Happy Birthday Jadyn!

Last Saturday, after Drew's soccer game, we headed to Jadyn's house to get ready for her birthday party. She was having her party at the apple orchard (the same one that Mikayla and I had visited the week before). It was great to see the difference in my friend, Amy's house since the last time I was there. Her brother is remodeling it and he has worked very hard!

We looked like a caravan as we all followed Amy and Jadyn to the orchard. I thought having a party at an apple orchard was a fantastic idea - one that I never even thought of! One of the guys that was working even recognized me. He said "weren't you here on a field trip?" When I told him I was, he said "now you are back for a birthday party", and he asked what school I had been with. When I told him, he said "oh yea ya'll were here last Friday in the rain". Now that's a pretty good memory!! Drew and Mikayla were so excited, and we all had so much fun. We hope you had a wonderful party Jadyn!! Thanks for letting us be a part of it!

Drew and Mikayla smile as they ride the "hayride" - a trailer pulled by a tractor through the orchard. Drew

Drew has fun petting the bunnies. He wanted to buy one of these - I was just glad he didn't see the "for sale for 10 dollars" sign! There was a very cute brown and white one, but I thought what will we do with a rabbit?

Mikayla and Brooke feed the goats. They were so fun to watch because they would get so tickled when the goats would eat from their hands!

We also had a chance to go through a maze, pick apples, and take more pictures!After picking their apples, Mikayla and Drew even posed for a picture just to satisfy mommy!

Jadyn, Mikayla, Brooke, and Drew wanted their picture taken together before we left.

Happy Halloween!!

The kids and I have been going, going, going since last week all in anticipation of Halloween. Last Thursday, we met my friends Nanda, and Wendy and their kids at McDonald's for supper. The kids (all 9 of them, when all was said and done) had a ball playing together on the playground while the mommies talked! After they played for awhile, Nanda, and I (along with Tracy and Carol who had joined us at McDonald's) took our little ones to The Enchanted Trail in a neighboring community (Wendy was not planning to take her three). Carol is the one who heard about this, and invited the rest of us to come along. We couldn't wait to see what this would be like, and the best thing was we didn't have school on Friday so it didn't matter how late we were out!

The Enchanted Trail was a neat fall festival held at The Pavilion in Taylors - one that I recommend visiting if you live near here. We got to pet animals, play games for candy, play on some inflatables, go through a trail in a "forest" where Disney characters gave the children candy, and ride on a train. There was also a costume contest, balloon animals, and much more. This was the best 10 dollars I have spent in awhile. Drew and Mikayla had so much fun - they have already asked to go back. This may become a yearly tradition for us!

Mikayla and Drew finally pose for a picture, just before we rode the train. Please notice my daughter's "bunny bucket". I didn't think to take their Halloween bags, so Nanda let us use two they had. Mikayla didn't think a thing about it!

Mikayla and Bre pose for a picture. Can you tell they are dancers?

All the girls...Mikayla, Emily, Breanna, and Brooke

The boys...Drew and Bryson (just a little out-numbered).

My 2 precious angels riding the train. Mikayla sat with me and Drew and Bryson were in the car in front of us. Nanda and Bre were in front of them, Tracy and Emily were behind us and then Carol and Brooke!

All of our children were very well behaved (that says a lot when there are six of them), and everyone had a great time!

Another Soccer Game

Drew gets ready to play goalie in the first quarter. Drew kicks the ball off the line - this has gotten to be one of his favorite parts of the game!

Two weeks ago, I did not have my camera with me at the soccer game, but it was probably best. We played the hardest team in the league (in my opinion), and we lost. Our guys still played incredible well together, though and we are so proud. Last week, we played a team that is similar to ours. In fact, the last time we played this team the game ended in a tie. Last week, however, they beat us by one point. Drew was goalie for 2 quarters, and I was nervous the whole time. But he loves it so who am I to keep him from doing something he loves. Especially right now, while it is only "playing goalie". This was a GREAT soccer game, played by two pretty equal teams. We had several opportunities to score and tie the game, but goals were missed by what must have been centimeters (from where I was it looked like we scored twice). Those are fun games to watch, I just wished the score had been different at the end. Again, though, we were proud by how well our guys played. It was funny to hear the assistant coach of the other team yell "YES" when the ref blew the whistle to signal the end of the game. Everyone there was holding their breaths. We have another game tomorrow, and Drew (and mama) can't wait!

Thinkin' like a Butterfly!

