Forget catching up......

....I'm just going to start from here! The summer was crazy and fun, as has been the first part of the school year! E ran a great campaign for Student Council officer, and though she didn't win, she was awesome! K is coming along well on her trumpet (I can actually recognize songs now) and her flute playing is more beautiful than ever. S absolutely LOVES school and is reading all the time.

E's Halloween costume has been made, S's was bought, and K is making hers in a class I am teaching on Mondays at the middle school after school with the CFS teacher. I am having way too much fun with that!! S and E are well into their soccer seasons and K and Blue are beginning to understand each other better. They are most definitely 100% attached to each other!

We had our first good snow last weekend, and the kids had a blast in it! I took pics from inside the house because it was WAY too cold out there for me! I am determined to keep this current now, so soccer and horse pics coming soon!!

End of School

I can't believe that school is already out for the summer! And I can't believe that my baby has graduated from kindergarten!! Where did the time go? The last 2 weeks of school were filled with band concerts, choir concerts, field days and graduations. Whew! K was voted the most improved band geek of the 6th Grade Intermediate Band. I'm not sure if that is a good thing, or a bad thing? Just kidding!! Way to go, K! E loved singing in the Eagle Crest 4th grade choir and ate up the attention at the concerts. S was quite excited on graduation day, but I think it was just because school was over! He and his buddies were adorable in their little red caps. You know, it would be a lot easier on us moms if they didn't play that little graduation tune every time!! It really brings on the tears when they march in like that! It was quite funny watching the girls give their teachers hugs as they got their diplomas, and the boys gave them a very official handshake! I'm tired just typing all of this again! Now on to swim lessons, summer band, honor band practice, soccer clinic, sleep-overs, pool time, horse shows, trips, company (please come see us!!).......

When does school start again?

Last Days of Soccer

Well, the spring soccer season has finally wrapped up -- with some chilly and damp days!! E's first season in inter-league play went well considering the girls were moved up 2 levels. They were used to winning every game on the rec league, though, and weren't very excited about losing half of their games this season! They have all come amazingly far in their soccer skills and it is so much fun to watch them play. They work very hard out there!!!




S and his team did very well this season to thanks to an awesome coach! Unfortunately, the teams split into boys and girls in the fall and the coach will go with his daughter. Bummer!! Now we have to find another good coach!S had so much fun playing and we loved to watch him as he did his little run-hop thing all over the field. Not to mention when it was his turn to kick the ball in he would back up a mile to make sure he got a good running start! Even better was when he would totally miss the ball after all that preparation! Well, on to horse show season!

Easter

Easter was, once again, cold and drizzly, so the family picture was taken inside. It didn't, however, deter the kids from hunting for eggs!

The day before, they colored eggs with Grandma. After church they headed outside to find them. The Easter Bunny got a little carried away with the hiding of eggs, as the kids had to climb on things to get them! We actually just found one a couple of days ago! It was fun to celebrate Easter with Grandma and Grandaddy in town! I would love to have more pictures to share, but since it was cold and rainy I sent the camera outside with D. Need I say more?

E Favorite Season.....

Soccer!! This year E moved up to interleague play and she was so excited!! The best part? She gets to have a number!! Number 5, to be exact. No more pink socks and sweet spots on the shoes -- we must look professional! She loves her new green uniform and the hair ribbon that one of the moms made for all of the girls. The jumped up two divisions this year and had quite the rude awakening at their first game! They lost but they played hard! E is getting very serious about her soccer play. She runs laps on the track and in the back yard for conditioning. She also studies her book of soccer skills quite often!! I think there might be quite a bit of soccer in our future!! Play on, E!

Growing Way Too Fast!

My baby boy is now 6 years old! I can't believe it!! He is such a joy and so much fun! S decided to have a bowling party for his birthday, too. Having 8 little boys bowling together is quite the experience! Thankfully, there was no one in the lane next to us to get upset when some of the balls were thrown over the bumpers. S had a blast with all of his friends and loved his Star Wars cake with the light-up light-sabers! As you can see from the picture, he was quite excited over the new game for his DS. I was thrilled to add more Legos to the growing and spreading collection in our house! He is such an awesome kid and quite the partier! Happy birthday, sweet S!!!!!!

Way behind......

Yes, I am the world's worst mom. I am so far behind on the blog that I still haven't wished my sweet E a Happy Birthday -- which was February 21!!!!! So here it is .....


