September, the end of Summer, and other occurrences . . .

Jack started soccer and scored his first goal on Saturday. (Should I mention it was his third game?) It's teaching him great values like hard work, perseverance, and team work. He's a little too nice though- and always passes the ball, never keeping it to himself. He loves to tuck his shirt into his shorts, and then pull his shorts up past his hips. I really have to pick my battles, so I let that one by. Sorry fashion police. Owen, age 3 1/2, began his first co-op preschool this month where I rotate with 5 other moms, hosting it at our house. We ordered all the material on-line so all the work is done for us. Yea! I, being the nice person that I am, volunteered to host it first. It was a lot of work and I didn't even have a chance to even think to snap a photo. So, preschool photos of Owen to come . . .

But I must say, Owen is a perfectionist when it comes to coloring. He noticed one of his colleagues coloring a person's skin purple and he blurted out, "Hey! Skin isn't purple! It's peach!"

Here are the kids eating the last of our summer otter pops on the trampoline, followed by a photo of them licking pumpkin cookie dough . . . what can I say? I LOVE any excuse to make pumpkin cookies and fall was only about 20 days away.

My children love to make "dirt soup." Here are Lucy & Owen adding "spices" to the soup. And yes, that is a paint roller (minus the roller) Jack is using to stir the soup. I'm also missing numerous utensils from my kitchen. My favorite Williams-Sonoma zester literally vanished into thin air.
Here are Jack & Lucy with their friend Eden. Jack's latest imagination-game is to put car seats on my treadmill and pretend that they're, "driving to Brazil." I'll let you think about that one. Looks like Eden booked a comfy seat in the infant carrier! On a side note- I ran a half-marathon but do not have any pictures to share. I was very happy with my time and would like to thank Excedrin for giving me that extra push. Thank you Excedrin- for giving me the confidence and support I needed to finish the race!

The Hammer Incident

I was in the kitchen the other day, when Owen came running up the stairs, terrified, saying, "Lucy's trying to hit me with the hammer!"

He scurried into the pantry, shutting himself inside- still clutching his lego creation he was in the middle of making. Sure enough, Lucy came bounding into the kitchen flailing a full-size hammer that weighs just about as much as she does.

She heard Owen in the pantry and struggled to open the door with one hand, while swinging the hammer into the pantry with the other- laughing out loud the entire time.
My little angels.

Oh- and I do not recommend giving your children a home-made tool box with real tools inside. We've been learning from our mistake since Christmas morning of '07.

Jack's First Day of Kindergarten!

If you want all the details on how crazy & chaotic the first day REALLY was, then check my previous post. (This post is dedicated to Jack- and is not about his mother feeling sorry for herself since she didn't have a proper farewell with him on his first day of school. Like I said, read the previous post for more details.)

The elementary school is full, so the kindergartners are bussed from the elementary school to a special kindergarten center. The elementary school has a nice room set up for the kindergartners while they wait for the bus. There are puzzles, magnetic letters, dry erase boards, etc.

Jack acted happy and excited all morning. I knew Jack was feeling calm, relaxed, and a little too comfortable, when he decided to draw a mustache on his face with a black dry erase marker. Thanks for taking the picture Jess! At the moment, I really did NOT want to capture the moment. In hindsight, I'm so happy you took the picture. I am just grateful that it wasn't a black sharpie.

I thought it was funny that Jack, and two of his buddies- were also wearing brown shirts and khaki shorts. And here is the heart-breaking picture. This is last time I saw my first-born, before he officially began the LONG academic road ahead of him. It's a long and arduous journey. I'm nervous for him, excited for him, and scared for him- all at the same time. I get that sick feeling in the pit of my stomach, when I think of all the schooling ahead of him. Regardless of my feelings, school is an experience that will strengthen him and build character. Good luck Jack! We love you and know that you'll succeed at anything you committ yourself to.

Meg's First Day of Kindergarten Chaos!

On Thursday, Sept 4 Jack began his first day of afternoon kindergarten. The bus was 25 minutes late, which then in turn made him about 20 minutes late for his first day of kindergarten. Welcome to kindergarten- you're twenty minutes late! Don't worry, it gets worse.

The elementary school is too crowded, so all the kindergartners are bused to a special kindergarten center. Once the bus picked up Jack (@ the elementary school), I hopped in my car and sped towards the kindergarten center. I was planning on greeting him when he stepped off the bus, and then walking him to his classroom. I had pictured in my mind the perfect farewell to my oldest child starting school.

