Hellllllooooooo

As Facebook and other social media outlets take over there seems to be a general downward trend in blog land... or at least a number of the blogs that I visit... as well my own personal blog. While it is far too easy to overlook the blog, truth is that I miss it. Or rather, I miss looking back at the memories. In order to be able to look back at the memories I must first jot them down.

Like starting the mower the first time of the season, it may take a couple of attempts. I make no promises, but I hope that I can blog more than once a year. :) So here we go!

The kids. Surprise, surprise, they are doing awesome! Truth is, they make this parenting gig pretty easy and I feel so blessed to be their mom. As kids do, they are growing like weeds. The girls are quickly turning into young adults. Spencer hit a winter long growth spurt and (shhhh) we believe he is officially taller than Abby. It's not been a huge deal around our house because truth is; he is going to be taller than all of us before we know it!

They all are thoroughly enjoying school. The girls have hit the magical year where they can become involved in numerous clubs... Student Council, BLAST Club, Tiger Explorers, Golden Sower Club, Sandoz Singers, and Orchestra. I often wonder how often they are IN class.

Their extracurricular activities keep us going on weeknights and weekends. We're enjoying a nice break in activities at the moment as the girls just wrapped up their 2nd winter swim season. Over the past year they had some really cool opportunities to meet and swim with Olympic swimmers Josh Davis & Kathleen Hersey. Most recently they had an opportunity to meet Kim Vandenberg as well. We're all really looking forward to attending the Olympic Swim Trials that will be held locally.

Abby has continued to show interest in basketball and recently tried out for a feeder team through our high school. We'll know soon if she made the cut or not... I'm not sure what we are hoping for. :) Ellie is super geared up for Triathlons and is anxiously awaiting the opportunity to participate over the summer. Both Abby & Ellie also had an opportunity to apply to join the XYZ Club (youth volunteer club) at our amazing Zoo and were selected. We get to find out more about this commitment very soon!

I think I also managed to skip blogging during the period where Abby managed to break her left arm/wrist then like 6 months later break her right arm/wrist. Upside... we now have an Orthopedic that we really like! Both incidents happened at times where we would have otherwise taken family photos. Needless to say, we still need to get "official" portraits taken.  Bubble wrap, anyone?

Spencer is really enjoying his school year as well. He has really blossomed into an amazing reader and he totally loves all things math.  His class was selected to participate in the Classroom Champions program given them the opportunity to hang out with Olympic swimmer Kim Vandeberg.  We're also enjoying a small break in his activities as his basketball season recently came to an end and baseball hasn't "officially" started... except that pre-season clinic we offered him. The dad of one of his basketball buddies was trying hard to recruit him to play in their soccer league this spring. Thankfully we came to our senses and opted out of that opportunity given the number of baseball games he will be playing. Perhaps fall soccer is a more likely option.

One of the coolest things, I think, is that they all are significantly more involved in Church. Not only are we physically attending more, but they truly have a vested interest in their involvement. It's been amazing to witness this unfold and to know that it is their thing, their desire. There are some really cool opportunities coming up this summer. I think it is safe to say that we are all excited about them.

Now onto the parents...

Carie continues to be a rock star at the "SAHM" gig in addition to providing childcare to the twins she has cared for the past (nearly) 9 years AND is in her 2nd academic year working as a Paraprofessional within our school district. She is a mom of many hats and wears them all quite well. She is also rockin’ this Pinterest thing and has discovered some delicious recipes that have received thumbs up from our kids.

For my day job, I continue to work outside the home as an IS Project Manager. Exciting, eh?

I'm thrilled that I was also given the opportunity to help coach our swim team this past season. It was a really cool opportunity and I'm looking forward to future seasons! I continue to be quite involved at school and am wrapping up my 3rd and final year as PTA President. While I've had a great experience in this role, Carie and I agree that term limits are a good thing. :) I was quickly reminded that I would be available to serve in another capacity and have been asked to be the PTA Treasurer. Time to shift hats! I'm also thrilled to have the honor in participating on an "under the radar" committee forming through leaders within our school district... I don't even know if we have an official name. LOL I am constantly blown away by the support and dedication our allies provide to ensure GLBT equality. This group is certainly all that and more. It would be really cool to be able to witness the movement and success of this group as our kids grow within this district.

Seasonal Change

Spring is upon us and it feels GOOD. I'm hoping for a good rain this weekend to help wash away all the dirt and brown lingering from winter.

Daylight Savings Time can bite me; I think I speak for my whole family when I say that. While we have enjoyed the sun hanging out later into the evening, we're all dragging this week. Our first colds of the season aren’t helping any. However after seeing the latest pollen count I'm wondering if we are suffering from allergies rather than a run of the mill cold.

We also kicked off our regional practice schedule this week. Certainly these (kid less) coaches have no idea what crappy timing this is. Sure, it is necessary and I'm sure they are also feeling the effects of the time change. But it's a whole new ball game when kids are involved. So for a few weeks we've got swim team practice on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday & Saturday... intense! I'm thankful this isn't our regular schedule... yet.

I'm also very thankful that Basketball season, for all three kids, is over. It was great fun while it lasted but juggling those additional practices and games with our swim schedule was a bit much.

This intense swim schedule leads up to the big Regional Swim Meet in Minneapolis. Abby qualified to go to regionals. It is a huge honor and accomplishment to do so, particularly your first year, so of course we are going. Unfortunately Ellie didn't quite qualify. She was super close and super disappointed because it was so important to her. The interesting thing about all this is that swimming is a really big deal to Ellie. This is "her thing" and Abby really just jumped in for the ride. Ellie really pushes herself while Abby takes a more laid back approach... their personalities totally shining through.

