Daddy's Weekly Dollop - Merry Christmas

Here are some dollops from the last week.

1) He is the reason . . .  we took the girls to the Christmas Eve service at Church.  The girls love this particular service because it ends via candlelight while the congregation sings Silent Night.

2)  Campbell is getting more and more confident with her violin playing.  She played for the family during the Christmas Eve dinner. 

3)  Christmas morning - I'm not going to lie, my girls love Christmas morning . . . absolutely love it. It's so stressful as a parent trying to make sure everything goes right for them.  This year's hit was something we thought she'd like, but not absolutely love.  Taylor Swift needs to watch out . . . 

4)  Packing up and heading to Florida - Campbell now wants to be a singing veterinarian that works on dolphins when she grows up.  The problem . . .she's never seen a dolphin.  After the movie Dolphin Tale 2, Campbell cried for days, "I want to go see Winter" (the dolphin from the movie).  Well, that's what Martha and I got her and Maggie for Christmas . . . a trip to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium to see Winter and Hope.  We left the day after Christmas (Friday) and returned Monday.  

Touching Stingrays

Winter and her prosthetic tail

The touch Winter

The girls meeting Nathan Gamble who plays Sawyer in Dolphin Tale 1 and 2

Day 2 - The Florida Aquarium

December 28 - playing outdoors at the aquarium's water park

Watching the sun set over the water . . . on the east coast.

5) While it was mostly Campbell who wanted to see the dolphin, the trip seemed to be made for Maggie . . .

Daddy's Weekly Dollop

Greetings,
As we make our final preparations for Christmas, which is just a few days away, I stop to reflect on the things from last week that stood out.

1) Campbell is a violinist - Campbell just started playing the violin in August.  We found an instructor, Casey Mink, that is new to the area and he teaches using the suzuki method.  Campbell attended his violin camp over the summer (just might be a bonus picture of the week) and she loved it.  Campbell's always been interested in the violin.  Anyway, her first recital was this past week.  Here are a few pictures and video from the event:

Campbell and her instructor Casey Mink

Here are links to her two songs:  Solo & Group

2)  My Little Street Performer - Prior to the performance, Campbell has been too embarrassed to play her violin for anyone.  After the performance, well that's a different story.  Her recital was a confidence boost for her.  After the recital, her Nana and Pop took us out to dinner to this little restaurant with just a few customers.  The waitress asked her if she'd play.  She agreed.  She played her song for everyone.  After that, she said, "I want to play outside so everyone can hear me."  So we took her outside . . . then we might have posed her for a picture.

3) The weekly adventures of Tinker Bell:

4) 'Tis the Season - It's that time of the year that I begin making cookies for everyone.  This year's total came to 240 cookies.

I might have made just 1 special cookie for me

5) It's been 10 wonderful  years of marriage to my beautiful wife Martha.  We celebrated this milestone with a weekend trip to Charleston.  

My beautiful wife . . .  10 years ago.

My gift to Martha - an artist drew Martha's wedding dresss

The dress framed

We arrived at the Mills House - selfie infront of the Christmas tree

On Friday, we went to the movies and the fire alarms went off.  We evacuated and took a selfie in front of the fire truck

   

Us before we got a pedicure

I'm shocked that they didn't have slippers to fit me . . .  I'm sure I'm not the only person who wears a size 17.

My beautiful wife - celebrating 10 wonderful years with many more to come.

Weekly Bonus - as promised, here is Campbell at violin camp from this summer:

one tissue box violin (complete with a paint stir) - this is where it all started 

Daddy's Weekly Dollop

Here's a look back at five things that stood out during the previous week, including a 6th bonus event.

1) The latest adventures of Tinker Bell:

2)  Lowes Build to Grow Clinic - The girls and I love heading to Lowes each month to build their newest toy.  This month, it was a Santa Train.

3) Each year, Stafford Park in Rock Hill has a two day showing of the lights in their neighborhood.  Each house in the neirhbhnood is decorated and theirs a voting contest for the best house.  It's been a tradition of ours for about 3 years to go visit the Christmas Lights at Stafford Park.  Here is our favorite house (on the left):

4)  The girls and I had a nice time at Baxter's Winter Festival.  Here's Maggie being  . . . well Maggie.

5)  We took a long overdue trip to visit my grandmother.  The last time we were there was two years ago.  The girls love visiting her.  This year they got a special treat . . . a visit from my uncles (who they have never met).  My uncles were great with the girls and it was a day that they will never forget.

Grandma reading with Maggie (it's a book that she gave Maggie for Christmas)

The girls giving Grandma her present  . . . a picture of the family. 

The girls and my uncle Bill.  

Maggie really wanted a picture with Grandma

Uncle Don . ... hasn't changed since I was a kid . . .  I'm sure if we had cell phone cameras back then, there would be a picture of he and I like this.

The girls loved playing with Uncle Don

My attempt and getting these three to stay still long enough for a picture.

Maggie doing what Maggie does . . . 

I think the girls had a blast.

Bonus Material . . .  I sent Campbell to kindergarten (first day a school)  a Gamecock, but once she discovered that Clemson colors included purple, she came home a Tiger.  I think one of her most favorite sport-related day was when she got to meet the Clemson volleyball team (they were playing Winthrop at Winthrop).