Happy 9th Bday, E!!!!! I should have taken a picture of the countdown to her birthday that she had on her white board for the last month. She even put one on K's! On her birthday, she had her last ski lesson (during which she skied double black diamonds and loved it!) Someone is going to have to volunteer to ski with her because I don't do blacks of any kind! The next day she had an awesome party at the bowling alley and even managed to bowl a strike! There was lots of giggling, squealing, and goofiness among the 12 girls. E's favorite gift was the real dolphin that two of her friends adopted for her. We had a blast watching her enjoy being the center of attention! What an awesome, incredible little girl God has blessed us with!! Love you, E!!!!

Mr. Fix-it

As I was walking up the stairs last night, I noticed a lot of scotch tape on the top and bottom of one of the spindles on the stairs. Upon further investigation, I realized that the tape was indeed holding the spindle in place. Hmm. The girls both claimed innocence, so that left only one suspect, and he was already sound asleep. D and I couldn't wait to hear this one! The next morning, I saw S coming down the stairs and he stared right at the place the broken spindle used to be. Caught him! I asked what happened and he said he was sliding down the stairs head first on his back. He grabbed the spindle to slow himself down and it came loose. While trying not to laugh, I asked if it hurt and he said 'nope'. I assumed it happened sometime while his friend J was here, so I asked if it was his idea to tape it up (which I thought was pretty smart for a 5 yr old!). He said J wasn't here -- I taped it. You should have seen the tape job!! It was quite thorough! I was thinking all this time that I might need to keep a closer eye on my son, but it turns out it happened while I was gone and D was right down the hall in his office! Therefore, I too, am innocent! D looked at me and asked how it was possible that he didn't hear that happen and S said he was very quiet about it. The funniest part was how nonchalant he was about it! He just got up, assessed the situation, taped it and went on with life! I'm thinking he might be heading in the direction of an engineer! At least he'll be an honest engineer!

This and That

I figure I had better update my blog because some people get antsy when I don't. It's definitely that crazy, busy time of year! Last Thursday we got to attend K's first band concert. If you've never attended a middle school band concert, you've missed quite an interesting ordeal! They did a great job and it's so much fun to have my very own 'band geek'. I'm just glad I'm not in orchestra anymore. At K's school they call them Orchedorks!




On Saturday, the girls both had a piano recital. They were so nervous but both played their songs better than they ever have! K even got to play her flute with her teacher accompanying her. She did awesome!




Today E got to dress up as Annie Oakley and give a book report. I'm not sure Annie had hot pink cowboy boots and a turquoise hat, but E sure looked cute. D even made her a cardboard rifle!




Whew!! This Thursday E's choir performs and then on Sunday everyone from the barn is coming over for a Christmas party. Somehow at Christmas, though, the busyness isn't quite so stressful. I love it! Maybe it's the Christmas music I have playing constantly (which D is getting quite sick of) and the beautiful snow we keep getting!

What a Team!

K had her first horse show on her new pony today and they did awesome!! The weather was beautiful and it was just a schooling show, so no pressure!! Blue spooked a little bit at one point (actually, he gave her quite a ride) but she hung on and they finished great. he is such a great pony and she is totally in love! Way to go, Blue and K!!

Happy Halloween!!!

The Prairie Dog

Most of you are probably not aware that Colorado is overrun with prairie dogs, and our neighborhood seems to be a favorite spot for them. At first I thought they were cute, but I have since come to the conclusion, as have most of the non-tree-hugging Coloradans, that they are stupid, disease-carrying rodents that kill all the grass. Even my children think they are dumb and there is rarely a day that we drive to school and don't have to dog PD carnage. They run out in the middle of the road and stand up and look at your car as you bear down on them! K took it upon herself to express her opinion of the animals in a Haiku she had to write for English. I cracked up when I read it!!

Living in a hole
Stupidly perched on the rim
Waiting for a car

I'm sure that, somehow, prairie dogs in the road has something to do with nature! Nicely said, K!

Christmas in October

When K got to the barn today, there was a very cute grey pony waiting for her with a great big bow on his blanket. Yes, we finally bit the bullet and bought her a horse. Well, actually, a pony. His name is Blue, and he has belonged to her very good friend, C, for the last three years. C has outgrown him and has been very sad over the last few months about having to sell him. She was very excited to know that we were going to buy him and keep him at the barn where she can still see him. Even though she was on her own new horse today, there were lots of tears shed over turning him over to someone else.
It took K a moment to realize what was going on. When she asked why Blue was wearing a bow, I told her he was a present. Then she wanted to know whose present he was. She has had a huge smile on her face ever since we told her he was hers! He is a typical pony, typical boy, and can be quite ornery (he likes to bite!)! On the other hand, he is lots of fun and a great jumper! He and C have won lots of ribbons together. K is absolutely in love with him and, I must say, they look quite nice together! Congratulations, K!!!

