up Cari leaving here very early, but late enough to see if one of Natalie's cheerleading sets had arrived. Fortunately, her gymboree cheerleader set did come in. I wanted her to have something "cheerleader" for the camp reveiw. We dressed her in the parking lot. And as she walked up to the collisium, I saw a cheerleader born right before my eyes. She walked, jumped, skipped and everyway that SHE thought a cheerleader would. And it got even better. She done it again with a dance to the music as we walked in. The seats were full of parents watching their child perform, but they couldn't resist laughing and smiling at Natalie as she walked in like she owned the place...like everyone was watching her...like they were all waiting for her to make her debut! It was a priceless moment. I wished I had a video of it though I don't think I will ever forget the image! Though this excitement soon faded because she wasn't allowed to get down on the floor with all the other cheerleaders to cheer. She had a meltdown or two and was chased by a parent/grandparent or two. We had plans to go to the zoo, but I knew she and we were way too tired for something as tiring as a walk through a zoo. So we opted for a movie instead. We saw another 3-D movie, UP. It was good-- though for a movie geared toward children, it was quite sad! And yes, I cried. [I forgot to add this part. As soon as the review and awards were over, as soon as Natalie got on the floor with the cheerleaders, Natalie asked Cari and then Alexa to teach her how to dance like that! LOVE IT, LOVE IT!]

Today as soon as i finish this post, Natalie and I will get ready to go to Natchez to go to the "big" Wal-mart to find birthday gifts for my nephew, and his step-sister, Chloe. And since on the way home last night, Natalie asked about the zoo, and since I feel guilty for not taking her after telling her we would, I will take her to Duncan Park for some kind of picnic lunch with takeout from McDonald's. It is so cool out this morning. So it looks like it will be a perfect day for a picnic!

Tomorrow we will head to Oak Grove to visit family and to take Natalie to Dalton's and Chloe shared birthday parties. This party will be at his daddy's (my brother) house; he has already had one with his mommy's family (I know this because of facebook...I love it!). Last year Dalton's "real" b'day was the day of the wedding rehearsal. So our dessert for the rehearsal dinner was a cake for him. To see some photos of Dalton's birthday from last year, click HERE.

Natalie woke up this morning asking if this was Dalton's birthday. I had to explain to her what we will do today and then tomorrow. So it's time to get off of this computer. I just felt the need to document this week's event even w/o photos...which I have...I have just been too tired to get them off the card. So stay tuned, I will post some soon....hopefully?

~~ja~~

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

FIRST DAY CHEERLEADING CAMP

BEAUTIFUL CHEERLEADING GIRLS: Cari and Alexa Viking VHS performed their "home dance" Monday evening (June 1, 2009) at LSU as part of their cheerleading camp.
It is very hard to get great images of events like this even with a nice camera and exensive lens, but I did get a few images that I am pleased to have and to share here.

These following images are my faves.







The finish pose!
Alexa, Brandon and Cari...


Cari and Alexa...

Yesterday was a very tiring day for me: up early, drive to Baton Rouge, get Cari settled in, shop for more things for Cari for camp in busy traffic in BR, then back to Cam and Britt's apartment. I freshed up a bit and changed clothes then Brittany and I went to see the Home Dance Evalution (dance). Each group had really fun upbeat dances! I could have watched these all night...much more fun that them doing the same cheers over and over. The other two years of Cari cheering we attended the final day and that's what you experience: each team competing again each other doing the same cheers over and over! This was much more fun!


And I am glad I had Brittany there with me to share this.

I did have a photo of me too. I may include it later. It wasnt' great, but at least I have it!

I should have more images to post soon. We go back Thursday!

~~ja~~

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

My Daughter: VHS CHEERLEADER




Okay, this isn't the greatest collage... not even close, but this was done several years ago...so I have grown and gotten much better...so I think. I wanted to include some cheerleader images...




BECAUSE TODAY MY DAUGHTER MADE THE VHS 2009-2010 CHEERLEADER SQUAD!








This will be Cari's 3rd year as a cheerleader. She was a cheerleader in the 7th and 8th grade and for whatever reason...she didn't make the squad for her 9th and 10th grade years, but she DID TODAY. SHE WILL BE A HIGH SCHOOL CHEERLEADER HER JUNIOR YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL! I am so proud of her and her determination. I would have given up after two years of not making it! She is so much braver than her mom! FOR THAT I AM EXTREMELY PROUD OF HER...it makes me feel like I've done a pretty job at being her mom!

On a different note: Cari recently brought home another perfect (all A's) report card! Can parents be any more proud than we are? I don't think so!


~~ja~~