While Abby was beyond thrilled to qualify for regionals, it really wasn't a big deal for her. She's recently commented that she'll be okay if she doesn't get a ribbon (or whatever their awards are) at regionals. At first I'm thinking whoa, wait a minute. But then I got to thinking about it more. We've been preaching all season long about doing your best, having fun, and being proud of that. She's practicing hard. She's very excited to go swim at regionals. She wants to do her best. But if her best doesn't earn her an award, she's okay with that. I think that is way cool and a very healthy approach. While I'll be the parent screaming in the bleachers as she is swimming (even though she can't hear a thing), I won't be the parent telling her how she could have or should have done better.

Just a couple of weeks ago we went to their State swim meet. I had volunteered to be a timer, which is a really tiring and very wet job! But it is so cool to be right behind the blocks watching the kids swim. Right after Abby hopped out of the pool in one of her events she was so discouraged, and it wasn't about her time or what place she ended up in. She was upset that she had goggle problems during her swim and she felt like she didn't swim as good as she could have. Unfortunately it was supposed to be her best event and she missed placing by one spot. But that's not what she cared about in the moment. It was a good learning experience about doing your best and pressing on even if things aren't going quite right.

Once regionals is over we have an opportunity to take a short break before summer swim team starts up. We also have an opportunity to do a short session where their coach will work on stroke techniques and endurance. We'll have to really think about what is best for us. Right now in the midst of this intense schedule, a break is really appealing. We'll have to see what the girls think.

As we change seasons so many other activities are also changing. Basketball is over! Girl Scouts will be winding down as we near the end of the school year. My PTA schedule for the current year is winding down but the planning for next year will kick into full swing before I know it.

Things are really just gearing up for Spencer with swim lessons starting last week and baseball season kicking off tomorrow. He is so dang excited for baseball season to start! I can't wait to see what team he is on. I really hope he was placed with his buddies!

He particularly loves batting and he begs for Carie (she is much more accurate than me!) to pitch balls to him. We've discovered that this isn't an option anymore. Long ago she decided it was only safe to pitch the softer balls to him. But already once this season he's nailed her really good with a line drive, leaving a bright red mark on her neck. That pretty much ended the batting practice at home! We've since discovered a batting cage and he absolutely loves it and asks to go to there every day. I found a really great deal through Groupon and now of course we are sucked in! I can't believe it, but I think we'll get him a membership to the batting cage once we are done with this punch card. It will be much more economical than paying per visit!

So that's our life right now... swimming and baseball.  Right now this is a really great fit for them.  It will be interesting to see how this evolves as the kids get older.

Adding to the Family???

A few years ago we were in a phase where we knew that our two dogs were in the final years of their life.  We didn't know when it would happen, but it was clear that it was sooner in our life time than later. 

At that time while we were very sad to see our very long time family pets go, we (the adults) were ready for the break.  Ready to lift the guilt about not having "enough" time (compared to the attention our pups got pre-kids) to devote to our dogs.  Ready to have less depending on us.  Ready to not have to clean up the backyard.  Ready to not have to deal with surprises brought inside or the inevitable mess (grrrr) that was left behind.  I can't remember a time where I've not had a dog in my life.  I got Hobbes, my very own dog, as a pup when I was 21 and I'm now about to turn (uh um) 40.  Carie and I together got Carmen (known as Carie's dog) from a rescue home several years later.  I think I was ready for a short break.  Oddly Carie didn't grow up with dogs but she was also ready for a break.  After all, we had just made it through (sometimes literally) infancy and toddler hood of twins and a singleton.  Our lives had drastically changed and we were ready to step back a bit.

We lost our last dog, Carmen, just before Halloween last year.  In the first few months after her passing we had no desire to "replace" her.  Not only did we want that break from all of the above, but we wanted time to heal from the passing of both Hobbes and Carmen.  They were both very special pets to our kids!  We didn't want to "replace" her.  We wanted the kids to reflect on them and their lives with us.  Even recently the kids will talk about Hobbes and Carmen.  It's fun to hear them speak of them and their memories.  It's touching when we are asked to go outside to look up into the stars as the kids point out stars that belong to Hobbes & Carmen.  This is just how they've processed it all.  It's been a good and healing 11 months.

In the past several months the kids have started watching a show called Dogs 101 along with other animal shows. We have some serious animal lovers in our house so we weren't surprised.  They love watching and reading anything about cats as well but unfortunately this Momma is highly allergic to them.  My kids are sad that we can't have a cat as a pet!  They are looking forward to the time when they move out and can choose to have a cat at "their" place.  I'm doing my best to brainwash them to never having a cat simply so I can come visit them.  LOL

For now they've enjoyed learning about the different breeds of dogs.  Along the way, unannounced to us, they started creating a list of dogs that would be a great fit for our family and a list of dogs that wouldn't be a great fit for our family.  When we stumbled across this list we got a hearty chuckle.  It was too damn cute!  But I also knew it was a sign.  At some point I mentioned to Carie that I was semi-close to being open to the idea of getting a new dog for our family.  At that time she laughed at me and said that I couldn't be serious.  Seriously?  Training a new dog in our winter months?  I said I was semi-close to even talking about the future possibility of someday being dog owners again.  Key words... talking, future, possibility, someday... all talk not necessarily action.

