Merry, Merry, Merry Christmas! *insert music here*

Hi everyone, it's Reese! MERRY CHRISTMAS! (Or Happy Holidays to those of you who don't celebrate Christmas) Yes, I know that I'm a day late, but I was busy with my family yesterday. Here is our family Christmas portrait for 2012:

And here is a fun little behind-the-scenes shot:

As you can most likely tell, the theme of this year's Christmas portrait was historical eras. We all chose one era to dress like, just for fun and to make a bright and merry Christmas card as well. We wanted to represent how Christmas has been through all of the ages. Nellie and Samantha represented our very own era of 2012. Isabella represented the mid-19th century. Emma, Becca, and I dressed as girls from the early 20th century.

On Christmas Day, we all awoke to the sound of what we believed to be sleigh bells on our roof. The sound was so wonderful that it couldn't have been anything else! Running downstairs, arm in arm, we saw a pile of presents under the Christmas tree! It was a truly magical Christmas morning to see the joy and excitement on the faces of my five beloved sisters. Nellie received a pair of winter boots and the newest Taylor Swift CD, Red. Samantha received a pair of new pink pointe shoes and an IOU for a summer intensive of ballet in New York for a month! Isabella received a new camera and tripod for filming...  What will she be filming? I suppose you'll just have to wait and see! Emma received a brand new set of art supplies- a brown sketch pad, new pencils (her former ones were worn down to the bone!), and a set of new paints along with some new baking supplies. Becca received a pair of pink ballet shoes and an offer to travel with Samantha to a summer intensive ballet course in June! Becca gladly accepted the offer and Samantha was delighted to share the journey was someone. I received some new clothes as well as an Apples to Apples card game.

The rest of Christmas Day was filled with excitement and fun as presents were tried out and played with. Nellie blasted her new CD on her iPod all day as she and Isabella sang together loudly. Samantha was teaching Becca the perfect pirouette as Becca helped Samantha to perfect her left split. Emma and I were in the kitchen trying to perfect a new recipe of Emma's for pecan shortbread cookies (They actually turned out quite yummy!) and making hot chocolate for everyone. By the time that bedtime hit, we all trudged upstairs to have sweet dreams of happy Christmas days.

I had a wonderful Christmas and I hope you did as well! Did you receive a present on your Christmas list?

Love,
Reese <3

Back to School at Ridgeway!

Hi everyone, it's Reese! Aveline has arrived safely, but I will do another post on that later. :)

Right now, I am typing this from our boarding school Ridgeway Academy in Washington D.C. We live very far away from Ridgeway, but we traveled here yesterday evening. I will tell you about our travels.

At the crack of dawn yesterday, we began to pack. Because we live on campus, our living space is only about the size of a small dorm. We can't bring more than what we need, as there are 6 of us including Aveline. We wear uniforms, so the only other clothes we packed were pajamas and some causal clothing. Our clothes were waiting for us when we arrived.

Yesterday we arrived at the airport at about 5 p.m. for a 6 p.m. flight. I'm sure you know all too well about the not so lovely airport security, so I won't bore you with details. On the plane, we luckily arranged for six seats together. Emma and I sat the furthest away from a window, as being up so high sometimes makes us motion sick. The plane ride was about 5 hours. I've grown much more accustomed to the take off of airplanes, but I still hate it none the less. The actual flight was very pleasant; it was very smooth and we arrived at Ridgeway around 11 p.m. Most of us had slept on the plane, so we weren't overly exhausted. Isabella and I immediately went down to the main office on campus to retrieve our room keys and uniforms. The rest of the girls waited about the campus. With bags full of uniforms and 2 room keys later, we were off to find our dorm.

When we arrived at our cozy (and surprisingly larger than last year) dorm, we immediately called mom to let her know of our arrival. We then proceeded to put away our suitcases until we had more time to unpack and went to bed. Classes begin on Wednesday, September 5. Until then, we will just be in our dorms and around campus.

Have you gone back to school yet?

Love,
Reese <3

P.S. A post of welcoming Aveline will be up soon. She is also planning a post to introduce herself to you, so stay tuned!

New clothes and spring fashions!

Hi everyone, it's Reese! Nellie and I went shopping the other day, and we got some new clothing. I got a pair of denim shorts and a yellow striped top. I love it! Nellie got a blue peasant top and the same shorts. We love the new stuff! Thank you All Dolled Up!

All of us are all dressed and ready for spring! The other day, it snowed two inches! The next day, the snow was all gone. :( That's okay though, because I love warm weather! Do you prefer snow or warm weather?

Katie is dressed in all pink!

Katie!

Anna was wearing no pink, much to her content.

Anna!

Samantha is wearing a gorgeous pink dress.

Samantha is giving up basketball for dance. Katie's been helping Samantha, and says she's a natural. Samantha does ballet, tap, jazz, and acro. Katie does the same ones, and lyrical and pointe. Katie's been dancing for 7 years, and she is only 10!

Maggie! She's always so nice. Being the oldest sister must be hard!

Maggie!

Isabella is wearing her two favorite colors. How ironic! 

Isabella!

Me! 

Me again. :)

Nellie's my best friend. :)

She looks so pretty in blue!

Family photo!




Love, 
Reese <3