The Boys:
While the girls were out at a baby shower and shopping...the boys were busy, too!
Chance, Campbell and Daddy went to Chance's soccer game. Chance did great and they had a lot of fun! After the soccer game Daddy took them to play Putt Putt. That is one of the boys' favorite things to do and they are still talking about it and going back again soon. When they got home they played outside and rode their bikes around the block. By the end of the day, Brian had dirty and tired boys on his hands. I think everybody slept well!

Majorette in the Making

Last weekend Emma Cate attended the Majorette Mini Camp at the high school. They performed their twirling routine last night at the football game. She had a lot of fun at the camp and getting to twirl on the field!

Pictures, Pictures and More Pictures!

This week I did not have a lot of time to blog, but I was still busy taking pictures! I have included several pics starting from last Friday. Hope you enjoy seeing our little ones in action! We got all three to stop for a second after church on Sunday.

Campbell grabbed Emma Cate's baton after twirling camp and ran

up the stairs and came back with her pink boots. He then proceeded

to do a little routine!

Campbell might be the first boy Majorette!

Oh by the way that is red snow cone on him

from the soccer game!

I walked outside and my new mum had a big hole in a spot

with no flowers! I asked the kids who had done this and Campbell

very proud of himself said, "Me pick!"

Last Friday night we went to a very exciting Lobo game.

Bubba and Sissie before the big game!

What a crazy group of Lobo fans!

Chance is tackling his brother! He is also
standing on a very small football for the picture!

Future Lobo football player!

Emma Cate and Kit are off to the game! Bogey had to stay

at home!

Chance won another trophy at Tae Kwon Do

this week! Way to Go!

Bible Trivia

Since today is "Church Day" as we call it at our house, I thought I would give you a little Bible Trivia. Brian found Chance flipping through his Bible and telling a story. He got it on video. So you will have to guess is it the story of Noah's Ark or Jonah and the Whale? I think it is the new mixed translation!

I'm the Winner

Last night at Chance's sparring class for Tae Kwon Do he won his second trophy! He was so excited! I have included the final match that won him the trophy and the trophy presentation.

Y---IKE---S!

The outer bands from Hurricane Ike headed our way Saturday morning with high winds and rain. We tried to make the best of the bad weather by baking cookies, playing in the rain, playing board games, decorating cookies with icing and sprinkles in the dark and playing hide and go seek in the dark. So I guess you have figured out that we lost electricity! It did not go out until around 4:00 pm and we did get it back around 11:00 pm. Jennifer our babysitter from this summer was in town from college (due to the storm) and she came over and played with the kids in the dark! It was really a fun change of pace for a day! We did not get any damage to our home, but the lot that we will soon start building our new house on, lost quite a few trees. One large tree fell off of our lot into the middle of the cul de sac. On Sunday the kids had a lot of fun cleaning up the mess by loading up the back of Chance's jeep. We are very thankful for our safety in the midst of a very bad storm!

Let's go play in the rain!

It is not too bad, yet!

The princesses playing in the rain!

Eating the cookies we baked and decorated in the dark!

The tree that fell down off of our lot!

The clean up crew!

It just takes a little team work!

Our Little Soccer Stars

Emma Cate and Chance are both playing soccer this season. This is Emma Cate's 4th season to play and she has played with the same little team for 3 of those seasons. They are called the Ladybugs and they are all so cute with their hot pink shirts and matching hairbows! This is Chance's 1st season and they are called the Raptors. They were hysterical to watch on Saturday! They were running all over the place and really did not know what to do just yet! Chance was really funny because he would kick the ball and fall down every time!
This week was a little tricky because both of the kids soccer games were at the same time. Brian and I did a lot of running back and forth from field to field. Luckily, this was the only game like that and we can maybe sit and watch one game at a time! Well, maybe not sit, we will still have Campbell there to chase!

Chance and his little team!

Our little soccer stars!

Chance at his first soccer game!

Emma Cate and her best buddy, Allie!

Emma Cate and a few of her Ladybug friends.

Chance and his best buddy, Sterrett!

Football Fever

One of Brian's favorite things to do is to watch our local highschool football team. He has become a true fan and has traveled all over watching the games. When kids came along he made them Lobo monsters and now he drags them with him, also! So on Friday nights you know where you can find us! I however don't ever see much of the game because I am chasing kids, standing in the concession stand line, taking little ones to the potty, visiting our preschool teacher in her seats and the list goes on and on! It does however make for lots of family fun!

Campbell and our sweet babysitter, Jennifer. She was in town from college and a Lobo alum.