Then more recently it came up again.  Yeah, I'm still in that place where I'm warming up to the idea.  I'm not opposed to it but I'm not quite yet sold.  AND my one stipulation is that we take our time and do some research to figure out what we really want.  In theory this new pet will be with us for a very long time and we need to find a good match.  At the same time we're not looking for a purebred or anything.  We would very much like to look at the Humane Society and rescue shelters.

I've pointed out that we also need to be realistic in the amount of care a new puppy/dog will require and I've pointed out again our schedule as I've outlined in a previous post.  We need to make sure that we can give this new pet our time!  I'm not saying that it isn't doable... I just want us to really think about this next phase of our lives.  And then of course to absolutely no surprise to Carie, she's going to be the one who bears the brunt of the "work" that comes with such a new addition.  Yes, the kids will be highly involved.  They are at a great age to take on some of those responsibilities.  But I'm not going to kid myself, it will ultimately fall back to Carie to make sure it's all getting done.

Which leads me to my huge surprise that SHE is the one who is obsessively researching dogs, taking quizzes to identify what type of dog would best suit our family, what types of things we should really consider, etc...  SHE is the one obsessed with researching rescue homes.  SHE is  the one glued to the Humane Society's website, pouring over each picture, each story.  Somehow Carie and I have swapped places in life... momentarily.

How long can I hold her off... that's the question!  How long will it be before the kids catch wind of this possibility?

Crossroads

I'm finding myself at a crossroads. The in-between phase when you've just completed a major task (2 actually, come to think of it) that consumed hours upon hours and that next major task (okay, a few of them) that's looming. A weird feeling!

Last night I had our 2nd PTA meeting of the academic year. That was the deadline that I had long procrastinated against and ultimately worked hard to meet. I also held a Room Parent meeting prior to the big meeting, also part of this larger goal/deadline. Both meetings were phenomenal in attendance, participation, support, etc... It was wonderful to distribute all of the materials I had prepared for the meeting and be done with it! We actually ran out of chairs for the PTA meeting, a FIRST in my history with the school. It's nice to see some efforts really paying off!!! It was also nice to use that as an example of WHY I'm asking parents to approach their tasks a particular way. This is gonna be a kick ass year, I just know it!

But that's all in addition to our family time. One thing I'm determined to do (last year and again this year) is to not allow my PTA responsibilities take away from our family time... as much as absolutely possible! I did miss going to the gym with the family last night, but mostly that was just me giving up my workout time. You can see how committed I am! Though I did miss shooting hoops with my boy!

Speaking of family stuff... we're just in the groove. The girls are enjoying their swim practice and looking forward to their first meet. We all enjoyed a full day at our Church Camp this past weekend for the girls' first "Tween Scene" (non)event. The girls were a little miffed about all of us (particularly their brother) being there. This is the first time they've really ever expressed such a concern, but they had every right to raise the question. Once we explained that the overall BBQ was a family event and WE wanted to come to the BBQ and it was just their luck to have such involved and overprotective parents they were all cool with it. For us, it was a family day, a family experience and if they were lucky we would let them come back without us in the (very distant) future.

As luck would have it, they (our leader) didn't really need all the help they had (due to weather and turnout) so we took off and spent 5 hours exploring the area as a family. We all enjoyed a bit of archery... I felt bad when Spencer (& I) overshot the target and the bales of hay, ultimately losing an arrow. The girls got to try their hand at tree climbing, and loved it. They also greatly enjoyed hanging out in the tree boats, particularly while playing with bunny rabbits. We spent forever hanging out with various live animals. Once we discovered that the corn maze would take a solid hour and a half to get through, and recalling the fact that our kids got lost in a much smaller maze just a couple weeks ago, we opted to hold that activity for some future visit. I also, somehow, managed to convince the kids to hold off on a trip out to the pumpkin fields. It was a muddy mess that I was just hoping to avoid. Thankfully they agreed! We had so much fun traipsing around the huge acreage. After 5 hours we still had to practically pull our kids away!

And it wouldn't be FALL without Husker football. We've certainly been enjoying the season thus far. We've enjoyed hosting game day and cheering on our Huskers. When the kids aren't actually watching football they are enjoying a stay at home day and playing with friends.

Ready. Set. GO!

This is the the week that starts the craziness.

For a family that likes to not be over-committed, in this moment it feels like we have sure committed ourselves to A LOT for the long haul.

Sure, we are always on the go. We like to get out and do things and explore things... on a whim! When the calendar starts filling up I start to get overwhelmed. There's a lot less "on a whim" time!

I know a lot of families with way busier schedules than ours. It's not really a competition. We've intentionally avoided signing ourselves, our children, up for that intense schedule. I know it will all work out. I'm actually looking forward to every single element. It's just... cumulatively it kinda freaks me out right now.

So what's going on?

Swim team started this week. The girls are way excited and so are we. But this is a huge commitment! They have very lengthy practices 3x a week. During their practice Carie and I are able to get a good workout in, a bonus. Spencer and I also get some great time to hang out and shoot hoops together, something we really enjoy. Oh and then there's the swim meets that are one weekend (Saturday?) a month. I'm hoping we'll get these details soon!

Spencer starts swim lessons this weekend. He's SO excited because he gets to go up a level. We could have (should have?) taken the easy route and signed him up for the same place A&E are in swim team. But the swim team program is different than the swim lesson program and we REALLY like the place we've been taking lessons for years. The kids love it there and we love it there. So, we went back even though it will make things a little more challenging for the next 8 weeks.

