Homework time, new table

This table was my Christmas present from Brad last year. The buyer's remorse was just too much at the time and I canceled the order. Several months later, I was finally able to allow myself to receive such a gift and it makes me so happy whenever I see it. I have a small fetish with kitchen tables. Something about the nourishment and gathering that occurs there. It feels like the heart of a home to me. La da da, enough about tables. Caleb wants in on all the homework action. He LOVES to have a pen/pencil and paper.

Funny Kate

One morning at breakfast, Annie brought up the subject of dinosaurs and asked, "What happened to them? Where did they all go?" Katie gasped and opened her big, blue eyes wide and said, "The zoo took them."

I was pretty frustrated with Katie after helping her clean up her tenth big mess in one day, and I was sulking a bit because she didn't seem to feel all that bad about it. All of the sudden, she runs over to me and throws her arms around my neck and says in her cheeriest voice, "Time for a hug!"

Competition

Apparently, I'm a little competitive. I know, I know, those of you who know me well will disagree. . .you'd say, I'm VERY competitive. I just think when you play, you should play hard and try to win. I guess the coach seems to think it's all about giving everyone an equal chance to play and having a good time, or something.

This morning, I was feeling put out because every time Annie went in she was up against a giant Polynesian boy twice her size. And the coach didn't strategize ever so slightly and put some of our better players in at the same time against this team's colossal all-boy-line-up. The kids on our team started to give up when they saw this one kid in particular coming. Once Polynesian boy had the ball, it was all over. No one could beat him.

Annie was getting frustrated too. She'd been chasing him up and down the field and then, when she almost had a goal, Goliath plowed her over and took the ball down and scored on his side. At that, she finally boiled over and walked up to him, folded her arms and stuck her tongue out. Good sportsmanship, I know. Well, I hate to admit how proud I was of her when the next time she was in she fought her way down the field with this big boy bearing down and pushing her and didn't give up and scored against him. It was a big victory. Play hard! Never give up!

These pictures are from her last Saturday game.









Go team!

Flying

Annie has fallen in love with her bike. She's gone back and forth with training wheels for the summer and then at the end of the summer, her next-door-neighbor friends, Ashton and Connor, encouraged her to try again. Ashton held the back of her bike and Connor shouted helpful tips. Nothing like a little peer influence to get this girl going. This last month she's gotten GOOD and everyday when she gets home from Kindergarten she pays homage to her "two-wheeler". The freedom of learning to balance on a bike and ride really fast feels a little like flying, don't you think.

Happy Birthday, Beth!

We hope you've been applying your "sparkly" present liberally and often.

Sleepy Baby

When is the last time you've been this tired?

That you've fallen asleep in the middle of your peanut butter and jelly?

Shocking

Last Friday, Katie and I went to the mall and got her EARS PIERCED! Spur-of-the-moment like. I'm pretty sure that it is one of the most shocking things I have ever done. My family, and I think Brad's too, had the girls wait until they were 16 before they could get there ears pierced. I don't know where you went wrong, Mom and Dad. Katie was just so determined and sure that she wanted it done. I kept asking her, "Are you sure you want to do this? You can change your mind." "No, I want my ears pierced," she kept telling me. Even through her few tears afterward, she was smiling and hopping on our way back through the mall out to our car. What a all-things-pink-and-sparkly girl! We had to have a complete makeover that day as she also announced that she wanted me to cut her hair short like mine. I think she looks darling.

Little Miss Independence

My just barely turned three-year-old started preschool last week. It always seems whenever I go to let them go, I realized how young they still are. She's still just my baby. I thought this little sweetie would have a hard time going by herself to preschool but her first morning as I was fixing the girls hair, Katie announced, "I'm going all by myself. No one is coming with me!" And then pointing to each of us in turn, she looked us in the eyes and said, "not you, not you, and not you." Well, little miss independence. Preschool is her thing and she is owning it! It's been so good for her to have her own school and her own teacher.