The past three weeks have been a wild ride. Many, many things going on, both at school and at home.

October is always a busy time at school as we are getting ready for the end of the first nine weeks with report cards and parent conferences. We have also had a Puppy Party, our first ever PTA Movie Night, Fundraiser orders have been delivered, etc. Drew and the other second graders went on their first field trip this month to see The Jungle Book on stage, then they had lunch from Chick-fil-a. Mikayla and I and the other kindergartners went on our first field trip of the year on Friday, October 17. We went to the apple orchard where we got to get some apples and a small pumpkin.

Two weeks ago, I had Spartanburg Writing Project's Fall Renewal Conference, and a Junior League of Spartanburg meeting where I was presented my grant check. I wrote a mini-grant this summer (the beginning of July) to help fund Literacy Centers in my classroom. I have always had centers in my kindergarten classroom, but now I have begun two separate center times, math centers and literacy centers. I wrote the grant (the first I've ever written) thinking that I didn't stand a chance of getting it funded. I was shocked when I received the congratulatory email in September saying my grant had been selected for funding! They were able to fund 24 grants out of the 120 that were submitted. I am grateful that mine was one of the ones selected!

This past week, I went to Anderson on Thursday for the Region 1 Teacher Forum workshop. Teacher Forum members are teachers that have been selected as Teachers of the Year all across the state. Region Forum and State Forum is made up of District Teachers of the Year across the state. I had so much fun at this workshop (it is always great fun when I'm with these incredible people), and I learned a lot as well! That's where my title comes from - "thinkin' like a butterfly"! This year's theme is centered around the book Wings of Change by Dr. Franklin Hill and a classic line from the story says "Thinking like a caterpillar does not work for butterflies." I love this line, and from now on, I strive to "think like a butterfly"!

In addition to all of these "school things", we have had a lot going on at home as well. Drew has soccer practice every Monday, and Mikayla has dance. Monday is also the day of my Weight Watchers meetings. Nothing like the first day of the week being so hectic. Mikayla also dances on Fridays, so we try to leave school earlier during the middle of the week so that we can play at the park for a little while. Drew has also had soccer games every Saturday, and one Saturday we were at Harvest Fest and the next we were at Fall in the Park. The fair has also been in town this month, so we went there too. I have pictures coming from our trip to the fair and also some of Drew's past soccer games. He is supposed to have another on in the morning, but we will see how the weather holds up...

Things should be slowing down soon so that I can get back to my daily (or at least weekly) blogging! We will see...

Fall in the Park!

Saturday afternoon, the kids and I went went to our local walking park for our annual Fall in the Park. There was not as much there as I remember in past years, but Drew and Mikayla had fun in the "kiddie area". The first thing they rode were ponies/horses. I couldn't get any pictures of them riding because I was walking with them! They loved riding them though - as usual!

Mikayla's favorite was the train - this is the only thing she went on!
Drew rode this spinning ride for the first time ever. One of the workers was on the opposite side and as they pumped that handle the faster the ride would go. Drew loved it, but looked a little sick at the end when the worker started making it go extremely fast. There was another worker "manning" the break so he stopped it at that point. Drew got off the ride smiling - I don't think he was scared, just dizzy!

We also walked around and Mikayla picked up ducks and Drew threw darts. We had so much fun - I love fall!

Another Soccer Game!

My dad is hobbling around right now with a hurt back. Before Drew's soccer game last Saturday, he decided that he would show Drew how to stay back in the goal when he plays goalie. While he and Drew were playing, all of his teammates joined them and Drew said "try to make it past my Poppi, he is good". So, daddy had about 6 little boys kicking balls to him and he was blocking them. When he straightened his back to walk to his chair he knew something was wrong.

Look at my daddy go! Drew had so much fun playing soccer with Poppi!

During the game, Drew and his teammates played awesome! We were playing the number one team in the league and we beat them 9 - 0. Drew scored three goals in this game - one on a free kick. Connor also scored a goal during this game, and Israel almost did! One of the parents on the other team asked the ref if there was a time when he could ask the other team not to score. The ref reminded her that these were 6, 7, and 8 year olds, and he couldn't very well do that! We were all excited for our guys, and we can't wait to see how well they play this week. They are really starting to work together and I can't get over how much they have all learned this season!

The other team is taking a corner kick and our guys (red) are guarding the goal. I loved Drew's intensity here!!

Drew takes the free kick - he scored one of his goals here!