Game Faces

As horse show season continues and soccer season begins, I've noticed through all of my picture taking that all three of my children have certain game faces that appear when they are totally focused on their tasks. S lets his mouth hang open and frequently sticks his tongue in his cheek.



E rolls her lips in and sticks the tip of her tongue out. She also does very weird things with her hands when she kicks the ball.


When K is on a course and totally focused, she totally relaxes her face and slightly squints her eyes. Funny how it took me so long to notice these things!! I happen to know that when D is concentrating on something, his tongue goes in and out. Makes me wonder what I look like when a volleyball is coming at me! Actually, I don't think I want to know.

Going Commando

Yes, I meant what you are thinking. First my son decides after a visit from our wonderful Texas friends that he no longer needs to sleep in a shirt -- bottoms only. I'm cool with that. Then I learn that he also does not feel it necessary sleep in undies. I can deal with that. After one of his friends had an accident over here one day before school, J became upset and didn't want to borrow any of S's underwear. He wanted his own. So I convinced him that he should just go without and his mom would bring a clean pair of his own up to the school. S proudly pulled down the back of his shorts and said Yeah, J, I'm not wearing any either! What!?! Apparently, this had become a habit -- no undies -- ever! I could not for the life of me convince the child that undies are a necessity. He claimed they were too tight and hurt his legs. So I went to my favorite store and bought him some boxers. He now thinks he is the coolest kid in the whole world and they have become his jammies -- just boxers (I must say they are the cutest little plaid things I have ever seen). Now if I could just get him to part with his boxers long enough to change them . . .

Bittersweet Day for Mom

It's that time of year again -- school and so many activities my brain goes on overdrive! Yesterday was quite a day:

At 8:00, K went off to middle school. I have a middle-schooler!!!!!!!! Yikes!! Am I really that old? Is she really that old? She wasn't ready for school to start, but was very excited about her new classes and seeing her friends again (not that we didn't see most of them all summer). She picked up the flute this summer and is very excited about going to band every day. She had to give up volleyball in order to keep up with riding, piano, and flute -- not to mention the homework load she will have this year, but doesn't seem too disappointed about it. She will also have youth activities on Wednesday nights. Whew!! I think she will be too busy to miss anything!


E started fourth grade at 9:00 today. She said she wasn't ready for school, but she was so excited about seeing all of her friends again (this is a looping year, so same friends and teacher as last year) that we could hardly contain her over the weekend! She is sad about a few friends that moved to the new school, but most of them stayed. And, even more important, she got to start the year wearing her new, oh-so-cool glasses. Yes, they are pink. Just like everything else she wears -- right down to her underwear! She starts soccer next week -- two practices a week, which makes one feel WAY more important than those that only have one practice. I'm tired, and I still have one kid to go!


My baby started kindergarten at 1:00 today. He didn't know it, but I cried all the way to school. He was so excited he drug his Speed Racer backpack around all morning and asked me every 5 minutes if it was time to go yet! He just went right in the door and didn't look back. I did get one of his very sweet hugs and kisses as he left, though. I couldn't wait until school was over to find out about his afternoon. But, guess what? He's a boy!!! There was no forthcoming of information!! What is it with the male species!? He did 'stuff'. Doesn't that sound like fun? I think he was most excited about his 2 best buddies being in his class. The three of them just look like trouble standing there!



Today had some excitement of its own. Just a bit after school started, a bear decided to make its way across the kindergarten playground and through the parking lot. Needless to say, there was no outdoor recess for the elementary or middle school. Last I heard, the police were searching a nearby neighborhood for the bear. Considering the timing and the direction of the foothills, the bear would have had to come close to our neighborhood earlier this morning. I'm glad I worked out in the basement instead of taking my morning run!! I bet I would have clocked some great times, though!

Dream Come True

Since K gets to spend almost every day with her favorite animal, and E gets drug along to all the riding lessons and shows, D thought he would make it up to her by taking her to see her favorite animal. He very much enjoyed getting to have some one on one time with E, and plans to do so with the other two in the future. I don't think he had any clue, though, how much E would enjoy being with the dolphins! They flew to San Diego where E got to meet and swim with the dolphins at Sea World. She was in heaven!!! Dolphins are her obsession and this was most definitely a dream come true for her! Here are some of the pictures of E and her time in the pool with Ripley the Dolphin.