That's when things turned upside down. I wasn't thinking clearly, since my two other children were at a sitter's house and I was already running really late. I HATE being late- especially when I am inconveniencing other people. So, I thought I was taking a shortcut, when in reality, I had forgotten about a road block a few blocks from the kindergarten center! In a nutshell, I wasn't there to greet Jack when he stepped off the bus. When I finally reached the kindergarten center, the bus was already back on the street headed towards its next destination . . . late, no doubt.

As I drove to my friend's house to pick up my other kids, the sadness sunk in. I wasn't there to walk him to his classroom and give him a hug. I later found out that as soon as the kids stepped off the bus, they were rushed into class since the buses were so late. Moms that were there hardly even had a chance to say good bye. This gave me a TINY bit of comfort, but I was still utterly devastated.

I couldn't help but cry when I reached the sitter's house to pick up my other kids. I hadn't even gotten a chance to really say goodbye. On top of that- things were so crazy for him! The buses were sooooo late, which then made him sooooo late for his first day. I was a wreck. So later that afternoon I treated myself to a large diet soda and three items off the Taco Bell menu. I felt much better afterwards.

Jack returned home from school as if he'd done it a million times. So obviously he didn't feel the same way. In fact, he feels he already knows the school system so well. When I apologized for not being there to walk him to his classroom, he said, "They wouldn't have even let you." As if to say, "you wish you could come into my classroom- as if!"

Raspberries

A few weeks ago I took my kids to a local U-pick farm. That's one thing I totally missed out on when I was growing up in Arizona- there are NO U-pick farms in the desert . . . only botanical cactus gardens and red rock canyons.My kids were enthralled with the idea of picking berries. However, when it came down to it- they just wanted to pick a few and go home. Right after I snapped this photo, Lucy dumped all my hard earned raspberries onto the muddy ground! About 3/4ths of the raspberries were destroyed as I hand-shoveled them back into the bucket. Good thing I was planning on using them for jam. (Now I know why a dozen raspberries cost $4 at the grocery store, "fragile" is an understatement.)

My friend Jessica R. laughed when I told her how many raspberries I picked. So we went together early the next morning and did some serious picking of both raspberries AND basil. Now I have frozen jam and home-made pesto sitting in my freezer, waiting to be eaten in the brutal winter months that lay ahead. Aren't you jealous?

Another great season . . .

The Shock finished up their third season on August 25th, with the Arena Cup Championship. Although we lost the Arena Cup, we had an amazing season. We only lost one game all year . . . well, two if you count the championship game. Despite the sad loss, we won our Division Championship. I love this picture I took on the field after the Division Championship game:Back to the Arena Cup . . . it was a sad end to a great season. Hopefully, it only made the fans hungrier. I know I am! Adam had the greatest attitude. If a team can beat us in our own, sold-out stadium with all that crazy noise and pressure- then all the power to them! It was a close, exciting, tense game and Tennessee Valley won by a two-point coversion.

One of the benefits of hosting the Arena Cup, was that we were able to attend a banquet at the landmark Davenport Hotel. It was built in 1914. It's beautiful and has tons of framed, old pictures hanging in the hotel- from the early 1900's. I felt like I was temporarily transported back in time. Anyway, here we are with the other original owners of the team:

The Nelsons and the Enloes are both great friends of ours. We have a blast together attending the games. We've grown close to both families. I feel so blessed to live near such dear, life-long friends.It was a risky decision when Adam gave up his law career to pursue a career involved with sports. But I have no regrets. Heavenly Father has blessed us tremendously. We LOVE our ward, our neighborhood, our community, my in-laws who live ten minutes away, our friends, our home. We are healthy, together, and have the most supportive friends & family. What more could a person ask for? We are blessed.

Introducing Weeze

You're probably thinking we just bought a new dog . . . WRONG. A few weeks ago, the kids were playing in the front yard and the front door was wide open. I was on my computer when I heard the tinkling of a dog's collar going down my stairs. I ran downstairs to discover Weeze, curiously sniffing around our basement.

I assume this dog lives on our street since he has made numerous appearances in our yard . . . and in our home.

He has very good manners and is very gentle with the kids. Lucy is obsessed with dogs. She has a blast with him. So I sort of feel like we have the best of both worlds. I don't have to feed or clean-up anything. Yet Weeze will stop by every once in a while to play with the kids.