This past weekend we were invited to a BBQ by some friends. It turned into a reunion of sorts. There were quite a few (same sex) families that we used to hang out with more frequently. We hang out with a few of those couples semi-regularly. But someone decided we should ALL get together more often, like we used to. So it looks like monthly events are in our future... we're hosting the next one. This would be optional, but it would be quite a bit of fun and it would be good for all of us.

We also just discovered that our girls are old enough to participate in the "Tween Scene" at our Church. Boy did that surprise us! Us? We have kids old enough? Why yes, yes we do! This group meets once a month for "fun, fellowship and mission projects". The first event (at camp) looks like tons of fun and totally something our kids would enjoy... which we fear will open us up to more events at this camp! But this will be a great family day! So I've added this recurring monthly event to my calendar. Gotta love how easy that is!

It's also (past) time to re-new our family membership to the Rose Theater (performing arts for children and families). Thankfully I'll get it submitted in time that we won't miss the first performance! But it's a GREAT family activity that our kids really enjoy. We'll get to go to 7 performance this season which is nearly 1 performance a month. So I've carefully selected our show dates and times and I'll hope for the best! (If you're keeping track, that's now 3 different events that each take up just 1 weekend day a month... in addition to swim stuff)

Tonight we'll sign up Spencer for early-bird basketball, which also means there's a 2nd round of basketball after that. He's SO looking forward to playing. That schedule is totally unknown. All I know is that we've got another 6 weeks before it starts... I think. Hopefully he'll go right from swimming lessons into basketball. It can be that easy, right?

Oh, and yes I almost forgot. The girls, Abby in particular, really want to join Girl Scouts. I've finally caved and sent an e-mail to the leader today to find out more details. I don't know how in the world we would do this, but I'm looking into it as promised.

Let's not forget that I continue to be the PTA President and I've got quite a few huge events planned for the academic year. It's really a rewarding position in that I get to plan and do things for our school. But it's a heck of a lot of work and far too many parents have no idea what we do for our students. I'm already feeling knee deep (heck, chest deep!) in this area and we're just getting started! There's just so many amazing ideas up in the air and so many things on my plate all at once. Once a few of those things get resolved I'll be good. I just need to make it through November! Thankfully I've got an amazing team of parents that will help pull it off. More events added to the calendar!

Oh and yes, Carie started a PT gig with our school district this academic year so our home schedule has shifted. It's all good, really really good! (Side note, unfortunately no- she's not making anymore $$ than she was before.) She has signed up for some classes through work. They are all really cool classes, they are all free to us, and they all provide credit towards what she does. She's really excited, as am I. Just one more thing added to the calendar.

But this weekend... THIS WEEKEND... we are taking a family trip to our favorite apple orchard. It better not rain! Oh and we'll also be watching college football, of course! And doing swim lessons, swim team & Church.

Labor Day Adventures

Labor Day weekend marks our last weekend of activity free-ness. That is... the final weekend before we begin running all over to get kids from point A to point B several times a week. Oddly though, it's a routine we are looking forward to.

While it was still busy (seriously though, when isn't it?), it was relaxing still the same.

The weekend got started a little early for us and I didn't waste much time getting starting on my mission. I was determined to (deep) clean at least a portion of our house. Thanks to Carie's hard work, our home is most often "clean" but there are just those rare tasks that often don't get attention or often go unnoticed. Well, I was starting to notice them and it was driving me nuts! What a great weekend to tackle such tasks. We could devote some of the weekend to cleaning and still have an extra day for fun! So I got a good start Friday afternoon/evening and then the plan was to continue our cleaning effort on Saturday morning. We didn't want to spend the entire day cleaning. But a good couple hours of solid elbow grease by all members of our family would certainly do wonders. Well, we (I) just kept going and going and going. One task lead into another. I'm sure Carie wasn't the least bit surprised! The kids were less than thrilled from the get go and a couple of them were less than helpful. But they enjoyed hanging out at home all the same. Abby was our most incredible helper, eager even! She had such a great attitude and she really made a difference in what we were able to accomplish. For all that, she earned some unexpected dough! That certainly drew some attention. :)

Saturday evening some friends came over to enjoy dinner and some good ol Husker football. This was a day we've all been looking forward to. It was great fun to watch the game with our friends and the kids had a blast hanging out and playing. Score for everyone!!!

After a late night, Sunday morning was pretty slow going. We were all up in time to make it to Church but opted to veg out instead. We did make it out for a yummy breakfast at Bruegger's. We're loving that the kids have become Bruegger's fans! That afternoon Ellie had a birthday party to go to so we opted to stick close to home, veg out, and have a stay at home day. The kids love stay at home days! That night Abby and I headed to a late showing of Nanny McPhee Returns. I figured it wasn't a school night and the girl is most often still awake at 10:30 anyways, so why not? She loved it! I think I just found my "movie buddy"!

We had big plans for Monday. All along we had planned on going to our favorite apple orchard. We would certainly pick apples, hopefully peaches, and possibly raspberries. Heck, we may have even made a trip out to the pumpkin patch! We would have certainly done the corn maze, visited the butterfly garden, and climbed the mounds of hay bales. I don't know why, but late Sunday afternoon I decided to check their hours and confirm that they were open only to find out that they are closed every Monday. Even more specifically, Labor Day Monday. Huge bummer! But I was oh so grateful that I checked before we made the long journey.

