Bowers Blog: December 2022

Dec 28, 2022

Christmas 2022 Part 1

This is part 1 of a 2 part post of our month of December so far this year. It's hard to believe another year is ending! I love these kiddos and the life we are living right now. It's crazy, but I wouldn't have it any other way!

These 2 played in a golf tournament the first weekend in December. Worth played with Mack, and Emma played with E.W. Mack won for his age group and Emma got 2nd place for her age group.

Nutcracker felt so different this year. Ellie didn't need me backstage, and Emma isn't dancing this year. Despite it feeling very different, Ellie did beautifully. She was "Snow" and "Spanish" in the production.

Mia and Dubs made it to a show!

Grandma and Papa came as well. Ellie has so many people that love her so much!

I was impressed by how much better Ellie had become as a dancer this year. She is so much stronger and so graceful!

I attended 3/4 shows. I usually go to all of them, but we had visitors in town Saturday night so I had to miss the Saturday evening performance.

My best friend from college came to watch the Saturday matinee show. It was so good to see her girls Claire and Kaitlyn again. Kaitlyn is 12 - she's at least 6 inches taller than Ellie now.

Kathryn, Allison, and me. Some ZTA OGs here.

Emma got to play a little in one of her basketball games and I was able to snap some quick pictures of her.

This handsome guy sang for the church K-kids Christmas performance and it was a great show! It always puts you into the Christmas spirit to hear all of those little ones singing Christmas hymns.

We celebrated Worth's 43rd with a busy night of basketball games, and Chorus performances. Thankfully, we were able to end the night with a take out dinner and some cookie cake.

I got to see Mack sing at his school Christmas concert and he let me get a picture by the school tree on our way out.

Mack's teacher needed some help last week, so I was able to be in Mack's class for most of the day and even have lunch with him.

Ellie had her Christmas piano recital. I wish I could say she did an amazing job, but I would be lying. She has had zero time to practice and it showed. I felt so bad for her. Along with hours and hours of Nutcracker rehearsals she had to maintain her school work, which was a constant flow of papers, tests, and projects since Thanksgiving. I will say she did have a few pockets of time that she could have been practicing her music, but she chose not to, and I don't blame her for needing that down time. I think we will put piano on hold for now though. She enjoys it, but I think she realized after this recital that she truly doesn't have time for it.

Despite the performance, she looked beautiful.

Mack had PJ day at school - his bed head was on point.

They put together a 1000 piece "A Christmas Story" puzzle this year. These 2 worked the hardest on it.

Next up was Christmas at Mia and E.W.'s with the Berryman crew! Ellie found the hidden pickle!

This was one excited crew to open gifts.

Emma was excited for her UGA gear!

Ellie in her cozy new jacket and fun sleep mask.

The #1 cousins (Oldest in their family)

The middle children cousins.

The baby cousins

Gift opening madness

My very favorite thing is the gifts from the kids. I had to get a picture of Bo's wrapping abilities.

Precious cousins

We hit the very early afternoon service for Christmas Eve, which meant a little longer time to get some light looking in.

The reindeer food was ready to go on Christmas Eve!

No way the reindeer can miss the Bowers house since the food was tossed all over the front lawn!

We went with Elf themed shirts this year

Mack and Emma listening to the reading of "The Night Before Christmas"

Since last year, Ellie has officially taken over my job of doing the Christmas Eve reading.

They were a blur coming down Christmas morning. Mack slept in the room with Emma. Worth put that bin there to trip them as they shot down the stairs. Ellie was smart and ran through the dining room. We called us on Alexa at 7:00am for us to get up. Apparently Mack had been up and waiting patiently in Emma's room until 7:00am.

Examining their stash

Two happy and sweet sisters

We didn't forget the Gingerbread house. It finally got finished on Christmas Day.

There were unseasonably frigid temperatures for south GA this year. We lit a few fires outside and braved the cold for a couple of hours.

Mack was super proud of his t-shirt.

More excitement to come as we finish up Christmas celebrations with the Tifts and have Chancey Christmas here in Valdosta this weekend!

Dec 25, 2022

Finishing up Fall 2022

The kids have taken over the use of the main computer every Sunday working on homework or projects, so I'm finally getting a chance to get on it to make a post for the fall. I have under 50 pictures to share from the past 2 months :) aaaaand 5 videos from the girls "Falliday" chorus concert. I remember loving to go back and watch my chorus concerts on video, so I'm saving them here for the girls. I think Ellie's grade performed one other song that isn't posted here, but I had to narrow it to 2 videos for each girls grade and 1 video of the entire middle school chorus together. They did so good!

Other than chorus, there have been tons of activities. Emma made the middle school basketball team and has gotten to play in a couple of games. Halloween was hectic, but we made it happen for 2 Bowers kids. Ellie had dance that night and couldn't participate:( We've made it to 2 UGA games in Athens and had a blast with the Berrymans, and we celebrated Thanksgiving here at our house with the Tifts and the Bowers.

We were all so happy for Emma to make the 6th-7th grade basketball team as a 6th grader!

The kids and I started out at Amos's tailgate for the Auburn game. We took a lovely walk back to our tailgate on the other side of the campus. The weather was beautiful that morning, and it was a delightful 30 minute walk through campus with my kiddos. They may not have enjoyed me pointing out buildings, places where I had classes, rode the campus bus, etc., but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

For the 1st time ever as a family, we were able to get to the Dawg Walk before the UGA vs. Auburn game. Mack got to touch Brock Bowers' hand. Mack was so star struck he wouldn't touch anything for a couple of hours with that hand that had high 5'd Brock.

They also got a hit from Hairy Dawg

Group shot before heading into the stadium.

Sweating it out in the stands.

This girl cheered her heart out for the Dawgs at the 2 games we went to. She even made it on the Jumbotron with Bo at the UGA vs. Tend game.

Bo and Mack still hold hands when they leave the game together. I wonder how long this will continue.

My pumpkins are getting bigger every year! They even still let me get their picture at the church pumpkin patch.

Mack had a mighty K-Kids choir performance in church.

Mack has gotten a couple of personal pan pizzas for meeting his weekly AR goal at school.

Mack is not a huge fan of pumpkin carving. The pumpkin guts freak him out. Emma was torturing him with them in this picture.

Finished product of pumpkin carving

And they're off! Emma and Mack enjoyed trick or treating this year. Ellie had dance so she couldn't participate

The glow stick girl and Brock Bowers

The mileage on our Suburban hit 123456 recently - I got a new one shortly after compiling all of the pictures for this fall post.

These pictures are all out of order, but this was from our church Trunk or Treat - we had a UGA themed trunk in which you used a nerf gun to shoot down other SEC teams. I'm pretty sure our trunk was one of the most popular. Worth and I didn't get to sit the entire time we were so busy setting up the targets. Ellie got to wear her costume - the Snow Queen from the Nutcracker.