Drew played goalie during the third quarter. I was so worried, but he did awesome. He even blocked a hard kicked ball and ended up with a strawberry above his knee. He never got upset (he rubbed it a little - okay a good bit), but mom was a little worried! The crowd was cheering for him, so he wasn't about to show any pain! That's my little athlete!!

Too Funny!

Thursday afternoon, I took Drew and Mikayla to the park after school! As soon as we walked through the gate, Drew read the sign that said "NO PETS ALLOWED". He sat with me on a bench to study for his tests on Friday, and Mikayla ran off to play. It wasn't too long before Mikayla said "mommy, can I ask her if I can pet her dog?" To which Drew loudly responded "ooohhhh, it says no pets allowed!" I was about to crawl under the bench, but instead reminded Drew that he needed to take care of himself. I told Mikayla I didn't mind if she asked to pet it, and of course Drew needed a turn too! The next thing Mikayla said made my day! She yelled out (loud enough for several others to hear) "mom, it's a cute chicahuahua"! I lost it, and the mother sitting at the picnic table beside us (and the owner of the chihuahua), burst out laughing as well! Oh, from the mouths of babes...

Fall Puppy Party

Drew waits in line at the slide - his favorite was the basketball throw. You can tell how the wind was blowing by looking at the orange cord on the left of the slide...
Mikayla and her friend Breanna slide together! This was Mikayla's favorite!

Thursday, September 25th, our school held it's fall Puppy Party (fall festival). Drew and Mikayla had been looking forward to this all week, and to be honest, so had I. I had to sign up for a 30 minute slot to work, and I was fortunate to get an early slot. Drew and Mikayla stayed in the after school program and when I was relieved, I went to get them to join the fun! Daddy joined us at the school and we had lots of fun. With the exception of the wind blowing making it feel colder than it really was, it was a wonderful evening!

Whew!

Have you ever felt like you were running in quick sand? I'm feeling that way about every week now. Every time I start feeling that I'm caught up and can relax, something else comes my way. Please don't get me wrong - I'm not complaining! I am very blessed - I have a fantastic husband, two beautiful, healthy children, a terrific family, and a wonderful job. I have to remember new school years are always like this, and things will settle soon (I hope!).

With other responsibilities comes less time for "fun stuff" and this blog (oh how I love it), counts as "fun stuff". Thus, the reason I have fallen behind with my posting!

Drew will have another soccer game tomorrow and I have yet to post about the previous two...

At his game two weeks ago, his team won 6-1 and Drew scored two goals. One of his goals he scored on a kick-off from mid-field! We couldn't believe it - I think everybody was a little shocked, even Drew!

I love this picture - Drew looks so intense!This is the kick-off where Drew scored a goal. The ball went from here into the goal!!Drew throws the ball in to his teammates.

And, Drew playing goalie. He loves to play goalie and it tears my nerves up. Almost to the point that I can't watch! Here it looks like he's adding up the score instead of watching for the ball. Hence why mom is scared to watch!

At last weeks' game I forgot my camera. It was also silent Saturday where the parents and coaches could not talk/cheer/yell. You could clap and that is all - do you know how hard this is for me? Drew was goalie two of the quarters in that game and he did not score any goals. Our team also lost the game 4-3. We are anxious to see how our little guys do tomorrow - Drew can't wait! Go RED (we don't have a team name...)!!

2008 Dance Season

Breanna, Jadyn, Mikayla, Anika, Emily, and Elana pose for a picture after their first tap/jazz class!

It's All Coming Up Dance is the theme for this year's dance season at Rising Star Dance Company. Classes started the week of September 8th and it couldn't have been soon enough for Mikayla. She asked at least twice a week during the summer "is it time for dance yet?". I had to remind her that dance would not start until after school started. She is taking ballet, clogging, tap, and jazz again this year. This is a lot for a five year old in addition to full day kindergarten, but Mikayla would not have it any other way. It has not negatively affected her in any way - she LOVES dance! Right now, she is able to take combination classes so she dances 2 hours per week - one hour on Mondays for clogging and ballet, and one hour on Fridays for tap and jazz. Once she turns seven she will not be able to take combination classes anymore, and she may have to choose her favorites at that point. We want to expose her to as many different types of dance as we can so that she can choose her favorites when the time comes - hopefully - at this point they are all her "favorites"! Another reason Mikayla is excited about this year's dance is that Breanna, her best friend, and Breanna's cousin, Emily, will take dance this year too! They are in Mikayla's tap and jazz class on Fridays. We can't wait to see how much Mikayla grows and learns in her fourth year of dance!