So we scrambled to come up with a plan B. Instead of risking our experience at a new orchard (after being so pumped up about visiting our favorite), we opted to make one last visit to the Lincoln Children's Zoo before they closed for the season. In the end this turned out to be an excellent choice as we discovered our favorite exhibit, the butterfly pavilion, would be closed after Labor Day. So we enjoyed a good long visit at the zoo and particularly enjoyed a good long visit in the butterfly pavilion.

After a full day at the zoo we headed back to Omaha just in time to hang out with some friends for a BBQ. Before we arrived I was tired and feeling ready to just head home after our long day. But I'm so glad we went! There were a lot more people there than we anticipated and we knew a lot more people than we anticipated. It was great fun for all of us! We got to sit back and chat with friends while the kids ran wild with their friends. I think at one point we counted 6 couples (2-mom families) and 12 kids ages 3ish - 9ish plus a couple other families that we didn't know.

As we were sitting outdoors enjoying each other's company we were also enjoying the cool front that had come through. While it was getting really dang chilly to be sitting outdoors without proper layers to keep warm, it was so nice to feel that fall weather come through. It was a good kinda cold! Though as soon as we got home we turned on our heated mattress pads! After getting Abby all set for her "star of the week" and getting the kids through their bedtime routine, we climbed into bed and enjoyed the heat! I just wish we could open up the house. Poor Ellie's allergies have gotten the better of her. So until the pollen levels ease up, we'll keep the house closed up in the hopes that it helps.

Tug Tug Tug

Today the boy tugged at our heartstrings harder than any of the past 10 days of Kindergarten, including the very first day.

Carie went up to help the K teachers with a project this morning before heading off to her part-time gig. We hope that she'll be able to continue to volunteer with the K's and the 3rd graders each week, just another perk of her paid gig being part-time.

So this morning was her first day helping out in the K wing, and it was tough for our boy. I've been secretly worried for months that he would get to school and decide it wasn't his cup of tea. I was worried that he was too ready, if that's possible. But he seems to be enjoying his experience. Getting ready in the morning has really been smoother than we anticipated. He's just been so pleasant to get up and out the door! He hasn't hesitated once to get on the bus to head off to school. At the end of the day he is so excited to share everything with us in great detail, something that neither of his sisters have ever done. Sounds perfect, right?

This morning we got a glimpse of that other side. Carie was in and out of the classroom, working on things for the teacher, working with the students at their stations, etc... She got to spend time with him at his stations. But then it was time to go and Spencer really wanted to go with her. It's so clear that he enjoyed being able to stay home with Mommy all these years that he's really missing it now.

He didn't throw a fit or make a scene, no that's not how our boy responds to these situations in public. Oh he's naturally loud and calls attention to himself quite regularly, when he's happy he just doesn't realize it. But this morning Carie could immediately tell that he was holding it all back. He was trying to keep himself all collected and not draw attention to himself. He's so like one of his sisters in this regard... classic classic Abby!

So the goodbyes at school were quite emotionally tough on the both of them. After hearing about it all over the phone I just wanted to go give him a big hug.

She did ask him what he would like for snack this afternoon. He decided that he would really like banana bread AND he wanted to make it with her. So, they'll bond over making banana bread after school today just like in the olden days.

**********

They are home from school and apparently he recovered quite nicely. He's being particularly loud and obnoxious, borderline annoying I guess you could say.

First Day of School... version 2010

What a big day!

Today marks the first day of 3rd grade for Abby & Ellie and the first day of Kindergarten for Spencer.

End of Summer = Big Change

I think this blog could definitely file for neglect.

As any family with young children, there's so much life to document. There are so so many thoughts bouncing around my head each and every day. Getting it down on the proverbial paper seems to have taken the backseat. Heck, even capturing our memories through photography has taken a backseat... and when I do take pictures they sit on the huge memory card indefinitely. Photography has been a passion of mine and yet I feel as if I need a jump start. I know what triggered this funk... I just can't seem to get my groove back.

Since I last wrote (ahem, nearly 6 months ago) Abby & Ellie wrapped up their year as 2nd graders and Spencer completed his final days as a pre-schooler, complete with a graduation ceremony. Carie wrapped up another year of volunteering at school. Saying "goodbye" to our teachers continues to be difficult. This year may have been the hardest yet. I wrapped up my first year as the PTA President and found myself elected to continue those duties for another year. It is quite rewarding to be involved at school on this level, if not also challenging and time consuming.

In early May both Abby & Ellie opted to join a local swim team for their summer season, which then quickly consumed our life with a lengthy practice 3 days a week and a longer swim meet on a 4th day. It was an amazing experience for all of us. They love swimming so much, it was incredible to watch their progress and witness their joy. We get a short break in August and the Fall/Winter swim team starts up again in early September. The girls are already looking forward to the next season. Oddly, we are already looking forward to getting back into that routine.

Spencer played baseball during the spring season and absolutely loved it. We've opted to skip the fall season (unbeounced to him) in favor of keeping our month of August totally activity free. Though now I'm feeling horribly guilty about this decision.

All three kiddos had a birthday this spring. Spencer turned 5 in late April and the girls turned 8 in early June.

To celebrate Spencer's birthday we had a combo friend and family birthday party at a nearby activity center. We love going to this place and having his party there was a huge hit.

