Grateful!

As I reflect on the past week, we packed a lot in!  Our first snow (and snowman!) arrived on Wednesday, which is always fun.  The novelty wears off during the winter, but the first snowfall makes everyone want to go out and play!  Matt and the kids built a huge snowman, which is still standing.

Thankfully the roads were cleared up the next day when we left for Hartford, CT for the New England Regional Irish Dance competition (Oireachtas).  Evie was honored to be invited to this competition, and we went in without any expectations, but just to gain the experience of being there.  It was held at the Hartford Convention Center, which was enormous!  Evie was pretty excited to be part of such a big event, and she brought her best dancing to the stage.  It seems a little crazy to do all this preparation, and then her dancing is done in less than 2 minutes, but we feel like she learned a lot by working toward this goal.  We were especially proud of her poise on stage in front of 5 judges and a room full of spectators!  The icing on the cake was that Evie finished in the top half of the dancers, which meant that she received a trophy on stage at the awards ceremony.  She was so, so happy!

While we were in Hartford, we received the tragic news that one of Evie's classmates had died in a car accident.  We actually drove past the car accident on I89 on our way to CT, without knowing it was an Essex family.  It was shocking to realize the connection, and all we could do was pray for the family, and give thanks for our own safe travels over the weekend.  Our hearts and prayers continue to be with their family.

Evie and her friend Ella with their awesome teacher, Miss Beth

It was a long afternoon of waiting for results!  They didn't announce the results until all competitions were done for the day.

Both girls were so happy when they found out they were in the top half!

Awards Ceremony - Evie is on the right side in hot pink

Hartford, CT

A sunny morning in Hartford

Very sleepy after a busy weekend!

Noah had a great time at home with Grandma and Grandpa, and then we returned in time to celebrate Grandma's birthday on Saturday night with the family.  We love Grandma so much, and wish we had been able to spoil her even more since she is always taking care of us!

We ended the weekend with an unexpected concert right here in Essex.  American Authors, a band that the kids love, was playing a mile from our house, so we couldn't pass up the opportunity to enjoy some live music!  They were fantastic performers, and if you haven't heard their music, you should check them out!

There is so much to be thankful for this week, especially our friends and family.  Wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving!