Toothless Wonder

All Amelia will want for Christmas is her two front teeth. Too funny!

Halloween

If you had told me 20 years ago how much I would enjoy being a mom, I would have laughed. Simple things like carving pumpkins becomes a new exploration with the kids. We made an ooey gooey mess, and we had loads of fun. Life is truly good.

The Truth About Getting Married

So, our family went to my friend Jackie's wedding tonight. What follows is the dialogue between Luke and Derek as they were walking to the car:

"Dad, whose birthday was it?"

"It wasn't a birthday; it was a wedding."

(pause)

"Then why did they get presents?"

"Because you get presents when you get married."
"Why?"

"It's just the way it is."

(pause)
"Why did they get married?"
"Because they love each other."

"Oh."

(pause)

"Do you have to get married when you love each other?"

"No, but it's the only way you get presents."

Boys of Summer

Have I mentioned how much I love living so close to a minor league ball park? This is just the ultimate easy family summer fun. The berm (lawn) seats are almost free, the kids watch or run around or play and climb in the rec area, the grown-ups enjoy a dog and a beer, and everyone enjoys the sunshine.

School has started, and these days are running out. I'm already looking forward to next summer.

Summer Soccer Fun

So, Luke and Amelia went through one more soccer camp before the summer ended. They had a blast, and both of them were sad to see it end. I didn't mind so much, as each day hit triple digits in temperature. Although they played in the morning, it was awfully hot. I did see a big improvement from the first camp in June. We will have to squeak out some time during the school year for them to keep playing.

Beach Blanket Bingo

Okay, so I haven't blogged in a bazillion days. Been pretty busy. Most recently, went to Gulf Shores, AL with my dad, stepmom, Gram, and nephew. It was awesome to see white sand again, instead of the brown we get here in TX. Now I gotta catch up and fill in the rest of my summer . . .

Graduation Ceremony Highlights

I am finally learning how to do this on a machine that isn't a Mac! Yay! These are a few highlights from Amelia's kindergarten graduation. It's really more on Greg Whitfield, her teacher, than on her, because: one, I didn't have a ton of footage that didn't have a bunch of other kids from her class, thus making me skittish about posting it, and two, Greg is quite a character and the best teacher ever according to my daughter.
The T-shirt was a gift from the kids to Mr. Whitfield. The Homeroom Mom, who presented him with the shirt, worked with the kids to make it, and each one signed the back. The song that they sang together was one of a great number of songs, but that one in particular could be heard nearly daily as the class entered the cafeteria for lunch. Greg recorded a CD of children's songs called Alphasongs, and his more adult music can be found on gregwhitfield.net. I'm sure that he wouldn't mind the plug.
Enjoy!

Soccer Week

Welcome to week one of the "Summer Sampler Platter," the set of nine weeks when Luke and Amelia get to try loads of new things a dab at a time to see what they like. This week, the sport of choice is soccer (although Amelia is also getting a sneak peek at gymnastics, but more on that another time).

They are enrolled in soccer camp through Challenger Sports, an organization that imports Brits for the week to impart their wisdom of the craft to our American youths. The coaches stay with host families and teach soccer to various age groups throughout the day. Older kids and teens have the option of half day or full day camps, and the younger kids have shorter lessons. Amelia spends 90 minutes during each of the five days with 4- and 5-year-olds, and Luke gets 60 minutes each day with other 3-year-olds.

Coach Rob and Coach Jenny have been teaching the five and under crowd. Luke's group works on fun games designed to introduce ball control and dribbling. I was surprised to see that this is apparently a tough concept - my own child continued to pick up the ball and run with it the first day. He also falls down a lot (check out those knees!). They do a variation of "Mother, May I?" where the Big Bad Wolf allows the Piggies to take a number of steps (kicking the ball forward and then stepping on it), and then chases them for dinner. They have introduced a number of games such as this, that clearly teach a skill and yet engages the kids. I have been truly impressed with the variety of activities and VERY patient nature of the coaching staff.

Amelia's team plays some of the same games as the younger team, with additional activities that have more difficult and involved criteria. They also tack on a thirty minute scrimmage at the end of practice. Amelia told me after the first day that she didn't think that it would be as much fun as it is. That's a good thing, I think.

The Graduate

Amelia graduated from Kindergarten! After a ceremony in their classroom, the entire grade paraded through the school while the kids in the older grades cheered and clapped - it's an annual tradition at our school. She is quite excited to officially be a first grader.

The Riverwalk

We all trucked down to San Antonio this weekend to meet up with some old friends from Georgia. It was HOT, but temperatures were a bit cooler down at the Riverwalk. We hopped on and took a river cruise before having dinner at Casa Rio. Luke was very excited to be on the boat, but of course his favorite part of the cruise was looking at the duckies. Amelia absorbed every bit of trivia that the guide dished out, and Evelyn enjoyed the goldfish. This would not be the fish in the river, but rather the Pepperidge Farm variety. She also threw back some beans and rice at dinner, but I think she felt the ambiance was rather useless. *Sigh.*

School's Out!

Ah, Alice Cooper. Every year, I sing your anthem.

Look At Those Petals!

Amelia finished her first year of Girl Scouts this week. She earned the center and each of the petals on the front of her vest throughout the year. The center represents memorizing the Girl Scout Promise, and each petal represents a character trait from the Girl Scout Law (honest and fair, respectful to authority, a sister to every girl scout, and so on). She also received her Membership Star (under the numbers) for her year of service.