To celebrate Abby & Ellie's birthday we had a special adventure! They each invited a friend to hang out with on their special day. We went horseback riding, played miniature golf, did mani's and pedi's, had a bonfire, and had a sleepover. All four girls had an absolute blast hanging out with each other. I'm so glad we went this route over a larger party. We then held a family party for them at my Grandma's retirement center. While my Grandma thinks she can get around our house with all of our stairs, we think differently. It was super nice to use a room at her facility that had easy access and a large enough room for all of our guests. And to be totally honest, setup and cleanup was more than a piece of cake!

Our summer is about to wrap up. All school registration is this afternoon, open house is next Monday, and their first day of school is on Wednesday. We've had such a great summer that I don't want it to end. I do look forward to the end of the summer season, if only we could continue their break and our family time. We are busy over the summer doing fun summer camps and such. But there's something about sending them into the next grade that isn't desirable for me.

Speaking of summer camps, it was another successful summer. We typically have a full week-ish off at the start of summer and a full week-ish off at the end of summer but everything in the middle is booked with activities. Outside of their camps and activities, we also get to do other fun family activities... Library reading program, Royals Baseball games, big zoo, little zoo, our Children's Museum, Lincoln Children's Museum, Activity Center, Splash Parks here and here, Papio Bay, Mahoney Water Park, Bowling, Go Carts, etc... While there were many things I think we wish we would have done, I think we had a fabulous summer as a family!

All the kids were able to participate in our districts "summer school" (summer camp) program. I wish they would call it something other than "summer school" because it's not at all like their other (more mandatory) "summer school" program. This was Spencer's first year of eligibility and he was thrilled to be able to participate with the older kids. It's totally a fun summer program where they can take enrichment type classes in science, music, Spanish, math, etc... This program is held at a new "host" elementary school each summer. It's just a morning program over the course of a few weeks and it's very reasonably priced, which we love.

The next couple of weeks were dedicated to swimming lessons at our High School. Since Abby & Ellie were swimming so much with swim team, they opted to take the spectator role this round. Spencer was so incredibly pleased with himself that he passed his level and gets to move onto level 3! Of course, he wanted to start that "right now".

Then Abby & Ellie got to participate in a Totally Cool Math & Science Camp through UNO. They were so excited about this opportunity. This was quite possibly the highlight of their summer. We drove by the night before to check out directions and parking. As we turned onto campus the girls’ eyes got REALLY huge. It was then that they realized they were "going to college" (their words). We've talked all along about how it would be at UNO but it became quite clear that they didn't really know what that meant. Abby thought it would be at another elementary school like her other summer camp. We were then bombarded with hilarious (but very real to them) questions. They were clearly a little (more than) nervous! Thankfully they seemed satisfied with all of our answers and drop off the next morning went very smooth for all of us. At the end of the day they were so excited they were bouncing off the walls. Needless to say, they had an amazing week. They think they are hot stuff now that they've gotten to go to college. Thankfully for us, as incoming 3rd graders, they could only participate in one class. But next year there are 18 camp options. They are going to have to make some tough decisions!

Last week was all about Spencer and his "camp". Our elementary school was awarded a grant that allowed them to offer a Jump Start to K program. All incoming K's were invited to participate. It was a very short afternoon program that allowed him an opportunity to spend time with his teacher (whom he already knows) and his classmates. While they got to do some school work, they also got to enjoy all the perks of going out for recess, snack time, and play time in the classroom. While we believe he is totally ready for K, we thought it was a great opportunity to meet some friends before that big first day. He seemed to really love going to Jump Start once he got there, but the first few days he would say "I don't want to go today" or "I'm taking today off". We think he just didn't want to leave the other kids and whatever fun they were having without him.

Somewhere in there we found a perfect time to dedicate a long weekend towards a family vacation. We got out of town but stayed close to home. Limiting our drive time seemed ideal and something we appreciated when we were en route and heard "are we there yet" numerous times. We got to spend a fair amount of time swimming at the hotel, a huge plus for our kids. We enjoyed a full day at Adventureland and a couple of days at the Science Center. Total kid vacation. Making them happy makes me happy.

But now, like it or not, it's about time to move onto the next chapter. Abby & Ellie are headed (full force) into 3rd grade and Spencer is headed to Kindergarten. All three of our kiddos are full time elementary students. How did that happen?

Thankfully, for us, they are all super excited about going back to school. The girls love school so much; it makes our jobs as parents easy! Spencer is really looking forward to being a Kindergartner and we think he'll share his sisters’ love for school as well.

With all the kids in school full time, Carie has taken the opportunity to find work outside the home. She was very fortunate to get hired on for a part time gig in our school district which will allow her to be available before school, after school, and during school breaks to continue to be the awesome SAHM that she has been for the past 8 years.

Zoo Pics

What a beautiful day to go to the zoo... and enjoy the outdoor exhibits!

Trick or Treat

Carving our pumpkins on Saturday afternoon...

Clearly it is better to carve pumpkins in underwear. I'm sure that is how Superman would do it! Everyone enjoyed cleaning out the pumpkin guts. The only complaint was about how cold it was inside the pumpkins!

The kids did quite a bit of the cleaning. They did absolutely all of the designing. And for the first time the girls did the bulk of their own carving.
















Thanks to our St. Louis friends, we had a Superman for Halloween. The boy was all over the place on costume ideas this year. We settled on Superman purely for our adult enjoyment. Spencer thought it was hysterical that Superman wore his underwear on top of his clothes.

Next up is Abby, our Witch. It was downright easy to accommodate this request since she found the bulk of her items in our dress up collection. A trip to Nobbies to spruce it up and we were set.

