So I'll be flat honest...I'm so tired of Mom's complaining about being with their kids all summer and anxiously awaiting to drop them off at school! How I would love to spend the summer with them exploring new things, teaching them all the things they don't learn in school and should (math!) and just being lazy. We had 1 summer together a few years ago and it was awesome!
But I do get very excited about the new school year. I'm always so anxious to figure out who their teachers are...these people that get to spend more time with my children than I do and get to teach them so many things! Well this year our teachers are awesome and I know it's going to be a great year!
Marlie is in first grade and her teacher is Mrs. Edson. I can't tell you how many great stories I've heard about her. I'm so blessed Marlie is in her class.
Doug and I love walking them into their classrooms on the first day and watching their interactions with their teacher and friends.
What I'm a little worried about is that half of Marlie's soccer team is in her class and she knows quite a few other girls too! Here's a cute pic of Chloe, Marlie and sweet Emma. We met sweet Emma in Sunday school this summer and she's as quiet as a mouse and cute as a button. I just loved having her in my class and I'm glad the girls are in class together. Chloe is a member of the world famous Fairy Ponies!
Honestly I did not know any of the 2nd grade teachers. So when we heard that Matt had Mrs. Gommels I didn't really know what to think. On our way to meet her we ran into the kid's Kinder teacher, Mrs. Grady and she told us that she was awesome! Well sure enough...we immediately liked her. She had already heard great things about Matt from Mrs. Hathorn, his 1st grade teacher and that made us proud. She had a sweet poem for us to read the night before school started which included "magic confetti" to put under your pillow to get a good night's sleep! Matt said it worked! Too cute!
Matt is that kid that knows everyone. So he said he knows everyone in his class except 2 new people. But none of his really good friends are in his class this year and that makes me a little sad. However, I don't think it phases him much.
I guess the good thing about all the camps we did this summer is that the kids are used to going to new places and making friends. So neither were nervous at all this morning. I think they were happy to be in their classes with familiar faces. We are really blessed to go to a great school. We have great teachers, staff and parents too. Thank you for God for the answered prayer on continuing to surround us with wonderful people!
Matt experienced a wonderful few days last week at Carolina Creek Christian Camp! I came across this camp at work (yes I have the best job ever) last year and couldn't wait for Matt to go this summer. It was better than expected.
We were thrilled that Caden and Evan also signed up for camp and got put into the same cabin. Then Marlie's friend Garrett (my sweet friend Stephanie's son) also ended up in their cabin. Garrett is a couple of years younger than MC&E but he kept up with the older boys. The boys were in the Zebra cabin and their counselors were Alex, Garrett (aka Big G) and Evan #2. The boys immediately started calling them all "coach" because that's what their used to. Evan #2 is 13 and is the son of a woman who leads the girls camps. He was a great kid and the boys LOVED him immediately. I'm sure they wore him out!
Matt was so excited about camp until the day of. He wouldn't admit to being nervous but he was crying for no reason so I knew he was. But as soon as Caden and his family hopped in our car all was good. There was a little look of fear when we left them but no tears...well except for Marlie. She cried for 5 minutes solid, hardly breathing because she was going to miss Matt. By the time we made it back home she was fine and we when told her she could pick out what to eat for dinner she said "lobster" and off we went! While Matt was gone we did enjoy having Marlie to ourselves and some peace and quiet in the house!
Wednesday morning we couldn't wait to go get the boys. When we got there, they were playing football outside their cabin. Matt shot me a big smile but kept playing. When I finally got their full attention I got my hug and snapped this cute picture. No doubt they were having fun!
They had cabin awards and it was so funny that in just a few days they had figured out these boys. Garrett got the Endurance Award for working hard to keep up with the older boys in the cabin. Caden got the Loyalty Award for making friends and being kind to everyone. Evan got the Wisdom Award which is just SO Evan. Matt got the I'm Third Award which was very special. God First, others Second and Yourself Third. Here's a little video of his award...
The Counselors did a great job and I knew from the moment that I met all 3 of them that I liked them. They were great role models for the boys.
Afterwards we went into Noah's Ark for a final worship service. It was fun to see the songs the boys learned along with all the dance moves. After a trip to the gift shop and a few more pictures with ALL the kids it was time to head home. Next year the boys are excited to go for the week and the girls will get to join them!! Can't wait!!
I am having to put a smile on my face and change my attitude to write this blog post. We made it through June and I am completely exhausted. We run nonstop to camps and work and I just wish I had a week to sit at home with the kids and do nothing!
Although managing a new camp every week is challenging, the silver lining is that the kids get to do and learn some neat things. The first week they went to zoo camp and learned about lots of animals. I like for them to do 1 camp in the summer where they don't know anyone and have to make friends. This was the one and they did great. They were exhausted by Friday and passed out on the way home.