Grits for Grandparents!

On Friday, September 12, our school hosted Grits for Grandparents for our kindergarten students and their siblings. Our PTA took care of breakfast for the grandparents so they could come and eat with their grandchildren. Drew and Mikayla could not wait to invite Mimi and Poppi to their school to have breakfast with them! Mimi and Poppi wouldn't have missed this for the world and met us at the school at 6:45 on the rainy Friday morning!
Mimi and Poppi move through the serving line with Drew and Mikayla - Poppi offers his assistance. Drew and Mikayla do this every day, but it has been awhile since my mom and dad have been in a school cafeteria.
Drew and Mikayla enjoyed having breakfast with Mimi and Poppi while I headed down to my room to get ready for the day. After they ate, Drew and Mikayla had the chance to show Mimi and Poppi their classrooms and they got to meet Drew and Mikayla's teachers! To get to Mikayla's classroom they had to go right past mine so they also stopped and visited a minute in my room!
Thank you mom and dad for coming to have breakfast with my children! All they could talk about the whole day is "Mimi and Poppi came to our school", and this is something that they won't soon forget!

Drew's 2nd Soccer Game

Drew played another soccer game last Saturday, September 13 (I am one week behind - look for this week's game coming soon). We were scheduled to bring snacks to this game and it started at 1:00. I was worried about our children playing in the heat of the day, so I slathered sunscreen on both Drew and Mikayla and we headed to the fields. Craig wasn't far behind us with the cooler for the snacks and drinks. We were playing the number one team in the league, and Drew's friend Josh was on the other team. Drew and Josh were on the same soccer team last year and they were also in the same class at school. It was a hard fought game with our guys scoring 2 goals right away. Then the other team came back and scored 3 goals so they were up by one. Then, Drew scores a goal to tie the game! I was so proud of Drew and all of our boys for playing hard in this game. They could have given up, but neither team did. They kept playing hard. Drew only scored one goal the whole season last year (that might have something to do with him always wanting to play goalie), but this year he has already scored 2 goals, one in each game we have played!

This is what Mikayla likes to do when Drew is sitting out. Everyone on the team takes a break during one quarter of play. Drew (and all the other guys) needs this break! Mikayla makes sure Poppi gets his exercise!

Drew hustles most of the time to get in there and get the ball. Sometimes Craig wishes he would play a little more aggressive.

Drew (as goalie) kicks the ball - this has some special name, but because I still don't know a whole lot about soccer I'm not sure if it is called a "goal kick" or something else...
Drew gets a hard kick in on kick-off! I think he has the form to be a big time kicker someday - what do you think?
The guys take a break during half-time and enjoy some snacks.
Mikayla and Poppi run some more!

This was such a great game, and it was a nail biter to the end! With AYSO, rank is based on a point system. You get so many points for a win, so many for a tie, none for a loss, but your team also gets points if your coach or another parent volunteers as a ref. I was happy with a tie because our team was able to get some points! Go Drew - keep playing hard! We are still trying to come up with a name for our team...

So Sweet at School!

Mikayla's class at school is down one room from mine (across the hall). She has walked from my room to her own room several times this year, but every now and then she gets a little upset when it is time to leave mommy! She feels more comfortable having someone walk her down. On this particular morning she "allowed" Drew to walk her down. You see, Drew had asked for several days if he could "walk" Mikayla to her room, but Mikayla wouldn't have any part in it. She wanted Mommy to walk her down. Drew was so excited that she finally let him have a turn. He feels like such the big brother these days, now that she is at school full-time with us! He thinks he is her protector, that is for sure! Mikayla rubs her eyes (she is still upset) as Drew prepares to walk to his class (on the next hall over).
One more sweet goodbye hug before "bubba" has to go. They are such "sweet siblings" - well, most of the time! :)

For the record, as soon as Mikayla gets seated with her friends in her class, she is fine. No more rubbing her eyes, or being upset. I'm beginning to wonder if it is a "show" for mommy - could it be?