Then there's Ellie who decided that she wanted to "be freaky and creep people out" this year. Who is this child and where did she come from? At any rate, we obliged and found this skeleton costume off of craigslist. She fell in love and the creepin' people out efforts began immediately.

The weather was BEAUTIFUL Saturday night. We couldn't have asked for better temps. The kids didn't need coats over their costumes. I grabbed a coat but that was too warm. The kids are really into the whole trick or treating gig and we walked a large portion of our neighborhood. Two hours later we were returning home with tuckered out kids.

Following our family tradition, they dumped their loot out into their own individual piles. They got to sort through it, admire it, enjoy some of it, and ultimately decide which pieces would go into their small keep bag... and yes, the bag had to close. Once their bag was full... and sealed... they were done.

The rest typically goes to the Candy Fairy. But this year they had an opportunity to share the Candy Fairy candy with a program we are doing at school. I've created a Healthy Lifestyle program for the entire month of November and the first challenge to our students was to get rid of their candy and junk food. So our kids made their selections to keep, made up a bowl for the Candy Fairy, and then prepared two full gallon sized bags to take to school on Monday morning. Ellie wrote a lengthy and very detailed note to the Candy Fairy to ensure that she would understand what all they were doing.

The Candy Fairy made her visit late Saturday night. She happily took their large bowl of candy and left each one a small token of thanks. Everyone was happy!

We could have easily let them keep it all. We know that they won't eat the bulk of it. It would just go into our cupboard (or cuvord if you are Spencer) and for the most part it would be forgotten about in a matter of days. We are now 6 days post Halloween and even their small bags of selected candy have pretty much been forgotten about. But we like that they are faced with this decision. Through this process they realize that they don't actually need it all and that much candy just isn't good for their bodies.

I think our school program has been a success thus far. We just wrapped up the first week and first challenge. I was amazed at how difficult it was for students and adults alike to part with their candy. Nearly 50% of the students participated and we collected 84 pounds of candy that will all go to Operation Gratitude.

Field Trip Time

It's that time of year! Spencer's preschool class went on a field trip to a pumpkin patch/farm and Abby & Ellie's class went on a field trip to the Children's Museum.

The moon and stars all aligned and both Carie and I got to go on Spencer's field trip. We were also successful in taking pics that I'll post below. While it was a little chilly on the day of the field trip, we all had fun! And since I'm a veteran field trip goer, I knew that we needed to bring our winter gear. As we were walking out the door I'm not sure Carie believed me. But once we got to the farm she understood and wished she had grabbed her warmer gear.

A week later, the day of Abby & Ellie's field trip was incredibly crazy but we somehow made it possible for Carie to go along. Carie had every intention of taking pics but unfortunately the camera got left behind. She felt bad and wished she was able to get a pic of Ellie as she was a volunteer in the science exhibit. The photo op was when she practically got swallowed by "Stuffy"... a giant 7' tall stuffed person with a zippered in his chest... as she was trying to locate his lungs.

At the farm... Spencer was thrilled to be able to hold many many little friends, hang out with his hands down most favorite teacher (out of the 7) Miss K, play in the corn, mooo at the cows, ride on bikes, and his favorite thing of all was to swing in the tire swing.

First Day of Preschool

Spencer had to wait an extra day for his big first day of school. He won't generally have preschool on Wednesday's (except for the first Wed of the month - try and remember that!) so his first day of the new year was today. Our little boy is starting his last year of preschool. That doesn’t seem possible.

He was super excited though he did pull out the shy routine when we got there. It seems so weird when he does that because that is so not the little boy we know. But he went off with his teachers and his class and had fun! We were pleasantly shocked to discover that there are only 5 kids in his class with 3 1/2 teachers. Gotta love that ratio!

Anxiety

There are more stories and certainly more pictures of our summer adventures.

I even got super lucky that my camera was spared after I left it outside to endure a torrential downpour last weekend. At the time I thought it would be great to get pics of (most of) the kids after they rolled around in the mud that used to be our yard. Thanks slip-n-slide! They had such a blast and it was hilarious to watch. Everyone had to have a quick hose down before they were allowed to enter their cars or our house. Other parents rules, not ours. But yeah, they were that dirty. And then somehow I was distracted and the camera got left outside.

For now, all that will all have to wait.

Our focus is on what is ahead of us.

We have been inundated with first day of school preparations! To say that we are a bit overwhelmed and anxious with the fact that tomorrow is Abby & Ellie’s first day would be a gross understatement. It wasn’t supposed to be that way this year. After all they are going into 2nd grade! We have a great school, a great support system at school, we love the teacher assignments, and the kids are excited! What more can ya ask for? But thanks to the accident, it is a bit nerve wracking. We now know anxiety like we’ve never known before. I think we’ve done everything possible to prepare everyone for tomorrow morning. Nine more hours till the bell rings!

Spencer’s first day of his last year of preschool begins on Thursday. We are more excited than nervous about this transition. I guess we’ll see what Thursday afternoon brings!

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A couple of quick stories that stand out…

Abby has been on this kick lately that she is not a “kid”. Anything relating to being a “kid” is beyond her. Heaven forbid she use colors at a restaurant because those are for kids. Heaven forbid she has a “kid cone” from McD’s because clearly mom, it is a “kid cone”. The name says it all! And we are horrible terrible parents because we won’t allow her to walk down to the park by herself. I mean really! She is almost 8 years old and 8 year olds are “young adults” ya know. What a great opportunity to remind her that she has TEN MONTHS to go before she actually turns 8. Let’s enjoy 7 for a while, shall we!