Last week the kids went to music camp. Ms. Kristi, our guitar teacher and Ms. Anne who teaches piano put this camp together. It was in our neighborhood with all neighborhood kids. The kids LOVED it! On Thursday they had a recital and I had so much fun watching the kids who had been taking lessons for awhile and the kids who were rookies. Ms. Anne asked Matt to play this piece last minute because she liked it...and I did too!
He also played with 2 other boys that have been doing lessons and he thought that was tons of fun. He helped Garrett, my friend Stephanie's son learn to play Twinkle Twinkle in just 4 days. Matt said he was proud of him and I think he really enjoyed helping. Maybe he will do the same with his sister???
Marlie worked on the guitar some but focused on voice lessons. For the recital she sang part of a song from The Little Mermaid. It was less dramatic than she usually sings at home! She absolutely LOVED singing in front of a crowd! Too funny!
Marlie also played (and sung of course) the first line to Twinkle Twinkle. Then all the kids sang "My Favorite Things" and "Yellow Submarine". They all had a blast and I'm so thankful to Ms. Kristi for doing this!
Marlie's birthday was June 11th. The kids had the option of having a birthday party or going to San Diego this summer so they chose the latter. So for Marlie's birthday we went to dinner at her choice, Chick-Fil-A and then to Tutti Frutti. She got to take 2 friends along. It was one of the best birthdays ever. The girls had a blast! Here's their performance after a cup of froyo...
These girls are too stinkin cute!
My boss gave me his great seats to the Astros game so Matt and I went with my coworker and friend Amy and her son James to the game. Matt LOVED it! And honestly I think he loved the game more than the access to all you can eat jelly beans!
And he's been dying to see the Angels because he loves Mike Trout. He wears #27 in baseball because of him. A few months ago Matt got out the Astros schedule and figured out when the Angels were in town. He's been saving his money ever since so Dad bought tickets. We have been so busy with baseball so Marlie and I decided to stay home so she could have her first sleepover. The boys invited Big Matt and Logan to go with them and they had the time of their lives. Not only did each of the boys get a ball from the Angels pitcher, but just before the game Mike Trout (yes don't freak out) came to the side and signed both of the boys baseballs! I'm not sure if the boys or the Dads were more excited. Then the boys were also on the big screen at the game for the Squeeze Play. What I loved most is that the boys didn't get home until after midnight...Matt turns on the light in my bedroom and jumps on the bed and tells me the whole story. Then Doug tells it again because he's so excited too. I'm so glad we all had a great night!
Prayers for the rest of the summer that we can somehow experience peace in all this chaos!
I cannot believe another school year has come and gone! And everyone is so excited about the summer, but when you're a working Mom, it's the hardest time of the year. We will be exhausted from running around by the end of it but we look forward to a great trip with the Hatters before school starts back up!
FCE doesn't have Kinder graduation but the kids put on a wonderful performance! This year it was a Texas theme and they performed the cutest songs. As usual, Marlie loved being onstage in front of lots of people!
One of the songs they performed was the Hokie Pokie. It was the cutest HP I've seen that went hip hop half way through. Marlie was so cute shaking her hips!
Afterwards we went back to the classroom to say our goodbye's. Here is sweet Alaina with Marlie.
And of course it was hard to say goodbye to Mrs. Grady. I am so glad both of my kids had her as their Kinder teacher. Marlie gave her a big hug and then as we started to leave she started crying big dinosaur tears. So we went back to give Mrs. Grady one last hug. Thank you Mrs. Grady for 2 great years!
On our way out we got to see Lauren and Celia and snap one last picture as Kindergartners!
Matt had a big awards ceremony the day before school ended. He brought home not only 1 but 2 awards! His classroom award was for "always getting the class involved in an activity". I told him that was a great award because it shows leadership!! Matt also got the award given to 1 student in 1st grade for "Outstanding Achievement in PE"! This is hilarious because anytime you ask him his favorite subject it's PE or when you ask him about school, it's always about what happened in PE. Plus Matt loves Coach James and we are so sad that he is leaving FCE next year. Luckily we will still see him at gymnastics as he runs the boys team there.
Matt was also one of the few younger students to be in the school video. They did a "lip dub" to the song "Home" and it turned out really good. It should be posted at this link soon http://www.humbleisd.net/Page/48561. Happy Summer to all!
Yes Matt is still working hard learning how to play guitar. He is really good now at practicing on his own when he comes home from school. I love listening to him play and he enjoys performing for the family.
He had his spring guitar recital last night. He's never been completely comfortable but this time he was really nervous. His first piece was a duo with Mrs. Kristi. He knows this one well and could probably play it without the music. He started playing and forgot to repeat a line, then got lost in the music. You may not be able to tell during the song, but you can see it in his face when he finishes. I asked him what happened and he said "Mom I was so nervous. My heart was beating so fast." Bless his heart. That feeling is awful! I still get it when I have speak in front of large groups!
But when he came back out to do his BIG, exciting piece, he did great! I've heard him play better but he played awesome! Doug and I sometimes listen to Johnny Cash (we love Walk the Line) so the kids listen too. When we were in the music store a long time ago, Matt saw a Johnny Cash book and wanted to get it. I tried to get him to learn Tennessee Flat Top Box but he really wanted to learn Ring of Fire. Well he did and this is how it sounded...