On the back of her vest, she has patches for the fun activities she did this year. She marched in a parade at the Dell Diamond (home of the minor league team Round Rock Express), went to camp, used science and technology to design her own t-shirt and make her own lotion, and participated in the tradition Girl Scout Thinking Day and Daisy Fun Day, among other things. She has one more to add for the Daddy/Daughter Bowling day.

She has one more year as a Daisy before she bridges to Brownies. We have both had a blast with all of the things she has done this year, and she made a slew of friends. She can't wait for first grade to begin in the fall.

Just 'Cause . . .

You haven't seen Evie in a while. She's 16 months today. She's into mischief and can take a tumble and keep on going. She will no longer tolerate being carried to the car -- she has to walk herself. She can keep up with the big kids, and if she can't, she'll release a piercing shriek that makes them stop in their tracks (and then she can catch up).

'Atta girl.

Ponyboy Luke

Luke's school held pony races. I put together the pony the night before, even though I had known it was coming up for several days. While I was sewing, Luke kept just barely sticking his tongue out of his mouth. When I asked him what he was doing, he replied, "I'm an anteater." My friend who was visiting and I absolutely cracked up.

The same friend teased me that of course I had to make his pony instead of just buying one at a store. Honestly, the thought never even occured to me, although it probably would have been less of a headache. Also, Luke's pony probably would have looked more like a pony and less like an anteater (and as you can plainly see in the photo, it obviously does). I think he had fun with it, though.

From Derek -

So I asked Amelia after bath "Tomorrow is Mother's Day. What should we do for mom?" She smiled and leaned into my ear, whispering excitedly she said "We should get up early tomorrow before mom wakes up and go to the doughnut store - she would like that very much." About an hour later as I kissed her goodnight: She again whispers "If I am still sleeping in the morning, wake me up so I can pick out some clothes and go with you." She drifted off to sleep with thoughts of chocolate covered doughnuts with sprinkles - because tomorrow's all about Mom.

Finally!

We are finally making progress with getting all three in the same photo. Here are the best of today's efforts.

Happy Easter!

Good Friday Egg Hunts

Amelia and I had the day off, but the preschool was hosting egg hunts, so the "littles" went to school. Evie brightened up her smile -- the biggest I've seen in a while -- and Luke, with his Pajama Day attire, was an old pro.

Another Marathoner in the Family

Amelia finished her final mile of her 26.2 as a part of the Marathon Kids program. Elementary school kids run or walk the total milage over a few months and keep track of their distance. The final lap is part of a regional celebration, and the kids who complete it receive a medal and a T-shirt for their efforts.

When she finished, she asked me, "Do I have to do this again next year?" and I answered, "No, it's up to you -- it's your choice."

Then she asked, "Will I still get the medal?"

"No, you have to go the miles to get the medal."

"Oh. Hmm, I have to think about it."

When we went to lunch to celebrate her afterwards, she placed her medal on the table in a very obvious way. She told the host, "I will sit here, where my Marathon Kids medal is. I earned that today." Peanut certainly has her eyes on the prize.

Daddy Daughter Dance

Last weekend, Derek escorted Amelia to the annual Daddy Daughter Dance. Amelia had to work all week to earn being able to paint her nails red (a color never before allowed). I also curled her hair for the first time, and she absolutely LOVED getting all dolled up. She didn't know where she was going, but she new that Derek was taking her somewhere.

As she was getting dressed, she decided that she probably shouldn't go to Ready, Set, Play (a place with inflatables) in her fancy clothes. Then Derek came downstairs in his suit and tie and Amelia was absolutely beside herself.

At the Dance, Amelia met up with a few of her friends from school. Derek said that the girls danced together and the dads looked at each other as if to say, "What now?" Some of the pictures he took were reminicent of middle school dances, but they were precious.

Boy Time

Last week, Derek told me that he wanted to devote some time during the weekend for just Luke and him. Unfortunately, Luke caught a bug and stayed home from school on Friday. I didn't think that it was the kind of bonding time Derek was looking for, though, as he was the one to stay with him.

By Saturday, Luke was feeling a little better and his fever was down. Derek was adamant about taking Luke out that night. I was a little worried, but Derek assured me he would be warm and bundled. I figured I was being a bit overprotective, and it was obviously important to Derek, so I let it go. As they were getting ready to go, Derek began to get itchy to leave and I began to get suspicious. When I asked where they were going or what they would be doing, the answer was that they were having boy time. No details beyond that were disclosed.

The girls and I hung out at the house. After I got them settled down and in bed, the boys still had not returned. Finally, at 9:45, I called to find out what was up. Derek answered his cell, and I had a hard time hearing him with the background noise. Luke got on the phone and said, "There is a red and white truck and it flipped over and the little people got out." I blinked, and then asked him to repeat himself. He did, with a slightly more exasperated tone. Then Derek got back on the phone. This time, when I asked where they were, I had a good guess. Derek confirmed that yes, they were at a monster truck show.

When they returned home, Luke's eyes were absolutely glazed over with excitement. He crashed in bed, not even wanting to take out the ear protectors that Derek had him wear. Several days later, he was still jabbering animatedly about it. Amelia was slightly affronted that she didn't get to go, but was assured that she would get some special Dad time the following weekend.