Ellie, our sweet sweet Ellie. Unfortunately I can’t go into all the specifics. Let’s just say that she’s been paying attention at our appointments and she is taking her role very seriously! Sunday afternoon we were at CoCo Key, our last big hurrah of the summer, and Ellie recognized a scenario that she felt she ought to talk Abby through. It was super sweet and hilarious all at the same time.

Spencer, boy oh boy. Yesterday after one of our many appointments it was very much lunch time. So I suggested we all (Carie and I + our 3 kids + 2 daycare kids) go get some lunch. You read that right! 2 adults + 5 kids ages 4-7 at a doctor's appointment... and it was a success. It really can be done! We are sitting at the table enjoying lunch when Spencer (sitting between Carie and I) pipes up loud and clear (to Ben who is sitting across from him). “Hey, Ben has a penis! I have a penis! We are best friends!” I sure hope he enhances his criteria as he ages!

Oh and Spencer's new name seems to be Buddy or Bud. Sure, we sometimes call him bud, buddy, or dude. Like hey bud, how are you doing? But we never meant for it to replace his given name. As of recent it seems that the kids only call him buddy. Last night we were at Open House and the kids got the Principal on board to calling him buddy. Then this morning I asked the kids whose turn it was to play the Wii. In unison all the kids respond "Beth's & Buddy's".

What A Cheeseball

Last weekend was Spencer's final t-ball game of the season. He seemed to really enjoy the experience!

I barely got in position to take this picture and completely missed other opportunities. When it was his turn he would select his bat pretty quickly, get in position, and his coach would tell him to go for it whenever he was ready. One time I heard him say, I'm ready coach! Then with one quick swing he hit the ball and took off running.

In prior weeks the bat selection process alone gave me more than enough time to get ready to take all the pictures I could ever want.













Running the bases...












Heading towards home plate. What a cheeseball!

Three Week Recap

A busy and fun summer... as usual.

The weekend of June 26th, 27th 28th...
Friday was the last day of the kids’ FUN summer school. I think they (and we) were all bummed when it came to an end. It was a 3 week mini-morning session and they got to do a lot of fun things! They are already talking about going again next year.

Friday night we got our babysitter and her best friend to come over and hang out with our kids and our friend’s kids. Our master plan was to take our friends out for an adult evening in appreciation for all that they have done for us. They truly made a difference while we were in the hospital. After a superb evening we returned to pick up the kids and headed up to our Church lawn to watch some incredible fireworks that were being set off at a nearby park. We arrived just in time, the weather was incredible, and the kids had a blast. We enjoyed the fireworks and continued to enjoy watching the kids run around and have fun. It was another late night!

Saturday we went to Spencer's t-ball game and then we spent the afternoon swimming at the Y. Sunday after Church and lunch the girls had a friend come over to hang out. That evening we had our neighbor friends over for dinner to thank them for all they've done over the past several weeks. More great company and another late night.

Independence Day Weekend...
We took a "mini vacation". We decided that instead of spending money on blowing up fireworks and hosting a BBQ as we have in the past, we would do something that we KNEW that Abby could fully participate in and enjoy. We haven't setup our swimming pool yet... and probably won't because we are concerned about sun exposure and burning.

So we went downtown (which feels like out of town to us) and stayed at a brand new hotel with a really cool indoor mini-water park. The rooms were really inexpensive, spacious (2 king beds with a lot of room!), clean, comfy, and a great location to all that we wanted to do. The water park was just the right size to enjoy swimming, hot tubing, and sliding on the huge body slide. We also got to spend some fun time at the Farmers Market, Heartland of America Park, Lewis and Clark Landing, the Pedestrian Bridge. We attempted to watch a huge firework show on Friday night but rain changed those plans. We did meet up with some friends on Saturday evening and enjoyed an awesome firework show. It was so much fun watching the fireworks and watching our kids enjoy it all.

After hearing how things went in our neighborhood this weekend, I think we'll be considering going this route in future years!

Last weekend... July 10th, 11th & 12th
All the kids finished up with swimming lessons on Friday. Spencer is now officially in Level 2. Long (but good) story there. The girls passed Level 4 and get to move onto Level 5. YAY! I decided to take Friday off due to a funeral that morning but at the last minute we all decided to go to memorial the night before. So I got to watch their last lesson and got to see first hand the huge progress they all had made from the week before. It is amazing seeing the girls stacked up against all these BIG kids. They were easily the youngest in their class... by a solid 2 years.

After a late lunch with some friends we decided on the spur of the moment that we would go to Lincoln to visit Great Grandma. While Spencer has been to her new place, the girls haven't. So we went home, got cleaned up, packed up, and headed to Lincoln. We managed to get in town in time for a quick trip (our first of the season) to the Children's Zoo! Then we visited with Great Grandma for a good couple of hours. Our visit was a total surprise to her and we had a good time visiting with her. We then headed back home. Another late night!

Saturday was another full day with yard work, birthday party, t-ball game, grocery shopping, carpet re-cleaning, a swim party, a play date. Then ultimately Carie and I ended up having the house to ourselves for nearly 3 hours in the evening, quite an unusual occurrence. Once the kids all returned home at about 8:30, we started a bon fire.

Sunday was our planned trip to CoCo Key Water Resort to make up for the trip we couldn't take on their birthday. As expected, we closed the place down.

More adventures this weekend... stay tuned.

Weekend in Pics