He wanted to wear his boots and hat which was too cute! I loved every second of his performance!
Matt got the award for being the best site reader...Mrs. Kristi said she can put any sheet of music in front of him and he can start playing. I think that's really neat (and wish I could do it!).
Matt we are really proud of you! You have worked so hard at this and have caught on so quickly. This summer Matt is going to take a break from guitar and will work with Marlie as she starts her guitar lessons. I hope next time you'll have a video of both of them playing together! Thank you to Mrs. Kristi for being so wonderful and patient with these little ones. We are looking forward to many more years of lessons and to music camp this summer!
This post is long overdue! Those of you who read my Christmas post know that Marlie really wanted to play softball this year. I think it was just an attempt to spend more time with Dad...and it definitely was...but she ended up loving it too!
Thankfully Marlie got picked by Coach Kelsey who was so fabulous with the girls. And Dad got to help too! The girls were all first-timers but they did great! The first practices and the first scrimmage were hilarious! But Marlie looked so cute! I don't know if you remember this jersey from Matt's 5th birthday party, but it sure did look cute on Marlie!
The girls were excited for their first game. Dad thought we might not win even one game but guess what? They won ALL but 2!! This league was great for first-timers...you got 3 chances to hit from the pitcher and then 2 chances off the tee. By the end of the season Marlie was doing great hitting off the pitcher. And like Matt, no matter what, she loved to slide into home! Since you can only play pitcher for 1 inning during the game, the girls all got to rotate and play different positions. Marlie made several outs during the season at first and at home plate. Once she even ran to the outfield for the ball, ran like a cheetah to home plate and tagged the girl coming home!
The Sparkles made it to the championship game in the end of season tournament. The game went into 2 extra innings and we lost by 1. They came so close to winning with 2 less girls on the field and against a team that was very serious. I was so proud of them! Marlie looks like Hitler because Matt wanted to warm up with her before the game. He decided she needed to learn how to catch pop flies and well...she caught one with her lip!
A big thanks to Dad for this season. We had so much going on that I wasn't sure how we were going to manage to fit this in. But Dad went to every practice and game and helped Marlie learn how to hit and catch at home. She had an amazing time and wants to do it again next year! Thank you to Coach Kelsey for making this so fun for the girls!
For those of you who don't know anything about dance recitals, let me try to explain...imagine you are on a baseball team. You practice all year and have 1 game at the end of the year to show your skills. Can you imagine how big that game would be? Welcome to dance recital world! It's a huge day and in our family it's a REALLY big deal.
After the recital I had to reflect on 2 things. How amazing it is that God created us so differently. And how if you ask him to surround you with great people, he will.
For those of you who read this blog know Matt and Marlie couldn't be any different. Matt works so hard at everything. He gives 100% when no one is looking. And as a parent, it's such a great feeling because you always know, win or lose, he did his best. Now Marlie...she is naturally good at almost everything (ok with the exception of gymnastics) but she's typically in the 60-95% effort range and you never know what you're going to get on any given day. And boy is that frustrating because we know she's good and well because we're used to Matt that just rocks it all the time.
Marlie is a naturally good dancer. But she never "shines" during class. And to get her to practice at home is like herding toddlers. When she asked me to sleep with her the night before the recital I told her that I would the next night IF she did good at her recital. The next morning she said "Mom why did you say that? You know I'm going to do good." I wanted to say..."um no really I don't" but I just smiled and said "of course you are!"
When she was 3 she shocked us all by giving us the cutest recital performance ever. Then last year she did it again. What I realized after her performance Saturday is that this kid LOVES to perform in front of people! Isn't that crazy? I was always terrified. She loves every minute. You have to watch the video. I especially like the beginning before the dance starts. She is happy as can be smiling at the crowd with her eyes saying "watch me everyone!"
Marlie dances at a studio owned by Stacey Wilms, who was also her teacher this past year. She is one of the most angelic women I have ever met. She is a strong Christian, always trying to raise money for a family in need and just loves these little girls like they are her own. Oh and she is a fabulous dance teacher too!
I loved that Marlie got to dance with her friends Lauren and Emilie again this year too! And we got to see Lyla perform at the recital and she was adorable!
Big brother missed baseball games to be here and he was so proud of Marlie! It made Nene's day and Daddy's too. Rumor is that Daddy has helped "coach" a little at home and even once did a chasse!
But Mom might have been the proudest. I was so nervous for her that even though it was freezing in the gym I was sweating like I was running in 110 degree weather! Ok maybe not that much but man...then I just wanted to jump up and hug her after she was done! Instead she hugged me so tight and it was the best feeling ever!
Thank you to Ms. Clara who did a few lessons with Marlie this year. Oh how Marlie loves Ms. Clara! I think she's right up there with Taylor Swift!
Marlie we can't wait to watch you again next year! You are our Tiny Dancer!