Drew's First Soccer Game

Last Saturday, Drew had his first soccer game of the year! He was so excited he could hardly wait! His team had gotten their whole uniforms (we are red/white this year), and you can see the shorts and socks below. Unfortunately, they mixed up our shirts and they were all the wrong sizes. These are temperary shirts until ours come in hopefully this week. It didn't bother Drew or the other guys in the least, as they were just so excited to finally be playing a game. We have been practicing since the beginning of August. Drew gets ready to kick-off!My beautiful girl watches her brother play! Drew lines up to kick-off in the second half.
All the boys played very well. Drew scored the first goal for his team!! Our team ended up losing the game 5 - 2, but our boys had so much fun playing and they played hard. We were so proud of how well our boys played together as a team. Both Drew and Zachary scored points for our team! We were cheering like crazy during the whole game!

Drew has another game today, and we can't wait to see how this one goes!

Mikayla's Birthday Party!

This post has been one week coming as Mikayla's party was last Sunday!

In case you are wondering about lack of posts lately...I handmade invitations for Mikayla to give out for her party, I've baked and decorated her birthday cake, I am now the webmaster for our school's web page (that has taken up a lot of time that I usually devote to my blog), and we have been preparing for soccer and dance season. Lots going on here - which in turn means lots to post about. I hope to get some "catching up" done this week!

She wanted to have a swim party again, so Mimi and Poppi graciously let us "borrow" their pool (er house). Mikayla was very excited about her party, especially after "helping" mommy make her cake. She couldn't wait to see all of her friends, have cake and ice cream, and open presents.

We scheduled her party from 2:00 - 5:00, so we would have time for church and then finish last minute preparations for her party and have dinner with Mimi and Poppi. It had been a beautiful morning, but just before 2:00 I began noticing clouds in the sky. As the first guests began arriving, we headed on out to the pool. Lucas, Jadyn, Trevyr, and Ms. Amy enjoy the pool.The birthday girl jumps off the diving board and swims to the ladder.Tessa, Lucas, Jadyn, Lauren, and Breanna play in the pool as Bryson and Drew look for more toys!

Mikayla and Breanna

About an hour or so after all of the children had been swimming, it began to rain. Since it was just sprinkling at first, we thought we would wait it out - I mean, all the kids were already wet anyway. But as it began to rain harder, we thought it best to head inside before we were all soaked. The rain break provided a great time for cake, ice cream, and presents. Mikayla gets ready to blow out her candles!Drew and Bryson would rather play - first with toys and then on the wii!Mikayla and her friends enjoy some cake and ice cream!

Bailey, and Olivia help Mikayla open one of her presents!

By the time everyone had enjoyed their cake and ice cream, and Mikayla had opened all of her presents, the rain had stopped. We all headed back outside so the kids (some adults too) could spend the rest of the time swimming!

Drew, Bryson, Olivia, Mikayla, Trevyr, Breanna, and Lauren

Mikayla in the middle of the pool surrounded by family and friends!Olivia, Mikayla, Jadyn and Bailey play in the pool.And then the girls take a turn in the "bounce house"!

It was a fantastic party, and everyone seemed to have a grand time - especially Mikayla! Happy Birthday again, Sweet Princess!! We love you!

A Surprise Party and a Birthday Cake

Saturday was a busy day for our family as we were getting ready for Mikayla's birthday party. I also had been invited to a surprise birthday party for my assistant Saturday night at The Junction restaurant. Craig kept the kids so that I could go and celebrate with Mrs. Brooks and her family and friends. There was about 40 people there to surprise her when she came through the door and boy, was she surprised!! Her son and daughter-in-law came from North Carolina, and also our friend Martha came from North Carolina. We had a wonderful time, and I'm glad that it's over because it was hard to keep it a secret from her - seeing her every day like I do! Happy Birthday Mrs. Brooks - I hope that you have had a wonderful weekend with your family!

After coming home Saturday night, I began working on Mikayla's birthday cake. Making Drew and Mikayla's cake is a new tradition for our family that I started last year. I am by no means a professional, but it sure is fun to do, and the important thing is the cakes are made with love! Last year, Drew had a scuba diver cake (at the bottom of the page) and Mikayla had a princess castle cake (at the bottom of the page). This year Drew had a baseball field (in the middle of the page) and Mikayla requested a Hannah Montana cake. I thought "oh boy, how do you make a Hannah Montana cake". So I got online and searched for ideas. I found a Hannah Montana guitar cake and thought I could handle that so that's what we made. I baked two rectangle shaped cakes and cut one to be the handle and the other to be the guitar shape. Then I put them together and decorated them. It wasn't near as hard as I expected it to be. Mikayla even had fun helping me with the pink and white crystal sprinkles, and I think it turned out rather cute. What do you think?