Emma Cate and her friend Caroline in matching cheer suits.

Campbell and Daddy

Chance and his football buddy, Caleb.

School Days

It has been a big week for our little ones. It has been the first week of school! The kids have had a great week and had lots of fun! Campbell is in Room E with all of his buddies from last year. He will be going to school on Tuesday and Thursday this year. Chance started Pre K and loves it! He will be going on Tuesday, Thursday and half a day on Friday. Emma Cate started Kindergarten and will be going everyday, but I will pick her up at noon on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I feel like I live at the school! It seems like someone is always being dropped off or picked up. Campbell's teachers said that this week when they went to the gym to play (remember our friend Gustav came to town) that Sisie would be there playing when he arrived and then she would leave and Bubba would come. It is really nice having all 3 kids at the same place for 1 more year! They love seeing each other during the day, too!
I have included pics from Tuesday and Thursday below. On the first day of school Emma Cate had to wear that red t-shirt because her class was taking a special picture. So, no she does not have to wear uniforms! She just has to wear that shirt when they go on field trips. I dressed the boys in red to coordinate with her shirt. I took pics again on Thursday because that is what they would have worn on the first day of school if we didn't have to wear the t-shirt. That day Emma Cate would not cooperate and the boys were all smiles. You never know! I thought they were funny, so maybe Emma Cate's silly look will make you laugh!

Chance and his teachers, Ms.Kim and Ms. Barbie.
Chance and Campbell were all grins!

Emma Cate was not!

Prep School here we come!

Campbell is ready for his first day!

Campbell and his teacher Ms. Janey.

Chance said that on the first day he learned how to raise his hand!

First Day of Kindergarten

Today was Emma Cate's first day of Kindergarten. She was so excited! We decided to keep her at First Christian Prep School this year. It is the preschool that she was already at and is where the boys are at also. They all love it there and she is very comfortable and feels very loved. It is the most nurturing place in the world! Her class has 9 children in it and it is only until 12:00. It is also a good way to break her mommy into real school! Her teacher's name is Ms. Sharman and she came home today saying that she was so funny! Ms. Lane is the teacher's aide and she is also really sweet and goes to church with us. Emma Cate was all smiles when I picked her up and she had the best day! We are looking forward to a fantastic year!

Leaving for school. It was a rainy day today, so no outside pics!

Emma Cate walking into her school.

Emma Cate standing outside of her new classroom.

It is decorated with animals everywhere! That is what they are studying.

Emma Cate and her teacher Ms. Sharman.

I Trust You'll Treat Her Well

Dear World:

I bequeath to you today one little girl...in a crispy dress...with two blue eyes...and a happy laugh that ripples all day long...and a flash of light blonde hair that bounces in the sun when she runs.

I trust you'll treat her well. She's slipping out of the backyard of my heart this morning...and skipping off down the street to her first day of school. And never again will she be completely mine. Prim and proud she'll wave her young and independent hand this morning and say "Goodbye" and walk with little lady steps to the schoolhouse.

Now she'll learn to stand in lines...and wait by the alphabet for her name to be called. She'll learn to tune her ears for the sounds of school bells...and deadlines...and she'll learn to giggle...and gossip...and look at the ceiling in a disinterested way when the little boy across the aisle sticks out his tongue at her. And now she'll learn to be jealous. And now she'll learn how it is to feel hurt inside. And now she'll learn how not to cry.

No longer will she have time to sit on the front porch on a summer day and watch an ant scurry across the crack in the sidewalk. Nor will she have time to pop out of bed with the dawn and kiss lilac blooms in the morning dew. No, now she'll worry about those important things...like grades and which dress to wear and whose best friend is whose. And the magic of books and learning will replace the magic of her blocks and dolls. And now she'll find new heroes.

For five full years now I've been her sage and Santa Clause and pal and playmate and mother and friend. Now she'll learn to share her worship with her teachers...which is only right. But no longer will I be the smartest woman in the whole world. Today when that school bell rings for the first time...she'll learn what it means to be a member of the group...with all its privileges and its disadvantages too.

She'll learn in time that proper young ladies do not laugh out loud...or kiss dogs...or keep frogs in pickle jars in bedrooms...or even watch ants scurry across cracks in sidewalks in the summer. Today she'll learn for the first time that all who smile at her are not her friends. And I'll stand on the front porch and watch her start out on the long, lonely journey to becoming a woman.

So, world, I bequeath to you today one little girl...in a crispy dress...with two blue eyes...and a flash of light blonde hair that bounces in the sunlight when she runs.

I trust you'll treat her well.

author Victor Buono