Walk for Life

Twice a month I meet with other moms at a local church. We get the opportunity to talk with other moms while volunteers watch our children. It is a great time and a needed break. This year our group decided we needed to be more service minded to others. The board decided that we would support our local crises pregnancy center. One of the centers big events is a 5k and walk to earn money. I was originally planning on doing the 5k but hurt my foot and wasn't up and running quickly enough to get any training in for the run so I did the walk instead. John had made plans to go fishing that morning so I took the kids along. Ella would be fine in the stroller and I knew Sam could handle what I thought was a mile walk.

Well, turns out I was wrong, and the walk was almost three miles. I was a little worried Sam would get bored, tired, etc. but he did a great job! He walked the first mile and a half at the front of our group urging everyone on to the finish. Then he hung out and walked with me the remainder of the way. He even said he would like to do the walk again next year. It was a great way to spend a Saturday morning .

Mighty Sam

Sam the first night when he got his helmet and shoulder pads.

Down in his three point stance ready to attack! Sam is the second player in orange from the right.

Sam decided that he wanted to play Mighty Mite football this fall. Mighty Mites is full pads, full contact football. I wasn't sure how he would do but he is doing really well! He plays on the offensive and defensive lines and is really starting to understand his positions. He needs to be a little more aggressive but for his first season he is doing great! His team has played two games and unfortunately they have lost them both but the boys play hard and seem to really be enjoying themselves. He has also really taken to watching football on tv too which makes me happy since I think that is a great way to spend a weekend and now we can do it together!

Undefeated!

Dancing with the Golden Girls and Marching Mizzou at halftime!

Another great weekend in Columbia and another great Tiger victory! The weather was perfect for football and we enjoyed tailgating with friends before the game. The kids were excited to have some time at the hotel in the evening to swim in the pool since it was a day game. I think they were going through some swimming withdrawal. They are already excited to go back for Homecoming!

It's Totaled

This past weekend my parents came down so John and I could have a kid free weekend in Columbia. There are three Tigers games in a row and that seemed like a lot of driving with the kids and sometimes it's nice to watch the game without distractions. I am so happy that the kids were not with us because in the rainy drive home on Sunday we hydroplaned and hit the median cable twice doing a 180 degree spin on a busy highway.

Luckily, John and I only came away with a few minor scrapes and sore muscles. When you see the car you realize it could have been much worse and I'm so happy that the other cars were able to avoid us and that the kids were safe with Grandma and Grandpa. There have been many prayers of thanks since Sunday. I think God had our family in his arms that day keeping us protected.

Any ideas on what kind of car we should get to replace the Camry??

Tiger Time!

This past weekend was the first Missouri Tigers home football game. All of us have been excited since our tickets came in the mail a few weeks ago! This weekend was an evening game so Saturday morning we slept in then began packing up our things for the trek to Columbia. As soon as we pulled into the parking lot Sam started looking for our friends little girl Molly. He spotted her among the hundreds of people in our lot and the party began quickly.

The kids were anxious to get out of the car and begin tailgating. We joined in with some friends and everyone brought dishes. We had some delicious brisket and a good time catching up and visiting. The kids ate, played and had a great time too.

Then it was time to head to the game. We had a fun time watching the Tigers score a lot of points on their way to a 50-6 victory over McNeese State. Ella enjoyed looking for Truman and watching the Golden Girls. Sam was really into the football this year and rooting on the Tigers. I think he cheered the loudest of anyone in our section. Looking forward to some more games this Fall.

Move Over Shawn Johnson!

Ella had her first gymnastics class today and she absolutely loved it! We went yesterday to pick out a couple of leotards for her to wear to class. At first she shied away from all of the sparkly and colorful ones and picked out one that was plain pink. After having her try on one with some glitter she loved it and wanted to go back and pick out some more. You can tell from the picture that she decided she really liked ones with sparkles!

As soon as we got back this morning from dropping off Sam she was rushing around to go to gymnastics. She was so excited to put on her new leotard and kept asking if she looked like a gymnastics girl. She did very well in class and always had a big smile on her face. When I asked her at the end of class what her favorite part was she said she couldn't decide because there were so many. Looks like our Friday mornings will now be busy for a while.

Preschool

My princess with princess Belle. She is so excited that the theme at preschool this year is Disney!

Smiling after completing the ABC puzzle!

My big preschooler!

Ella went yesterday to meet her teacher, Ms. Patty. She absolutely loved it! I couldn't get her to leave the room when the next group of kids were coming. I think leading up to preschool she was getting a bit nervous. She had just been real quiet and small things would upset her. The only thing John and I could figure out was that she was apprehensive about school starting. Well, that is no longer and my happy little girl is back and ready to go!

She has been asking repeatedly since yesterday when she gets to go back to preschool and why can't she just go ahead and go today. When we were leaving yesterday she told me she wanted to go to preschool everyday, not just twice a week. She also said that I didn't need to walk her to her classroom the first day because now she knew where it was (too much listening to her big brother). She is still my baby and I would still like to walk her in on her first day.