December Daily | December 16-22

Day 16 | Cornerstone Christmas play with Taylor as an ANGEL and Landon as a SHEPHERD
Day 17 | Ryland spent a sick day at Grandma's while I worked.
Day 18 | Hank and I had a date and were treated to see Cavalia. AMAZING!

Day 19 | Sunrise Montessori Christmas Program
Day 20 | Cornerstone Christmas Under the Stars
Day 21 | Visit to Deer Valley Airport to see Santa arrive
Day 22 | Drive around drinking hot cocoa and seeing the Christmas lights
 

Review | Cavalia's Odysseo

Have you ever been to a show that takes your breath away? The kind of show that you think about as you fall asleep at night or greets you the next morning with vibrant memories? That is what Cavalia did for me. I feel extremely blessed to have seen such an incredible act of artistry.

Cavalia, a company based in Montreal, Quebec, presents large-scale equestrian and performing arts productions. Its shows display expertise and innovation with cutting-edge technology, multimedia and special effects, along with equestrian and acrobatic performances. Odysseo, their second production, was launched in 2011. This second show portrays equestrian arts, acrobatics, music, multimedia projections and special effects under one Big Top. It features some 300 different costumes, 60 male horses, and 45 artists/musicians.

The show started at 8:00 pm and although I was extremely exhausted 2.5 hours later, I was thankful that my time was extremely well spent. I can't even fathom how another production can top this one. The music was phenomenal. The artists were extremely talented and even made me nervous on several occasions. And the horses were gorgeous.

I am usually a little extra sensitive to animals in regards to their show life. I wonder if the training is too tough and if they are cared for adequately. I was relieved to see the artists lovingly stroke their horse companions. The stallions and other breeds completely trusted their masters. It was a beautiful relationship to watch.

I can't wait to see what Cavalia comes up with next! Check out Cavalia's website for more information and photos.

December Daily | December 9 - 15

DAY 9 - Oliver the Elf gets in trouble
DAY 10 - Circus Americana
DAY 11 - Joe's birthday party at Peter Piper Pizza

DAY 12 - Christmas caroling at the retirement home
DAY 13 - Christmas crafts with Grandma Carol
DAY 14 - Celebrate Christmas at Phoenix First Assembly
DAY 15 - my Christmas crafts

Review | Circus Americana

Last night our family attended the very first stage perfomance for Circus Americana. The Taylor family, who are Arizona locals, put on a homegrown circus. The family is extremely talented and have quite a show packed into almost 90 minutes of entertainment. My 3-year-old was glued to the performance and wouldn't allow himself to fall asleep until the ride home.

Although the circus was missing live animals, it made up for itself in many other ways. One of the best memories from this show was that before and after the show, the entire cast was mingling with the crowd. We felt like we knew them! It made a huge impact on the kids for sure.

We feel truly blessed to be a part of their first live theater performance. I would recommend this show to anyone with children ages 3 and up.

December Daily | December 1 - 8

DAY 1 - Stillman McCormick Railroad Park (included in Week 48 layout)
DAY 2 - Desert Breeze Women's Tea to listen to my mother-in-law as the guest speaker
DAY 3 - Our Christmas tree
DAY 4 - My FIRST nativity set

DAY 5 - our Christmas lights ( better late than never)
DAY 6 - Adoption of Oliver the Elf
DAY 7 - Live Nativity
DAY 8 - Photos with Santa at Cabela's

Project Life | Week 48

Taylor and Landon had to go back to the dentist for their fillings :( They both were excellent patients. I included a couple of my favorite Instagram photos from the week as well.

This whole spread included photos of our first trip to the McCormick Stillman Railroad Park in Scottsdale. It was our last gooodbye to my Granny and a special day with special people. And the park was pretty amazing too!